mountainborn

Cooler yet ! Pete, were gona' have to keep a eye on Chuck, he's gettin' ready to sandbag us ! He's already a' tryin' to cover his tracks !

SWEET ! This is gona' be ever so cool. Chuck the skeeters is almost non existent, too early fer' em'. Steve, those dates work for us, let's see what the best time is for others also. The main thing is that we need to be there just after the bait fish spawn which will be during the full of the moon. Do you guys have a preference for Kirby Landing ( elect & showers ) or for Rock Creek ? ( no hook ups at all ). We will be retired by then, so the exact dates aren't critical for us ! Now ain't that cool ! We ain't never been able to say that in all of our adult lives ! We will likely get there early and stay late, even if it means having to move to a different site to stay in compliance with the corps regs. How about the rest of youse' guys ? The more the merrier. We could have a domino tournament and crown the domino champions for the Season, with full bragging rights for the year ! I noted that Chuck and Geri were playing dominos at the RVER II, they might be the ones to beat !

Each April we go to Lake Greeson. We usualy have a decent catch and have several fish frys over the course of the week. We would be pleased to have your company for all or part of the week. Don't have or want to tow a boat to the lake ? Not a problem. Our boat can haul eight or ten at a time, see photo. The main objective is to enjoy the Spring weather and visit with friends. The two options are presented so, just voice your prefrence. The Kirby landing campground, the one with electricity and showers, will be quiet that time of the year, because it will be populated by fishermen who rise early to recover their fishing jugs at first light. The Rock Creek campground will also be quiet for the same reasons, just more remote and primitive. We look forward to this great time of fishing and fellowship and hope to see you there ! Larry Harmon 479-243-5450 Want to talk about it some more ? Give me a call !

Option #2 Rock Creek Campground, no hookups, vault toilet > Here is the Rock Creek Info: ( a paste from our campground reviews section ) > ROCK CREEK CAMPGROUND, LAKE GREESON ARKANSAS Elevation= 701 feet above sea level Coordinates= 34* 12.463 North 093* 45.622 West Rock Creek is a large inlet off of the main body of Lake Greeson. Water sports such as water skiing are not allowed on that part of the lake. It is a fisherman's part of the lake and it is quiet. This inlet is calm and an ideal location for a kayak, canoe, foldbote or john boat. Boat launching is from an old road that goes down into the lake. A shallow draft water craft such as a canoe can travel up into the far reaches of rock creek for some really great pan fish fishing ! There are no signs with all of the usual postings such as, " no lifeguard present, swim at your own risk", or, "road ends in the water". There is no fee drop slot and any ranger that seldom makes a patrol round gives a friendly wave as they pass by. The campsites are at the end of a dead end road, traffic is very light. No water, no electricity, no dump station. There is however a recently refurbished vault type toilet, with tissue provided. The last time we were here the roof of the outhouse was covered with badly deteriorared and moss covered wood shingles. It now has new screens and new asphalt shingles on the roof, to go with a new coat of paint. > At the time of this visit there were a total of three campers there, a 34 foot fith wheel, a school bus camper and a 20 foot travel trailer. A short distance West of Daisy Arkansas, on US Hwy. 70, you will turn South at this sign: > Coordinates for this turn= 34* 14.212 North 093* 50.482 West The turn is posted with a sign indicating 6.2 miles to Rock Creek. It is all gravel roads from here on. While driving to the turn off to Rock Creek, you will pass the nearest location for Gasoline, groceries, fishing tackle and live bait. This is a "Mom & Pop" business, located at "THE STAR OF THE WEST" recreational area, located right on US Hwy 70 where it crosses the Little Missouri River. > Coordinates on US Hwy 70 = 34* 14.429 North 093* 50.003 West This is a really good rural general store and there is a "whittlin' and spittin' bench out front where critical information such as, " what are they a' bitin' on today ? " is traded daily. It is a wildlife check station and many of the local oudoorsmen have a photo on the wall proudly displaying a trophy Turkey or Bass. Video of the campground Here is a three minute video clip showing the last part of the road to the campsite and a quick look around once there: http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y13/mo ... 8_1053.flv > At the time of this writing, there was no time limit on how long a camper could stay posted, but you might be reminded of the 14 day stay limit before you have to move to another site. This is a good fishing lake, so if you have trouble hauling all of them ol' bigguns' in, call me ! My cell number is: 479-243-5450 if you need more.

Option #1 Kirby Landing Campground with water, elect., showers April 2009, the third week,Just after the Full moon, Camping and Jug Fishing. Cool nights. Mild days. Catch em', Fry em', Eat em' ! Dominoes, ect. after dark, naps in the afternoon. Tie your watercraft up right at your campsite. I will provide the bait, tackle and fish cooker for a week of jug fishing. A total of nine days, counting the weekend on each end of the five weekdays. Come for the whole thing or any part you can. This is a USCOE Lake and reservations are not needed in April. Hot Showers and flush bathrooms a short walk up the hill, with water and electricity on the campsites. The geezer pass cost is $7.50 per day ( half price ). We will post videos and photos as well as maps, ect., should there be any intrest in this one. Sunrises and Sunsets are spectacular on Lake Greeson this time of the year: > > > > > A video look at campsite #27 > http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y13/mo ... anding.flv >

Cool ! Do you think I might find it on Lowe's web site ? Or, maybe you have a photo ?

