IL_Travelers

How gut wrenching to learn this! After some absence from the Forum, tonight I logged in to start the "for sale" process on our Hull #803. So very sad to learn I will have to sell it on Facebook. One of the many benefits of Oliver was the built-in used sales listing. Drat!

This is EXACTLY the same problem I am having with R-Villa, Hull #803, which is only a year old. What is the best adhesive to use to reseal it?

We love our GMC turbodiesel, and dealing with DEF is no problem. Initially, I kept a backup container in the bed. I soon learned that many of the major truck stops have DEF right at the pumps, and that is far more convenient, saves space in the bed, and keeps me from one more thing to purchase at Walmart. It may be a little more expensive at the pump; however, it is worth it to me. I monitor the DEF level and never let it get much below half. Never have I had a problem locating it, but I recommend keeping a close eye on it. My truck gives a message when I have 1000 miles of DEF remaining. To me, cost is incidental.

Hello Everyone, Finally, I have arrived at my first Harvest Hosts overnight! Diamond A Cattle Co., Pukwana, SD, is a great spot if you are traveling west on I-90. Kudos to my host, Crystal, who met me at the road and led me to her nice, flat pasture. There were two other campers boondocking; however, there was still oodles of room. What an exhausting drive; I counted 11 semi-tractor trailers blown over on their sides due to the storms and ferocious winds between Sioux Falls and Mitchell, SD. I was in a windstorm reminiscent of the Dust Bowl. If Oliver every wants a testimonial for wind-handling performance, that was it! Let's get to the real purpose of this note: TONIGHT'S UPDATE ON STARLINK With my Sheridan, Wyoming trip in mind, yesterday I signed up for Starlink "Portability," even though experience has shown that Dishy works fine in areas other than my local service area. For the extra dollars per month, it just seems to me the safer bet. Besides, Portability itself can be canceled for the months it is not needed. When I arrived at my HH spot tonight, I immediately went to work on Starlink. I set Dishy up on the rear street side and snaked the router cable in through the basement, through the door into the cabin, and then plugged it into the Starlink router. (NOTE: Coating the rubber seal on the router cables with silicone grease makes them much easier to plug and unplug.) I plugged the router power cord into the router and then into the outlet above the bed and within one minute I had my Internet WiFi network running in R-Villa. Running the Starlink speed test: 101 Mbps down, 21 Mbps up Ookla speed test: 123 Mbps down, 26.4 Mbps up Fast enough for all my purposes! The photo shows "Dishy" next to the red Andersen block. You can see the router cable running into the basement door.

Yes, I did speed tests with both Starlink (see attached screen shot) and Ookla; both similar. The speeds were not blisteringly fast; however, I was in a location where coverage was not even supposed to exist! When I get to Wyoming in a couple of weeks, I will give it a more thorough workout in a robust coverage area and report back.

UPDATE ON OUR STARLINK: Our package from Elon Musk arrived yesterday, 04-28-22. As I previously stated, I ordered the kit to be shipped to our home in Morton, Illinois with a service address of Sheridan, Wyoming, where we will be camping in a couple of weeks. I was eager to try out the system, since I have learned that most of the Starlink kits that are being shipped are equipped with roaming capabilities. I checked the Starlink map on the website and searching my localities. It is a simple task; there is a small icon in the upper left corner to click, and a world map opens showing light and dark green shading where coverage exists. I found that Morton, IL, had coverage; however, Tremont, IL, where R-Villa is in storage, was just outside the coverage area. I decided to drive the six miles to Tremont, set it up, and take a chance! I had learned from my research on Facebook Starlink groups that the coverage is sometimes better than the map indicates. It took me all of ten minutes to set up the "Dishy." The instructions are super easy. I used a Jackery Explorer 300 Solar Generator as a power source, placed the Dishy on the roof of my truck, and powered up. Even though I was not in my service area and the map said there was no coverage, Dishy immediately started searching and locked onto the satellites immediately. Within minutes, I had a Wi-Fi network set up! (I did turn off the snow melt feature, as it is a power consumer.) I entered the Ollie, turned on the Visio, and set the TV to the new Wi-Fi network I had just set up. Voilá, I'm streaming Netflix! This is a game changer!

Thank you! Great plan.

Our Starlink kit now has an "Estimated Ship Date" of April 24 - May 4, 2022. Perhaps we will receive it in time for our departure. Initially, I plan to just set it up on the ground and temporarlly run the cable in through a window or something. I would welcome suggestions; Oliver Service may need to get involved at some point as I am not comfortable drilling through the hull.

To clarify; I set our "service address" on our Starlink order as the campground's address in Sheridan, WY; however, everything is being shipped to our new home in Morton, IL. That is allowed. Neat, huh!

Yes, I have been conspicuously absent for awhile. We sold our home of nearly 40 years in late November after a 12-hour listing. Since then we have been consumed with a "frame-off" renovation of our new digs. We are moving to our church-owned Independent Living / Retirement Community where I was Administrator & CEO for 30 years. I often commented that "It is a nice place, but I'd never live there;" however, it just goes to show Never Say Never! My leather shop will command the garage! Several months ago, I signed up for the Starlink (SL) waiting list. A few days ago, I decided to check into SL service coverage in the Sheridan, WY area. To my delight, I found it was available! Although we will still be living in Morton, IL, we are planning a trip to the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show in Sheridan in mid-may. I immediately pulled the trigger on SL, and right now my order is confirmed, and I am waiting for a shipping confirmation in hopes of obtaining my Dishy in time for the show. I set up my service location as Sheridan, WY. I have joined several FB Starlink groups and spent some time on YouTube perusing what the "experts" have to say. It appears it is relatively easy to change one's service address "after the fact." In other words, upon leaving Sheridan and arriving at a new location, I think I will be able to search to see if SL has service there and simply change my service address at that time. There is also a service map one can check ahead, but you can search how to do that on your own. Also, the roaming SL service is in Beta, so it may just work anyhow. This whole enchilada is changing so fast, and the reports are sooooo good, that I am PUMPED! I sure welcome more comments and suggestions. Yeehaw!

Some drawer fronts would look fabulous with the tops you made for us, Foy! Are you doing the nightstand, too?

On our return home from delivery, I had to jackknife the trailer sharply to make it into our driveway. The next morning I noticed the $600 dent in the bumper of our brand-new 2021 GMC Denali HD's bumper. It has been repaired, and the basket is now sitting in storage; we do not miss it.

SeaDawg, Thank you for your excellent insight. Perhaps I will do some more research!

Thank you everyone for these suggestions about Advanced RV! We are currently camping at Wild West Campground & Corral near Amherst, WI. I just now saw your messages and am overjoyed to think we could get this done in Ohio. That would certainly be a doable trip from Illinois. Although I must say that we are sort of getting accustomed to the jet plane loudness, we have not yet faced any long-term use during seriously hot weather. Like many of you, we lean toward trips in the cooler climes. Still, we like to be prepared and think Advanced RV will probably be the path we take. We appreciate everyone and their expertise. This forum is so cool.

Townesw: We are in central Wisconsin camping right now and just saw your text. Let me know if this photo is what you are looking for. We are all set up, unhooked, and will be here for a week. I can send you more pics when we are ready to depart. Drag files here to attach, or choose files... Other Media UPLOADED IMAGES