Peggy

Ladies, we're looking for FMCA-member women who also belong to Sisters on the Fly. You can help us put together an article about your experiences and help spread the word about all the great stuff SOF does! Please contact me.. I'm looking forward to listening! Peggy Jordan, Associate Editor, Family RVing pjordan@fmca.com

All magazines from January 2013 and forward available to you in digital form any time you wish to look at them. This means all of 2013, and 2014, plus up to today's 2015 magazines. Each January, we publish a Technical Articles Index. So, as far back as January 2013, at least you can search 2013, 2014, and 2015 indexes (these will list stories that ran in 2012 and forward). Once you find something you want to read in the index, you can go from there. This is obviously not the same as putting "generator fix" in a search box and then getting a list of results. But it does help you find things you may need to read. This Technical Articles Index lists only technical articles and motorhome reviews. It is not a complete list of every article run. To access the January issues of FMC in digital form and find the Technical Articles Index: Go to http://fmcmagazine.com/. Click on digital edition. Open any magazine. On the open page, click on the upper right hand icon that looks like a little file-folder called Archive. Then select the magazine you wish to read.

You may want to try staying in northern Indiana at or near Indiana Dunes State Park or Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The state park has a campground; I am not sure if the National Lakeshore does nor not. Train website: http://www.nictd.com/ Area info site: http://www.indianadunes.com/where-to-stay/rvs-and-campgrounds/ I have been told there are several ways to stay at campgrounds in this area and get to a nearby train station for a ride into Chicago.

That forum post I made last week about the new Association Calendar pdf form that can be emailed -- Well, that news was exciting, but this is even more so. Now, using the Chapter Rally Submission Form right here at FMCA.com, you can enter your chapter rally information -- so we can put it in Family Motor Coaching Magazine and online at FMCA.com -- and you don't need to use a pdf or email. Just fill in the blanks, be sure to re-check your info, and then submit it. The new form has its own page. To get there: Click the Chapters/Areas button near the upper right of the FMCA.com home page. Click on Chapter Rallies. Click on Submit A Rally. Here's the direct url: http://www.fmca.com/chapters/chapter-rallies/submit-a-rally Peggy Jordan Associate Editor Family Motor Coaching

Greetings from Peggy Jordan, an associate editor at FMC magazine who also handles all the incoming Association Calendar chapter rally listings! The chapter rally info you send us appears in Family Motor Coaching each month and also appears here online at FMCA.com, and I'm the one who coordinates that. Have you ever wished you could just type your chapter rally ad into one place and press 'send' -- AND know you are giving FMCA exactly the info we need? Now you can with the interactive Association Calendar Form. This form is a pdf that actually lets you fill in the blanks and then email it directly to calendar@fmca.com. No muss, no fuss. I just tried it out to make sure it works with both kinds of email applications, and it worked with flying colors. Here's how to use it. 1. Get the Association Calendar form. It's on fmca.com. Click on Chapters/Areas button and then on Chapter Rallies. Look where it says Submit Your Rally Information: Use the Association Calendar mail-in form. Click on that link and you're there. OR you can get the form through the Members Area. Click on Members Area and then on Documents, Forms. It is the third one down in the list there. 2. Fill out the form. It has 'blanks' that let you fill in your info. 3. Click the bottom button that says "Click here to email this form to FMCA" to send your info to us. You will next be asked to "select email client." If you use your own home-computer version of Outlook or Outlook Express, and so forth -- a "desktop" email application" -- click on that. When you send it that way, it automatically generates an email to calendar@fmca.com with your pdf attached. In the message field, it says, "Form Returned: calendar.pdf. The attached file is the filled-out form. Please open it to review the data." Just send us that email, and you are done. If you use an Internet email service such as aol, gmail, yahoo, etc., click on the Internet email option. You will have to save that pdf you just created for us in your computer someplace (for easy retrieval, you may want to save it on your desktop or in your document section). Then create an email addressed to calendar@fmca.com and attach that nice pdf you just saved. Then, click 'send'! How's that for simple? Enjoy your rallies! Peggy Jordan

Hi, I'm Peggy Jordan, one of the associate editors at FMC magazine. I coordinate the Chapter Spotlight column each month for Family Motor Coaching. Chapter Spotlight lets other FMCA members know what your chapter is like. It's a good way to get free publicity and more members. 1. You must be looking for more new members to your chapter and you must not have previously been featured in the column. 2. You need to be able to provide us with a couple of photos of chapter activities that can be published with the column. Or, we can sometimes use a chapter logo instead. 3. Have a chapter representative spend about 30 minutes on the phone with me as I interview them. I'll then write the story. - OR - If you want to write your own Chapter Spotlight, you are welcome to do so. Just contact me and I'll give you details about what we need (story length, etc.). Right now I am in need of many future columns. You may be in the magazine as soon as the October issue! Thank you so much! I look forward to hearing from you! Peggy Jordan -- pjordan@fmca.com (800) 543-3622 ext. 212 8 am to 5 pm EDT

Thanks to everyone who has written so far. Just a reminder -- If you want to possibly be quoted for the story, please send your comments to to pjordan@fmca.com along with your name and FMCA member number. That way you can stay private, and I can use your info. I cannot use it in this format here at FMCA.com, as it does not provide name or member number. Thanks a bunch, everybody! Peggy

FMCA members... Do you visit KOA campgrounds as you travel? I am FMC magazine associate editor Peggy Jordan. I am looking for just a few brief quotes from FMCA members for a story I am writing about KOA's 50th anniversary. Yes, they turned 50 in 2012 - who would think they'd be a year older than FMCA? The story about KOA's 50th anniversary will appear in the December issue of FMC and I need responses as quickly as possible, as I am writing it now. Please email me at pjordan@fmca.com and include - your name(s) - FMCA member number, - and the answer to these questions: What aspects of KOA campgrounds do you enjoy most? Do you have a favorite campground memory that took place at a KOA? What is it? Please send responses to pjordan@fmca.com. Thank you so very much!