Hey Chuck, I can't remember what brand your amplifier is, but go to the manufacturer's web site and look for a block diagram that will show what hooks to what for the way you need to use it.

If you sold a previous camper of any sort, knowing that you were going to buy an Oliver, In many States you pay taxes only on the difference between the two. Because you had already paid taxes on the first trailer when you registered it. For example, we had sold our 34' class A moho, and deducted the amount it sold for from the cost of the Oliver, then paid taxes on that part only. A savings of hundreds of bucks ! Maybe Arkansas is different somehow ? If there was no sale and re purchase, it would have been pay taxes on the whole thing.

So, our next set of problems arise. The ones that come to mind are: Secure Storage Easy access and deployment Quick hook up Here are the weight and measurements: Weight of each array: 45 lb. Size of each array: 55" Wide X 39" Tall X 3" Deep Since they are heavier than we thought they might be, we won't be wanting to lift them around very much ! At first, we thought that we might store them on an expedition rack on the roof of the Jeep. We have been wanting a roof rack anyhow. But after handling them some, we don't want to be "horseing" them around that much ! That brings us full circle back to the basement storage idea. The basement storage would sure be sweet ! And since we added 200 lbs to the tongue, ( genset & housing ),but moved aproximately 80 lbs back by extending the tongue, the total weight of the storage and both arrays should be under 120 lbs, to be back to the factory's ballance and tongue weight ? There is another benefit of the basement storage over any other storage that we can think of, a much lower center of gravity for the tow vehicle and trailer. We would appreciate any ideas that you might have that may resolve the issues above, or for that matter, issues that haven't even crossed our minds yet ! Come on you guys ! It won't be long before we need to spend eleven weeks above 10K feet of elevation, beside that Trout filled lake in the Rockies !

A front passed through our area, lots of wind and little rain. Our carport, which has the main pourpose of protecting the Jeep from hail, had a cover that was beginning to get a little worn and frayed from exposure to the elements that it protects the Jeep from. The wind kind of shredded it as the front passed through. When the wind abated somewhat, later in the day, We set up the panels and I hooked them to the Ollie's batterys for it's first test. I had been inside the Ollie replacing a inside/outside thermometer that was a "works sometimes" thing, and a couple of other little chores. I had the power off for a couple of days. The panel indicated 12.3 volts. When the panels were hooked up to one battery each, within about fifteen minutes the voltage had came up pretty well. Here is a link to a video of that first test of the panels, showing the simple hook up for the test:

Great slideshow ! Thanks Phil. You guys had a good time, it is obvious, by the smiles on every face ! Ok, Oscar, yer' a' draggin yer' feet ! Where's yer pix at ? He, he . . . .

Good link, thanks Sherry. You know our bed is a like the forward berth in a cuddy cabin. Our mattress would need to fold Port and Starboard, instead of Fore and Aft though. A clever idea for a quality nights rest.

The new anodes arrived from the eBay seller in a padded envelope, no insurance to run up the cost, for such a durable item as this. Here is a side by side comparrison of the old one, 13 months use, and the new one. Yep, you know they will be exchanged and the extra new one will go into the spare parts stowage under the dinnette.

Got the other panel assembled. Ran the initial tests to insure that each panel in each array is putting out voltage. The kits each have a led plug in quick check for testing the output. All panels on both arrays working well. Hooked them up to the connectors that join the individual panels in each array. Then I tested the output voltage for each array. Just the least difference of alignment towards the sun made several tenths of volts difference in the output. As seen in the photo below, one panel was putting out 23.5 volts at no load and the other was putting out 23.2 volts. Both tested at no load, open circuit. The charge controllers appear to be the weak part of this setup. Their cut in point is at 13.0 volts and cut out is at 14.2 volts, with led indicators to tell what they are doing. It may be that we will watch the prices of some of the new charge averaging type controllers that can adjust the voltage for a more efficient daily charge. Here is what the two arrays look like: MPPT ( maximim power point tracking ) Solar Charge controller article at this link: http://www.solar-electric.com/charge_controls/mppt.htm

Thanks for the report Pete. Did Oscar give you my message about taking photos ? I sent him a text message. Said he would tell you. Oh well a fire plug may have gotten in the way.

When I called him the other day, he was already on it, and had a solution backed into a corner, getting ready to pounce ! Kudos, Jonathan !

