jjgnn@yahoo.com

I have written this note three times, and either get off into technical items not relevant to your antenna, or get lost. So, if you have a little extra time to read some theory to understand what is happening to your antenna, maybe this will help. CB (and most other) antennas work on a "dipole" system, and have elements that oppose each other - that is how they get the signal off into the air. Some antennas CAN be mounted on fiberglass, because their construction has the dipole effect built into it. Many, if not most, boat antennas are designed that way, and if your CB was factory installed, it is probably that type. Coax feeding the antenna has two conductors - the center connector typically goes into the vertical element, and the braid (shielding) conductor goes to the magnetic mount on some or the mounting screw down gadget on an antenna intended to be mounted on a metal surface that can act as a "ground plane". The "ground plane" can be thought as a reflector of the vertical element. All this stuff has to be designed to be electrically in balance, and when you think about it, it is a wonder it works at all. Normally you do not have to know about that or be aware of it, because the antenna manufacturer engineers proper connections into the system. "Grounding" can have unintended consequences, because it may defeat the design of the antenna system. Unless specifically addressed in installation instructions, do not Willy-nilly ground things - you can create a "ground loop" situation that can be harmful to the radio, or interfere with your signal output. Power supplied to CBs is often less than optimal, and you can get interference from all the electrical stuff in the vehicle. One inexpensive upgrade that will improve most CB installations is a fairly heavy (#10) two conductor wire attached directly to the battery, both wires fused to avoid shorts. Stray interference can still get into the power wire, but that will eliminate most of it. Now, to your system. No, grounding the antenna at the "box" is not going to help - grounding for the antenna shield is provided when you use the connector on the end of the antenna coax to attach it. Steps I would take to check and improve your system: 1. I would remove and replace the antenna coax connectors from both the transmitter (box the "all in one" microphone is attached to) and the antenna. Loose connections and corrosion are very common. Check that the microphone control cord is firmly attached too. I use dielectric grease to coat wires and connectors exposed to the elements. You can get dielectric silicone grease at any electrical or auto parts store. 2. Once you get the connections squared away, I would borrow or buy an antenna tuner meter (bought one for $12 MANY years ago at Radio Shack) or better yet, borrow a neighbor that has one and buy him a beer. A simple tune up will often help, or if the system will not tune, you probably have a coax and/or antenna problem and can deal with it. If that is the case: 3. Replace your coax with a premium type - CBs do not have much power to work with, so the antenna system is critical to their working well. If your coax is routed through walls, floors, ceilings and roofs, you might want to do anything else first. Might replace the connectors (handy HAM friend good there - two beer job) on the end of the coax - I have had that help. 4. If your CB system was installed at the factory, it probably has the correct design antenna that does not need a ground plane or need to be mounted on metal. Antennas get tired, weather exposure, limbs whacking them, insulation leaks causing corrosion. If nothing else works, install a marine antenna, or one that is designed for fiberglass connection. If you would rather play around with the existing antenna (my style), you might mount it on a flat piece of metal that can act as a ground plane - at least two feet square, or on top of an air conditioner cover. Or, you can build antenna radials out of coat hanger wire, electrically bond them to your mounting hardware (not the antenna radiating element) and put them under the antenna in a symmetrical cross configuration. Tape them down until you see if it helps, then permanently secure them if it does. Probably will not. 5. Consider buying a new CB - you can get one fairly inexpensively from most truck stops. Do not consider Radio Shack unless you find a huge deal. I bought one (designed and manufactured by Cobra, with Radio Shack name on it) on sale for a good price, then saw the exact Cobra radio for fifty dollars less in a truck stop. My deal was not HUGE enough. Check a truck stop for the antenna tuning meter too - they come with good instructions, and most modern CBs are designed so they are hard to hurt - don't be afraid to experiment a little, and watch for smoke. I also have one of the "controls all in the handle" CBs, and after I cleaned off the antenna connection on top it works pretty well. I do not travel that much, and if communications was more important, I would take the Cobra out of the toad and rig an antenna for it. Note about radio tune-ups: Some people will offer you a "tune up" for your radio that will increase the power. Or they may offer you an "antenna booster" box that will amplify your signal. "Boosting" CB radios is illegal, not that you will ever be called on it, but more important is it rude. Amplification outside design parameters will result in a marginal quality signal so distorted it is hard to understand, and you will shorten the life of your radio components drastically. If you have listened to CB much, you will hear dumb axx drivers with too much amplification, reverberation, signal modification, beeps, boops and who knows what else. They can broadcast fifty miles or more, but can still only listen two or three miles. It is such a perfect example of our current cultures "me first, screw you" attitude it has become my pet peeve, if you have not guessed. (Deep breath) OK, now off soap box. I am sure other HAMs here will correct or expand on the above, and I can be of any assistance, please let me know.

