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Forum
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RE: Security at home base?
Would like to hear ideas and discussion regarding what people do regarding security at their home base if you are away from home traveling many months of the year. I realize you can get an alarm system, but not sure how expensive those are, get a neighbor to go check on house, etc. Looking for ideas....do you pay someone to watch house..how much?, etc. etc.
bro-in-law lives in our house part-time and we put on a 'vacation watch' with the local police department. they come by the house on a regular basis. neighbors on both sides are made aware of our absence.
if interested in an alarm check out SimpliSafe.
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rk911
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03/10/14 06:55am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: ? for those who have migrated from XP to Win 7
I’m still running Windows XP. Since support from MicroSoft for that product is ending soon, I’m evaluating options. I have one question for those who have already made the migration on their old PC from XP to Windows 7.
I have MS Office 2007 running on this XP machine. I know that if I migrate to Windows 7 I will need to reload all of my other software. Should be no big deal. I have the relevant disks and product key for MS Office 2007.
My question is: If I migrate to Windows 7, will I have to also buy a new license for MS Office?
Or can I reload MS Office 2007 to the same machine running Windows 7 using the same product key I used when I loaded it while running Windows XP?
Thanks,
Wayne
nope. as long as you have the install discs you'll be fine. i'm running Word/Excel/Outlook 2007 and they will run just fine on Win7.
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rk911
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03/09/14 05:05pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Change Cell, internet and satellite service to save?
some friends of ours switch TV service providers every 2-years to get an introductory rate. sometimes that rate is for 6-mos, sometimes 1-year and, rarely, more than 1-year. it all depends on the bottom line of the provider at the time. they switch back and forth between Comcast and direct tv.
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rk911
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03/07/14 07:09am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Freedom Pop phone
how can that be? there has got to be a catch somewhere. :h
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rk911
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03/06/14 05:35pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Rent vs. tow
it totally depends on where you are planning on going and proximity to a city/rental location. there have been reports here where Enterprise does NOT come and pick you up in some locations. but yes, I would buy something that is towable 4 down from the factory that could be ussed year around if only for a couple of weeks a year being towed.
bumpy
I agree with the previous posters. IF you go somewhere where rentals are available then financially you may be better off renting. but then there is the convenience factor. us? before we started towing we would rent. at first it was OK but it soon became a royal PITA. yes, enterprise will pick you up but in most cases we then had to take the agent back to the office and then sign the papers and then reverse the process when we returned the rental. in 27-seasons we've only stayed at two parks that had on-site rentals.
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rk911
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03/05/14 03:15pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Understanding what I can tow
I guess I should have added the weights of the base plate, hitch and other equipment for towing the toad to the weight of the jeep (4500lbs) but I would assume the weights of the equipment would be under 500lbs total.
when you flat tow a vehicle there is virtually no tongue weight on the hitch but yes, the total weight of the towing equipment has to be included in the weight of the toad. the good news is that the aluminum tow bars, steel baseplates, etc. don't add much weight.
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rk911
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03/05/14 08:04am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Understanding what I can tow
I have been towing a TT for the last 3 years and have a good understanding about GVWR, tongue weight and other weights that go along with towing a trailer. I am planning on a class A in the future and want to make sure I understand the basics of dinghy towing.
Most of the Class A motor homes I have looked at have a tow rating of 5000lbs with 500lbs tongue weight. The wife wants to purchase a Jeep Wrangler unlimited. In looking at the weight of the jeep, they can range anywhere from 4100lbs-4500lbs according to the options. I am going to use 4500 in my calculations.
Many of the Class A's have a GVWR of 22,000lbs and a GCWR of 26,000lbs. So if my motor home is loaded to the max (22,000lbs), my limitation for towing is the GCWR-GVWR = 4000lbs. In this case I would be 500lbs overweight even though I am under the 5000lb tow rating.
If my motor home is not loaded to the max and only weights in at 20,000lbs, then the limitation is the tow rating of 5000lbs since my actual weight is 20,000 and the GCWR is 26000 which leaves me with 6000lbs until I hit my GCWR.
When I first starting looking at Class A's, I would see the 22,000 GVWR and the 26,000lb GCWR and assume 4000lbs towing max but if my understanding is correct, that is only the case if you are loaded to the max. I find it interesting that many manufactures don't list the dry weights of their motor homes. I guess it's probably because they can be optioned so many different ways that the actual dry weights would be all over the place.
Is my thinking sound? I want to make sure I understand all the limitations before I drop the big bucks on the RV and the toad.
