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RE: Ram Falls campground
Does anybody ever go to the Ram Falls provincial campground on the Trunk road in Alberta??? The reason I ask is I was wondering if i could get my Fifth wheel into some of there sites. I know most of the campgrounds on the trunk are somewhat outdated and cannot accomadate the newer rigs.
Just looking for any info on pull thrus or turning room to get into back up sites.
I would think the folks that are most likely to know are at this number: 403-845-6541
which I got from here....
http://gateway.cd.gov.ab.ca/siteinformation.aspx?id=213
I'm not energetic enough to call for you, but I am interested in hearing what you find out....
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flyswamper
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05/25/08 08:42am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Travelling with Propane on
nevermind....
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flyswamper
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05/23/08 07:33am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Geeks Guide to Blindside backing into restricted space
Figured out once I stopped telling the DW how pretty gals driving big Ford pickups looked, the ringing noise in my right ear went away. :h:S:B
Lol.... well if you use my system you can watch that gal that is tailgating you in secret. :)
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flyswamper
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05/22/08 11:54am |
Fifth-Wheels
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Geeks Guide to Blindside backing into restricted space
Guys & Gals,
Last night I needed to put the 5ver back into storage. My storage site has very limited side-to-side room. The space is close enough that if I get my trailer right in between the other two neighboring trailers then I might have to be careful about opening the door and hitting the other trailers.
Because of the layout of the storage facility and where my site is, to get the trailer put away I need to back around a bit of a corner on the passenger (blind side).
Although this country raised kid can generally maneuver a trailer pretty well...I grew up being able to look over my shoulder and see where the trailer (usually a short hay-trailer) needed to go. I'm not nearly as good at using the mirrors and blind-side backins with the 5ver. I get there eventually, but it does take more time and corrections.
Well.... in another thread I previously described how I have setup a Wireless webcamera to use with my laptop as a sort of a backup camera. Based on a posting in that thread, I got the idea to take the camera out of the trailer and plug it into a portable power-inverter box. Then I setup the camera behind the storage spot so that it was setup to watch me backup from the same angle a human spotter might be.
This was dramatically easier for this feller (me) to see where the trailer was in relation to the other two. I was able to get backed in with only minimal corrections and fuss. Having the backup camera mounted on the back of the trailer is certainly a help...but I found that disconnecting it completely from the trailer and using it as a "robot" spotter was far superior.
Just thought I'd share the idea/thought with those of you that may be "geeky" like me....
Here's a link to the other thread where I discussed the camera system from idea to completion....
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21051414/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm
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flyswamper
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05/22/08 08:03am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Backup Camera idea - Wireless G System - bridged by router
Seems like that would work just fine. Providing power would likely be the messy part.
Well.... on second thought power isn't all that hard if you already have a portable power box such as the one shown below.
Just last evening I needed to back into a tight spot. So I quickly disconnected the camera from it's interior rear-looking mount and plugged it into my little powerbox...sat it on the ground behind where I needed to back in. I found this to be a VERY big/useful aid in backing into the site with minimal fuss. One of my kids was with me as a spotter to help also, but the directions from the kids can leave a little to be desired in helping you get backed in from a blind-side (passenger side) around-the-corner back-in.
I didn't have any walkie-talkies with me so we used my camera's microphone so that I could hear what my kid was telling me (which mostly was "keep coming keep coming.....and finally STOP!" )
Two main points in my posting this.....
First to say thanks for giving me the idea to setup the camera to watch from the perspective of a human spotter.
Second to say that I did it and it was VERY helpful!
http://www.xantrex.com/images/products/xp-powerpack600HD_290x230.jpg
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flyswamper
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05/22/08 07:42am |
Technology Corner
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RE: What kind of drill for emergency slide operation ?
something that I could carry with me to have as a backup.
If your primary mechanism/electric motor has failed, my tune would be a little different...but since it is only for backup, my vote would goto ...
http://www.eslkidstuff.com/images/elbow.gif
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flyswamper
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05/21/08 01:58pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: is passport required to cross into canada?
------to the rythm of a Mastercard commercial----
Enjoying a vacation in Canada, probably a few thousand dollars....
Being able to return hassle-free to the good ole USA, priceless.
