edmck

Bill makes a good point, Sprint coverage is weak once you move away from urban areas. We too have a Mobley and find ATT coverage excellent most everywhere we’ve been this past year. Another Sprint issue is that there are no boosters able to improve their signal. That said, we ordered this Sprint package from FMCA because it will likely help us during our winter stay here in Mesa and probably the two months we’ll be spending in Santa Fe in the spring. Whether it will work in northern Michigan is an open question. The big selling point for us is no contract — if we don’t like it well send it back and continue to rely on the Mobley. It’s a backup option for the day when ATT pulls the plug on the Mobley Connected Car plan.

Completely agree, this is an offer full timers like us were quick to embrace.

Is it true that lowering the front jacks to the point where the weight is off the front wheels you will reduce body flex/torque when the rear jacks are deployed to level the coach? Just had some guy in our park tell me that as he watched me recaulking the top of the front cap on my coach because of body flexing.

A 5000 watt output is huge, no? Not sure if the alternator in my motorhome's 2000 Ford V10 is big enough to keep up with the draw. Will I need to run the engine at idle while using the inverter to keep from flattening the batteries? Or is this a "real" 5,000 watt inverter as advertised. I just read a post from an electrical contractor saying that manufacturers sometimes play games with peak output for marketing and it might only be a 1,500 watt continuous inverter. If it turns out that the inverter is wired into the motorhome's 120 VAC system, then this unit could run a large appliance. But wouldn't the house batteries (two new 6-volts) be dead in an hour? Not sure if I should even use this thing unless it's for watching the TV, charging computers, or interior lighting, etc. And I can get by with 12V power for that.

Guess that means 5,000 watts. Duh.

I think that's it! Now I need to figure out what 5000 MSW means.

OK, so based on the replies so far I can determine that the inverter (a) isn't original equipment (thought so), and (b) isn't wired in to coach's 120 VAC system. I will go back and follow the extension cord to see what the inverter powers. I also understand that I may need to have the extension cord inspected and probably replaced with a 10 gauge cord. I guess it's not possible to guess at the rating without pulling the inverter out and looking at the label (but first I'll try the mirror suggestion). Many thanks for these helpful suggestions, much appreciated.

We recently purchased an older National Sea Breeze motorhome and it has an inverter installed in the forward passenger-side bay. Unfortunately, no manuals came with the coach and I've never had an inverter before. I can't determine the brand as the label is on top of the housing where I can't see it. So I drove over to the coach this morning and took these two pictures with the thought of posting them and asking if anyone could help me identify the manufacturer and perhaps the rating as well. Not much to work with, I know, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I've been following this topic today and just wanted to add my perspective as a brand new FMCA member. Yes, I joined just as soon as I learned about this Verizon plan. But by the time I had signed up yesterday the plan had been put on hold. Meanwhile, I began looking around the FMCA website and I'm impressed with all that the organization has to offer. Incidentally, I was asked to provide my motorhome's make, model, length and license number when I signed up. Bottom line: Sure, I hope to get in on the Verizon plan when it launches because it's a great deal. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my new membership and profit from all the great tips I'm learning in the forums. For those of us who are still fairly new to RVs this is a great place to hang out. Just my two cents.

Ordered two Mobleys yesterday. We plan to combine them with the upcoming FMCA data plan from Verizon. Looks like affordable connectivity is finally becoming a reality for us.

I posted this on the Escapees forum last week and thought it might be of interest to readers here: For most of this traveling summer I've been accessing distant wifi APs using a Pepwave Surf (http://www.pepwave.com/products/surf/) and a Hawking 15bBi Corner Antenna (http://www.hawkingtech.com/products/produc...&ProdID=152), both purchased from the 3G Store. Because the Hawking antenna is designed for indoor use, I've had to wrap in it a ziplock bag before hoisting it on the extendable pole (attached to the roof ladder) I carry in our motorhome basement. Overall, I've been very pleased with the ability of this simple system to pull in signals from up to a half-mile distant. Still, I've yearned for even better reception. As someone who follows this thread carefully, I decided that my next step up the tech ladder should be the much-vaunted Nanostation2. Understanding in advance that a higher level of networking skills might be required, I ordered a Nano2 and today I finally had the time to try it out. We're currently staying in an RV Resort here in Mesa, AZ for the winter, so there are many APs around me in this location. When I had the Nano2 hoisted on the pole (about 20' above ground level), I expected to pull in many additional APs than I had found with the Pepwave/Hawking combination. But I didn't -- there was nothing new in my local wifi universe with the supposedly more powerful Nanostation2. There may be several good reasons for this, and I freely concede that I'm a rank amateur in this field. But here are my observations about this informal comparison: 1. The Pepwave is much simpler to use and requires no serious network expertise. 2. The Nano's power-over-ethernet cable configuration and weather-proof construction are true advantages over the Hawking Corner antenna I'm using. The higher I raise my Hawking antenna, the more antenna cable I use. And the longer then cable, the greater the signal degradation. I believe you can lift the Nano something like 300' before you suffer any ethernet signal loss. Plus the Nano is built for outdoor use. The Corner Antenna isn't. 3. The networking setup on the Nano wasn't as difficult as I thought (I'm using a Mac, not a PC). But if you want to share the Nano's signal with neighbors or other computers in your motorhome, you need to connect it to a router. With the Pepwave, it broadcasts its own signal. The Pepwave is basically a router, the Nano isn't. That's a big plus for the Pepwave/Corner Station alternative. In my view, the Pepwave/Hawking Corner Antenna solution for pulling in a distant wifi signal is very much underestimated. Yes, you have to wrap the Corner Antenna in plastic if you wish to use it outdoors, but that's not a big deal. And the fact that the Pepwave is a wireless router and its so simple to use are very compelling features for tech-challenged users like myself. So I'm putting my Nanostation2 on eBay tonight and going forward with the Pepwave/Corner Antenna solution. Until I hear of something better, of course.

This week my wife and I drove our 2005 Winnebago 30 Sightseer (and toad) south from Oregon down to San Fran on the beautiful coastal 101 route. We are new to this side the the country, and had no idea what we were in for on this route. Long story short; it was an experience for sure. Never saw such a narrow road; never imagined the dramatic switchbacks and cliffs; and the unexpected descents/inclines were a real challenge for our gas V10 engine and 4-speed trans. We made it through, of course, but it's not a trip I'd recommend, especially if you have a toad. But after two days of that kind of hard driving, I've come to appreciate this V10 engine and it's resilient transmission. I watched the engine temp gage carefully all the way and it never moved regardless of the pull. Just wanted to put it a plug for this tough engine in case anyone might be interested. I'd buy another coach with Ford power/chassis anytime.