Aimless chatter about very little

[Buckrub]

Taking a break from getting ready.....

The camping trip last weekend was for several reasons, but mostly to get the satellite TV working. I have the remote dish, and the trailer has a TV, and I brought a Direct TV receiver and remote from home.

Got dish out of box, assembled......very straightforward, nothing to it. Got it pointed ok, and "dishpointer.com" got me the right azimuth, elevation, and skew for my area. Got a good satellite signal..........

Guys at the Owner's Group website told me that I couldn't use the trailer coax wiring cause it is used for OTA antenna also, and has a 'switch'. They said this is normal and it can't be used with satellite. They said satellite has to have a DIRECT connection of coax from dish to receiver. That means coming in a window (which I noticed almost everyone did that had a dish set up). SO, I took the TV outside and worked there.

I did about everything I could, and no signal.

I called Direct TV, got a Tech, and he was great (in Sturgis, SD by the way). He literally spent hours. Nothing worked. He was baffled. The only thing he could figure was that my LNBF needed line power (the new ones do, the old ones don't), and I didn't get the dish with a power module for the LNBF. But he wasn't sure. We tried everything and he walked me through the receiver set up (that is a bugger bear!!) several times, and it just wouldn't work.

SO, he scheduled a tech to come here to make it work. I told him this was NOT the original set up in my home, this was a travel trailer, and he said "I know, but I want it to work for you".

So, the guy will be here tomorrow morning. Soon as he is finished, we're outta here.

Only trouble MAY be getting a signal through these trees. The only way I can do it at the house is by putting dish on roof. Can't do that for this tripod dish. But I'm hoping.

And then...........gonna have to look into either some major shocks for my truck, or thinking about a 3/4 ton to pull it. Chevy is coming out with some "Max Trailer Package" truck in "fall of 2013".......not sure when. I saw a NEW Chevy the other day that said "MRX" on the side, where Z71 usually goes..........but can't find anything about it. Tahoe is on last legs anyway, so may just bite the big bullet and do that. Who knows. But this half ton ain't gonna pull this thing up many hills......and I ain't happy with it pulling the trailer, so.........

And that's that, and now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Bwana]

Just curious, don't you go camping to get AWAY from things like TV's and cellphones?? Also, aren't you the gent who claims to never watch TV?

Hell, we've had our camper for about 5 years and I can count on half of one hand how many times the TV has been on and that was only to watch movies when the rain had us pinned inside. Think you are missing the idea behind camping Bucky.

[Buckrub]

It's like a microwave oven. You want one when you want one. Till then it sits idle.

This ain't camping. "Travel Trailer". Sort of White Trash On The Move........ some of these rigs are way, way over $100,000.00. Plus, I ain't 35 any more. I don't mind a few amenities.

[Bwana]

I know all about how fancy some of these "campers" are these days but I also know the REASON for going camping and TV isn't one of them. The one caveat I will give you is if bad weather is in the area, then I understand but otherwise spend you time in the easy chair, over-eating, or chasing mama around the trailer.

[Buckrub]

Hard rain all day Sunday........and most of Saturday afternoon.

And I didn't even have a book. I had figured on having the TV working by then.

If you sit outside down here, you will be carried off by mosquitoes, if you do not sweat to death.

Besides, it gets dark at 5:00 in the fall and winter here, and I plan on camping then too.

[Thumper]

Never had satellite ... but don't they suck big weenies in bad weather? Nothing like having tv as a back-up for crappy weather only to find out that's the only time it does NOT work. ;)

Not sure what shocks are gonna do for you BTW. Most people seem to think shocks do what SPRINGS do (unless you're talking about air shocks of some sort). Not sure if your truck has coil or leaf springs, but I think you have coils. A set of airbags is prolly what you need. (or a "helper" leaf if you have leaf springs)

[BarryBobPosthole]

I'm wondering why there's that much tongue weight.

So Bucky, to jump on Bwana's bandwagon, you like to go camping and you bought a camper so you could do without going outside. I get that correct? If you just gotta use electricity just get a redneck entertainment center (a bug zapper) and a couple of zero gravity chairs and a big jug of something good and you and momma will be entertained for hours. I promise. I've done it.

BKB

[Buckrub]

No.

I bought a camper because it is exactly what Mama wanted, has bunk beds for grandkids, and on occasion she'll let me use it to go fishing with.

I have two zero gravity chairs, and we sit outside a lot. Course, the TV has a connection outside too! :)

Jim,
I considered these:
http://www.totalloadcontrolsuspensions.com/

but I think I'm putting a silk shirt on a pig. I don't think I'll ever be happy with this truck pulling this. It's fine here........but not "out west". Not even some places here, where it's big hills.

My tire guy says Monroe makes a spring doohickey (not a shock) that will help, not air bags because not adjustable, no air.....but go in the coils. I can't Google what he was saying, so I dunno. That's a stop gap measure anyway.

