Jump to content

Roadtrekingmike

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    669

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    17

Blog Entries posted by Roadtrekingmike

  1. Roadtrekingmike
    Two very different questions from readers this week as we continue our “How We Roll in our RV” segment:
    Jennifer answers a question about cooking while traveling in our eTrek and I assure a reader that the fabled black flies that invade Michigan’s Upper Peninsula every summer should not deter him from traveling to one of the least-visited but most beautiful places in North America.
    I did a video called “The curse of the U.P: Black flies” last year you may want to check out.
    Got a question about How We Roll? Just send it to me at openmike@fmca.com.
    Besides our other reports, we try to roll out a new How We Roll every week.
    http://youtu.be/yXzjL26D7I4
    About the Author: Mike Wendland is a veteran journalist who travels the country in a Roadtrek Type B motorhome, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer, and their Norweigian elkhound, Tai. Mike is an FMCA member (F426141) and is FMCA's official on-the-road reporter. He enjoys camping (obviously), hiking, biking, fitness, photography, video editing and all things dealing with technology. His "PC MIke" technology segments are distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations. More from this author. Reach mike at openmike@fmca.com.
  2. Roadtrekingmike
    In this week’s edition of "How We Roll in Our RV," readers want to know how we fight boredom while doing all that driving, and what kind of meals we eat in our RV while traveling.
    I offer my suggestions on finding eBooks, something we both really enjoy listening to while making long drives.
    Jennifer shares some of her favorite meals for traveling.
    Keep those questions coming in. We’ll do our best to answer them.
    We try to do a new edition of How We Roll each week.
    http://youtu.be/VKhQzs1acJk
  3. Roadtrekingmike
    You can tell winter is wearing thin and folks are starting to think about spring and warm weather because we’re getting lots of questions about people wanting to rent a Roadtrek or find a used one to purchase.
    So in this edition of How We Roll in our RV, we try and answer both.
    Bottom line is – you will have to work at it. Roadtreks are in high demand, both for rental units and for used ones to purchase.
    The main Roadtrek website has a dealer locator feature that you can use to find the nearest Roadtrek dealership to your home where you can ask whats locally available. And the Roadtrek International Chapter of the Family Motorcoach Association has a list of used units that are for sale by owners around North America. You can also search RV sales websites and even Craig’s List.

    Click the above video and you’ll get our answer.
    And send us your questions by email…we’ll do our best to answer them in future editions of How We Roll.
  4. Roadtrekingmike
    In the latest edition of How We Roll in our RV, Jennifer and I answer a question from Sarah in Omaha, NE about how we clean it, inside and outside.
    Jennifer says she uses Clorox Wips inside, along with wood and leather cleaner. But has us both excited is this mazing KAYWOS (Klean Anything Without Streaking) cloth …
    It is great at removing bugs, road gunk, bird droppings, dirt and grime from the exterir of our RV. In fact, without soap or water, we in essence cleaned the whole RV with the cloth, which is reusable. You wet it, wring it dry and start cleaning We both demonstrate in the video.

    The cloths can be washed but let them air dry.
    They also clean mirrors and glass and I use one for my computer screens as well.
    They are available really cheap at http://www.roadtrekingstore.com/kaywoscloth.html.
    Do you have a question about How We Roll in our RV. Just send me an email at openmike@fmca.com.
  5. Roadtrekingmike
    Yesterday it was bad pet breath, today, readers want to know how we remove pet hair from our RV.
    Jennifer and I share how we clean p after our Norwegian Elkhound, Tai. It's not rocket science. The Halo Leather seats of our eTrek help. We throw a cover over them, then shake the hair out each day.
    As for the throw runs and the rest of the interior of the Roadtrek eTrek we travel in, Jen uses a collapsible broom, an old fashioned whisk brook and sometimes, good old duct tape.

    One thing we purchased that we are not happy with is the portable “Dustbuster” vacuum. We’ve tried a couple models and found they don’t hold a charge and really don’t do a very good job.
    We’ve found the best tool is prevention. We brush Tai during walks. Daily brushing outside makes for much less inside shedding.
    How about you? Use comments below to share how you clean up after your pet.
  6. Roadtrekingmike
    In this episode of our How We Roll in our RV series, we answer reader questions about taking care of our home while we’re off RVing and how we like the Roadtrek eTrek.
    The first question came from Roger Bohnke who asks:
    Q: Maybe a question for your How We Roll series… Mike and Jen, I’ve been wondering how you take care of your house while you two are on all these wonderful long trips? Do you live in a townhouse or condo you can just lock up and walk away from? We want to travel a lot when we retire, but not full time. Though we love our house and yard, I’m considering a move to lessen the hassle factor. I can see yard services, security, etc. adding a big cost to our travel budget. Of course, moving isn’t cheap either!
    Love your site and your wonderful videos. Thanks for all you do! – Roger