rrmpc said "I have your back Marine." Same here, in spades, and includes Sailors, Marines, and Army folks like me that joined and served proudly.

I have not always lived my life in such a manner that I feel I have the right to tell anyone else how to live their lives. That said, I feel in a public place (like a quiet cafe), loud teasing between a Navy guy and a Marine guy would get tiresome and rude real quick. Not everyone appreciates that sort of adversarial goings on. A private venue might be more appropriate. Now, with ALL that said, nothing touches my heart more than the brave men and women that have sacrificed and died for our wonderful country. I was in the Army for three years, and was improved by the process. I bleed red white and blue, and will cross the street to fight for my country. Thank you Vets, and thank your families. If I was in that café mentioned above, and a Navy-Marine verbal altercation broke out, I would consider the source, sacrifices made, and give them a pass - for a while anyway. I would not enjoy being subjected to it every day. Consider this viewpoint is from an old Army guy, and give it the weight or importance you feel it warrants.

My icemaker worked fine, until I turned it off for a few weeks (ice dropping into an empty bucket at 3 AM can cause a heart attack). Now one of the switches in the operating mechanism is a little over enthusiastic (in that it serves three rounds of water instead of one per operation) - probably sticking a little. Result is two measures of water in ice tray, covering and solidifying properly manufactured ice already in the bin. I fiddled with it for a few weeks, and finally last night removed it from the fridg and put it in the basement. I also bought three ice trays at Wally world, and found they are just about half an inch too long for my Dometic freezer section. Hack saw will fix that. I do not use ice that much, but wanted it for guests. Besides, a gadget that does not work is an affront to my view of the universe, but I try to not be stupid about it. Some things are just not worth the effort. Is the icemaker mechanism a "generic" unit, or is it Dometic specific? (I could do my own research on that, but someone here will know.) I will check that little plastic hose too, and if I do get a new icemaker, I will replace it with a copper or tougher type.

I agree that sometimes they rattle and roll, but I would never give it up. Look in the handbook and you will probably see there is a fast and slow spin choice. I keep mine on fast spin, because it probably does a better job slinging water out of the clothes. When you think of the limited space and all the features you get in one of these units, it is a wonder it works at all. Remember, they are made in France. I am perfectly satisfied with mine. I need to stop overloading it, though. My fault.

...you are either overloading it or have a blocked vent.... I am missing a few socks, so will check it out. Thanks. Jack

"Cracking a window" is something I overlooked - thanks, will do that tomorrow.

Mine has a vent, and it does not look like too much trouble to plumb one in. That said, the dryer does not dry all that well - I may have a stoppage in the vent hose supply - replaced the hose a few weeks ago. Laundry day has clothes out all over that place. If I ever have an occasion to have the machine out of the cabinet (MAJOR hassle) I will check it out. That said, it seems to work great, and as a single person, the small capacity and long operation time is not a problem. Lint is expelled with the wash water, and that waste water strainer/filter needs attention every week or so - easily accessed and cleaned. I would not have a RV without it.