Burch
yes, your thinking is sound. the maximum weight one can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:
- the GCWR minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded for travel (food, fuel, water, LP, clothing, supplies, pets, people and misc. stuff); OR
- the weight rating of the MH hitch (Class II 3500-lbs, Class III 5000-lbs, Class IV 10,000-lbs); OR
- the weight rating of your towbar
knowing the actual weights, by axle would be preferable, of your MH and toad is, in my opinion, critical. while shopping for a new MH back in 2000 we found a unit whose actual GVW was less than the GVWR but the front axle weight was less than the front GAWR than the rear axle weight was greater than the rear GAWR. if we had just gone with the total weight (both axles on the scale) we would never have known that the rear axle was overweight. this is why I preach individual axle weights and knowing...not assuming...what the MH and toad actually weigh instead of relying on weight ratings.
good luck to you.
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rk911
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03/05/14 07:49am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Bypass Nashville
no, I just barrel on thru. I live in suburban Chicago. compared to Chicago rush hour Nashville is a breeze.
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rk911
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03/04/14 07:33am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Bypass Nashville
Nashville is not as bad as it used to be since they have completed all the road construction if you stay away from the a.m./p.m. rush hours.
x2 on this. I drive to/thru Nashville at least twice a year.
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rk911
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03/04/14 07:24am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: leveling jacks
Have a 2007 Winnebago Voyager (38J) on GM frame auto level , seems the leveling jacks are not holding level after sitting for a day or two any help will be greatly appreciated.
sounds like your hydraulic fluid may be low or you have bad solenoids. if all of the jacks are affected i'd lean more towards the fluid. check for leaks. if only one or two jacks are affected i'd suspect bad solonoids.
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rk911
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03/03/14 05:05pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2014 Dinghy Towing Guide
...When I suggested that his companies advertising is a veiled attempt to sell braking systems, he insisted it was the law in every state, all 48 of them...
I thought there were 50-states. :h
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rk911
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03/03/14 04:19pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: 2014 Dinghy Towing Guide
Anyone have a free download link for the 2014 guide?
this is a free site but the 2014 guide isn't posted yet.
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rk911
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03/03/14 01:32pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: 2014 Dinghy Towing Guide
I subscribe to MH magazine and don't recall seeing it. I might have missed it but it's not on their website yet. it might not yet have been published.
My print copy came in the mail with the April issue of MotorHome magazine yesterday.
good. then I should be getting it soon.
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rk911
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03/02/14 05:50pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: 2014 Dinghy Towing Guide
I subscribe to MH magazine and don't recall seeing it. I might have missed it but it's not on their website yet. it might not yet have been published.
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rk911
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03/02/14 10:08am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: which discount card ?
Good Sam and KOA have saved lots, having said that we try to stay a week most places and the weekly rate is usually stay 6 get 7 or a 14.3% discount. In your case maybe a month at a time, for an even better discount. We are only 1/2 timers
The other three are duplicates
X2 on this. Good Sam will get you 10% off nightly rates at a huge number of parks...sometimes you'll get the discount at parks that don't belong to Good Sam. but the discount will be steeper if you book for a week or month at most privately owned parks. for example. we like to stay at the I-10 RV Park in Benson, AZ. their Good Sam nightly rate is $33. at the end of a week you'd spend $231. but their weekly rate is $125 or $17.85 per night.
the passport America system will save you 50% on the nightly rate at a comparatively small number of parks but many limit that discount to certain sites in the park, certain days of the week and/or certain months of the year. we belonged to PPA for a year but didn't renew because at the end of a travel day there were no PPA parks anywhere near where we were.
we also used to belong to FMCA (for the magazine only) and while there are some parks that will offer a 15% discount on the nightly rate and we found them to be more numerous than PPA they were few and far between when compared to the Good Sam parks.
we still have the KOA card but rarely stay at KOA parks. the exception is an annual 1-week stay in Dayton, OH every spring. that particular park does not have a weekly rate and the 10% card discount saves us more than the cost of the card.
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rk911
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03/02/14 07:42am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: LED TV to WinXP tower via HDMI
- an HDMI PCI card for the pc.
- a VGA/HDMI adapter. the HDMI cable runs from the TV to the adapter which either directly plugs into the PC's VGA port or connects via a short VGA cable. I'm liking this option best as I could use it on the tower or my laptop.
questions: do I have a 4th option, something I have not considered? is anyone doing the same sort of thing and how did you make the connection? can you point me to a specific product?
thanks.
I'm not aware of an adapter that converts analog VGA to digital HDMI, if they do exist, they're probably more expensive than your option of adding a PCI card to the pc with HDMI output, might be VGA and DVI, and it comes with a little adapter that converts the DVI connector to an HDMI connector. you can get a cheap AMD based pci video card with hdmi output, easily under $50.
a lot of lcd TVs (my vizio LED 26" for example) has a VGA port on it, so if you have an extra vga port, no need to convert
your 4th option: you can get a USB to HDMI adapter, so you don't have to open up the PC.
