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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 141
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Just came back from Quartszite, AZ going through Las Vegas and up to Bakersfield coming back home. The winds coming out of AZ were really, really bad so had to stop over & wait till they calmed down. It's just not worth the stress to drive in 35-40 mph winds. You can get gas at a fair price in LV, but once on the road towards Bakersfield the prices really skyrocket. Going over Tehachapi can be a little challenging if the winds are bad, but going over the Grapevine is still worst no matter what kind of weather. Can't help you on staying in Rest areas because I've never done that. I usually set up my trip knowing where I'm going to stop. I try to drive so many miles a day, depending on weather, etc. and stop before it gets dark so I can set up while it's light if I have to dump or use laundry facilities. I love RVing and have learned a lot simply by posting or asking questions whenever I have the opportunity to (i.e., other RVers in parks, Mechanics, Camping World reps, etc.) You'd be surprised how many people are more than willing to share their experiences and their knowledge...
But I do have a question that maybe some of you can give opinions on. I have a laptop computer and though it has the internal 802.11 wi-fi in it, I still can't access the internet while on the road. Any info. would be greatly appreciated. TV reception hasn't been good accept when connected to cable in a RV Park. Yet, I have a friend that has a class A RV and she can get some channels when I can't. However, she has a Winegard antenna and I don't, so I'm thinking of checking that out & maybe changing antennas...I don't know if any of the above helps anyone, but maybe others can see that we all encounter some of the same problems but it doesn't deter us from traveling and enjoying all the benefits of RV life. :)
Safe & happy travels to you!
Safe & happy travels to you!
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 2302
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Dottie, Now where I am .. I have always stayed at Flying J's.. as I come down from the North East to Florida..I have also stayed across country in some of the Flying J's..without a problem..as it is set up for Truckers...and you'll see a lot of RV people there..Walmarts Parking Lots..there is a list of them which will allow you to park over night.. maybe one of the RVing ladies might have it.. but I only go in campgrounds when I'm staying in area for a few days..or length of time like I am now.. while I'm traveling..unless I had to dump and wash clothes..or if weather was bad.. I would go in campgrounds.. You just have to make sure you don't go wandering about..as when I pull in.. I close my drapes and I'm set for the night..also I do have dogs..so with my crew.. I stay close to area for them to go potty...
You'll see in rest areas where there is motorhomes..if you don't feel comfortable move on..
I just never let anyone know I'm traveling alone..actually I'm not.. I have my critters and my side kick LOL.. ..
As for the TV .. I use Directv and I have a Satellite dish.. I haven't had a bit of problem unless I was in a area with lots of trees..then you can have a little bit of problem.. The box comes with me...no big deal..cepting you won't get local channels..that you have to get from your other antena..unless you go with Dish TV .. then you're able to get local.. Hope that gives you some help.. I'm sure the others will add in too..
God Bless
Barbzeee
Life is full of surprises, just go with the flow !
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 1595
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Dottie, any cop will tell you that a rest area is the worst and most dangerous place to spend the night. Truck stop or Walmart or Lowes parking lot is better, and fairly safe if you take sensible precautions. Get yourself a pair of large men's boots from the Goodwill and put them outside of the door when you go in for the night.
I use 3 ways to get online, wifi card, verizon cell phone, campground landline. Not very many cg's have wifi yet, but most Flying J's do for a nominal price. Quite a few coffee shops have wifi for the price of a cup of coffee. In Jackpot, NV had to go to the public library,(no cell service, no wifi and cg landline was long distance) and that's free. I do all of my banking online, but wouldn't do it at the library. I've heard yay and nay to do banking on wifi. Check with your bank if you want to do that. BofA says with their encryption, it's safe.
For TV I have a satelite on the roof of rv, and use Direct TV. The rule is the same as the military, don't ask, don't tell. I have a receiver box in the rv, and as far as Direct knows, it's in the spare bedroom. Sis has the other system, and they know that their sat is on an rv. Direct says yes you can and no, you can't, depending on who you talk to. In other words, no one there knows what the policy is. I pay $5 a month for the extra box. I have the King Dome, but only because I boondock in the desert quite a bit and had trouble getting a picture when it's windy or rainy, which is often, and that's usually when I want to watch tv. If it's nice, I'm out on the quad playing in the sand. No problems with the King dome. And I'm not out setting up a sat in bad weather. But everyone has their preferences. Hope this info helped.
Good Roads,
Sharon
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
'05 Monaco Knight 34ft (Hope)
'04 Jeep Liberty (JipJip)
Sam the cat with Attitude
Chewy the Land Shark
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 1595
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Excell, look up in your cabinets and see if you have a booster switch for you antenna. It will be one of 2 styles, either looks like a light switch, or a metal rocker switch. It's usually well hidden, in the top, back, or side of a cabinet, and sometimes hard to find. If you have one, it will boost the power of your antenna so you can pick up stations easier. If you don't have one, changing antennas probably won't help you unless you have a booster installed along with it. You may be able to just get the booster.
If you do have or get one, be sure and always turn it off when not watching tv, it will drain your battery very quickly! Been there, done that!
Good to see you posting, hope you are well and things are going good for you.
Good Roads,
Sharon
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
'05 Monaco Knight 34ft (Hope)
'04 Jeep Liberty (JipJip)
Sam the cat with Attitude
Chewy the Land Shark
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 141
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Hi Sharon....Thanks for the input..Knew that if anyone could help you'd be the one. Things are okay...you know, the everyday stuff can sometimes be great & sometimes not. When I went to Quartszite, one of the gals in our caravan brought her 84 yr. old mother-in-law. She was a real neat lady...just found out that after returning home she fell & is now in the hospital not expected to make it. Those are the kind of things that get you down in everyday life.
Anyhow, I do have a switch on one on my TV inlets..but I don't think it's a booster...it just says Cable or Antenna & you can switch to either one (and a red light goes on at one of those places) But when I tried it, it didn't seem to make any difference at all. So are you saying that if I go down & buy a new antenna (Winegard) that I should tell them to install a 'booster' at the same time? and if that option isn't an option....don't bother getting a new antenna??? Your opinion is always valued....thanks...
Safe & happy travels to you!
Safe & happy travels to you!
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Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 1595
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Excel, the switch you're looking at does just what you think it does, switches from antenna to cable, depending on what you are using to watch tv. Did you look in your upper cabinets (they are usually attached to the inside wall of a cabinet) to see if you could find another switch? If you don't find one, and like I said, they can hide them pretty well,then, no, just buying a new antenna will usually not change your reception. It could be also that the antenna you have is not hooked up properly, or in extreme cases there may actually be something wrong with the antenna itself. You may have to take it in to have a tech troubleshoot it for you. I have been in places where all I got was snow with the antenna up, turned on the booster switch, and got 5 or 6 channels. They make a huge difference in reception once you get away from the big towns. Hope this helps and didn't confuse you to much. If you don't know exactly what you're looking for it can be tough. Good Luck! As new and as high quality as your coach is, I can't believe that you don't have one.
So sorry about your friend's mother-in-law, you just never know from day to day. She is probably a neat person, too.
Good Roads,
Sharon
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
'05 Monaco Knight 34ft (Hope)
'04 Jeep Liberty (JipJip)
Sam the cat with Attitude
Chewy the Land Shark
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