My 2003 coach has the black external sun block sheet which is great to reduce heat, and mainly provide privacy in the daytime, so I can keep the drapes open (during the day) if I want. You do need to use a ladder, or get on your stomach on top to snap the top snaps - not too handy, but does not sag or flap in wind. Here in Oregon it is sufficient to keep heat down, and comfortable during the day, but when it gets HOT, like 90-95, I drag out a sheet of that silver bubble wrap stuff I bought at Camping World and cut to fit the front window. I put it inside the window, behind the drapes to keep it in place. An engineer friend mentioned it would be more effective on the outside of the window, under the black snap on shade, but that is a little too much trouble for me, and would not be as handy to take down if I wanted to. If I summered in Arizona or Texas, I would do that. It works very well, easily reducing solar heating 20 degrees in the summer sun. I believe the black external shade is original equipment, from 2003, and I have used it six of the 14 months I have owned it - I have no idea how much (or if) the original owners used it - still looks new. Pretty stiff material, rolls to a 3" roll that fits under the edge of a slide in the basement bay. The bubble wrap stuff is a little more bulky, but is worth the trouble when you need it. I also have a vent fan in the front overhead cabinet that has all of my entertainment electronics. Even with the electronics off, the sun really heats that area. Luckily it has fiberglass batting which helps, and when i remember the fan, I turn that on. I know of some coaches that have no insulation in that area. I think the fan will be a handy feature this winter to warm the coach, and if i was not so lazy, I would turn the coach 180 degrees so heat would have less window area to work on now. Only about three weeks to go before it starts working in my favor. This summer we have run the airconditioner only about six or eight days, and no nights - pretty incredible for this Texas boy. That bubble wrap works great, is inexpensive and easy to use. Cuts with ordinary sissors. Hope this helps.

Funny that you researched the two companies i did, and got 180 degree difference. I asked Geico for a quote, after my dealer suggested Progressive (I mean, that is a cute lizard), and they were almost twice as much. Then I found out they counted my EX-wifes car accident (I knew nothing about the accident, and she was not listed as a designated driver), and a no charge incident on my commercial license that no other company picked up or cared about after I asked them. Progressive got my business, and thankfully I have not had to test their claim operation.

All very good answers to your questions here. My input, based on being a motorhead forever, and a coach owner for a year should be balanced with more experienced folks, with older units. Short answer: If you are mechanically and electrically "handy", then I say go for it. Any machine this complicated, like a house, will have usage issues, and older units may have issues show up sooner than later. However a premium quality unit will have fewer issues, and have features that make living in it more comfortable and convenient. Check the tire DOT date - (read as week of the year, and the year). Anything over six or seven years old will need replacing. Figure $500 a tire. (Shameless plug - buy tires at Les Schwab in Oakridge, Oregon. He will also sell your old tires for you. Amazing service.) A little counterpoint: I have read on forums that NEW units can have major problems, like being in the shop for six weeks after an initial weeks trip. But of course you would have warranties to help you there, provided the manufacturer is still in business. I not only WOULD do it again (buy a five-six year old coach that had not been used for a few years) but would have done it ten years sooner, knowing what I know now. I only have experience with Country Coach, and cannot praise them high enough. They are still in business, by the way. ;*)

My two DuoTherm heat pumps work very well down to 35 degrees - I have not had shore power below that, so had to depend on the furnace. This winter I will be in Oregon with 50 amp service, and will use the heat pumps when my new Lasko ceramic heater tower will not keep the coach warm. My idea is to use (and use up) up a $45 heating source, rather than continually run an expensive-to-replace heat pump. I also have another little cheap resistance forced air heater for emergencies. Those two stand alone heaters really use the watts, so I have them plugged into their own circuit, apart from the coach systems. My coach has a thermostat in the water tank bay (fresh and grey and black) that turns on the furnace to heat that area when temperatures get down to 30 degrees, and I will minimize its use by providing heat tapes on the tanks and on the water and sewer hoses. And, if it gets too rough, will skirt the coach to trap warm air under it. Or, I may chicken out and go back to Phoenix where I spent last year. ;*) As was said on another web site, "My plans are chiseled in jello", but that is the idea at this point with 78 degrees and clear skies.