I also have adjusted the weight distribution hitch to give less squat at the tongue, and possibly over corrected.......or something. Need to raise the ball but it's as high as it'll go with this unit. Tilted the ball back but maybe too far, although that makes no sense.

It's a project.............

[quercus alba]

Never had satellite ... but don't they suck big weenies in bad weather? Nothing like having tv as a back-up for crappy weather only to find out that's the only time it does NOT work. ;)

Not sure what shocks are gonna do for you BTW. Most people seem to think shocks do what SPRINGS do (unless you're talking about air shocks of some sort). Not sure if your truck has coil or leaf springs, but I think you have coils. A set of airbags is prolly what you need. (or a "helper" leaf if you have leaf springs)


That's what that "record button" is for Jim. When the weather gets bad and your dish goes out you can still watch whatever you have recorded, in my cases several episodes of NCIS and Jeopardy.

[Buckrub]

I bet Mama has five hundred and ninety elebben hours of stuff recorded. And I record a few movies here and there.

and in October I get an upgrade, so I will be recording (or she will) five channels at once. I hope they have a Terrabyte storage model.

[johnboy]

Just put a new set of Monroe Reflex shocks on the old (2001) GMC 2500HD and they are great. Really settled the bounce and sway down. The originals were totally shot but then they were the originals - 13 years old so no surprise.

Not sure exactly what your towing problem is but in general 1/2 tons can not handle a trailer of your size with anything like ease. Too light springs, "P" class tires, wrong axle ratio, not enough power, not enough brakes etc. It'll work most of the time but you really don't have any margin of error. A new 2500HD would be the cats ass! My neighbour has one a couple of years old - a crew cab with the 6.0 engine and it tows his 26' trailer with ease. Gets about the same mileage as my 8.1 which he's less happy about but nothing is free. :)

[jb]

Bucky, I don't think you need a 3/4 ton PU for your TT. A 1/2 ton correctly equipted will do just find. A 3/4ton is going to make you gas poor very quickly.
I bought an 08 2500 Chevy with a 6 liter when we bought our 5th wheel, did a nice job but at 8mpg it was costly.
Got rid of the 5th wheel and bought a 25' TT, 3/4 ton did a nice job of towing but it was overkill and mpg still sucked.
Traded for a GMC 1/2 with 5.3 liter fuel management engine, mpg went to 10.5 and it did a decent job of towing but anything over 60mph the whole rig got a little squirrely.
Just last month traded that for my new Phord Excursion, this one came with their heavy duty towing package and a 5.4 V8, and rated for 9000lbs towing, night and day difference in towing, 65mph on cruise is a breeze, extremely stable and much nicer ride and still 10.5mpg or better.
I know you don't like Phords, but you should give one a look with this towing package. I thing GM came out with their tow package to meet this competition. But for your TT, 3/4 ton is overkill.

[Buckrub]

8 mpg pulling this trailer is all I get now with the half ton.

Ford or GM, don't care, but my next vehicle will be a 3/4 ton that can pull a house. That's just what is going to happen. As I said, I want to wait at least till Chevy announces the specs on their "Max Towing Package, available fall 2013"......... Chevy is one-upping Ford with the Ecotec engine.......they are making it in EVERY 8 cylinder! Finding what I want might be tough, though. But something has to give. JB, you just SAID that your 1/2 ton got squirrely on you pulling the trailer! So, hello? ha.

I can do some stuff to help the 1/2 ton, and might. But ultimately it will be the wife's car.

[jb]

Bucky, that's one reason I got rid of my half ton, that and the oil burning issue.
My 1/2 ton PU was a regular 1/2 ton truck, it had a towing package but not a heavy towing package.
My new Phord is built on the F150 frame and uses the same engine, but it came with the heavy towing package with sway control, tranny cooler, heavy duty battery, 373 rear end, heavy shocks etc. Rated at 9000 lb, my TT is 6600 lbls, doubt that some food and clothing would bring it near the 9K limit.
It's also the Expedition XL (extra length), with this wheel base it's night and day difference in towing over my old PU.
I don't think your TT weights much more than mine so not sure why you'd want a gas guzzeling 3/4 ton. Mine is still being broken in (only 2,200 mile on it)but I"m getting 15mpg in town, 19 highway and 10.5 towing, I expect it will get better once I get a few more miles on it.
My Chevy 2500HD with the 6 liter was good for about 12mpg normal driving, maybe 16mpg highway and 8 mpg towing.
You use the truck maybe 20 days a year for actual towing, the other 345 days it's just a truck. You'll find a 3/4 ton rides rough when empty , it will pass everything on the road except gas stations.
Test drive one, then test drive a well equipted 1/2, you'll see a big difference.

[Buckrub]

Lets see what the Ecotec3 jas to say about all that first.

I'm ready to sacrifice to get max towing.

But......... (see new thread)