    The second question was from Tim Lynch:
    Q: Really enjoy your site and videos. If I’ve got it right, you had an Adventurous before your eTrek. I’m leaning toward an eTrek for myself, but wonder if the added weight of all those batteries affects performance on the road or fuel mileage. Are there any other differences, pro or con, that you’ve seen between the two?
    The name of the home security system that Jennifer mentions in this episode is SimpliSafe. I did a video report about it a few months back. Here’s a link to that story: Protecting Your Sticks-and-Bricks House While You're RVing.
    Meanwhile, if you have a question you’d like Jennifer and me to answer in an upcoming episode of this regular series, just drop us a note at openmike@fmca.com.
  7. Roadtrekingmike
    Every week we get at least one question about how we use technology while traveling. In this edition of How We Roll in our RV, you get to see the way I stay connected all the time. Updating this blog, our Facebook Page and Facebook Group, plus the newsletter, means I need a reliable connection to the Internet.
    I’ve written before about my tech gear and the the MiFi card I use from Verizon Wireless to create a 4G network in my Roadtrek Class B motorhome. And a few weeks ago, I added a cell phone booster. This report shows you the extended length magnetic antenna I recently upgraded to, how I stuck it up on the roof and how I handle all the gizmos that need charging.
    Jennifer talks about her main tech activity, too.
    We’d love to hear how you use tech.
    I’ll do a future episode on the new apps I’m using with my new cell phone.

  9. Roadtrekingmike
    Here’s another edition of “How We Roll,” answering RV questions from readers about our travels in our Class B motorhome.
    In this episode, we talk about how to do online bill paying and mail forwarding.
    I mention in particular the mail forwarding service of the Family Motor Coach Association. You can get details here.
    We also answer a question about sharing the driving responsibilities, something we strongly suggest so one person doesn’t have to do all the mileage alone.
    We post a new “How We Roll” every Friday. If you have a question for us, just email us.
    http://youtu.be/yylRrHVSja8
  10. Roadtrekingmike
    There’s never enough room. That’s the first thing about RVing we all think when we start RVing, isn’t it?
    But there really is.
    No matter what size RV we have, we all want to bring too much stuff.armoire
    Once we discover that, it’s a little easier to pack the essentials. Still, some times, you need a little more storage space. That’s why we recently replaced one of the two back seats with a custom sized armoire. It is a perfect match with the rest of the wooden cabinets inside our Roadtrek eTrek. And it even comes with a pull out table that lets us replace the front table that attaches to a pole that fits into a hole in the floor.
    Jennifer shows it off in this week’s edition of “How We Roll” as I show how I pack the “basement.”
    Keep those questions coming. We try to answer a new one each week.
    http://youtu.be/0slyhwcBVzo
  11. Roadtrekingmike
    Jennifer has one requirement as we travel: We find a place to work out.
    She’s a fitness instructor by occupation, though lately, because of our near-fulltime traveling schedule, she’s had to cut back on the classes she teaches.
    But that doesn’t mean she cuts back on her fitness goals.
    We're on a very hectic Great Lakes Shoreline Tour that we’re doing for Verizon Wireles, so finding time to pull over and find a gym hasn’t happened as much as she’d like. I can usually tell when I better get her to a gym because she starts to get a bit cranky.
    So, in answer to a reader’s question about where Jennifer finds places to work out, we put together this How We Roll in our RV video.

    Jennifer talks about the Silver Sneakers fitness program. Joining it gets you in at more than 11,000 locations, as we found with the Anytime Fitness chain we chose. Many health insurance plans also include Slver Sneaker benefits.
    Meantime, some of the national fitness places you can look into include:
    Snap Fitness
    Planet Fitness
    Fitness 19
    LA Fitness
    Curves (women only)
    Workout Anytime
    The video above was shot at the Anytime Fitness gym in Saulte Ste Marie, Mich.
  12. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the reasons so many RVers love Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is because of all the wildlife. And in recent years, the chance, albeit slim, of seeing a wolf has been at least a possibility that has made the place pretty exciting. For the introduction of the grey wolf into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is one of the greatest wildlife management success stories in generations. Where there were none just a couple of decades ago, there are now around 700.
    On calm, clear nights, hearing the howls of a wolf pack is a thrill beyond description.