Get the passports. It isn't hard to do, just takes time, and although it costs a little bit of cash...it is money well spent. If you can't afford them, you shouldn't be crossing the border in the first place.
(By the way, I'm a US citizen)
-----added on edit-----
But if you just don't wanna get one... here is some reading material..
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/
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flyswamper
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05/14/08 12:17pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
but chassis was being compared to the earth ground in the power connection.
Yes, that's right... I first noticed the problem while laying in some water and my elbow touched the chassis and I felt a small tingle (shock).
Was the landing gear making an intermittant earth ground connection, or the saftety chains touching the ground as well?
There are no chains on my 5ver...only landing gear. And since the 5ver was disconnected from the pickup the landing gear were quite solidly placed on the ground. In this case, however, they were sitting on my concrete driveway...so the electrical ground connection obviously wasn't too good through the landing gear (as evidenced by my getting shocked and measuring a voltage).
A grounding rod is typically used near the house power panel for your earth ground. You get two 118v lines and one neutral line from the utility company. Some homes ground strap a water pipe. The trailer chain or tongue post on the ground would try to make their own kind of ground connection (especially if the ground is wet). A voltage differential between grounds could occur.
The conclusion was that the trailer's ground wasn't making good connection to the house ground circuit. The problem was at my cheap adapter. The house's ground is good (as far as I can tell/know).
Also worth noting that although the ground was wet with small streams of water flowing down the cracks in the driveway...but overall the concrete was dry. I can't remember with certainty if one of the mini-water streams was running onto the landing gear...but odds are that it was dry where they sat on the concrete.
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flyswamper
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05/11/08 07:39pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Husky Hitch
Had the Valley underbed mounting system 16K sliding hitch. I'm told that this Valley and the Husky are the exact same hitch...just sold under different brand names. Never have verified that, but I *think* it is true.
Had that hitch for several years.... worked good, happy with it. Would still have it if I hadn't changed to a Dodge Megacab and found out that it wouldn't fit in my new pickup. I called Valley service department and they told me (at that time) that they did not sell a kit or have a way to properly mount it in my new vehicle....
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flyswamper
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05/07/08 04:50pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Backup Camera idea - Wireless G System - bridged by router
Just ran across this topic. I've been thinking abut the same general idea. Sounds like you have a lot of it worked out. I've wondered whether I could put the camera on a tripod at the rear of a campsite to get a better view of my backing in. I camp alone most of the time and don't have a spotter.
frank
Seems like that would work just fine. Providing power would likely be the messy part.
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flyswamper
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05/06/08 07:16pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Backup Camera idea - Wireless G System - bridged by router
Roy,
I'd be curious to know what you end up getting/doing. Perhaps you wouldn't mind posting a follow-up on this thread (or at least a link to another thread if you want to start a new one).
Although signal strength was my biggest concern going into the project, it turns out that it probably should have been my last concern. The signal strength was very good. It was so good, that I'm thinking I probably didn't need the WIRELESS camera.
What I'm thinking *should* work is a wired camera plugged via ethernet into a wireless G router. This would mean the router would have to be at the back of the trailer instead of being placed in the front.... so the signal strength would probably deteriorate some...but my "gut" is telling me it would work just fine.
I'm taking the rig out in a couple of weeks from now again, and if I can remember to...I'll put the router and camera both in the rear and see what sort of signal strength is reported.
The reason I mention this is that I think a good part of the premium price I paid for the camera is because it is wireless G. Of course, I also paid for the pan-tilt-zoom features, but the Wireless G no doubt added to the price tag significantly. It does add a bit more versatility, but at a price...
Take care and happy trails...
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flyswamper
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05/05/08 09:31pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Backup Camera idea - Wireless G System - bridged by router
Well...
I had the first road test of the system this weekend. Some thoughts/finding are:
I used a router as a middle-man because I had one laying around (a WRT54G version 1)Signal strength and video quality were excellent..no worries therePan-tilt are fun to play with, but I suspect a wider-angle lens on the camera *might* be more usefulThink it's going to come in handy in knowing when to stop backingIt'll probably be less helpful than I thought in helping get the trailer lined-up to back into a tight (side to side) space..still gotta use mirrors/spotter/walkaround
All in all, it is a fun little project for the gadget geeks like me. It certainly isn't the cheapest setup you can imagine for a backup camera system, but my plan is to leave the mounts and inverters in the trailer and take the camera and router out of the trailer when not in-transit. It's a 2 minute setup and I like using the laptop as the video monitor since we have it onboard for long trips anyway (for us the laptop = road atlas with GPS nav, DVD player for kids in-transit and mom&dad in evenings, backup camera, internet access at selected campgrounds, etc....)
