RE: Blu Ray Players with standard DVD's
I went with the Oppo BDP-93, at the 'last one in stock' move it out discounted price (or, they could have been just wanting to move me out, as I kept talking about why pay full price for a unit that is no longer made...).
It is more then I need for this duty, but at the same price as the mid level Pioneer Elite, Denon or Panasonic units, it was a no brainer. The Oppo compared well with the Marantz UD5007 in sound quality play back, and I believe the picture quality are very comparable - and if not, with a 32" screen, doubt I would see the differences anyways.
Besides the lower price (Just over $400 out the door...:)!, his also allows me to add portable hard drives for both sound and movies stored. I liked the FLAC capability, and eSata was in this model, but dropped in the replacement BDP-103. The DAC is also OK, but will A/B this with the Musical Fidelity V-DAC MKII. These feed a dash sitting Meridian F80 'boom box:)!' - which continues to surprise me with the sound quality in these 'sardine cans on wheels'...
I know the picture quality going from the old JVC24 Tube TV to Samsung 32" will be much nicer at 1080P... The Bose 3-2-1 will be set up as component video in as short time 'back-up' if needed on our upcoming road trip. When we return in October, we will be going in for a 'interior makeover', so these are temporary installs for this trip. Suspect we'll move the Samsung 32" to the bedroom at that time, and put in we think a 40" in a cabinet that will go behind the passenger seat. (Can't wait to remove the 'head bumper' cabinet that the current TV is in - we're both tall, and both have hit it hard from time to time...:)!) We'll retain the Oppo in this new setup, and move the F80 to a new location on the cabinet just below the TV, at just about 10" below our sitting ear level.
Thanks again for the quick updates on Blu Ray vs older Progressive scan DVD's.
Best to all,
Smitty
(Funny how things work out, as I had planned on either an 'all in one' Arcam Solo or Meridian G95 for replacement of the Bose. Blu Ray made both of these no longer viable solutions for the video portion...)
RE: Blu Ray Players with standard DVD's
Have you been hiding out in a cave for a few years? You are many years behind on technology!
Feel like it sometimes:)!
I have stayed away from Blu Ray at home, pending the final demise of my old plasma 1080i.
While I knew Blu Ray players would play older format DVD's. I was not aware that they unconverted them to HD.
Assume the difference between a $129 vs $499+ Blu Ray, is from the quality of the components and chips used.
Thanks for the quick education on this. Will do some more research.
Smitty
Blu Ray Players with standard DVD's
Just when you think you understand what is going on, something else comes along and obsoletes it - just when I figured out how to program the VCR, I find they are obsolete:)!
Quick background:
Smart 32" Samsung TV going into the head bumper cabinet in our coach.
While this is going in, I thought since cabling was involved, I should jump up to a Blu Ray DVD player and HDMI cabling.
I get confused when I look at the Blu Ray's available. I see very few Blu Ray, one being the Marantz UD5007, that plays back in Progressive Scan mode.
As I currently own zero Blu Ray DVD's, my thinking is that I would be better served with a Blu Ray unit that supports older DVD formats Progressive Scan mode playback. I figured we would probably never rebuild our full DVD library (again, after the jump to VCR). The other factor is with streaming Hulu and Netflix and Satellite Dish's with DVR's - DVD/Blu Ray's are not as important as they used to be.
Am I off in my thinking? Opinions and info sharing requested:)! I'm also wondering if I should just stay with a standard DVD player, and not worry about Blu Ray at all... The Cary DVD 7's are dropping in price that make them attractive, and older Oppo's are still fine players too...
Confused I be...
Thanks,
Smitty
Note: Next I will think about getting one of those new fangled phones that work without wires being connected...
RE: On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......
You all leave some of that little space called Alaska for us!
Our scheduled departure moves out to mid June. Told my DW I had planned it this way to miss the late winter:)! Nope, she did not believe me...
Travel safe, post often, and feel free to leave your card at the pump for Smitty - I'll get it back to you...
Best to all,
Smitty
RE: air tabs
I installed them on our T28 Bounder. Was able to match the tan paint of the basement with a good spray paint.
Truck passing impact was an improvement. Still got shoved around, but much less white knuckle.
Strong shifting direction winds was even more of an improvement of more comfortable driving.
Toad, rear of coach, including rear camera stay cleaner. (In rain, the camera used to be next to useless, Airtabs helped that quite a bit.)