    And seeing them, as I did when three of them crossed in front of me while visiting Baraga County on a previous UP trip, is even more thrilling. They are truly magnificent animals.
    But the future is uncertain for Michigan’s wolves. Under a controversial policy that has sharply polarized many in the UP, the state’s Department of Natural Resources is moving ahead with a plan to allow the sport hunting of wolves in several areas across the UP, staring this fall. At the same time, citizen groups and wolf protection activists have countered with petition drives that would put the issue before Michigan voters this November, not once, but twice..
    The issue is highly politicalized. A state representative from the far Western UP town of Ironwood claims that there are so many wolves making their way into town that local residents are afraid to send their children outdoors and are forced to stay inside because of the danger. While wolves, like deer, have been spotted in town, we found no evidence of widespread fear, or of rampaging wolves for that matter. There are lots of reports floating around about pets and farm animals being taken by wolves, too, though, on examination, I found many to be wild exaggerations or outright fabrications.
    In one of the more sensational stories, a local man who claimed to have had livestock killed by wolves was actually found by investigators to have allowed dead carcasses of animals who died of apparently natural causes to lie around his land. Such a practice would lead to odors which would naturally attract predators. That man had previously been given three donkeys by state officials. Since donkeys are known to keep wolves away, they would have protected his herds. But when officials went to check on the donkeys, they found the animals were neglected, with untrimmed hooves that prevented them from moving. Two of them subsequently died and a third was found “in very poor body condition,” said a state report obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by wolf supporters. ”This animal is very weak and likely dehydrated since there is no water provided to the livestock,” said the report. Officials removed the surviving donkey, which is alive and “in a very good new home.”
    The report noted that the farmer had also been provided over $1,300 in fencing material to prevent wolves from entering his property. “The fence is now gone and its whereabouts are unknown,” concluded the report.
    I mention all this because this same farmer was all over the news earlier this year showing off dead cows he claimed were killed by wolves and talking about how dangerous they were.
    I visited with lots of folks who live in areas populated by wolf packs who reported no issues.
    “I believe if this hunt goes through we will once again see the wolf all but extinct in the UP,” said Sandy Lahtinen of Ironwood. “When hunters take out an animal here and there, they will take out the alpha males and females. That leaves the packs leaderless and creates lone wolves and that’s when you see problems.” Lahtinen has wolves on her property. She is not worried about them. Snow, her 30 year old pony, and a tiny little puppy roam about in her front yard all day.
    In Marquette County, Jim and Jackie Winkowski raise and race dog sled teams. They know wolves are in their area. They’ve seen and heard them. “They are not interested in our dogs,” said Jackie. “They are not interested in being around people at all.”
    In the deep and very buggy woods of the Ottawa National Forest near Ewen, we went out looking for wolf signs with Nancy Warren, the Great Lakes regional director for Wolfwatcher, a nonprofit organization dedicated to wolf conservation.
    You’ve heard of the Horse Whisperer. Nancy is the Wolf Howler.
    She talks to the wolves by howling in their territory. “Wolves are very territorial,” she says. “Howling is how a wolf checks to see if he is in another pack’s territory. The local wolves will howl back, to tell him to move on.” Although we spotted wolf scat, we didn’t get any answering howls that day.
    How do we know it was wolf poop, you ask? The size (an inch in diameter) and the presence of fur and bones in the fecal matter, explained Nancy. Aren’t you glad you asked that now?
    Warren is opposing the coming wolf hunt. “Wolves that cause problems already can be taken out by landowners if they endanger livestock or people,” she said. “A hunting season serves no purpose at all. There are only 658 wolves up here. To kill wolves for sport is just not right.”
    Nevertheless, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission on Thursday again approved hunting of once-federally protected wolves in the Upper Peninsula under a new state law passed to circumvent a referendum on an earlier hunting law, as called for by an earlier petition drive run by wolf supporters.
    State officials dismiss the concerns of the pro-wolf groups. “We anticipate that this limited public harvest could both change wolf behavior over time — making them more wary of people, residential areas and farms — and reduce the abundance of wolves in these management areas that have experienced chronic problems,” DNR Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason said in a statement. “We’re aiming to decrease the number of conflicts and complaints while maintaining the long-term viability of the wolf population.”
    The group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected said it was “deeply disappointed” by the commission’s decision. The group earlier submitted petitions for a November 2014 referendum on the earlier wolf hunt law. That’s what promoted the Natural Resource Commission to push through the hunting season, before voters could decide.
    “The voters of Michigan — not politicians and bureaucrats — should have their voices heard on whether our state’s fragile wolf population is needlessly hunted for trophies,” group Director Jill Fritz said in a statement. “The NRC should have delayed a decision until the November 2014 election and let the democratic process play out as intended. Instead they have thumbed their noses at Michigan voters and told them their opinions don’t matter.”
    Fritz’s group submitted ballot said it plans to launch yet another petition drive to collect at least 225,000 signatures needed to place the new law under which the commission approved the hunt Thursday on the November 2014 ballot as well. That means there will be two anti-wolf hunting proposals on the ballot.
    But no matter how the issue is decided, it will be too late to stop this year’s hunt.
    And that should stir up howls of protests from all those who don’t think wolves should be considered fair game.
  14. Roadtrekingmike
    I now have my own drone
    One of the benefits of being a tech reporter is getting cool new tech toys to test out.
    To that end, check out the video above. It’s the first test video I shot with something called the AR.Drone 2, a personal quadricopter drone that sells for ls than $300 and is controlled by your iPad or iPhone or Droid device.
    Coolest thing I’ve played with in a long time.
    It can go over 100 feet up and a couple hundred feet in a circle – Wi-Fi range from where you are standing. That’s what controls it. It creates its own on-board wi-fi hotspot, which connects via free software for your phone or tablet. In my case, I used an iPad. You actually see the image on your screen as you run the controls.
    The drone has its own wide angle high def 1280 x 720 camera aboard and it’s relatively easy to control, though if you watch this video of my first flight all the way through, you’ll see it ended in a crash when it ran into some tree branches about 35 feet off the ground. It survived that crash, and two more so, despite it’s light weight, it seems pretty rugged.
    The HD camera takes stills or video which can be saved on your device or a USB memory stick, or uploaded to You Tune or Facebook. I used the Verizon Wireless 4g connection on my iPad to send this video directly to You Tube.
    There’s a collar of sorts you can wrap around it when flying inside.
    Obviously, I need some experience. The wind for my first test flight was pushing 15 miles and hour, which is the drone’s suggested limit.
    The first video is pretty boring. I ran the drone up over my front lawn. What you don’t see is Tai, my Norwegian Elkhound, jumping around underneath it, barking up a storm. When it crashed, I beat dog to the drone, otherwise, it would be history. I have up, down, left and right movements figured out but I still need to master the tilt control so it can move up and down. That would have been a good shot, to have videoed the barking dog raising a ruckus on the ground below.
    Fun. I can see using this for loyts travel shots and overheads of the RVs I test out for this blog.
    When the wind dies down tomorrow, I think I’ll take it out and chase Tai around the yard with it. I’ll put together a bunch of videos but thought you might like seeing this first one.
    Based on just a couple test flights, I can already say the AR.Drone 2 is surely a candidate for my annual best tech gadgets of the year.
     