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flyswamper
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05/05/08 08:43am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Look inside my trailer and give me mounting ideas....
I'm not saying your camera won't work the way you plan..:)
I'm just saying try it out before you make a permanent installation.
I don't know why my signal wouldn't work from camera to receiver..
I doubt anybody is still subscribed to this, but just in case....
I had the first road test of the camera this past weekend. I don't think I *NEEDED* to, but I used a router as a "middle man" so that the camera is always connected wirelessly to the router and I can connect as desired to the router to get the video feed. The router also serves as a bit of a signal booster (again, I don't *think* it is needed but that is how this road test was done).
I'm happy to report that the signal was rock-solid and the video was pretty good. There was occasional "jumpiness" to the video but for the most part it was very good video feed.
I've never used a back-up camera before, so I'm not sure how this compares to other setups. One thing I've noticed that is *probably* different than standard-backup-camera systems is that my camera's field-of-view probably isn't as wide as a backup camera system might be. It is pan and tilt capable, so you can move the image to where you want...but a wider angle would be useful for backing up.
I do think, however, that it will come in handy on those occasions where I'm sitting in a shopping mall /grocery store parking lot and need to backup a bit and all my spotters are inside shopping. It will tell me if a car is back there or not.
Regarding backing into tight places... I think it will work well for helping me know when I can't back up any farther...but I'm not sure it's going to help me side-to-side wise backing into a tight area... Still gotta use mirrors, spotter, and get out and look if necessary for that.
It's been a fun project though for me and my gadget addiction.
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flyswamper
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05/05/08 08:37am |
Tech Issues
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
Based on my wiggling experience...which is rather hard to describe in a forum message...I'm pretty convinced that my particular case is lack of a snug connection between the RV cord's ground pin and the adapter. If I've got the cord jammed very snug and tight (all the way in) I can't get the open ground condition. Only when I don't quite have the plug fully inserted (but it is plenty far to have power and not have exposed blades) can I wiggle the connection and create the 50V open-ground situation.
Soo.... I don't know if it is because of the origin of the adapter or not, but it does appear to be (in my case) lack of a snug fit if you don't have every last inch/centimeter of the blades inserted. I am still using the freebie adapter given to me by the RV dealer...guess it's time to get a slightly better quality one!
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flyswamper
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04/29/08 11:30am |
Tech Issues
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
Assuming everybody agrees...sure was a lotta fuss over a simple problem. :)
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flyswamper
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04/28/08 10:05pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
Ok guys, kids are in bed and I've done a bit of checking/probing/testing... Here are today's findings.
As mentioned earlier....
Managed to make the 50V frame-to-earth appear and disappear by "wiggling" the connection in the 30amp->15amp adapterI'm convinced it is the adapter and not the RV plugread multimeter instructions:)unplugged trailerchecked for continuity between ground (round plug) on the RV plug and either of the flat blades...no continuity from either blade (hot or neutral) to the ground was detected...read open-line (OL)opened up the trailers circuit box (it's a Parallax Model 7345 series 7300 converter box)checked for continuity and resistance from RV cord end to various terminals inside the panel
Measuring from the RV cords ground plug (the round one) to various spots inside the RVs panel-box
good continuity to the ground terminals inside the panelopen line indicator to the neutral wiring block/harness/thingyopen line indicator to the hot terminals
Measuring from one of the RV cords flat blades (I'm guessing this one was the neutral blade)
open line to the ground wiring blockgood continuity to the neutral wiring blockApproximately 70 ohms to the hot-wire terminals on the breakers
Meauring from the other RV cord flat blade (must have been the hot-wire blade)
open line to ground wiring blockapprox 70 ohm to the neutral wires/blockgood continuity to the hot-wire terminals on the breakers
Soo..... not sure if I explained this all correctly... but from what I *think* I see...
