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Forum
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RE: Truck - family of 5 and 65lb dog
Thank you everyone. I appreciate all the inputs. I'll likely go look at the megacab, but I did understand the extra room was behind the seats (plus I wouldn't get an 8' bed). As I indicated in my original post not interested in a class A (or C) and getting a 1 ton van or old suburban/expedition doesn't get me the increase in towing I'm looking for, plus no 5th wheel.
As someone commented, it will ultimately come down to where and how I will compromise. I have some time as I'm likely at least a year out...just starting the planning.
Thank you again.
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Raife
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06/22/21 07:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
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Truck - family of 5 and 65lb dog
So I'm in the very early stages of considering a truck to get ahead of our next trailer...I'm generally a buy once cry once kind of person so looking at Ram 3500, Ford F350, or GMC 3500. However, in test driving these and looking at the back seat I struggle to see how I'm getting 3 kids and a 65lb dog in there...?
What have other people done who are in the same situation?
(FYI - not interested in a class A)
Thankn you.
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Raife
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06/21/21 08:33pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 30A adapter
We have a heat pump system, so I will have to look into if we are able to run it. I plan on buying a couple electric heaters now while demand is low. When we lived in CO, we had a 2 zone system, 2 dedicated furnaces and 2 dedicated AC units...it was awesome.
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Raife
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05/08/21 11:53am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: 30A adapter
Thank you for the last couple of posts/responses...very helpful. I will amend my earlier statement regarding boondocking and requalify the trailer use as "to live in during an extended power outage while the trailer is parked in our driveway."
It is true that my primary at this point is for home emergency use.
I was actually looking at the Westinghouse first, but they were NOWHERE in stock...I am on alerts from several retailers and even Westinghouse themselves. However, I see that Amazon has them in stock now.
The natural gas is still very appealing as I can use it for an extended time without needing to refuel and it is a minimal cost (thank you NRALIFR for your perspective).
If we ever decide to actually boondock (which is likely rare) I will look into getting a quiet generator.
Thank you for everyone's perspectives.
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Raife
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05/08/21 10:49am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: 30A adapter
This is the generator I am considering for the following reasons...
- We live in south central Texas and lost power for almost 4 days during the winter storm that knocked out the power grid...no heat. A generator would allow us to run an electric heater in one room of the house to stay warm as it could happen again and also power the fridge as we lost all our food.
- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has already stated we could see rolling blackouts this summer during the hottest days as the grid is not likely to handle the load. A generator would allows us to run fans and the fridge (see above).
- Multi fuel allows us to use what we have available. We have a natural gas line at the house for the grill, so theoretically we could run the generator continuously without needing to refuel (we had no disruption to the natural gas).
- We have a Grand Design Imagine XLS 21BHE (30amp) which we could "live" in during prolonged power outage if needed. However, powering things at the house was needed this past winter as we were not able to get the trailer during this last winter storm as 1) roads were hazardous and 2) we wouldn't be able to open the storage facility gate (no power).
So I know it is not an "RV generator"
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Raife
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05/07/21 05:25pm |
Beginning RVing
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30A adapter
Good afternoon. We are looking to purchase a multi-use generator (emergency home and maybe boondocking). The unit we are looking at has a L5-30R plug, but I believe the male end of my Grand Design TT cord is a TT-30P...can I get something like this so I can use my generator with my TT?
https://www.amazon.com/NEMA-TT-30R-L5-30P-RV-Adapter/dp/B076BHP37W
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Raife
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05/07/21 11:57am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Dehumidifier overkill?
Thank you for the feedback. General consensus is venting is the route to go.
Thank you.
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Raife
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11/24/20 05:40pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Dehumidifier overkill?
I have found the cracked ceiling vent with the fan going works wonders but it cycles the furnace much more frequently (no wonder since I'm sucking the warm air out).
Trying to find a solution to preserve propane (furnace usage) with condensation control...
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Raife
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11/24/20 02:19pm |
General RVing Issues
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Dehumidifier overkill?
Hello everyone. We have been traveling from Texas to California over the last 5 days and have hit some cold nights. We have been warm without issue with the furnace during the nights but the condensation had been bad come morning. I purchased a small Peltier dehumidifier before we left which is worthless and am now considering upgrading to a 30 pint real unit, but wondering if it is overkill...I have a Grand Design Imagine XLS 21BHE, but there are 5 of us.
This is the unit I'm considering: https://www.walmart.com/ip/GE-Appliances-30-Pint-Dehumidifier/189957689
Many of the suggested units found in the search are discontinued or similar to what I already purchased.