Hi, fellow FMCA members, I'm one of the associate editors for Family Motor Coaching. I put together the Chapter Spotlight column every month. Would you believe I'm completely out of articles? That's why I'm writing. The column is in the magazine every month, usually right after the Family & Friends section. It's a one-page column that profiles your chapter, giving prospective new members an idea of what your club is like. If you belong to a chapter that would welcome new members, and your chapter has not yet been in the column, I'd like you to consider being in it. You would need to be able to provide us a photo of your chapter that we can print, plus either spend a few minutes on the phone with me so I can write the article...OR have someone in your chapter write it. It's that easy and it really does work. I've had many calls and comments over the years from chapters that have been featured, telling me it actually resulted in them gaining more members in their group. I can be reached at (800) 543-3622 ext. 212, or email me at pjordan@fmca.com. Thanks! Peggy Jordan, F401999, Associate Editor, Family Motor Coaching Magazine

Hi! If your chapter is welcoming new members, you can get a whole page written about your group in Family Motor Coaching's Chapter Spotlight column. The column profiles your chapter, giving newbies a chance to get to know about your club and its activities. Chapters that have already been in this column are not qualified. If you haven't been in it yet, and you're interested, I will write the article for you, or you can have someone in your chapter do it. I will provide the specs. Oh, and we need you to provide a photo of your chapter activities, too. This column really does generate interest, and many times chapters have acquired new members as a result of being in it. GIve me a call at (800) 543-3622 ext. 212 or email me at pjordan@fmca.com and let's get your chapter in the Spotlight! Thanks, Peggy Jordan, F401999, Associate Editor, Family Motor Coaching

Thanks, Herman and Brett! I did not winterize it myself. The guys at the RV place took out the drain plug even though it had a butterfly. I always de-winterize it myself but have them do the winterizing.. I have an Atwood and I was told to buy the metal plug I have now by the RV place folks. There were no plastic or nylon ones, far as I know. I just bought what they said to get. I think I'll just go buy a nylon one, like you said and forget this plug entirely...assuming I can now remove it! I will check regarding the a clog in the shower but it was just fine last fall. The toilet flushes just fine, by the way, so it's not the bathroom per se. Thank you both again very much!

I just de-winterized my little Minnie Winnie (2001; Ford E350 chassis) last weekend. As happened last year, the water heater drain plug will not tighten sufficiently with just my little hands, and I don't have a tool (what should I buy?) to get the thing close any tighter. It is currently about 3/4 of the way in and it has a butterfly on the end to permit flushing. As soon as I filled the water tank and fired up the water pump, the water just poured out of the water heater! No wonder I was getting very little water flow out of the house sinks. After I figured out that happened, I shut off the bypass to the water heater and fired up the water pump again. Water flowed just fine from both sinks, but the shower head is still dead in the water (pardon the pun!). No water pressure coming out of there at all. What can I do now, shy of taking my little coach back to the repair place? They sold me the water heater drain plug; last year, I got it to fit well enough that it just barely leaked. I did consider getting some plumber putty to see if that would help the situation. Should I just buy another one and pray it fits better? My last drain plug was a dream as far as fitting, but it had an anode on it, which I don't need. Should I get another one? Thanks for any advice you can provide, fellow FMCAers!!! Peggy

Thank you so much.

Is it normal for a motorhome chassis battery to always need aux-start assistance after being stored for six months? I have a 2001 Minnie Winnie with a Ford Triton engine. The original battery did not need jumping after storage. Ever since I had to replace it (2009) I have had to use the aux start to get it fired up again after six-month storage. The other day I had to hold the aux button down (without trying to start the engine yet) for a few minutes while the coach was hooked up to shore power before it would start. It would not start on aux from the house batteries alone (even though they were fully charged); it had to be started while hooked up. Points to consider 1. I do not keep the coach plugged in all winter. I plug it in and get the house batteries up to full level once a month prior to running the generator. Should it stay plugged in all winter? 2. If I do just have a bad chassis battery, it's only a couple years old at best. To keep it alive during winter, what else can I do? and 3. I do not drive this motorhome nearly as much as I should for the chassis battery to recharge itself. If I drive it more this year, will that help solve the problem? Thanks much, Peggy

Oh, I could just cry for getting rid of my Paul McCartney and Wings 76 World Tour shirt. I wish I HAD hung onto it. I still have more recent ones...jam bands like Robert Walter, for example. And a couple Steely Dan ones, also recent. As in the last 10 years.