I did not buy it for MPG improvement. But, our MPG did go up just about a 1/2 MPG over several thousand miles. Could have just been the luck of the draw. But I went back and checked three trips to the same location before, against two trips after the Airtabs installed. The first three were with a 1/4 MPG of each other average. The last two were almost exactly the same, and showed just under 1/2 MPG improvement. Not a controlled test.
This handling improvement was the cheapest one that I made for the F53 chassis. I think it really helps for those with long overhang rear ends.
Our new coach is 40' with tags, and I do not feel the trucks and so far the winds do not disturb it like the smaller T28 Bounder. But, for just the cleaner rear end and toad, I believe when we have some scars touched up on this coach, I'll have some airtabs painted to match the side. I have some left over from the Bounder install, and I did not think about just trying them on the roof until then like Brett did. Will see if I have enough to do so.
Airtabs threads always seem to be the same. People who have had them, seem to see the positives associated to using them. Then there always seems to be posters that have never used them - that say they do not good. (Not this thread, but others over the years have claimed they are snake oil, and questioned the intelligence of us weaker minded members that have tried them with positive results:)!)
IMO - If all you want is a cleaner back end and toad, Airtabs will help. If you have a coach that is impacted by passing trucks and shifting winds, Airtabs will help. And if you really do get a bit better MPG, great. If not, still OK.
Last thought, is they are so inexpensive - put them on and try them. If you don't see a benefit for your rig, take a plastic putty knife and remove them. A bit of adhesive remover and you have zero remaining Airtabs:)!
Best to all, be safe, have fun,
Smitty
RE: RV route from san diego to seattle via Idaho, Spokane
Another route we take which is beautiful is Calif Hwy 395 on the eastern side of the Sierras. You can connect to many other drives from it.
X'S 2 - GREAT DRIVE!
Smitty
RE: Batteries, batteries, batteries
Sully
Get maintenance free batteries, which should emit less (none?) acid gas. I just changed my two house 8ds and spec said they weighed 162 lbs each.
The CAT 8D maintenance-free start battery had the highest CCA rating (1500) on the market two years ago.
Larry
So Sully - What brand did you go with for the chassis? Did you go Maint Free to save on the gassing?
Larry was the CC Yahoo User group member who pointed me at the CAT.(Thanks Larry). The combo of CCA and MF, is why I anti'd up the extra $$. I never had a problem with the checking and topping off of the battery water levels. It is the gassing and no longer needing to worry about rotting out the compartment again in the future. I can also now place the controller from the future solar expansion, inside this compartment without concern of gassing getting to it too...
What 6V's are you going with? If I had stayed with leaded, I would have gone with 4 of the T145's. But I was looking for more AH capacity then the standard two 8D's put out. You may not have a need for more AH capacity?
Best of luck,
Smitty
RE: What happened to Brett Wolf.. ?
Bret stays real busy as an admin and all around Guru on I believe the FMCA board. Sometimes known to have a thought or two on CATS:)!
It's a nice board, that I still drop in on about once a month...
Best to all, have fun, be safe,
Smitty
RE: What are the better brands
Prevost
Newell
Foretravel
Wanderlodge bluebird
MCI
You want the best, there is your list.
X2!!!
Now that you are looking at a bit older rigs, good idea IMO, I'll now X's 3 this, with the American Coach, Country Coach and Travel Supreme added to this list... (And OK, as my first post, the higher up the food chain Monaco and Newmar's too...) The Detroit, Cummins ISM and Big CATS would be the engines of choice.)
From your boating days, you might enjoy the Wanderlodge LXI's quite a bit. Built like tanks, and solid over built in most areas of construction...
Continued fun on your hunt:)!
Smitty
RE: Batteries, batteries, batteries
Hi Sully,
Just did our batteries too, and cleaned up the battery compartment for the long haul.
I went with:
Chassis = CAT 8D Maint Free (Still gasses, but gasses much less. And, the highest Cranking Amps I could find. It was a tip from the Yahoo CC User Group. And yes, the CAT does start the Cummins:)!)
House = Four AGM Lifeline 16L's for 800 Amp Hours. This replaced the two Deka 8D AGM's that were in the rig when we bought it.
I'm hoping with the Maint Free Chassis battery gassing less, I will never have to cut/clean/refinish the battery case again....