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


    Source
  15. Roadtrekingmike
    If Fuel gets too costly there’s always the Camper Bike
    Gas and diesel prices are a drag allright and RV trips cost more and more. But if you don’t mind downsizing, there’s always the Camper Bike.
    Designed and built by artist Kevin Cyr , the camper bike was made from scrap metal, painted and inspired from a series of his paintings and drawings.
    Cyr got the idea for the Camper Bike while on a trip to Beijing. He calls it “an amalgamation of a Chinese 3-wheeled flatbed bike with an American cabover style camper.”
    While he did build a functioning model, it doesn’t seem to be in production.
    But, hey, the way fuel prices keep increasing, who knows?
    He also has designed a Camper Cart, a camper built into a shopping cart.
    Based in Boston, Cyr’s painting and interest features RVs, delivery vans, ice cream trucks, beat up old trucks and motorcycles.
    You can see his work at http://www.kevincyr.net
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road
    Source
  16. Roadtrekingmike
    Actually, amend that headline. Pickleball is everywhere. In fact, its leading proponents claim it is the fastest-growing sport in North America,.though verifying that is not easy to do.
    But there is no doubt that the sport, invented in 1965, is now hugely popular, particularly among retirees and in campgrounds, RV resorts, retirement communities and the like across Florida and the Sunbelt. Further, many snowbrird return to their northern homes each spring and bring their love of the game back with them.
    There are no numerous places to play in all 50 states and there are regular tournaments sponsored by its own official organization, the USA Pickleball Association.
    Here’s one of their promotional videos showing how the game is played:

