RE: Memorial Day weekend, where will you be?
With any luck, at the lake at Arnold Air Force Base. If no luck, at home finishing the repairs to the RV roof. An antique RV is a demanding mistress.;)
RE: I'm Sleeping on the Ceiling Tonight
I have five acres on top of the mountain near Monteagle. Haven't seen copperheads (yet) but have seen several rattlesnakes. One I nearly stepped on. I have a LONG pole with a net on the end and I move the snake to another part of the property. Even the poisonous ones serve a purpose in keeping the rodent population down. That being said, I don't keep the shed doors open and ditto on the compartments in the RV. To the OP, that snake found a way in somehow, probably from the underbelly of the RV. Rats and mice like to nest in the insulation, and where there are rats and mice, you will find snakes.
RE: fuel filler hose cost??
For 1 1/2 inch dia I just paid $19 a foot at Napa.Paid the same amount at Carquest. Needed it to plumb a gas tank for my generator on the fiver.
RE: Whats your favorite adult beverage??
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey, neat. I don't wait to go camping, I'm having some right now. When I need more, I drive to the distillery in Lynchburg and buy more. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN buy Jack Daniel's in Moore County, but ONLY at the bottle shop at the distillery, and ONLY Monday through Saturday. Moore County, Tennessee has to be the WETTEST dry county in the state!
RE: Will RG6 improve my RG59 signal on my 5er
My current antenna is a 7 year old Sensar batwing with the add on "wingman" . Not very happy with what we have and the wingman did not seem to help. That is why I am suspect of the cable or connections.I had to replace the batwing on my fiver last year, it was the original one installed at the Jayco factory. The internal amplifier was toast. Spent $75 at CW for a new head, problems solved.
RE: Funny Town Names?
Pucky Huddle, MO.
In my travels in Europe, I found a certain town name in Austria that if I posted it the way it is spelled, would get me banned. It is pronounced "FOCKING", but spelled...you know...
RE: DirecTV Spot Beams/Local Channels
Well, you would think one could just change the location code (zip) to receive locals where you are at. Still don't understand what the problem is. The satellite is beaming down the local data to that footprint. The data is available. Why can't Directv let my receiver receive it?Don't blame DirecTV. Blame a U.S. Federal Court judge who made it illegal for you to receive out of market network signals except under very specific circumstances.
RE: I got a chuckle out of this...
I have to have a thick skin. I own a Ford F-250. A Ford with a 6.0 liter Power Stroke diesel. It seems folks like me get a double dose of bull ****.
RE: Registration or residency requirements
Why are you trying to change things. TN doesn't have much appeal as a snowbird area. And certainly not much to make a fulltimer want to use that as their residency state, especially with the history of disenfranchising fulltime voters.
BarbNo state income tax, no death tax, low property taxes, affordable insurance, moderate climate, beautiful scenery, friendly people...yup, not much that would interest a full timer at all.
Sounds like you have some sour grapes regarding the Volunteer State. This is the opinion of someone who was born and raised in that fulltimer Mecca known as the state of Florida. My wife and I finally decided to move to Tennessee because we got very tired of higher taxes, outrageous homeowner and vehicle insurance, and the growing necessity of speaking a foreign language in a state where I was born and raised.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion...
RE: Border Agents rude and difficult at Nogales
Americans do not have any constitutional rights at the border. There was a major change in the law after 911 and the formation of Homeland Security.
http://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/fact-sheet-us-constitution-free-zone
That doesn't mean they will do anything on a whim. They still have procedures. But, they can search you, detain you, question you without an attorney and in general make your life hell.
ICE is on the front line of defense of our country, they are there to protect us. If they would accept it I would buy them a beer every time I crossed.To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin "Those who would give up liberty to obtain safety deserve neither liberty or safety". Too many people do not stand up for the rights they do have, and when they don't they erode those rights they have, PATRIOT Act or no PATRIOT Act.
My point is this. If the agent is professional, asks questions politely, and treats me like a citizen, then we have no problems. On the other hand, if the agent tries to exert authority he does not have, or give the answer "you have no rights here" , then we will have problems. That's when the smartphone camera gets activated (legal, but they don't like it) and every word is documented.
Thankfully, the majority of agents I have run into ARE professional. Those who are not I have had no qualms about reporting.
My biggest peeve? TSA agents at airports who are so full of themselves because Uncle Sam gave them a uniform and a badge. Most folks do not know the TSA screeners are NOT law enforcement, DO NOT have arrest powers, and CANNOT detain you. They can only bar you from the sterile area of the terminal. Their training is minimal, and DHS recruited many of them with ads printed on pizza boxes.
But that is another subject altogether.
RE: Is it just me? Or do you not talk about Health Issues ?
I was a career Air Force NCO when the Air Force decided to medically retire me for service connected health reasons. My ID card says "RETIRED". I have all of the perks of someone who put in twenty years, except I didn't get a retirement flag and a certificate. I hate answering questions like "how long were you in for" because that then brings up the questions about my health. Really, are people's lives so empty that they have to load up on other people's problems?
