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DavidS has posted a number of ways to do this. Sorry, but I can't search for it now. Bill

Mike - If you liked that - try this one. I don't care for some of the music, but, that is what the mute button is for. Bill WalMart drone show December 5, 2020 p.s. fast forward to about 2:37 for the start of the show.

Yep - that's the spot. Interesting that your model will accept decimal format right out of the box. My nuvi 2797 which is about 4 years old and now the new RV890 will not accept that decimal format without the adjustment I mention above - strange. On the other hand we just might be talking about two connected but separate things here. I just noticed that you use the "search" function to input the decimal coordinates while I was trying to enter coordinates via the "where to/coordinates" function. Your way seems easier and quicker than the way I was doing it, but, I'm still surprised that these two functions aren't the same. Bill

Jairon - THANKS! However, it is a slight bit more complicated than that. First I had to change the "coordinate format" and the "datum" to "h ddd.dddddd" and "WGS-84" respectively. Once that was done and "saved" I was able to do as you suggested and the location in Google Maps and the Garmin are very close. Bill

A number of years ago, prior to finding Oliver, I was camped in Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately I got up one morning and found that my battery was almost dead. Not having a generator nor solar panels I was left with the Toyota Tacoma and its convenient outlet at the rear of the truck which produced 110v power. I did have a smart charger with me and in a matter of minutes I had everything hooked up with my battery soaking the juice in. About that time there was a knock on my door - it was the camp host. He informed me (which I already knew) that generators were not allowed in that campground. I explained that I was aware of this, but, this is a vehicle at idle - not a generator. Unfortunate for me, his definition of a generator was different from mine. Later, in thinking about his definition, I understood. Perhaps I was a bit quieter and perhaps a bit more discrete but, indeed, I was using my truck as a generator. At least in some camp grounds JD's potatoes will not be needed. Bill

I don't own a drone but I've been impressed by various videos shot from them. It sure is impressive what these drones can be made to do. Happy Holidays! Bill Drones.mp4

Yesterday I was doing some initial planning for my 2021 Western fly fishing trip when I stumbled on a "problem" with converting formats for GPS coordinates. While I don't know or even care about the various names of the several different types of GPS formats that exist, I've always assumed that when converting from one to another (there are numerous programs for this purpose - just Google it) the results of the conversion would result in a location that is reasonably close to the original location. Unfortunately, my results yesterday for one particular location that I have been to before were 200 to 300 yards off. For most purposes this magnitude is really not all that important. However, I can see certain situations where this could result in "problems". This is the example I was dealing with: In Google Maps, the coordinates 43.456592, -109.547743 will result in a nice boondocking spot right on Torrey Lake which is located east southeast of Dubois, WY. In order to get this coordinate into my new Garmin 890 (or any Garmin for that matter) I had to convert this decimal coordinate to the "old" degree, minutes, seconds format that Garmin uses - yes, I'm aware that Garmin can use several different GPS coordinate formats but the decimal format is not one of them. So, using a converter I got N 43 degrees 27 minutes 23.731 seconds, W109 degrees 32 minutes 51.874 seconds. When entering these coordinates into the Garmin, the result on the Garmin map is a location 200 to 300 yards further to the east northeast as compared to the Google map location. This result is close enough for my purposes and would even be sufficient for anyone that had never been there before because it is obvious where to camp once you get close. However, close by at Google map coordinates: 43.446988, -109.543162 there are some petroglyphs (just up the hill mostly on the west side of the rocks) that simply would not be found if one was 200 to 300 yards away. At first I assumed that the difference between to two formats was caused by Garmin's only accepting two decimal places under the "seconds" and I had to round off that last digit that the converter gave me. But, that is not the case as I found out when trying to force the Garmin format to be more precise in pinpointing the exact location I had identified using Google Maps. I have not nor do I really care to reverse this experiment since for most (if not all) my purposes either Google Maps and/or Garmin will get me "close enough". But, at least now I know that there is an issue here - be careful. Bill