    Pickleball leagues are everywhere.
    On our RV trip to Florida and the Gulf Coast earlier this year, I was stunned to see it played – enthusiastically – at just abut every place we visited.
    In case you have never heard of it, pickleball is a racket sport in which two to four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a polymer perforated ball over a net.
    A pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court and measures 20×44 feet. In pickleball, the same court is used for both singles and doubles play. The net height is 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The court is striped similar to a tennis court with right and left service courts and a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net (referred to as the “kitchen”). Courts can be constructed specifically for pickleball or they can be converted using existing tennis or badminton courts.
    It was invented on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, WA. U.S. Congressman Joel Pritchard and two pals, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, are credited for creating the game after their kids at the time became bored with their usual summertime activities .
    Their kids apparently grew tired of the game. But the adults loved it, taught it to their friends and, as everybody aged, it kept growing and growing.
    There are two stories about how the sport got its name. The most popular story has it that the Pritchard’s dog, named Pickles, was always chasing after the wiffle ball when someone hit it out of bounds and then hiding with it in the bushes. Thus, for the game resumed, someone had to retrieve “Pickle’s ball.”
    But Joel Pritchard’s wife, Joan, told one interviewer that the game reminded her of the pickle boat (in crew), where oarsmen are picked from the leftovers of the other boats. The game was subsequently named pickleball. The Pritchard’s dog was actually named after the game, she said.
    Whatever, pickleball is a way of life for many.
    At an RV resort in Okeechobee, FL, where I took the above photo in this post, they had two courts that had people standing in line waiting to play from just after sunup till noon, and again just before sunup when the day’s heat eased until it was too dark to play. The resort said pickleball was so popular that they were rushing to build more courts.
    So there you go sports fans. Give it a try. I only had a chance to play a few minutes but from that brief experience, I can say it’s pretty darn fun.
  17. Roadtrekingmike
    In the Black Hills: Custer State Park
    Custer State Park was our favorite spot when traveling the Black Hills of South Dakota. If you want to see an abundance of wildlife along with great scenery, this is...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  18. Roadtrekingmike
    Inside Advanced RV’s new Ocean One Type B Motorhome
    As a sure sign that the RV industry is bouncing back, a small Cleveland-based startup has introduced a high end Mercedes Sprinter motorhome that is targeting the extreme high end of the Type B market. It’s new Ocean One model.
    Set up with all the extras, it will retail for around $155,ooo, easily making it the most expensive Type B I’ve seen.
    Luxury features include a heated floor, heated captain’s chairs, a wine cabinet, lots of fine crafter wood cabinets, a 7.5 cubic foot refrigerator and up to four lithium batteries for extended boondocking camping.
    As such it is positioned closest to Roadtrek’s new eTrek and CS models and Airstream’s Interstate, which have many similar options.
    Most noticeable about the Ocean One is the distinctive panoramic design of the maple cabinets, which sweep around the interior in an unbroken line that is very pleasing to the eye.
    I met Mike Neundorfer, the CEO of Advanced RV and founder of the company, at the huge Florida RV Supershow in Tampa, where the Ocean One was officially introduced.
    Advanced RV says the unit will target only about 5% of the Sprinter RV market. Indeed, his whole company doesn’t expect to sell more than 50 of them a year. They sell direct, through their Advanced RV website. Build time for each unit is between 8- 12 weeks.
    Neundorfer is a businessman and owner of a comany that helps power plants control air pollution. Assisting him and offering insight into the RV business as a consultant is Mike Ellis, a former General Manager of Great West Vans.
    Neundorfer gave me a nice tour of the interior of the Ocean One.
    The video above takes you with me.
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


    Source
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    I’ve been an amateur (ham) radio operator for decades, My call is K8ZRH and there was a time when I was obsessed with the hobby, so caught up in making contacts with every state in the nation, every country in the world, that I stayed up all hours of the night tracking DX (distant) stations, Eventually, to keep peace in my marriage, I backed off and, for the past ten years or so, have been pretty much inactive.
    Today, there’s an amateur radio transceiver installed in my RV. Not a CB radio, though that might also come in handy. You need to be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate an amateur radio station. You can learn about that here. You do not need a license for a CB. Amateur radio is much more. Here’s how the American Radio Relay League describes it:

    “Most of the time, it’s the most fun you can have with a radio. It’s a way to talk with people around the world, or even orbiting the world; to send e-mail without any sort of internet connection and to keep in touch with friends across town or across the country. But it is called the “Amateur Radio Service ” because it also has a serious face. It’s a very important emergency communications system too. When cell phones, regular phones, the internet and other systems are down or overloaded, Amateur Radio still gets the message through. Radio amateurs, often called "hams," enjoy radio technology as a hobby -- that's the fun part. But it’s also a service -- a vital service that has saved lives again and again when regular communication systems failed.”
    Anyway, my foray back into amateur radio came about after volunteering for the communications team that is part of my county’s Department of Homeland Security. My all electric, solar powered Roadtrek eTrek is a perfect vehicle to use in times of emergency and now, with the radio, I’m able to provide emergency communications with my own power supply when called up.
    But I will also be able to have use of the radio as we travel the county.
    The wife’s condition I had to agree to in installing the radio was that it had to be neat.
    No wires and ugly installation. No holes in anything. The photos show the results. I’m pretty happy. And it meet’s Jennifer’s approval.
    The rig is a dual-bander (144/440MHz) Kenwood TM-V71A, I chose that rig because I generally like Kenwood two-way radios from my past experiences and this unit in particular has a detachable control head. I had to pick up an extension cable but I was able to locate the radio itself in an out of the way place hidden from view on a storage shelf above the driver’s seat. The control head, with the connecting cable hidden behind the trim, was Velcro-ed on a perfect spot just below and to the right of the steering wheel. I made no holes in the dash. The industrial strength Velcro I used can hold 10 pounds. I doubt the control head weighs more than 8 ounces. The radio itself is also Velcro-ed in place on the shelf so it doesn’t slide around.

    The power connection is direct to one of the eTrek’s eight AGM batteries, accessed through an access panel located under-the-carpeting in the cab part of the van. The were were duct taped in place as they ran across the floor.
    For an antenna I again had to choose neatness.
    The non metal body of the Roadtrek makes getting a ground or using a traditional magnetic mount difficult.
    So I selected the Larsen KG-2/70-CX-PL on glass antenna. Again, I snaked the antenna wire behind the trim to a place where it could reach the top right window on the second row passenger’s seat. The antenna, on a sticky pad, adheres to the outside of the glass while a coupler on the inside sticks to the glass exactly opposite for a very adequate inductive connection.
    By the way, I’ve found that using a putty knife is a very simple way to gently pust wires and cable behing trim coverings. Use plastic ties under the dash to keep any wires from dangling down or showing themselves.
    I get a solid SWR (hams will know what this means) of about 1.6 to 1.9 to one across most of the bands, more than acceptable. All of the local repeaters are full-quieting, meaning I’m receiving and transmitting well.
    So there you go. I’m now K8ZRH mobile. My first add-on mod for my new eTrek.
    Source
  20. Roadtrekingmike
    That’s my old iPhone 5 on the left. The new gigantic iPhone 6 Plus on the right.
    For as 10 million other people have done over the past two weeks, I’ve upgraded to the new and very large iPhone 6 Plus.
    It’s massive 5.5-inch size was a big reason.
    I spend a lot of time online. Too much, in fact. And my eyes and my thumbs appreciate the extra real estate the new iPhone provides.
    The first thing I did after transferring all my apps and settings over to the new phone from iCloud (a process that took about 45 minutes on my home Wi-Fi network) was head out to the RV and see if the new phone fits in the Wilson Sleek cell phone booster I use for connectivity while boondocking in areas with weak cellular service. It does. The Sleek has adjustable arms that grip the 6 Plus just fine.
    The only time I use the Sleek with a cell phone is when I need to make a call in a marginal area. The rest of the time, my Verizon Mi-Fi data card provides the Internet connection for my various devices. But it’s nice to know that the new iPhone 6 Plus will fit.
    Besides the larger screen size, there are eight main reasons why I chose the iPhone 6 Plus.
    But before I list them … please … be nice. Like religion and politics, conversations about computers, mobile devices and brand loyalties can get real nasty. So if you don’t want or need these features, or if you use another platform or operating system, then good for you. This post is not aimed at you. This is for the many who do use the iPhone and are wondering what the new big one is like.
    Here are the eight things I like most about this new phone, compared to the iPhone 5 I had been using:
    The new camera on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is the best Ive seen on any smartphone, especially with the new features on the iOS 8 operating system like slow motion and time lapse photography. I’ll do some demos for you later this week.
    Image stabilization is now available for the videos I shoot on the iPhone 6 Plus when my professional video camera is unavailable or I want to post a quick video on social media.
    The 6 Plus is faster and reputedly has a longer battery life. Since I just got it, I haven’t been able to put that to the test. But I will.
    The new Swype keyboard option (that’s the one thing I liked the most during my brief fling with the Android OS and Samsung some months back) lets me really input text fast, with fewer fat finger mistakes.
    The soon-to-be available Apple Pay, the new short-range wireless payments system for the 6 and 6 Plus, which integrates with Touch ID. It will soon be released as a software update. This is going to be huge.
    Lots of memory. For those like who take a lot of photos and videos, like to watch movies and load up on music, the new 128GB storage limit on the 6 is almost enough of a reason to upgrade.
    The iPhone 6 Plus has full HD, 1920 x 1080 display. That’s not yet available on other iPhone models, including the 6.
    The iPhone 6 offers absolutely fantastic health and fitness functionality. Well… maybe not just yet. They’re still working a couple of unexpected last minute glitches out of a couple apps. But those apps – I’ve seen a preview of them – are coming soon.