Thoughts?
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Raife
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11/24/20 02:03pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: limiting video quality?
Thanks - sorry I put it in the wrong place...
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Raife
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11/15/20 01:13pm |
Technology Corner
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limiting video quality?
This topic has been moved to another forum.
You can read it here: 30167558
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Raife
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11/13/20 08:45pm |
Tech Issues
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limiting video quality?
I got my Pepwave MAX Transit CAT18 up and running. As I have stated in other posts my hope is the broadcast will reach to the tow vehicle while we are traveling to allow the kids to do virtual school during the drives.
Is there a way to limit the video quality, to say 480P, for their live class room sessions? Two fold in my thought process: 1) I'm likely to be bandwidth limited with 3 kids working at the same time and 2) I would like to preserve data.
I read somewhere either in a post or in one of the articles about a hotspot having a video limiting feature, but unsure of how to do this with the Pepwave.
Any info is appreciated.
Thank you.
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Raife
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11/13/20 08:45pm |
Technology Corner
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Seal around antenna?
I am mounting a Puma 401 antenna on top of an 8X8 junction box on top of the roof. I have the junction box fully sealed to the roof.
The antenna comes with a 3M double sided mounting tape that is the entire size of the underside of the antenna.
I am thinking I should seal the edge of the antenna to the top of the junction box and not rely on just the double sided tape...
Thoughts?
Thank you.
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Raife
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11/12/20 05:29pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: ready to install antenna and router, but lots of ???
Your antenna isn't tall enough to worry about mounting it on the drivers side.
My six years experience with a Pepwave Max BR-1 has shown very sufficient performance with antennae on the roof, no pole mount. The only advantage of a pole would be if you're blocked by solid buildings or terrain; you'd have to be sure you're not intrducing too much coax loss. BTW, use LMR-400 coax.
Thank you. I will not have to use any additional cabling other than what is included with the antenna.
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Raife
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11/08/20 08:39pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ready to install antenna and router, but lots of ???
Two suggestions
ONE Driver side. farther from antenna grabbing tree limbs as you drive down a narrow road.
Other challenge for the driver side is the solar pre-wire ports are where I would need to drill the hole into the closet on that side. Plus I don't know exactly where the pre-wires themselves go in that area so I could hit them.
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Raife
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11/08/20 03:49pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ready to install antenna and router, but lots of ???
The company does sell pole mounts to attach the antenna to a pole. Sometimes reinventing the square wheel is not worth the effort.
Problem is I couldn't find anywhere to purchase one...
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Raife
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11/08/20 03:31pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: ready to install antenna and router, but lots of ???
Thank you for the suggestions. Wrt to the driver's side mounting, my thought had been having the router on the passenger side would provide greater broadcast of the Wi-Fi into the camp site when we are stopped by being closer and removing interference (i.e. traveling through the materials of the trailer). My antenna cord is only 6' long so I can't mount the antenna on the driver side and run it across the roof or snake it inside the ceiling to reach a passenger side mounted router. I'll look at it again to see if the router distance would make a huge difference (router on driver or passenger side)
I'm assuming you meant 10" (inches) and not 10' (feet) on the pole idea. I'll look into that, but was trying for simplicity and set and forget (to the extent that is feasible).
Edit: So I did a bit of looking into the logistics of your pipe suggestion and am struggling. I envision PVC pipe as the option.
- Would you use a female threaded PVC pipe to accept the antenna? Given the install hole size is 1-11/16, I would assume the thread pipe size is 1-3/4, but I am not finding any 1-3/4 female threaded PVC.
- I would think a flange secured to the roof would be the other end of the unit...does a flange provide enough surface area (i.e. hold area) to account for the wind resistance and leverage of the height? Would I need to use screws to secure it? Or just the sealant?
- How do you envision accounting for the cable movement during the required up and down? I had initially thought all the wires would be inside whatever construct I use. However, this would mean in the tube in tube setup that the wires would need enough space in the tube the be folded or doubled back to accommodate the up and down...or the slack would need to be in the inside closet. I had envisioned "filling/insulating" the hole through the roof, but if I needed to leave the slack in the closet, I'm not sure I could fill it...
- I am not familiar with an "EYW" type bolt and also not sure how having a screw arrangement wouldn't deteriorate over time. Also not sure PVC is strong enough to handle it over time.
If you have any more info or pictures it would really be appreciated.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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Raife
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11/08/20 07:22am |
Tech Issues
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ready to install antenna and router, but lots of ???
