kaypsmith

A locksmith would my suggestion also, most of the round keyed locks are called H-Locks. My old Sportscoach had this type and I was able to get a replacement on ebay, but that was several years ago now.

Good point Wayne! Also, don't know if you have checked for AC (alternating current) on the chassis side with motor running. TO do this you will need a digital VOM, place the meter to AC and place the two probes on the appropriate terminals at the battery, if the meter reads nothing, no worries, if you see any voltage in this setting, this is an indication that one or more diodes are bad in the voltage regulator, usually inside the alternator. I owned a pickup truck once and found this to be a problem, causing the battery to drain. Replaced the alternator, problem solved. Not always the case, but a very inexpensive test, just remember that the motor must be running to perform, as it will only show up if the alternator is in output mode.

I use Google Chrome exclusively for the FMCA forum, only one that I haven't had a problem with.Wayne, are you kidding, Carl hold his mouth?DUH!

Kudos Joe, I have a Magellan RV GPS that has served me well, but Tom Tom let me down.

Weight and height restrictions and sometimes width (because of narrow bridges) are my greatest concerns. In addition to posted restrictions such as propane, I still have propane on board for the generator and stove.

If the old caulking has any scale and cracks, I would remove any loose from those areas and clean thoroughly before recaulking.

Glad you didn't pay for that advice, google searches are notorious for those type search finds because google gets paid for results. It is always best to look lower into the results, I always try to go to the one that is the actual website of the manufacturer, most of which usually do have a reasonable tech department.

Carl, try setting your primary DNS to Google (8.8.8.8), by far the fastest dns in most areas, you might see a noticable difference.

If you have a typical roof vent on the roof, a metal one instead of plastic preferrably, a 1/4 wave magnetic mount (only 19.25 inches), stuck onto the roof vent, and the coax down through the vent hole will work about as well as any antenna possibly can. Plastic will be ok, but you will need a ground plane for a 1/4 to work well. Most of the newer radios have auto shutdown for power level if SWR is out too bad, but surely you have a meter or can borrow one.

A fully charged no load bank while on charger should read 13.2 to 13.8 volts. A fully charged battery bank at rest (no charging or discharging for several hours) should read around 12.8 volts. If both banks read this then you should be able to see very close to the same on both lugs of the solenoid. You should use a continuity checker, aka an ohm meter to make sure that the solenoid is open when the rocker switch is open, have someone push the rocker switch while you are still check continuity, if it shows a dead short at this time the solenoid is working, Of course if both battery bank reads a high reading the coach should be cranking without having to use the assist. All this item does is to combine both chassis and house batteries for emergency purposes such as the power plant doesn't start, and or sometimes the generator is started by the house batteries (not always the case) according to who and how the manufacturer chose to wire your particular unit. If you have the manual for your unit you should be able to find drawings there, if you don't have a manual I would suggest acquiring one as no two brands are wired the same, and sometimes that is not true with the same coach year. One other note is that if there is one or more dead cells in either bank, that will pull enough current away from the system to prevent starting from happening.

It sounds as though the topper spring tensioner may need some adjustment to correct the sag, instructions can be googled with the name brand of the topper, most likely same as with any awning arm and roll assembly.

My former coach had the gas struts that got weak after 3 months or so, I installed latches that actually were strong enough to hold the bay doors open, replaced the gas struts at the same time as the latches. This way the doors were no problem lifting and lowering, and then the doors were open I simply applied the latch to keep the extra weight off of the struts, and ultimately released those just prior to lowering the doors. Two plus years later, prior to retiring that coach, the struts were still performing well.

The resistive load is the key in his case, I got in a little late for the discussion, but an old fashioned analog meter is also a better measurement for a MSW inverter, it is not as sensitive to the abrupt rise and fall of the sine wave. An osciliscope is the best possible means for an accurate measurement, but few these days even know what that is much less how to read it.

Yes that's how they treat us when they don't know us, try calling Hewlett Packard about a lazer printer or a 5500 designjet, without a schematic in hand. Used to be HP dealer, never again, Lexmark now.

I am N4WQP, agree with Wayne, for two meter, through the glass 1/4 wave mounted as high as possible on the windshield will give adequate coverage while in range of most repeaters, most are using tone to access, so you will need a list of PLL's for the various ones that you come into range. Of course there is always a chance that you will find someone lurking on 146.52, but my luck on single frequency has been pretty sparce except ocasionly late night in larger cities. If course you could use a 5/8 wave mounted on a mirror, If you use mini 8 coax, it can easily be allowed to be run through the driver side window using the foam strip top to bottom so seal out the wind. Many years ago I drove a 35 ft. diesel pusher with a rubber roof, I mounted wire dipoles for 20 and forty meters 8 inches above the roof, using a Yaesu 757, worked 43 states, and over 50 countries on those bands. Had loads of fun back then. 73 for now! PS A good two meter handy talkie is all I carry now, No more antenna worries.

What type of two-way communication do you have a need for? If you want to talk between a close following vehicle, a personal simple two-way walkie talkie in the 400mhz band will work perfectly without an outside antenna. If you want to talk for several miles, maybe a citizens band 27 mhz, a more elaborate antenna will be needed. If you want to talk world wide, you will need at least an amateur radio operators license. But in these days for short distances 1/10 watt personal communication device work very well.

My brother inlaw/outlawwas traveling near his home in central Florida many years ago, an eight point deer ran into the driver side door late that night, two of the points went completely through the door. He still has scars on his chest to prove how near death he became at that moment. Bill, hope you can find a replacement soon, and sorry for the mishap.

Putting the vehicle in acc mode will drain the battery on most any car, I recommend using a charge wire from the coach.

Keon, while traveling to Orlando if you are traveling I-95, Sananah/Tyby Island, is just a jog off I-95, Ft. Pulaski is a great and very informative place in regards to Civil war sites. Also, Chattanooga Tn., Chickamauga battlefield is a very worth while site for the same reason. Tn. probably not on way to Orlando from Virginia, but a planned trip there could certainly be awesome if you are into the CW.. St. Augustine predates the CW, but the old Spanish style housing and Fort are great for history.

The reason that I recommend hot water instead of ice cubes is grease is a coagulant in cold water and the hot water will help the dawn to dissolve it. Grease is the main thing in the black tank that causes the stickiness. not trying to be gross.

I agree that ice cubes do very little, I use Dawn dishwashing detergent and Calgon water softener with 3 or more gallons of HOT water just be before embarking on a journey. Have never experienced any problem with the black tank, also the same ingredients down the kitchen sink does a very nice job for the gray tank.

Box stores sell a very soft self stick window and door insulation strips that could be applied to the inside of the arm like Louis suggested.

I have visited a few friends that accomplished what you are wanting to do by using an enclosed car hauler that is long enough to fit the car and the washer and dryer inside with the appropriate wiring and plumbing. The problem with this kind of setup is that few campgrounds will accomodate this type setup without renting an extra space, but these friends can afford it, so they do it.

There are multiple color LED's available with remote controls to control color, my favorite is white, amber, and blue, also the better ones can be used with a dimmer that can be adjusted down to just a warm glow or any brightness that you desire.

Try pulling 800# torque with a 3/4 pull handle with a ten foot pipe extension, I broke the Snapon pull handle once that way. Should have seen the face of the Snap rep that day! Of course I was pileing on all 240 that day.