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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: A&E awning hanging up
The guy in the site next to mine had the same problem with his A&E 9000. The solution was to pull the awning back out and make sure that the sliding roll up strap was deadcenter on the awning. It then rolled up right into place.
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GSF
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11/30/08 03:10pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: storing my truck for a couple of years
I put a brand new car into storage for four years and had to replace every gasket on the engine when I came back. Definitely, let someone drive it regularly or prepare for problems. This is the same reason that low mileage motorhomes that have sat for years are usually such headaches.
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GSF
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11/30/08 03:04pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 500GB external hard drive a good bet to store pictures?
One of the first laws of computing is that you can never have a big enough hard drive. I got a 1000GB(1 terabyte) external and it's already half full. Buy as big a one as you can afford. My first external hard drive was 60MB and cost 5 times what the terabyte drive cost.
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GSF
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11/27/08 11:25am |
Technology Corner
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RE: New Vinyl for MH - Finally Finished!
To answer some of the questions:
I used a hard eraser disk only for tight areas that were hard to get into with the larger equipment. Yes, you can very easily create scorch marks with the hard eraser disk that's why I used it very little. But the marks can be compounded out. The large 3M Large Area Stripe Removal (LASR) disk is very soft and forgiving and doesn't mar the fiberglass. But I didn't use it on the metal surfaces, instead relying on a hairdryer and a plastic scraper. I got the disc from the RVSG folks. It cost more than the buffer, but it made the job a lot easier.
I'm not talented enough to trace the original graphics, that's why I did a rubbing with a crayon. A child can do a rubbing and the company producing the graphics gets an exact replica of the design without having to rely on exact measurements. The stripes and graphics are produced slightly larger than the original, so that the shiny area left by the original is totally covered. The compunding blended the areas in but can't totally remove them.
The plastic parts are just cleaned, with 303 on them. The refrig vent grille was replaced about a year ago, it turned bright yellow.
RV Stripes and Graphics(RVSG)out of Mesa, Arizona created the vinyl for me. Visit their site at:Link
They're great folks to work with. I've been unhappy with the way my vinyl looked for several years. A lot of people on this forum talk about using neighborhood sign shops to do the work. Every time I talked to one, they said they didn't do that kind of work, or wanted to do a photo wrap, which I didn't want - especially after they told me how short-lived they are. I first heard about RVSG through this forum. I'm just sorry I waited so long to use them.
TOOLS
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081791_Tools.JPG
FINISHED!!!
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081792_9sidenew.JPG
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GSF
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11/23/08 07:27am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New Vinyl for MH - Finally Finished!
Here's a link to the 303 site: Link It's a UV blocker designed to prolong the life of materials used in the sun. Lots of references to it on this forum, if you do a search. I get mine through Amazon.com.
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GSF
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11/22/08 05:45pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New Vinyl for MH - Finally Finished!
Yes - I had to do it outdoors in a forest in Florida. The application of the new vinyl would have been a lot easier if I had a climate controlled environment to do it in. The bugs were the biggest PIA. The basement part which is aluminum was just buffed out with NuFinish. The rest of the MH - the fiberglass, the vinyl, the rubber, and the plastic will all get 303 protectant regularly. It's a shame that the photos don't do justice to the metallic colors. I'm parked mainly in the shade and you don't really see how sparkly the colors are - especially the "Sunfire Diamond" metallic red. The graphics/stripes design/production/shipment came to a little over $950. It was worth every penny and added a lot more than that to the value of the MH. If I had to sell an older motorhome with worn graphics, I'd do this to it in a heartbeat. It's amazing the difference it makes in the appearance of the MH.
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GSF
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11/22/08 05:27pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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New Vinyl for MH - Finally Finished!
For almost a month and a half, I've been working on replacing all the vinyl graphics on my MH. Using a roll of butcher paper and flat sided crayons, I made a 1 to 1 rubbing of the existing graphics. The RV Stripes and Graphics folks used this to create a custom set of new vinyl for my MH. Using an electric buffer and an 8 inch 3M Large Area Stripe Removal Disk for the fiberglass areas and a hairdryer and plastic putty knife for the metal surfaces, it took me almost a month to remove all the old vinyl and adhesive. I then compounded all the fiberglass, first with a liquid rubbing compound, and then with a liquid polishing compound. Then, I installed the new graphics. Steve of RVSG was a great help to this do-it-yourselfer when I needed phone support. The MH looks better than new, because the new graphics are all metallic colors, while the original were flat colors. The compounding brought back the original gelcoat shine. I'm going to use nothing but 303 on it to keep it looking new. Here's some pictures:
BEFORE
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081741_1sideold.JPG
BEFORE
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081742_2frontold.JPG
BEFORE
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081743_3Rearold.jpg
REMOVAL
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081744_4removal.JPG
COMPOUNDED
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081745_5compounded.JPG
TYPICAL DESIGN SHEET from RVSG
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081746_6Typical%20Design%20Sheet.jpg
AFTER
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081747_7frontnew.JPG
AFTER
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081748_8Rearnew.JPG
FINISHED!!
http://www.picvault.info/images/537081749_Finished.JPG
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GSF
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11/22/08 03:38pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Female MC to female RP-SMA pigtail availability
Is this what you're looking for? Link If thats not it, check their MC or MCX pages.