Best of luck on your search:)! (And yeah, it's the batteries that are changing - not us:)!),
Smitty
RE: What are the better brands
"a 6500 lb horse trailer"... and two horses? Your going to need a 10,000 to 15,000 lb hitch!
Foretravel
Country Coach
Newell
Entegra
Prevost conversion
X's 2 - With a couple of thoughts:
-Newell & Prevost conversions will be real old in this price point range.
To the OP, a few opinions from Smitty, and you can follow or ignore as you see fit:)!
- You stress quality, and I always feel that coaches of high quality are the way to go. IMO, quality lasts and gives satisfaction of ownership. And quality helps on resale values.
- At your price point, don't be afraid to drop years to remain in budget while buying the highest quality coach you can find. Again IMO, for resale, a higher quality coach that is 3-5 years older then a middle of the road quality coach - will have higher demand and retain more value at time of a future sale.
Add to the above list:
-Travel Supreme (Entegra/Jayco bought the rights to Travel Supreme)
-Monaco's higher up the food chain, say Dynasty/Executive (or the equivalent in family Beaver or Holiday Rambler)
-For resale if going to 40', also consider Tag's. And if you're at 40, expanding your search to look for 40-42' coaches, will not hurt you in most parks.
-The higher up the food chain coaches, usually also come with Aqua/Hydro hot units.
-Though you may not need it for your Florida travels. I suggest buying the biggest block engine you can find in the coach you like. (ISM over ISL, or C13+ over C7 or C9. This too will help when you go to move the coach.)
And as you probably know, buy interior living space a the number one priority over name on coach, or anything mechanical... If you can't enjoy the inside, why have a coach:)!
Best of luck on your search,
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
We took a 'day get away', and used the fridge on propane.
I used the infrared temp gun I used for checking the tires, compared this with my stainless steel dial thermonitor that Doug explained would not provide a good reading.
After 14 hours on temp level 9. Infrared temp gun read 4 in the freezer, and just under 35 in the fridge. (The dial thermonitor was no where close, still reading about 22 in the freezer.)
I set the fridge temp level to 6 (we usually run with it on 5 or 6), and 5 hours later the infrared temp gun read 8 in the freezer, and just under 39 in the fridge.
I conclude that after I did a simple air can compressed blow out of the orifice, and then shopvac'd out the heat chamber via the inspection port. That the LP is working as it should, and between the LP and the AC, the RV Pines Amish cooling unit is working well.
I did not hear the cooling unit fans kick on at anytime, so this will be something I'll debug next.
Thanks for the input and suggestions from everyone, much appreciated.
Best,
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
Thanks Doug,
It sure is a neat looking and expensive stainless steel thermometer with a dial needle reading...:)! I'll look for the some more appropriate thermoneters before I test it again.
Got side tracked today, so still need to clean/check/maintenance the orifice and validate if the cooling fans are kicking in. Hope to hit it again on Wed.
Best,
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
Hi Doug,
You are seconding some of the comments from Dave Force:)! He spent 10 mins with me on the phone, trying to talk below the Gecko level I'm at as a Caveman!
I have not removed the orifice, but I did blow some compressed air from a can thru the insepction hole, got the slots pretty good. I see a solid good color flame.
On edit: Temp measurement is via meat thermonitor, I move between compartments.
I also want to correct a comment I made earlier. I was wrong about the tech splicing into the line for the fridge. I went to the LP tank to make sure the valve at the tank was open all of the way, it was. I had an extended stay also added at the same time as the stubbed out line for the Heater Buddy. The tech added a T first, and hooked a dedicated line off of this "T" and ran it over and out under the drawers beneath my fridge. No impact to either to the line feeding the fridge.
Dave Force asked several questions, but when he asked me if I heard the fridge cooling fan running, I realized I had never heard it kick in. So testing to see if I have power to the fans.
Best to all,
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
Hi Rich D, and again Ozlander, as safety with LP is very important. I feel find with 'my normal', after long sitting in between usage. As I'm now getting ready to inspect the LP flame, and clean/maintenance as needed, I re-read my Norcold Manual. Page 7, has a heading called "Removing air from the propane gas supply lines:". It talks about the cycle I go thru, and apparently Jack H too. So on that part I think I'm OK. Your systems may be different then my 'two' systems have been. Sure appreciated both of you making sure I did not have a LP leaking problem.
