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In the May 2016 issue a very good article appeared on the use of Air Pressure Boosters, by Mark Quasius. As a pneumatic specialist in fluid power and having worked with this and other industrial components a couple of clarifications: The statement on a booster functioning as a transformer is slightly off. While it does increase the pressure, it does consume compressed air to do so. Typically at this pressure increase ratio 1/2 of the incoming flow will be used in work and exhausted to atmosphere. A transformer changes the voltage at reduced output amperage but the work to do so (efficiency) is expressed as 97%-99% so only 1%-3% of the energy (heat) is used to transform the voltage. In the air booster it is only 50% efficient hence a big difference in energy consumed. On the size rating, the VBA20A is good for filling large amount of tires, small tanks that start at lower pressures, but is overkill for single tires where you are topping off the pressure to 120psi where you have a supply of 100 psi. Looking at his coach's supply of 18.7 SCFM the larger booster will use that and more if the vessels being pressurized are numerous and nearly empty. The smaller booster VBA10A-N02GN will work just as well in this environment at a typical cost of $278.75 net each, prices may vary. Only the amount of time it takes to get from and to a given pressure changes, the smaller booster will take longer but we are talking a few seconds difference more not minutes. An advantage of the smaller booster is the use of 1/4" NPT pipe fittings instead of 3/8", most hose whips you buy locally are of the 1/4" NPT size for filling tires, then you don't need adapters to hook it up. And the VBA10A is half the length of the VBA20A, easier to find a hole to tuck it into. Word of caution with this smaller booster, it has the capability of a true 2X supply pressure so can produce 240psi from a supply of 120psi and this must be avoided. The VBA20A is maximum of 150psi output. Setting the output pressure to 140psi is within the range of most available hoses, components but don't try filling the tires to this at all! The author's recommended hookup is on the mark, but I would add one statement. When you don't need the booster disconnect it using the quick connect from supply, or install a on/off (ball valve) prior to the booster to shut it off when not needed. The booster will always try to generate pressure to the outlet set point and if even a small leak occurs you could be using a lot of coach or compressor air and not even know it! While you can purchase them from SMCPNEUMATICS.com, they are the California distributor of SMC products. See www.smcusa.com for a complete list of local distributors in the USA and Canada. Here is the NE it is www.airlinehyd.com for this product, see; http://www.airlinehyd.com/Webpages/Orderonline/P21Manufacturersearch.aspx?item_number=VBA10A-N02gn-Z for more info. Good Article...... Dave Smith '09 Monaco Monarch with wife and dog. Still working.

We have been on the road for over a month now accessing the Internet with the Verizon MiFi boosted by a Wilson Sleek and an antenna on our RV's roof. In campgrounds near Lone Pine, CA, Truckee, CA, and Bend, OR we experienced great connections to the Internet with the available 4G or 3G service with no dropped connections. This was to be expected. The real test came when we moved to a campground on the shore of Paulina Lake in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument near La Pine, OR. There was no useable cellphone service because we were below the caldera rim in every direction with no line of sight to any cell tower. We could get an inbound call ring on our iPhones, but could not talk when we answered, and we could not do any outbound calling. The good news is that with the MiFi using the Sleek we could get 3G access to the Internet and send and receive email, download news services, access Google apps, and use online database query apps. Yes, it was slow and from time to time the connection had to be reset. But that was our experience last year in many places without the Sleek. In addition, we were able to make calls with our iPhones using the Sleek. This is in contrast to a ranger I met in the park, who had to drive five miles over the caldera rim and back every day to complete his daily MiFi access to the Internet as part of his research project. All around the Wilson Sleek is doing what we wanted.