Bill Joyce

I guess driving to Charlotte MI to have Spartan do the work is a bit far.  

I would look around for something of similar size that comes with 50AMP.  We have a 50AMP RV and know how to live on 30 or 20AMP, but we are always glad to get back to 50AMP where we can do what we want without as much compromising.  

Mobile Internet Resource Center has some nice guides on mobile internet.  Here is their guide to the best plans - https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/top-cellular-data-plans-for-rvers-cruisers-verizon-att-t-mobile-and-sprint/ .

I realized I should say we are running no longer available plans from AT&T and Verizon, so I recommend that if you get something that works, hang on to it if it becomes unavailable.  If I had to get a current plan I would look at the Visible plan on Verizon (just leave the phone ringer turned off and use a new phone number) for $40 and/or the FMCA Sprint plan for $50 (we are members of FMCA, which is now open to all RVs).

2 hours ago, remoandiris said:

Have you done the 3-cycle wash procedure to help clear out lint?  IIRC, Splendide recommends doing it monthly.  You can call customer service and speak with a technician.  They will email you the procedure.

About every 6 months my wife notices the drying time gets longer and doing the procedure fixes the problem.

The 6620 should keep going for 4 months.  My 7730 needed a new battery, so I got one from Amazon and it still works.  

Since I am in Cottonwood, which is just down the road from Camp Verde, I checked Gas Buddy and the spread it has is $2.83 to 3.54 or 71 cents, but not all stations listed have prices.  I have seen some major price differences.  The spread right now in the Needles CA/Fort Mojave AZ area is $2.57 to $4.89 or $2.32.

4 hours ago, SWharton said:

I think your perception of throttling is not what is done today. I have an "unlimited" ATT plan that might be throttled after 22G if the network is busy. I have now had it for 2-3 years and never been throttled and I have used will over 22G for months at a time. I have not heard of anyone who has been throttled. Looks like the throttling threat is a CYA.

"Network prioritization" is what happens after 22GB on the Mobley plan, which is not "throttling".  Throttling (what some call "hard throttling") is where the carrier intentionally slows you down.  My  Verizon phone will do 15GB of full speed hotspotting, but at 15GB it is throttled to unusable speeds.  

California will be higher.  In May we paid $4.099/gallon in California.  Our most recent fill up was in New Mexico for $3.099.  Down the road from where we are in Arizona the station with big rig pumps wants $2.999.  

I also remember 2008, 2011 and 2012 prices, where we paid over $4 gallon everywhere including two $2K fuel months when we had to cross the country for obligations.   

Mobile Internet Resource Center just put out a public video review of Visible as a choice for RVers and boaters, it is 14 minutes long  - 

.   

You can get the engine manufacturer to adjust the speedometer.  When we changed tire sizes Cummins made the computer change.

22 hours ago, noteven said:

Ol Nomadic Fanatic had his undies in a wad... 

 

You are thinking that the law will be fairly and evenly enforced, but there are many laws that are selectively enforced. He has been the subject of selective enforcement, which does exist, so he is sensitive to laws that can be interpreted by the LEO being enforced in ways that were not intended.  I remember being treated differently when I was young and had long hair.  I remember my parents stories about being treated badly because my father was in the Army.  I know people who have been given tickets being out of state that a local would not have been given.   It is hard to fight a ticket if you are not local and have to hire a lawyer.

58 minutes ago, j2catfish said:

My 8800l works good most of the time but does drop out and causes some serious problems. Where can the firmware update be found?  Do  have to take it in to Verizon? Thanks

Catfish

There is a check for updates on the 8800L itself off one of the menus.   Here is info on that - https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/verizon-finally-releases-8800l-1s-firmware-update-hopefully-fixing-reboot-disconnects/ .

2 hours ago, Packman said:

Can the 8800L connect to a router?

I tether mine with USB to a Pepwave Surf SOHO MK3 router.  Works great.   You do need to take it off power every once in a while to let it run off battery or you will ruin the battery.  I do that half the month when I switch to using an AT&t hotspot on the router.