    As I am getting used to the iPhone 6 Plus, I was surprised that I have not been challenged in using it as a phone. It is big and I’ve seen others say it just feels weird held up to your ear.As I write this, I just finished a half hour radio interview using my new iPhone 6 Plus and it was very comfortable.
    Ironically, that interview (with Mitch Album on WJR Radio) was about two problems that have cropped up with Apple’s new phones.
    The first is, if you put in in your pocket and then sit on it without a case … it will bend. That doesn’t seem unusual to me. It is thin and super light. So thin it would have to bend when someone sat on it, especially without a protective case. I bought the leather case Apple sells with the iPhone. It does fit in my front pockets. It is too big for a breast pocket on some of my shirts. Not all, but some. But I would never think about sitting on it. So I don’t think this will be a issue for me.
    The second problem was on an update that Apple pushed through for the iOS 8 operating system. It was out just one hour when the company was swamped by reports that after updating the OS, iPhone 6 users lost cellular and data connectivity. Apple quickly pulled the update to see what the problem is.recent
    If you want to see some three of my favorite things the new iOS 8 system does, here’s one of my NBC-TV PC Mike segments:

    So, overall, my first impressions of the iPhone 6 Plus are very favorable. I have a large iPad that I seldom use, except to read books or watch movies. Sometimes, I just leave it at home rather than tote it along on an RV trip, only to wish I had brought it when we’re stuck inside because or rain. I think this new 5.5-inch iPhone will replace the tablet for books. I will try some movies and get back to you on that. But with 128 GB of storage, I’ll be able to download them to the device, besides streaming them on Netflix or Amazon.
    Lastly, another contributing factor to my decision to upgrade is the fact that I use my smartphone for so much more than just making or receiving telephone calls. I really use it more as a miniature computer than a phone. So this iPhone 6 Plus will come in very handy, I suspect.
    I’ll let you know more after a week or so.
    If you think you’d like to upgrade but wonder what you can do with your old phone, check out the video below. It’s another NBC-TV segment I did on places that offer trade-ins for old phones and other gadgets and gizmos.

  22. Roadtrekingmike
    Our latest interview is with …ta da … my wife, Jennifer, as suggested by various readers when I asked for ideas on who they’d next like me to interview.
    And in this one, Jennifer opens up and tells it like it is when she is asked not what her greatest joys are while traveling, but what bugs her the most.
    I asked the questions you sent me.

    Her chief frustrations: Finding good food on the road. A refrigerator that is too small and what to do with dirty laundry.
    We’re using Google Hangouts On Air to do these interviews. Let me know who you’d like me to interview next and Ill see if they’ll agree.
    You can be alerted when our next Hangout will be and even join in live by through my Google + page at plus.google.com/+MikeWendlandontheroad Add me to your circles.
    Meantime, how about you? What are your greatest RV frustrations?
  23. Roadtrekingmike
    Joy of RV Upsizing and Downsizing
    We arrived around 4:30 PM at a pleasant ocean view campground in Maine. Shortly after we pulled into the assigned site and plugged into shore power, a beautiful new Class...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    We’ve sure enjoyed the warm weather down along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and throughout Florida the past few weeks except for one thing: Bugs
    The mosquitoes are hatched down south. As are the No-See-Ums, Biting Midges and Sand Flies.
    They are particularly bad at night. With the warm weather, that means it can get pretty hot inside a camper van or Class B motorhome. We could have run the air conditioner. But that’s pretty loud. And it tends to make it too cold late at night.
    So we rolled down the driver and passenger side windows.
    And the bugs never got to us.
    That’s because we used Skeeker Beaters.