My excellent 2003 Country Coach needed new tires (7 years old) though it had only 44,000 miles, good tread and very light surface cracks on one tire. I was happy with the Toyos that came on it, very smooth, and replaced them with the same model Toyos, model 8111, 12R22.5. $1,500 less than Michelin. The Country Coach folks did not cut any corners with their build, and if Toyo were good enough for them, they are certainly good enough for me. I found six only four months old, and so will have a long life out of them. New tires stink, so that is the trade off. After four months I no longer check to see if the black water tank is leaking, and only get occasional whiff now.

Great information, thanks. I was lucky that no foul odors were in my coach, until I started driving. I cured it by closing all drains and putting a flat rubber stopper on the shower drain. That helped some - finally cured it by putting a plastic baggie over the vents under both bath and kitchen sinks. Always something, isn't it? ;*)

I assume you have the "Batwing" Winegard antenna most of us have. Good antenna, with a preamp at the antenna, and a final amplifier down line on the coax. There is a little snap on antenna piece now available that narrows the antenna focus, so gets signals in stronger. It is a little more sensitive to the way it is pointed, but works fine. It snaps on in place of the rubber feet under the antenna. Strongest signal comes from the long side of the antenna. I may not have said that right. Imagine the long axis of the antenna as a ship - strongest signal comes from port or starboard, not fore or aft. 80 miles is darn good reception in anyone's book. Hope this helps. On my new digital converter, there is a button that will put a signal strength meter on your tv, compete with anoying signal strength tone that helps tune them. Take it slow when turning, only a few degrees at a change. Should take three minutes to make a compete rotation if you are being careful.

Buy or borrow a good quality electrical meter. Measure the voltage across the two wires, plus and minus. That gives you voltage. Measure the amperage by interrupting the positive lead with the meter (across a fuse is ideal). That gives you amperage. Multiply the voltage by the amperage, and that gives you the wattage in that sunshine. Careful that you do not exceed the amperage of the meter, as most only go up to ten amps, and a big panel will put out nearly that in good sun. You might measure the amperage in the morning or evening (low sun) to see if it approaches the limit of the meter. Or, you can look at the panel data plate, which should give watts, or voltage and amps so you can figure it yourself, or a manufacturer and serial or model number that can give you wattage. Few solar cells live up to their stated wattage, as they are typically tested in FULL sun, at the proper angle, with clean glass, or in optimum conditions. Most cells in the field rarely have all that going on at one time. Figure roughly 25-30% less in real world conditions. At least that is my experience. I just bought another cell and leave them all flat to make up the difference, and it works very well for boon docking. I have four panels rated at seven amps apiece, and theoretically should have 28 amps in full sun. Best i can get is 23 amps, or 17% less. They are flat (not aimed at the sun) and pretty dusty, so that is pretty good, and expected.

I flat tow a 1993 Land Cruiser, and have no problems at all. When I asked around about how to do it, I was told it was not recommended, according to Toyota. Some respected Toyota mechanics said they would do it if it was their’s, but would not tell me to do it because they did not want to buy me a new transfer case or transmission if it did not work. My rationale was that if I tore it up, whatever I bought to replace it would do fine because it would be built for towing. ;*) In my opinion, (worth what you paid for it), if you have a mechanical transfer case linkage that you can feel pull out of gear into neutral (the transfer case, not the transmission) you should be OK. Some Toyota four wheel drives have an electronic knob on the dashboard that engages four wheel drive, and I do not have a clue how that might work. 1970 era FJ40s Toyotas had a vacuum front wheel drive solenoid, and I have no idea how that might work for towing either. Of course an option is driveline disconnects, and if my Toyota was newer I might have considered that. I have flat towed it from East Texas to Arizona, back to Texas, to Oregon, and all over Oregon, and have not had a problem. Information that may be useful, and answers to questions I have been asked: I leave the transmission in Park when the transfer case is in neutral. I turn the ignition key “on†to unlock the steering wheel, and then turn it 'off', but leave the key in the lock. That allows the steering wheel to turn freely. If you start the towed Toyota engine for any reason, be sure to exhaust the brake booster by pumping the brakes before installing a Brake Buddy. (Brake Buddy works fine with no brake booster assist.) I have synthetic oil in the transfer case and both differentials, and picked up about two miles per gallon with that change. I have regular transmission fluid in the transmission. Towing weight on the Land Cruiser is 5400 pounds, and I use a Brake Buddy I bought on Ebay for auxiliary braking.

