Some RV Tips

  We are in Bar Harbor, Maine as of July 24 so that puts me fairly well caught up. I'd like to say that we hope to see everyone when we come to PA in September. Right now we have reservations at Scotrun Campground in Scotrun, PA which is near Tannersville. We will be there from August 22- September 2. After that we will be headed to the Pittsburgh area for a while and then head back to the Reading area for a few weeks. We're not sure where we will be staying yet.
 Today is rainy and I have some time to kill. I thought I would take this opportunity to give some tips and pointers to those of you who might take on a long RV or trailer trip. Since we do this for months at a time we still want and need the technologies make life comfortable just as you would be at home. While you might spend a lot of time in the great outdoors there is nothing like the conveniences of home.
  First on that list is television. All campgrounds are unique in what amenities they provide. We have encountered the following during our travels:

•  Over the air broadcasts. This is the least favorable. A good antenna is needed and you are dependent upon how close you are to local stations. There is a government website you can use to check your area or destination for over the air reception: http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/. 
• Next possibility is local cable only. You must have a CATV cable on hand to connect to the line on the post. Make sure to carry male and female connectors because you never know what you will be tapping into. By local cable I mean they supply only the basic cable which is just the local stations and maybe a few others. Don't look for ESPN or TNT. 
• The next step up is a more expanded cable package. In some cases you be charged extra for this. The programming could be via the local cable company or satellite. Once again carry your own cable and connectors. Helpful hint: I also carry wire and cable stripping and crimping tools along with the hardware in case I need to repair a line. I have used this several times. 
• Lastly is the option of using your own satellite dish. You will see many campers with DirecTv dishes, DISH dishes, and others. These are great for the first two scenarios mentioned above; however your reception is dependent upon site location and orientation. Any obstruction of the southwest sky and you'll not get a signal. I have seen DirecTv being used in areas that I couldn't use my DISH Tailgater, but with DISH you only pay for what you are going to use. In other words call ahead to your destination and find out what services are provided. Then you can decide if you need to pay for a whole month of DISH service. The monthly bill is about $57 and the Tailgater Antenna runs about $399 and the basic receiver is $99. If you are a Good Sam member you get a discount at Camping World. Set up is easy as plug it in and the antenna finds all the birds in the sky automatically.

  With all that being said worst case scenario is what we had at Gateway to Cape Cod: no cable, six over the air channels, and tall trees negating the DISH. Best case is a full array of cable channels from A&E to Food Network to ESPN. Here at Mt. Desert Narrows RV Resort we have about 65 channels included in our reservation.

  Next on my list is internet. We as a society have become so dependent on the internet and it is no different while RV'ing. Banking, reservations, blogging, and staying in touch are some of the things you will still want to do. First start with a good smartphone and that will serve you well enough but you still will want to surf the web and use your laptop. I will review what we have encountered so far:

• Campground provided Wi-fi. This is the cheapest but not too secure. The better systems provide a security code to log on, some just use a basic password. You might have to go to a clubhouse or other building to get the signal. This is not convenient for us. I prefer to have access right at my site. I always open my network connections even if they tell you wi-fi is only available at a central location in the campground because I am pulling it in right now at my trailer from the clubhouse.
• Campground provided Wi-fi on site. You will see telecommunications boxes or posts every few sites and you know you will get a good signal. Ask for the security code or password. Sometimes you have several connections to choose from when you open your network connections.
• Fee based wi-fi provided by the campground. This we have used this and TengoInternet is a leading provider for the campground industry. Prices range from $5.95/day, $24.95/month, and even a yearly subscription can be purchased. There are usually several connections available but you are monitored on your usage. Usage is based on a 24 hour cycle and they will cut you off if you burn through much data quickly. This is probably the worst case.
• Next possibility is what we are using to supplement the above options. Buy a wi-fi hotspot device and pay as you go data card. Walmart sells Straight Talk Wireless products. The hot spot is about $80 and cards are offered in different data amounts for as low as $15 for 2MB for thirty days. Buy what you want and use what you want with no contract.
• Another option is going with your cell phone plan. Verizon has the Jetpack and data plans are monthly for the length of the contract. With this you are paying every month regardless.
• Last option is satellite internet. I have seen HughesNet advertised for $49.95/ month. I am not sure of the specifics but I do know upload speeds are much slower and sometimes not possible.

Internet has been the most frustrating aspect of traveling. I am looking right now and my connection icon indicates I am disconnected. Some days you can't get a connection at all. With the Straight Talk we used a 5MB 30 day card in 10 days. If there was a way to get a cable internet connection wherever I went I would pay anything. If you are hooked on Netflix or any streaming video provider forget it. Too much data usage.

Cell phone reception is also a consideration. Staying at state parks and other public facilities your cell phone signals can be spotty. You might need to drive to a different area to make a call. There are cell phone boosters on the market but I haven't used one yet.

Lastly for consideration is refrigeration. I don't know how we could do what we do with only the one main fridge. Luckily we have a secondary refrigerator in the outdoor kitchen. We have even traveled with our electric Igloo to supplement our refrigeration needs. Between food and beverage we need all the space possible. If you buy an RV with only the basic RV fridge I recommend at least carrying a quality ice chest to keep food and beverages cold. I see that the RV refigerator manufacturer Dometic even makes a plug in ice chest. Most campers and RV have electrical outlets on the exterior for a place to plug in.

This image shows a 12v plug but some models have a dual system for 12v and AC.

That is it for now and maybe I will write another post in the future for more tips and advice.