Jump to content

moonwink

Members
  • Content Count

    226
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by moonwink

  1. You can't get good advice without giving good information about what it is we're talking about. It would be great if you'd put the year and model in your signature. I suppose your Pace Arrow is vintage 2007 if you have the manual for it. It may very well have been delivered with a crank-up satellite dish which was replaced by an automatic dome. Before anyone can give you specifics about it, you'll need to give us the brand and model of that dome. Once that's been determined, someone can point you to a site were you can download a manual for it explaining how to use it. Depending on the model, it could be for Direct-TV or Dish Network - there's no way to tell without know more about it. You may be able to set some switches to allow it to find either the Direct-TV satellites or the ones for Dish Network. I carry a portable dome (why I've got two is a long story) to use when I'm given a site under the trees - that's worked great for us.
  2. Another comment I want to share is what happens when trying to download messages from Yahoo! to Outlook on my laptop - when I'm away from home (and my high speed connection) Yahoo! would frequently "time out" before all the messages came through. I'd have to start over - from the beginning which resulted in duplicates. Since I switched to Gmail, I haven't had that problem. Dealing with all those duplicates was an extreme annoyance. I use the POP mail method of accessing my email and Outlook 2007 as my email client. I use the web interface to check the spam folder to messages that may have wrongly gotten tagged as spam. I also check email on my Android phone but my desktop remains my preferred method of reading email. Even though I read some messages online or on my phone, Outlook will still download them unless I delete them beforehand. My recommendation is to give Gmail a try before spending anything on paid email.
  3. GliderCoach, I've never used an email account on an ISP website because I want the flexibility of moving to a new provider whenever I want to. For almost 15 years I used Yahoo!'s paid email service until the CEOs started changing, the slide began and "neo" came along. If you don't know what I mean by neo, it was a change Yahoo! forced on their users several years ago that completely turned everything upside-down. They tried to sell it as an improvement but since its inception, it has been nothing more than a death knell or precursor signalling the end of Yahoo! Hopefully, things may change now that Verizon owns Yahoo! but that's still a work in progress and no one knows what will become of Yahoo! I set up an email account at Gmail (when Yahoo! implemented neo) as my primary email account and haven't had any issues with doing that at all. I don't use Chrome for a browser or Google for a search engine preferring Firefox and DuckDuckGo instead for privacy reasons. It took me at least 3 years to get people and businesses that send me email to switch over to the new address - it's not an easy process. I still act as owner and moderator of a couple of Yahoo! groups but I'm ready to move them either to "Google Groups" or "Groups.io" at a minute's notice depending on what happens to Yahoo.
  4. Like has been said, before driving around looking at vehicles to dingy tow four down, read the easily obtainable towing guides published early each year by FMCA (http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/towing/204-towing-guides-towing-four-wheels-down.html) and Motorhome Magazine (http://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/) As was also said, in order for the FMCA link to work, you must be logged in. The final word should be the "owner's manual" that comes with the vehicle. Be sure to find four down RV towing section and not the section about pulling a trailer with your vehicle.
  5. I haven't used a signal booster. We're from Eureka, MO. Back in late December our little town made the nation news with record floods and we followed those events by watching the St Louis news livecasts with no problems (We were in south Florida at the time) and also watched some YouTube videos folks had posted of the drone footage flying over the area. Buffering wasn't a big problem. The seller would prefer you don't watch any full length movies or try to use Netflix but we never had any complaints with how we were using it. Speedtest.net indicated we had speeds around 2.5 to 3 Mbps most of the time.
  6. I'm still paying the $15 fee every month and intend to continue. Last winter when I depended on it most (as a snowbird), we were mostly in urban areas in Florida. This winter, we're heading out to less populated areas like Quartzsite and the SW. Around the campfire, Verizon is said to have the best coverage nationwide. I have found a couple of campgrounds here in Missouri were we didn't have a Verizon signal - one was in a remote campground a few miles south of Ironton and the other was in Mark Twain Cave CG just south of Hannibal which is back in it's own "hollow." Our cell phones are on the Sprint network and I can't recommend anyone else go that route. When I bought the phone last November, the seller said the phone was better than the MiFi hotspot. I find that hard to believe because the range on the phone is about than 30 feet. I shared it with my neighbor for a couple months last winter but they sat outside to use it and the phone was on our window ledge facing them. I figure the dedicated MiFi hotspot should do better than that. I prefer to use my own hotspot rather than attach to a public WiFi for security reasons - I'm paranoid when it comes to security. With your own hotspot, it's extremely difficult to eavesdrop on the digital cell phone signals. You can use the eBay listing page to contact the seller for more details, they're quick to respond (even after the sale) to your questions.
  7. Epstep, I just checked with the seller about interrupting your service when you're not using your RV. Here's their reply: "yes they can, they would just message us and we will stop service for them and when they ready to resume, they would just let us know when or what day or month" Besides the Optimus HotSpot only phone, they also sell at MiFi HotSpot with the same unlimited 3G Verizon service for $15/month at this listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Verizon-Wireless-UNLIMITED-3G-Data-MiFi-2200-For-15-A-Month-Prepaid-RV-Trucker-/222101003099
  8. I bought one of these phones last November and it's been working great for me. http://www.ebay.com/itm/321895421294 The phone can only be used as a WiFi hotspot, uses the Verizon 3G network and there are no limits on your usage. The monthly cost is only $15 a month. If you use this link and there they're sold out, don't be discouraged, check back every day to see when the seller gets more in. The 3G isn't the fastest service out there but it gets the job done. Last winter, I watched live newscasts from St. Louis about the terrible flooding in late December with almost no buffering. I've been very happy with mine.