My refrigerator did not work on propane, and a circuit board was replaced, about $75. Looking at the old board it was obvious that the fuse holder had heated, causing a bad solder joint on the board. I have not checked it, but if anyone around me needs a new board, first we will resolder that joint, and try the board. A fuse is another thing to check befoe calling a repair person.

My Thetford has an inline fuse holder, yellow, behind the left top of the unit. If the dectector also has an outage it could be a fuse common to both, as stated before, but the Thetford should have it's own in any case. Good luck with that. My electric Thetford toilet has a gear or timing problem and properly operates the dump valve only about 60% of the time. I have a kit ordered.

The following is my experience, and does not relate directly to your question. However, it may give you some information that might be useful. When I considered towing my 1993 Land Cruiser I asked around, and was told four down towing was not recommended. I asked several mechanics that know this driveline very well, and their comment was: "If it was mine I would and not worry, but I will not tell you to do it because I do not want to buy you a transfer case or transmission." So, with that in mind, I decided if I ruined the Land Cruiser, whatever I replaced it with would work just fine. I have towed the Cruiser about 15,000 miles, and have had no issues with it at all. It has a three position transfer case, operated by a shift lever in the cabin, so I know the gears are mechanically disconnected in Neutral. I shift the transfer case into Neutral, then put the transmission in Park to tow. There are no electronic switches that need to be switched to operate the transfer case. Some later Land Cruisers use an electronic switch on the dashboard to operate, and I would hesitate treating them this way. Driveshaft disconnects are foolproof and protect the drive train from wear, and when I get a new 4 Runner, I will probably go that route,. I will keep the vehicle a long time and the cost can be justified. My old Land Cruiser probably does not have that much life left in it, though it tows just fine as it is now.

One consideration I had when going though this thought process - if you buy a trailer, you will have more weight to consider, and more expense than configuring any towed for four down travel. And the main thing that convinced me, you will have to store that trailer when not using it. As I am a full timer, that tipped the scales toward four down, and frequent washing of the towed vehicle. Oh, and the comment ..... "If parked in a drought stricken area, it could intensify the sun's rays and start a fire!" ....... is either a joke or a comment by a graduate of our public school system. I would not worry about that. No charge - my comments are worth what you paid for it already.

I use much the same system as the Mums, with ATT, and it enables me to have cell and air card five bar service in an area that had only one to no bars before I installed the Wilson amp. I would have gone to Verizon if necessary, but since I was already on board with ATT tried this method. In this place, in this instance, it works very well. Something to try, to keep from buying new phones and air cards.

I have a Xantrex 2000 watt and it works fine for me. However, I have a friend that was having trouble with his, and having touble getting it serviced, ie parts were not available. I think the explination was that Trace/Xantrex was going through a buy out. The thinking was that when the sale was complete all would be OK again. He and his wife are full timers and had already been without for a couple of months, so while we were at Quartzite he bought a Magnum with remote control (necessary to use all the features) and likes it. I agree that you should pay a little extra for a full sine wave inverter, as they are much easier on equipment, or so I have heard. If I had to replace mine, that is what I would do.

Speed limits are usually posted on those dangerous hills, and they will help guide you. If it seems too slow, there may be a surprise around the curve, or a highway patrolman.

That trip suggestion was great - I copied it for my own folder. Thanks.