Quick update:
> I've fixed my electric supply problem. Once I turned the SurgeGuard Bypass key off, back to normal over/under protection. I then unpluge the RV from the 20 Amp outlet. Waited a few minutes, plugged it back in, and then after the waiting period the Magnetek(SP) transfer 'kicked' in normally. Suspect the full system was a bit confused and 'stuck' for awhle. I'll do another two or three cycles over the next few days, to be sure all is working well.
> Back to the fiidge now, the temp seems good in the refridge at 36. The freezer is higher then I would like at just over 20.
I'm going to do the LP maintenance, and look things over carefully. I also should get on the roof and make sure nothing is obstructing the roof vent flow.
I'll get this part done, then run another series of tests and see how things look then.
Best to all,
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
Ozlander - I was not very clear on this. On this RV, and the Bounder we had before it, the first time we go to fire up either the stove top or fridge under LP - it takes time for the LP to flow thru the pipes again. This is after sitting for several weeks of non usage. (I excercise the LP fridge every time I excercise the coach - about every 4-6 weeks.)
I run the stove top, click/click/click/click for a good 30-45 seconds before the gas flows and it ignites. Then after this, it fires right up.
I usually do the stove top first, before starting the fridge, as it seems to shorten the time. But still the first time it is started after sitting for serval weeks, it takes three sometimes four On/Off/On cycles, before the fridge LP flows. After this, the Auto feature shifts back and forth between LP/AC without any problem with the LP kicking on.
LP detector is also working properly, and I test it before each trip by releaseing LP near it to be sure it beeps at me...
With my vast experience of two RV's:)! - this is my 'normal'.
Thanks,
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
Quick update. 1200 running for about 18 hours on AC now. Freezer at 22, fridge at 38. Both are empty (horizon36, thanks and agree on having stuff in it helps), with the small blue fan clipped on and running. I would have liked to see the freezer down below 10, but being empty - still 22 is going the right way.
I'll first sort out the TRC Surge Guard (have it bypassed now, feeding downstream to a Hughres RV450 Autoformer).
Then I'll open things up and do a good cleaning and maintenance inspection of the gas unit. Will see how things look and if all OK, will test again with the LP running on level 8. I'll also add a few gallons of water to the fridge, and some blue ice to the freezer for this test.
The coach is now level, a bit ticked at myself for not having done this the first run of the LP cooling. I also sure hope I don't have a black widow setting up house in the piping, as they freak me out:)! But suspect it was stuff knocked loose, or as noted, perhaps a restriction on LP flow.
Best to all, and appreciated the suggestions and info sharing.
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
Just wanted to let update that the electric test is on hold, as I need to debug no electricity getting in thru. It being Easter, the DW said to 'It will wait until Monday!' - so, it will be Monday before I get back to where the Surge Guard is installed to check the light codes (back behind a closet panel). Good chance the inverter just needs a reset, but I do get power when turning on the inverter... (Have had two things worked on from the electrical front in the last three months, and this is the first time I've tried the power. Had new AGM batteries installed three months ago, and had the QD8000 dropped to replace the temp sensor and other maintenance items too.) Either one of these two repairs could have required resets or breaker tosses to get allow full power into the coach...
And guys, I must confess, that when I was running the 1200 yesterday under LP - I had not leveled the coach first. It was slanting a tad down hill towards the front... Not much, but sure was not level.
I also noted the comments about junk or rust being involved. It is the yearly time for a good vacum, cleaning, inspecting of the unit. And with the tech down in the area, very easy for 'stuff' to have been knocked loose and causing problems.
I appreciated those tips, and will do a full cleaning/maintenace at this time too.
Best to all, and I will close the loop back with either more questions, or an update on what I find was causing the problem.
Be good, and be safe while having fun,
Smitty
RE: Trouble shooting Norcold 1200 with Amish Cooling unit
Thanks all. After 9 hours, with just under 3 hours at the end on level 8. I read 32 in the freezer, and about 47 in the fridge. The fridge/freezer are empty. Have one of the little blue fans in the fridge, to help distribute the air.
I'll plug in the electric in the AM, and redo things starting at level 6 again.
Very possible the work on the added LP stubbed out line, may have got debrie in the line. So if the electric test works well (fingers crossed) then we'll check out the burner and oriface/burner part of things.
Pkunk, thanks for the pictures...
Best to all,
Smitty