I've found several videos on YouTube that demonstrate a converter that appears to do just what I want it to do. but you're right...they run around $80 +/-. i'm thinking that I like this option better than a card as it's not OS specific, doesn't need a driver and since there's no card I can use it on any PC.
of those that I've seen this morning this one is the one I am considering.
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rk911
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02/28/14 11:30am |
Technology Corner
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LED TV to WinXP tower via HDMI
i'm an amateur radio operator with a question about connecting a WinXP PC to an LED TV via HDMI.
I currently have an older WinXP desktop running two processes...an APRS digipeater on one half of the screen and the WeatherUnderground.com chicago weather radar on the other half of the sceen. i'm adding a 26" LED TV that will do double-duty as a TV as well as the monitor for this desktop. the PC tower will be as much as 20-feet away from the TV/monitor. while there still are TV's with a VGA connector I'd rather connect the TV/monitor to the tower via HDMI cable.
I think I have three options.
- get a new pc with built-in HDMI (don't want to spend the bucks).
- an HDMI PCI card for the pc.
- a VGA/HDMI adapter. the HDMI cable runs from the TV to the adapter which either directly plugs into the PC's VGA port or connects via a short VGA cable. I'm liking this option best as I could use it on the tower or my laptop.
questions: do I have a 4th option, something I have not considered? is anyone doing the same sort of thing and how did you make the connection? can you point me to a specific product?
thanks.
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rk911
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02/27/14 04:09pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Alarm Company Video vs. Do It Yourself
Considering putting one of those video surveillance systems around my home, the kind you can monitor on your computer.
Anyone have experience with the alarm company kind or the ones you can buy on Amazon and install yourself?
Haven't compared prices. Looking for experience.
I know that the alarm company (ATD) can instantly call the authorities, etc. and will cost more with the monthly charge. Already have a home contract.
I wouldn't assume that an alarm company will "instantly" call the authorities. the bulk of my career was spent managing a major 9-1-1 call center in suburban Chicago (28-years). our center had our own alarm panel but we also took calls from alarm companies for dispatch to police units. in virtually all cases the call to our center was the second call being made...the first call was usually to a keyholder to determine if the alarm was valid or false, a false alarm usually being caused by the owner or manager when opening or closing the business or by faulty equipment. if the keyholder could not be reached or otherwise indicated that the alarm could be valid then and only then did the alarm monitoring company call the authorities.
on one occasion a jewelry store owner had two separate alarm circuits, one to our panel and another to a private monitoring company. he wanted redundancy. one evening the alarm on our panel rang and police were dispatched within 30-60 seconds. when they arrived they found a smash-and-grab had occurred...the front plate glass window had been smashed allowing the thieves to take what was in the window. detectives were called and after they had been on the scene for around 15-20 minutes then we get a call from the private monitoring service reporting activation of the alarm. after questioning they admitted that they delayed the call to us in favor of locating the owner (they never did locate him but we did).
if you're considering an intrusion alarm then at least check with your local police to see if they maintain their own alarm panel and compare those costs to a private service. if you want to contract with a private service first be sure you understand what their protocols are for calling police. do they call them first or only after attempting to speak with the premise keyholder? do your local police issue fines for false alarms caused by faulty equipment? ask to see a report detailing their response times in making a call to the local police.
good luck.
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rk911
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02/26/14 06:16pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: RV garden - concerns about moving pests?
ok...this is a bad idea. house plants are one thing but veggies? support the local economies and buy what you need.
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rk911
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02/25/14 03:10pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Preferences on pulling a toad, or rent when there?
we started RVing in 1986 but didn't pull a toad until 2003. for the first years we simply dud our day trips in the RV and we became pretty accomplished at breaking and re-setting camp. after 10-12 years of that we rented cars, mostly from enterprise and that worked OK. it was a hassle even though they picked us up.
we made the decision to start towing in 2003 and bought our first jeep...a new jeep wrangler sport (which we still have) and boy did a whole new way of RVing open up to us. we were free! if we wanted to go out for dinner on an overnight stop we could. no more breaking camp. no more waiting for a rental car and the hassle involved. after a while it got so that I could unhook the jeep in 5-10 minutes and hook it back up to the MH in about the same time.
if you take a lot of RV trips or if you're out for weeks/months at a time then I say start towing. to me, renting only makes sense if you take 1 or 2 trips a year.
good luck.
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rk911
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02/25/14 01:12pm |
General RVing Issues
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