It comes down to exactly what kind of camping do you wish to do (on average). As you probably already know - there simply isn't a better built RV out on the market today whose price is anywhere near that of the Oliver. The durability, quality, resale value, fit and finish are all above the rest. But, if your planned style of camping is to stay in established RV parks and you "need" more sleeping/interior room than the Oliver has then you will probably not be happy with the Oliver purchase. On the other hand - if you want to explore with a freedom and ease of movement combined with generally lower maintenance, the Oliver will fit the bill nicely. Good luck and please let us know what you decide. Bill

While neither of the Ford F-150 has let me down nor have they disappointed me, ever since I owned a Tacoma I've had a spot in my heart for Toyota. This Tundra looks like it just might give Ford a real run for the money - I hope so anyway. Bill

GJ - When I did mine several years ago I simply drilled and placed a bolt through one side only. I figured that this plus the original catch would be enough and have never had a problem with either. Bill

So cool - let that Ollie fly. Neat plane and neat camper. Could not be happier for you guys - congratulations. Bill

Stan - Glad to hear that you are going to be making the trip. I doubt that I will be going but I'm sure that you will have a good time. Bill

Yep - good video. I really appreciate the time that you took to film this - I always see or learn something that either I didn't know or that has changed over time. Be sure to keep this video for you records in that in the event you have to or want to repair or change something, your video will possibly help you in identifying where things are in the area you plan to work. Bill p.s. this video took a bit of time to download to my computer - so, don't give up on it if it takes five minutes or so.

Sak - See the recent discussion/thread about covers for the Oliver HERE. This will give you a start on this subject but there is much more that you can read on this Forum via the "search" function. Bill

You might ask Phil to get you a photo of your choices in either a Oliver they have in inventory or in the little dinette they have as a sample area in the Sales Department. This dinette sample area is not exactly what you are asking for (i.e. doesn't give you as big an area sample as either a inventory Oliver would or a current owner's Oliver would), but, its better than nothing. Good luck. Bill p.s. I too found this fabric/flooring decision the hardest of all.

Ray & Susan - I've just looked into the "alternate route" issue and from what that quick look gave me it appears fairly easy. Take the route that is calculated and then save it. Bring up that saved route and a list of the start, end and all stops in between will come up. Touch the wrench in the upper left hand corner of the screen and then chose shape route or route preference. You can then touch the map to draw around sections you don't want to see or chose dirt roads or shortest route (mileage wise). I've not found a way (yet) of getting it to show several alternative routes on the same screen in the manner that Google maps does. Bill

Sak - I'm guessing that somewhere in the Airstream handbook there is a rule that states that one should not order an Oliver while sitting inside the Airstream. However, nice choice and really a nice way to do it! Welcome aboard. Bill

BlueHighways - If you plan on hardwiring your Garmin after you receive it, please drop me a PM and we can talk about getting that job done without cracking, denting or otherwise destroying any of that nice plastic that is your dash. Ray & Susan - I've not used the "alternative route" function on the 890 yet. But, I'll take a look at it soon and send along any "wisdom" that I can. Bill

dennis: Yes, your plan will give you a bit of a taste of what its like living in a camped spot with an RV. However, it will not give you anywhere near a full experience. Hopefully you have "towed" something of size before - a good sized boat or (even better) an RV about the size of the Oliver or bigger. I find that my driving experience is way different when towing as compared to when I'm simply on the road. I slow down, I enjoy the scenery much more, I stop more often when towing and this is all part of the experience. I believe that it would be much more preferable for you to rent a towable RV, travel at least a couple of hours, set up camp, camp, break down camp, and , return the RV. That would give you a better "taste" of the overall experience. Bill