We did it ! We ordered two of the 60 watt sunforce setups. The auctions on eBay seemed to be stalled out at about $730.00 plus shipping, which was higher than I wanted to pay. I sent a PM to several sellers asking about a better price and combining shipping. Most were reluctant. But then I recieved a response from a supplier that wanted to negotiate. We did. Our final cost for both complete setups delivered to the house was $648.00 ! We paid through Pay Pal so we would have all of the benefits provided by them. The UPS Guy delivered them today. The first thing that I noticed was that they were heavier than I expected. Everything was in order, in the first box I unpacked and assembled. Everything went well with the assembly. No missing parts and all connectors mated up well. The first check of the output while still inside the house, in artificial lighting only, was an output of 9.2 volts. I was worried about how sturdy the plastic pipe adjustable frame was, until I had it assembled. The frame is made of schedule 40 plastic pipe, which is probably the reason for some the extra weight. Each of the individual fifteen watt panels is well framed and braced. The screws all seem to be stainless steel. Though the assebmly went quickly, I wouldn't want to do it every time we go camping. We will likely find a way to carry the panels fully assembled and ready to deploy. The cables that come with each are only twelve feet long. We will need longer cables. They seem simple enough to make and will not add much to the overall cost. The project is going so well, I am going to open the other box and start on it right away. Betty may not like the looks of the livingroom when she gets back home from her mom's house !

Hi Cherie ! Congrats on the Kitten ! I got the first heads up about it on twitter. The broadband caps are a pain for those of us that are multimedia nuts. I think that the providers are getting rid of their 3G cards, ect., because they already have the fourth generation products in the manufacturing stream. Our personal plan is to ride the 3g wave until the cost of 4G comes down to a competetive level. We tend to not pay the premium for cutting edge technology, but stay just below that in the "sweet spot" created by sales promotions ect.. Please post pix of the Paciffic N/W ! It is so beautiful there.

Make your Oliver a WIFI Hiotspot ! This article describes a system somewhat similar to the one that Betty and I use. We put ours togather from components bought here and there. This is a complete package, but a bit more expensive. Here is a link to the article: http://blog.rv.net/2008/10/25/wifi-in-motion-make-your-rv-an-internet-hot-spot/?utm_source=RVN&utm_campaign=RVNeMag&utm_medium=eMail&promo=eMagNov08&logvalue=http%3a%2f%2fcontent.dynamicmessenger.com%2faffinitypid%2f%3fvf7NlZXCLAs4X6zDqnbziYzxg458HVzJv%26 Be sure to watch the video by clicking on the link at the top of the article. The video shows the complete installation with tips for hiding the equipment out of the way. Now this begs the question, "why pay for two different internet connections, one at home and one for out on the road" ? Why not park your Ollie near your home, he, he, I'll bet it already is, and supply the home with wifi signal from the ollie. Most of us leave our Ollies plugged into shore power while at home, so having the wifi system powered up all the time isn't an issue. Note that while towing down the road, the wifi signal area goes with you and can be used from the tow vehicle while in motion. It is pretty cool to be able to minimize the streets & trips map program to the system tray, while at interstate highway speeds, bring up the internet, and check gas buddy to see where the cheapest gas is in Amarillo Texas, fifty miles before getting there. Gas Buddy will even bring up it's own map to show you which exit, ect.. We put our system togather from parts bought from various sources, mostly eBay, for about $600 and it plugs up a bit differently. The 3G technology that we are enjoying across the nation is great, but is soon to be eclipsed by 4G which is currently being called WIMAX. Your equipment won't have to change to be able to use it, but your coverage areas will just be much larger. So if you use a system similar to this one, it will only get better and better when 4G phases in !

This auction , currently running on eBay, has a good photo and explination of the aftermarket anode that will fit both brands, note that it is smaller in diameter and shorter than the factory Suburban anode: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230311078393&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&viewitem=

A search for solar panel system brought up eighten conversations that included the parts numbers, manufacturers full name and the end users contact info.

I just tried your topic "Brake Controller" in the search window and got back 33 returns on 4 pages of Brake Controller discussion. The search feature is a pretty powerful tool that is in place that will fetch those tips and hints that a manufacturer's manual or parts diaghram can't ever begin to describe.

Just an idea, but you might try putting some of your topics into the search window at the top right of each page. For example: the search string "Sacrificial Anode", brought up three pages of returns where it had been mentioned on these forums. A similar search over on Casita Club might return many more pages of discussions on the subject. Each of the links in our signature line below, is to a forum that has a similar search feature where these topics are discussed and can be searched for. Many forums have a links page where if you need info about something, say, water heaters, there is a link to each manufacturer's on line manual. But it won't, in most cases, give tips such as being careful to hold the anode level to get it to thread up easily. I think that those end user's "hands on" tips may be the most valuable information, leaving the parts and users manual information to each manufacturer ?

WooHoo ! Let's do it !

The booster antenna looks like it might be just the ticket for moving it around inside our trailers as needed for maximum effect. He, he, even has suction cups !