    We’ve been offering them on the Roadtrek Store for a couple of months now. But this was the first opportunity we had to really test them out.
    They worked great!
    Skeeter Beaters are magnetic vehicle window screens made out of mesh fabric that allows air to flow freely through open windows while keeping out not only mosquitos, flies and other pesky bugs but also the tiny, blood sucking midges and No-See-Ums. These screens adhere to your metal window frame using non-abrasive, high-energy magnets that will not shatter or break. The magnets are sewn in around the hemline. The screens come as a pair in a set, one for both the driver and passenger side windows.
    We put them on most every night. When the wind kicked up strong one night they held fast. They pack in their own drawstring bag and fit easily into a suitcase, the glove box, a door pocket, or the map pocket behind your seats.
    They fit all models of the Roadtrek and most other Class B campervans on the Sprinter, Ford or Chevy chasis.
    Check the video to see them on our Roadtrek eTrek. Click here for more info on them.
  25. Roadtrekingmike
    In the heart of central Kentucky – not far from it’s famed bluegrass country – is an area known as the Bourbon Trail, a confluence of seven distilleries that produce the bulk of the world’s Bourbon. Formally designated by Congress as “America’s Official Native Spirit.” The distilleries offer tours and tastings and offer a perfect RV getaway.
    http://youtu.be/W_wm129Uk30
    Bourbon has a rich history and proud tradition that dates back to the late 1700s. For more than two centuries, no family has influenced bourbon-making more deeply than the Beam family, maker of the world’s best selling bourbon. The tour of the Jim Beam distillery near Clermont, KY offers an up-close look at how they make the world’s best-selling bourbon–from grain to barrel to bottle and beyond.
    Here, you learn that bourbon is unique among whiskeys because, by law, it must be at least 51% corn. Why is it called Bourbon? Well, one of Kentucky’s original counties was Bourbon County, established in 1785 when Kentucky was still part of Virginia. Farmers shipped their whiskey in oak barrels — stamped from Bourbon County — down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. The long trip aged the whiskey, with the oak wood giving it the distinct mellow flavor and amber color. Pretty soon, whiskey from Bourbon County grew in popularity and became known as Bourbon whiskey.bt1
    Allow at least three hours for the Beam tour, which always ends in the tasting room, Where visitors can sample some of the 12 different brands the company makes. But remember, the Beam operation is just one of seven distilleries on the Bourbon Trail.
    A great place to use as your RVing base while touring the Bourbon Trail is Bardstown, KY, recently designated by USA Today as America’s most beautiful small town. It’s a delightful town, steeped in history. Abraham Lincoln walked its streets. So did Daniel Boone. Upstairs at the Old Talbott Inn, built in 1779, are bullet holes reportedly fired by Jesse James. Bardstown has museums and quaint shops.
    What the Napa Valley is to California wine, Bardstown is to the Bourbon Trail. Just outside of town, we used the My Old Kentucky Home State Park as our camping base, named after the famous Steven Foster song celebrating the mansion the state park is home to.
    Just down the road from the state Park is the Heaven Hill distillery. It, too, offers great tours and lots of history. Oh yeah, they have tastings, too.
    It was founded by the Heavenhill family. One word. Heavenhill. But rumor has it that when a teetotaler daughter saw a typo referring to the place as Heaven Hill - two words – she let the mistake stay so as to distance the family name from the whiskey business.
    About a half hour drive from Bardstown is the Makers Mark distillery. Situated on gorgeous grounds with Whiskey Creek running right through it and providing the pure water used in making of its bourbon, I was offered a tin cup sip straight out of a distilling tank, before the product had aged. My tongue burned. Jennifer got no further than a sniff. At Maker’s Mark, visitors have the opportunity to hand dip a bottle themselves… sealing it with the brands distinctive melted red wax.
    Each distillery is unique. Each distillery has a story.
    Take Red Roses bourbon, for example. Seems its founder was smitten by a beautiful young lady. He asked her to marry him. She refused to answer immediately but said, if the next time he saw her she was wearing a corsage, the answer was yes. The next time he saw her she was wearing a corsage of four red roses. Thus a bourbon brand was born.
    Even if you don’t drink alcohol, or bourbon is not your thing, the bourbon trail is a fascinating look at history in some of the most beautiful country you can find.
    If you decide to visit the Bourbon Trail, allow at least three days to take it all in. There are lots of campgrounds servicing the area.
×
×
  • Create New...