I have no evidence that I have any sort of short connecting the ground to either the hot or the neutral wires. Good continuity seems to exist where I think it should. I'm measuring ~ 70 ohm from the hot to the neutral..not sure if that sounds reasonable...but I'm guessing it is.
My feeble mind is slowly coming to grips with all this and I'm thinking that my trailer doesn't have any wiring issues to worry about. I am assuming the 50V voltage I am seeing is as described in the recent posts (capacitive coupling I believe it was described as) and isn't anything to worry about.
I've bought one of those household circuit checking plugs which will also test GFI. I plan on leaving one plugged in inside the trailer prominently displayed to check for open ground situation in the future.
Everything points pretty clearly to a poor ground connection in the 30amp->15amp adapter.
To all you folks that are far wiser than me (that's most of you)...does all this sound right?
And lastly.... THANKS A MILLION guys.... this is a great example of why I love these forums. You guys have been VERY helpful and I've learned quite a bit as a result. Now I just need to install some GFI outlets in the garage since they aren't there and the only thing in my main house panel box that is GFI is wiring to the "jacuzzi".
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flyswamper
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04/28/08 09:59pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
Today's first update....
Got home... didn't manage to go by hardware store yet (later I will).
Got the multimeter out..everything looks good..no voltage measurable from trailer frame to earth.
Start "wiggling" the connection where the trailers 30amp plug goes into the 30-15amp adapter and that goes into a 15amp extension cord. Managed to wiggle connection "just right" so that I got my measured 50V back again. Wiggled connection several times to make it go away and come back reliably.
Next step... get a longer extension cord and supply power from a GFI plug in one of our bathrooms. Went out and wiggled the connector until I get a stable/consistent 50V reading from trailer frame to earth.
With the 50V reading...now I goto an outside trailer AC plug and measure the following:
Hot->neutral : ~120 V
neutral->ground: ~ 50V
Hot->ground: ~ 70 V
Also note that the trailer had power supplied for several minutes with the 50V showing up and it didn't trip my bathroom's GFI circuit.
Well... I'm off to take oldest boy to guitar lessons and then to hardware store. Just wanted to get this out there to get you guys feedback. I know what I'm thinking...but appreciate your feedback!
Will try to do some of the other testing previously suggested when time permits...
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flyswamper
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04/28/08 06:20pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
To the OP, a couple of questions.....
1. How old is the home
2. Is it a metal outlet box or plastic
3 Is there a ground wire on the outlet that you are plugged into
4 If the home is newer and you are plugged into the garage, it will be GFCI protected. It has been a code for quite some time. If there was a problem with your TT, it would trip out the GFCI.
The home was built in the 1980's I believe.
The outlet boxes are metal.
The wiring coming into the outlet boxes consists of 3 wires... One black, one white, and one bare. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I opened up the garage outlet and pulled the wiring/plug out of the receptacle. I did this to be sure what I was looking at in there and to be able to put the multimeter probe *RIGHT* on the wiring for testing. ... my measurements are described in the earlier post.
I see no evidence that the garage is GFCI. Of course, I'm a novice here and might be missing something. My guess is that the code here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada when the house was built didn't require it....but I'm only guessing.
--added on edit----
On second thought, I kinda/sort remember on my main panel for the home that some of the circuit breakers *might* be GFI. I'll have to look when I get home tonight to see if my memory is right and if they are the circuits for the garage.
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flyswamper
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04/28/08 12:11pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
If available you can replace the CB with a GFI CB. If you install a GFI wall plug in the first plug from the CB it can protect all down stream plugs.
I know I'm likely to slap my forehead when you tell me but.... what is "CB"?
Breaker box / distribution panel?????
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flyswamper
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04/28/08 10:26am |
Tech Issues
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RE: ~ 50 volts (AC) trailer frame to ground....
After the open ground is fixed plug the rig into a GFI plug. If it doesn't trip then you only had one problem.
I don't think my garage outlets are GFI, but maybe this is a good time to change one (or all) of them out for GFI plugs.... Any reasons I *wouldn't* want to do this?
Again I encourage you to test the cords and plugs with a household analyzer.
Thanks for the advice... I'll see about stopping by and getting one on the way home today.
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flyswamper
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04/28/08 09:05am |
Tech Issues
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