  9. The covers come in two different varieties depending on the refrigerator manufacture. If you've got a Norcold, you'll need to find one for a Norcold and if you have a Dometic, you'll need one for a Dometic. There's not much difference and it doesn't make sense this part couldn't be the same for both models. Keep this in mind when buying a set of screens to keep the mud-daubers and wasps out. There's not much difference but there is some so don't waste your time and money buying the wrong one.
  10. You can't be too careful connecting to public WiFi networks. I avoid them as much as I can. My solution was to buy a phone on ebay with $15/month unlimited Verizon 3G service. http://www.ebay.com/itm/321895421294 The seller is out of stock for this right now but he may be able to get more - keep watching the link. I had mine for almost a year and remain very happy with the service.
  11. I tried the tow dolly years ago but much prefer the ease of 4 wheel down. The tow dolly itself weighed 500 lbs and was hard to drag around - especially when we were stuck with a back-in campsite. Now, I make sure what I buy is towable 4 wheels down and there are plenty available. Different strokes for different folks.
  12. Are you positive it wasn't there before you parked on that spot?
  13. It's shame you're not using your motorhome more. It might be time to make a decision about keeping it. Leaving it set isn't all that good for it - or your ability to remember how to get it into a space and hook everything up. If your lifestyle doesn't include RVing anymore, let it go. We joined a local chapter of the Good Sam Club and go out once a month with them. They're our extended family and we love getting together with them. Using it once a month keeps it and me ready to go. We're blessed to be able to get away for the winter in it to escape the cold, snowy midwest winters and love meeting new friends wherever we go. That's the lifestyle we've chosen and we'll keep on with it as long as we're able. Your mileage may be different.
  14. Is there any chance you can go back and find out what product was used to coat the roof? Then you could contact the manufacturer for assistance.
  15. Bras look nice. Had one on my last MH but almost never used it. It's not good to leave it on after it gets wet. It was from these folks: http://www.coastlinervandoffroad.com/Coach_Mask.php They've been in business a long time so they must be doing something right. Check with them before you buy.
  16. Yep, swap the wires. LED won't light if wired backward.
  17. I'd feel just as safe with one of these monitors THE ARPrv CONTROL Why not prevent the fire instead of trying to put it out after it starts?
  18. Try asking your question over at Trek Tracks - http://www.nwtfc.com/forum/portal_content.asp
  19. I've been using the NSA system (Ready Brake) for over 10 years. It works great. I've never had any problems with it. Not sure about a hydraulic cylinder in mine - just a spring and a shock absorber - this is a section from the NSA FAQ page: The quicker you need to stop, the more braking your towed does. You need to fine tune the length of the cable at first but after that, it's quick to hookup and unhook. I've used it on several vehicles - just use a different cable for each one. I'd recommend them to anyone that wants a simple, straightforward, easy and quick to connect/disconnect system to provide a variable force braking system.
  20. Check with the service department at Chevy. Have them verify the model of the transmission. 2011 was the last year for the HHR (we're towing a 2009 2LT). I'm pretty sure you're okay but GM started using a different transmission on some models in 2011 which weren't towable. They sent out a page to the original owners to paste over the section in the owner's manual that stated it was towable informing the owners it was not towable. There was a big stink about that with owners that had purchased their vehicles specifically to use it as a towed. If it is the same transmission I've got, follow the instructions in your owner's manual: Put the key in acc, the shift lever in neutral and pull fuse #8 to kill the radio and dash. Then keep your speed below 65 and you can tow all day long day after day without a break - no need to stop and run the engine.
  21. I another vote for Ready Brake. I've been a user for years on several motorhomes and various toweds. It's easy to install and fast to hookup and disconnect. It's also about the least expensive braking system available. It works proportionally depending on how hard the car is pushing on the motorhome which pulls on the brake pedal. A little indicator LED installed on your dash lets you know when the brake is being applied on your towed vehicle. http://www.readybrake.com/
  22. I've used a bra from Coastline in the past BUT, if you don't want to scratch your paint, you should only apply it to a clean car because the dirt and grime will get into the car side of the cover and rub on the paint. It was too much of a pain to do that for me and I rarely used it. The shields to too much trouble for me also and I never considered them because of the weight and storage issues. I've settled on the Protect-A-Tow dirt skirt because it only takes one person a minute or so to install or remove. It rolls up and stores easily in a 4" diameter bag about 2' long and weighs only a couple of pounds. Is it perfect at preventing dings on the towed? - nothing is perfect but it does a great job for me. My current MH is a tail dragger and has worn a hole in it. I'm looking at reconfiguring it to mount above the towbar instead of below because of that problem. Another issue is your mudflap if you have one. Ever drive too close to a semi down the highway and been hit with all sorts of flying debris? Mudflaps dragging the ground will pickup rocks and gravel and flip them up at your towed also. Be sure the mubflap never drags the ground. Ultra-Tow recommends 4-5 inches of clearance measured on a flat surface. Protect-A-Tow (under the towbar) about $250 delivered. The BlueOx BX88255 and the Roadmaster 4700 Tow Defender are very similar solutions (both over the towbar) also for a little over $400. Related: http://community.fmca.com/topic/1251-towed-car-protection-shield/
  23. The distance between the brake pedal and the doghouse is just barely wide enough for my shoe to get to the gas pedal. The problem with this I worry about is catching my shoe on the brake pedal while taking it off the gas and trying to get it on top the brake pedal which would be a real disaster. I wonder if anyone has a fix for a problem like this? Like you, I can't believe I'm the only one with a problem like this.
  24. I saw your post just now on Trek Tracks and read the responses so far. Watch for some better ones soon but remember, their forum won't send you a notice when someone replys to your posts so you have to check back to find out what's going on - bookmark a link to their website to make it easy.
×
×
  • Create New...