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GSF
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11/22/08 06:53am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Windshield bug deflector ......
That's one of the ideas behind the 40 degree windshield that many motorhomes used over the years when aerodynamics was important. I can't count the number of times I've flinched while driving when a big bug came flying towards me, only to have it shoot up my windshield and over the top. Several times in rest areas in FL, people whose windshields were covered with love bugs, pointed out that most of the bugs on mine were on the lower grille area while the glass has very few bugs on it. Aerodynamic design really works. Sadly, the last manufacturer that I think used it was Foretravel in its GV model.
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GSF
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11/19/08 05:06pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: FM Converter for the Ipod to car radio
I have a FM converter for my Zen and wasn't happy with it and ended up replacing it with a cassette adapter. The first one I bought was a no name brand that started making noise. I replaced that with a Sony cassette adapter that I've had no problems with. Stick with brand name products.
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GSF
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11/18/08 06:03am |
Technology Corner
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RE: cellular phone companies
I think that most people agree that Verizon has the best coverage in the US. I also use their cellular modem with my laptops. For improved coverage in fringe areas, I added a Wilson amplifier and external antenna which work with my cellphones and modem. The only place that I've ever been with no tower signal was in a Canadian campground that was located at the base of a thousand foot cliff. The only draw back is that Verizon Internet usage in Canada and Mexico is VERY expensive.
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GSF
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11/17/08 06:31am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: Cool new Mapquest Feature
And just because your Garmin GPS isn't on the compatibility list, doesn't mean it won't work. Even though my 660 wasn't on the list, I download the software and installed it. And then I went to Mapquest and created a route with multiple waypoints. It downloaded to my GPS successfully and showed up under the "Favorites". The "Click and Drag" function you mentioned makes Mapquest my top choice for routing and sets a new standard for easy to use mapping.
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GSF
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11/17/08 06:20am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: '82 to '88 Corsair 34ft + Owners manual
See if this site can help you: Link
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GSF
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11/16/08 06:16pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Finding RV Parks while on the Road
Like others, I use Trailer Life and a GPS and check with this site for reviews: Link
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GSF
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11/16/08 04:13pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Replace seat cushion foam
I've used this place in San Francisco to replace the foam in my dinette cushions. They will make just about anything you want. Memory foam has too much give for the main seat for me. I found that using the firmest foam in the main portion of the cushion and the softer foam in the front where my legs touch the seat worked well for me. Make sure to have them dacron wrap the cushions - it makes them more comfortable and easier to insert into the seat cover.
Link
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GSF
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11/16/08 04:06pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Vacuum
You need to search for "Dirt Devil 950" if a central vacuum for RVs is what you're looking for.
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GSF
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11/16/08 06:56am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Stained Decals is there any way to clean
I've just finished replacing all the vinyl graphics on my MH. The instructions from the vinyl manufacturer say:
"When normal cleaning procedures don’t work to remove difficult debris from your applied vehicle graphics, try the following.
• Spot clean the area with Isopropyl Alcohol and a microfiber rag.
• Moisten a rag with a citrus based cleaner and naphtha and wipe down the problem areas. Immediately after using the citrus cleaner and naphtha rinse the area with water and soap." The only recommended application to the vinyl, once it's clean, is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It's a excellent UV inhibitor, but it's not really a cleaner.
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GSF
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11/15/08 04:55pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Who has best price on Onan MArquis Gold 5500 lpg?
I've found these folks to have good prices and excellent service on all things RV - give them a call: PPL
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GSF
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11/14/08 08:50am |
Tech Issues
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RE: How can I save this
Read this page. It explains what you're looking at.Link
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GSF
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11/14/08 07:53am |
Technology Corner
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RE: How much is 5G on wireless internet?
Wait until you have a good wi-fi connection before using Netflix Instant View. That also applies to video conferencing - that's how I used 7 gigs one month. Most other uses fit comfortably into 5 gigs.
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GSF
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11/13/08 04:17pm |
Technology Corner
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