As others have said, it depends on the particular motorhome or 5th wheel for storage.  Friends moved from a 35/36' National RV Triopical gas motorhome to a 40' Alfa See Ya diesel pusher and lost storage due to the Alfa having such short bays.  I also know someone who moved from a small 5th wheel to a truck camper and gained storage,.  I also know that when we moved from a 35' National RV Dolphin gas motorhome to our 40' Newmar Dutch Star diesel pusher,, we only gained a small amount in basement storage.  We did get a bit more upstairs storage even adding a washer/dryer combo.  Particulars matter.  

Our Dutch Star also has a side radiator and many a mechanic has told us that makes it much easier to work on than a diesel with a rear radiator.  A couple times we were told a job would take a couple days, but once they learned it was a side radiator the job was done in a few hours.  

I suspect the reason the 8800L only got 2 stars was due to a problem fixed by a recent firmware update.  Before the firmware update some 8800Ls would drop the connection periodically.  I have an 8800L and it has been rock solid since the firmware update.  

Autotransformers are used outside of RVs. A friend helps at a  machine shop that has 240 three phase  power and uses an autotransformer to boost from 208 to 240.  

I am going to scare you here.  We once had a $15000 repair bill on our diesel pusher, mostly from replacing our turbo, but also included the air compressor and some brake work.  Are you ready for that kind of surprise expense?  Is it going to ruin your enjoyment of RVing worrying about such an expense?  We bought our diesel pusher new, but had our sights on one that was over $100K more and realized we were being foolish.

I have met multiple people who spent everything they had on their RV and they worry all the time about a big repair, camping costs, maintenance costs, fuel costs, etc.  There are also many happy RVers in gas motorhomes, older diesels, etc., who bought within their means.

3 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

Not sure why National General would be left out of the above list.  We have had them for several years (through Good Sams). Last year they paid 100% for a windshield replacement (Florida policy) which cost them $3,700.  We just got our renewal for this next year and they raised us $4.00.  

National General is an insurance company, while the list is of insurance brokers.  Brokers deal with multiple insurance companies, including National General.  In your case Good Sam was acting as the broker.  We have been with the same broker, RV Advantage/FCIS for many years, but our insurance company has changed a couple times, most notably when Progressive made some changes to their policies that raised our rates and reduced our coverage many years ago.

18 hours ago, Vladimir said:

The real surprise for us in Canada was that COSTCO did not accept VISA, only MASTERCARD. That was interesting...we finally wrote them a check from our personal account.

This is supposed to be fixed if you use a Costco branded card, so you can use a USA Costco Visa in Canada and a Canadian Costco Mastercard in the USA.  I will know for sure in a couple weeks when we go into British Columbia and will probably visit a Costco.  

It is also a good idea to have a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees.  We have a Capitol One Mastercard and a Costco Visa that do not, but our Chase cards do.  Many sneak the fees in at statement time, so they catch you by surprise.

https://www.rvweb.net/best-rv-thermostats-reviewed/ might help.  The good information is at the bottom.

52 minutes ago, SWharton said:

Has anyone drive the Glenn Allen-Tok cutoff recently. I have read it is not a good road but it is so much shorter than going around. I can't seem to find any information on its condition.

https://rv-dreams.typepad.com/rvdreams_journal/2019/06/2019-alaska-trip-day-50-horrible-alaska-roads-tolsona-wilderness-campground-glenallen-alaska.html is a recent report.

42 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

Shouldn't any 2 wire thermostat work? See some mechanical and digital ones at Lowe's. 

Make sure it is a 12 volt thermostat, since many are 24 volt.

I guess that September is better for avoiding mosquitoes, since both times we camped were in September.  We only stayed a few days and brought our own food.  Note that cell service on both Verizon and AT&T is iffy in the area.  

16 hours ago, dirtyboots said:

You might also check out the Diamond Lake RV park.  It is a commercial park with hook-ups.  There is also a USFS park next to Diamond Lake but not sure you would fit.

Diamond Lake RV park is very close to the North Entrance to Crater Lake National Park.  You can get to it via Hwy. 97/138 or come in on Hwy. 62 from I-5 (Medford, Or).  

It's all good road and beautiful country - have a great time.

X2 on Diamond Lake RV Park and we did not encounter mosquitoes, since the campground is away from the lake.