(Sorry for the dissertation)
Ok, so I have scoured several sites, posts, and videos and think I am ready. Quick recap, I’m looking to install a cellular system that can be used while stationary in the trailer AND while driving between destinations. I settled on the Pepwave MAX Tranit CAT18 cellular router and the Pepwave Puma 401 antenna. I have a Grand design Imagine XLS 21BHE (believe it is a SuperFlex rubber roof)
I have watched several videos and am ready to do the install of the Puma 401 antenna and the Transit MAX CAT18 (equipment should be here on the 11th). Given I want to use the wi-fi in the tow vehicle I have decided on the following:
- Mount the antenna on the front starboard (passenger) side of the roof, just behind the end of the front cap
- Drill through the roof into the starboard “closet” – this would be straight through to the router, no interior cable routing needed. The closest is very deep (front to back) and I don’t use the back of it anyway, so that can turn into the “tech area”
- Mount the Transit MAX on the back wall of the closet (which follows the curvature of the front cap). This allows it to be closest to the tow vehicle
- Drill through the bottom of the “closet” into the basement to run the 12V power through conduit to the battery cut off area. Hardwire the 12V to the exit of the battery cutoff. This allows the unit to run while driving.
- I am now thinking I will not need a separate access point to project to the tow vehicle (I originally thought the router would be middle of the trailer)
Questions:
- I am thinking I should mount the antenna on a small “stand” to get it a bit higher than flush with the roof (it is only 1.42” high and 5.12” diameter). I purchased a 6”x6”x4” and 8”x8”x4” junction box (https://www.homedepot.com/p/8-in-x-8-in-x-4-in-Junction-Box-R5133712/202043419). I figure I can mount the antenna to the top plate of the junction box, and then the box to the roof over the hole to the closet. This may allow me to drill a smaller hole as I only need to get the cables through and not the threads of the antenna housing. This gets it 4” inches up. The Wingard Air 360 would be ~30” away and is 6.5” high. The highest item on my roof is 9” high but many feet away (this also means I could theoretically add 7” of extra height and still not increase the overall height of my trailer). Does the extra 4” provide a performance difference?
- I have not really found anything on HOW to make a circular hole in a rubber roof? I have hole saws but have always used them for solid materials (i.e. wood and metal). Do I just use a hole saw?
- I didn’t find any info on if the Puma 401 would benefit from a ground plate? I purchased a 26 gauge 12”x18” steel plate and figure I can place it between the antenna and the larger junction box (cutting it to size of 8”x8” given you mentioned that was a good size) or between the junction box and the roof (in which case I could have a bigger area, i.e. 12”x12”. Would this help?
- My roof is SuperFlex and the manual says to use Alpha Systems 1010 Non-Sag Sealant. Do I just “seal” the whole junction box/antenna rig to the roof? Or do I need to screw it in too?
- For the 12V hardwire, what size gauge should I use? I am probably looking at a 15’ run from the unit to the battery cut off switch (which I plan on tapping into). I already have 18AWG, but wasn’t sure if jumping to 16AWG or 14AWG would help or be overkill.
Thank you for any help or info.
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Raife
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11/07/20 07:02pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Outlets work while towing?
It is 56W if all the ports are running full PoE...I will only be running 1.
The switch itself uses 3.95 just to run...it can then provide up to 15.4W for each port for a maximum of 56W for all ports.
I will be running 1 port with a maximum draw over PoE of 12.6W...so a potential maximum of 16.55W
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Raife
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11/07/20 09:29am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Outlets work while towing?
This is the item that will be powered through AC:
TP-Link 5 Port Gigabit PoE Switch
Power consumption = 3.95 W (220V/50Hz. no PD connected)
It will then be powering through PoE a TP-Link Omada AC1350 Gigabit Ceiling Mount Wireless Access Point
Maximum power consumption = 12.6W (over PoE)
So it looks like total max is = 16.55W (switch and access point)
I have not figured out the mounting location yet, but as I thought about it last night, I may install the equipment in the back of my "closet" which is right up against the upper front wall of the trailer (closest to the TV). So the range on the Pepwave MAX Transit CAT18 may reach the vehicle fine (seats are ~15-18 feet away). If that is the case than I can do everything with just the Pepwave which will be 12V powered and not need an inverter.
I'm headed to the trailer today (it is in storage) to do some scouting.
I also wonder if I can use the solar port already on the roof to run the antenna cable...? I haven't popped it open yet. We have no plans to do solar anytime in the future. Can I repurpose this existing hole in my roof?
Thank you
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Raife
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11/07/20 08:11am |
Tech Issues
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