By the way, if the Air Force would have me back, I would say all is forgiven and I would put the uniform back on today. But they have no need of a broken down old staff sergeant.
RE: Weather Radio
But be advised that NOAA Weather Radio is not available everywhere due to limitations caused by terrain. Example: when staying at Nickajack Lake in Tennessee, the signal goes OVER the campground, but not TO the campground, as the campground is in a valley. Go to the top of the hill and the reception is fine.
RE: Border Agents rude and difficult at Nogales
Exercise your rights and be on a watch list for the rest of your life. I don't think so. Best to just grin and bear it.
MoishehNope, I refuse to be a sheep. If you want to bah bah at the border crossing, be my guest. If they are professional, I am professional. If they wish to be a first class piece of male genitalia, I can match them word for word, while still staying legal.
As for being on a "watch list", too late for that. I'm a retired military NCO with extended overseas duty, and I'm extensively questioned every time I go through Customs. Guess DHS thinks being a veteran means I'm definitely terrorist material.
RE: Border Agents rude and difficult at Nogales
Okay, I respect these guys and their jobs (somewhat) and I am not a smarty pants and never refuse anything. It's their turf and their day so I answer what they ask me. But how do I respond to these frequently asked questions:
How is it you were born in the U.S.? (and I have my U.S. passport in hand or better, they do)Both my children, who are both U.S. citizens from birth, were born in Germany.
Why do you live in Mexico and not the U.S.?I don't know, the Mexican food is better?
Aren't you afraid? (here is a guy who is Hispanic and most likely has relatives in Mexico and speaks Spanish all day at home and at work)Of what? The boogyman?
Now, don't they sound a bit smarty pants? Then, it's some vague order to pull over into "X" lane and circle around and then wait in line. Make one false move and they are on you like white on rice and say, "now what did I just tell you?" Treat me nice, I'll be nice. Treat me like sewage, and you'll get the same in return, and I don't care what uniforn you are wearing. As for being detained, assert your rights as an American citizen. If you have a smart phone, turn on the recorder.
It's their job, they know it better than I do. I don't live there, I try not to cross too often and so I have no earthly idea sometimes about what they are talking about. No one put a gun to their head to force them into that job.
Then you go through all that, then the routine X-ray machine and they send you on your way only to have to go through a mandatory secondary checkpoint before leaving the bridge where they want to check you for drugs. WTH!
So you get on the road, and now you are supposedly in the U.S. when all of a sudden there is a checkpoint (location depends on each state, I believe it is supposed to be 21 miles north of the border but now they are much further than that) and you again have to prove your nationality. Why? Didn't we just do that 20 miles back?
Doesn't make sense.Again, assert your rights as an American citizen against unreasonable search and seizure. It can be and has been done. It drives them crazy, but ICE cannot legally detain you indefinitely because you refuse inspection. There are several YouTube videos where people who have politely, but insistently, exercised their rights and were eventually waved on.
RE: F350 6.0 -- help!
Do the bulletproofing and you will be good to go. And don't believe for a minute that the other brands don't have problems of their own.
When my EGR cooler went (spectacularly, I might add) I went ahead and spent the extra money to completely bulletproof the engine. I also installed a coolant filter, new radiator cap, and a ScanGauge II. I do not fear my truck, and still have that $#!+ eating grin on my face every time I mash the go pedal.
Haters are going to hate. Don't beat yourself up, but consider adding aftermarket parts to fix the known issues. Replacing with standard Ford replacement parts just resets the clock.
RE: Running diesel overnight to stay warm
Excessive idling causes a condition known as "wet stacking" where unburnt fuel dilutes the engine oil and causes premature wear on the pistons and cylinder walls. If you want to pay thousands for an engine rebuild because you want to keep the batteries charged, there are less expensive ways of charging the batteries. Not to mention extended idling is illegal in most spots.
RE: Campground Under Construction Pensacola Beach
I remember a similar park being built on Okaloosa Island (a.k.a. "West Destin") Limited to Class A coaches less than ten years old only, $100 a night.
Too rich for my blood, even if I did have such a rig. When going back to Florida to visit the relatives, we stay in one of the military campgrounds. Far cheaper, and you have something in common with everyone there besides owning an RV.
RE: Ham Radio enthusiasts
W4RLR out of Sewanee, Tennessee. I have a sign with my call and the 2 meter calling frequency listed on the back of my fiver. If you see me on the highway, just make a call on 146.52 mhz. I listen when I'm towing my home away from home.
RE: Jayco - warranty, service and professionalism
My Jayco is approaching twenty years old. I am the third owner. Other than the usual maintenance that a vintage trailer requires, I have had no major issues. I am having to replace some rotted wood in the roof where the lap sealant failed, but it's a fix I can do in a couple of hours. Keeping the trailer in good condition is a matter of pride with me, as I really don't want to drop 60 large on a new one. Jayco has been very helpful to me, even providing me with schematics for the plumbing and electrical. They have always been professional and helpful. My parents started out in camping with a Jayco popup. I won't even think of another brand when I finally retire the "Love Shack".