Yes, since I already have the Garmin Express program on my computer due to the nuvi2797, it was easy to bring that program up, plug in the new 890 to the computer and add the new device (the 890) to the list of Garmins I have. From there the "Express" program automatically checks for both GPS software and maps updates. In my case, both were needed. However, instead of this process taking a couple of hours to update, as was the case with my 2797, the 890 only took about 1/2 hour. These RAM mounts are really nice. I have used them in the past on various motorcycles but never before in the truck. Note that Garmin says that the ball mount on the 890 is 21.83 mm which is a bit smaller than the one inch ball of the RAM mounts. But, after comparing the two side by side, I really could not see any difference and can happily tell you that the one sent with the 890 works very well with the RAM extension arm. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised by how stable the 890 is hanging off that 5 1/2 inch arm. I'd strongly suggest to wait until you have the 890 in hand before you decide where or how you want to mount it in your 1500. I found that simply having it attached to the windshield or sitting on the dash blocked way too much of the view out the front. Certainly the screen is big enough to mount in the center of the cockpit so both people can see it and the navigator can easily take the 890 off the "head" unit in order to more comfortably look for rest areas, gas stations, campgrounds, shopping, restaurants, etc.. As I tried to show in the pics above, my mounting area gets the screen out of my direct line of sight but still gives me access to all of the controls on the dash and even a view of the navigation screen in the center console. Perhaps Builtright Industries makes a mounting system similar to what they make for the Ford that gives you several different options. As you can see, I have plenty of room to mount my TPMS and/or a cell phone to the Builtright rack. I really think that you will enjoy the 890 when you get it. Bill p.s. My 890 was manufactured in November but still needed the updates mentioned above.

Since the storage area where I park my Oliver is very level and basically on gravel, I do not use the onboard jacks at all - other than the front jack. However, I do use some pressure treated plywood covered with 8 mil plastic sheeting to slightly raise the tires off direct contact with the ground. And, using the front jack I make sure that the camper is slightly tilted towards the rear so that water runs off the cover easily. Like FrankC, I cover the tires to protect from UV damage and have not had any trouble with "flat spots" on the tires in the Spring.

Now that I have the Garmin 890 installed along with the Builtright rack for the dash tray on the Ford (150 or 250), here are a couple of pics. Hardwiring the 12 volt/2 slot USB that used 3M double sided tape to attach to the underside of the Builtright rack was a bit un-nerving but not really difficult - let me know if you want details. With the adjustable RAM mount I can move the GPS to a more comfortable position as compared to my old GPS which actually had to sit up on the dash a bit too far away to make changes on the fly. And, even given the weight of the 890, the RAM mounts hold the screen securely and without vibration. The Garmin 890 is really very nice - it should be for its "sale" price of $400. But, the inclusion of data for campgrounds, dump stations, propane outlets, truck stops, Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, etc., really make this unit much more useful as compared to my old Garmin. The traffic and on the fly fuel price functions of the 890 are obtained via a Garmin app connected to the 890 via bluetooth. I've not had a chance (yet) to test these features. Questions? Bill

JD is certainly correct about a structure being better than a cover. Unfortunately there are a number of us that simply do not have that choice either due to home owner restrictions or cost or a simple lack of alternatives. I too used to use the wash it directly on the Oliver method or hang it over a fence method, butt I've found that I can hang the cover from one of my decks, take a electric power washer to it (in order to not have too strong or heavy of a stream as I would from my gas powered unit), some mild soap and it is good to go for the next season. Bill

Well - not everything.

slav - 1) Calmark. Pre-Oliver I did use a similar brand but even though they are about the same price and use the same material I believe that the Calmark is the better cover. This is due to the fact that the Calmark has a cinch rope at the bottom (along with grommets) and two or three straps that circle around the entire camper - see the black vertical straps in FrankC's pic above. 2) I also use a couple of buckets of Damprid. Living in the mountains of Western North Carolina we get days (usually early or late in the season) when humidity levels are higher than I would like. The Damprid takes care of that issue. 3) question not asked - when covering the Oliver, the solar panels cease to function and Calmark will not make a cover with clear panels on the top. Therefore, since I do not have electric available where I store my Oliver, I have a 25 watt solar panel connected directly to the batteries in order to make sure that the batteries are fully charged all winter. 4) question not asked - these covers are NOT light. Putting a cover on is not all that easy - particularly so if you do this job alone. Taking the cover off is much easier. 5) question not asked - My cover is now several years old and I understand that the price of these covers is now in excess of $800. Bill