Are You Happy With The Digital TV Reception In Your RV?

As usual our Ask An RV Question section has been very busy the last two months. We have received numerous questions. Take a look below at some of the questions we have received.

Where Can I Get A 12 Volt Digital TV For My Conversion Van?

Would it be wise to buy a vintage (1980) class C for a first time RV?

My RV's Shower And External Water Works But Bathroom And Kitchen Sink Doesn't

What Is The Best Barbeque Grill For RVing And Camping?

Is A 6 Cylinder Toyota Mini-Motorhome Powerful Enough To Go Up Hills With The A/C On?

How Can I Replace The Cracked Flooring In My RV?

Should We Put A CB Radio In Our RV?

Why does the floor vent behind the passenger seat in my RV blow hot air?

Where Can I Get Wheels And Tires For My Travel Trailer?

Will I Still Be Able To Receive TV In My 5th Wheel Trailer RV After June 12th?

Does A Winegard Crank Up RV Antenna Work With A Digital TV (DTV) Converter Box?

Will A Digital TV (DTV) Converter Box Work With A Camper Antenna?

I No Longer Receive Cable TV Since I Installed a DTV Converter Box, What Can I Do To Fix It?

How Do I Install An LCD TV In My RV?

What Kind Of House Battery Do I Need For My Class C RV?

How Can I Improve The Handling Performance Of My RV?

I would like to buy a semi portable jack in case we have a flat on our Travel Trailer, any recommendations?

Should I fix my old analog TV or buy a new LCD TV?

Our DTV Converter Box Is Not Picking Up All Available Channels, What Is Wrong?

Can I Tow A Car Behind My Hi-Lo Trailer Without Violating Towing Laws?

How Do I Get Rid Of The Mice In My RV?

The Water System In Our RV Was Damaged By Cold Temperatures, We Have Leaks Everywhere, What Can We Do?

Don't forget you can add your comments or suggestions to the above questions. Each question page has an add a comment link located near the bottom of the page. Adding your comment or tip will help other RVers

If you have questions about RVs, RVing or the RVing Lifestyle? You can ask them now. If you would like to view more of the questions we have been asked, or leave a comment, you can find the questions already asked directly under the Ask An RV Question Form. We urge your participation.

RVing Questions That Need Answers

Due to the popularity of the EARV website, I have experienced a huge increase in the number of RVing Questions that have been submitted to me on our free Ask An RV Question Page. As much as I wish that I could answer all of them personally I cannot. So I am going to ask some of you to help get some answers to your fellow RVers.

Below are a list of questions that have been submitted, that do not have answers to them.

If you think you know the answer to these questions just click on the question link and once you get to the page the question is on simply click on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of the page the question is on. Here are the questions:

What Is Wrong With The Tow Lights On My RV?

How Much Would It Cost To Ship A Travel Trailer To Australia?

Where Is The Fuel Filter Located On A 1987 Allegro Motor Home?

Can You Tow A Car Behind A 5th Wheel Trailer In Nova Scotia?

Is My RV Awning A Standard Or Custom Size?

Which Holding Tank Is Which On My RV?

My RVs Shower Goes Hot And Cold When Boondocking, How Can I Fix This?

I Cannot Get The Radio In My RV To Work, What Is The Problem?

Why Is The Starter Battery On My RV Constantly Going Bad?

I thank you in advance for helping your fellow RVers.

RVing Al

How To Improve The Reception Of Digital TV Channels In Your RV

By RVing Al

Are you happy with the number of Digital TV Channels you're receiving in your RV? Based on the feedback that I have been receiving from fellow RVers the answer to this question is a resounding NO!!! Ever since the June 12th Digital TV Changeover, I have received question after question on how RVers can improve the reception of Digital TV in their RVs, so I have decided to make this the featured article in this issue of the EARV Gazette.

First let me start off by saying that the crank up TV Antennas that most RVs are equipped with are "good" at pulling in Digital TV Stations. The problem with digital TV reception is that "good" reception is not always good enough. In the good old days of Analog TV broadcasts (back in June) you could still watch TV, even when the analog signals were not that strong. Yes, the TV picture may have been a bit snowy or wavy and the sound a bit fuzzy, but at least you got something.

Unlike analog signals, you either get the full digital signal or you don't. If the picture produced by the Digital TV Converter Box or the Digital Tuner on your TV ever freezes or pixelizes (the picture turns into a bunch of squares); it means that the signal you are receiving is not strong enough.

Luckily, there are a couple of ways to improve the digital TV signal coming to your RV's antenna as well as the digital TV signal getting to your DTV Converter Box or your Digital TV's Tuner.

Here are a couple of steps you can take to improve your Digital TV Reception.

1. If your crank-up RV TV Antenna is made by Winegard; keep reading, if it is not; move on to step two.

As I said earlier Winegard Sensar Crank Up RV Antennas work well for receiving Digital TV Signals. But Winegard has come out with a new attachment (pictured at left) for their crank-up antennas with Sensar heads that increases db reception gain up to 100% on DTV channels giving you even more reception range.

The attachment is called the Winegard Wingman. The Wingman Optimizes the antenna's Sensar for DTV Channels, it is compatible with all Winegard crank-up Sensar antennas and it attaches to existing Sensar head with simple snap-on screws. Watch the video on this page from Winegard on how easy it is to install the Wingman on your existing Winegard Crank Up antenna. If this is not enough to get you all of the reception you want move on to step 2.

2. Whether you own a Winegard Sensar Antenna or not this step can also help greatly improve your Digital TV Reception. To get even better reception I would recommend installing the highly rated Motorola Signal Booster 484095-001-00 Bi-Directional RF Amplifier. This TV signal booster improves both off the air Digital and Cable TV signal strength by up to 32 times (15 dB). Since it is bi-directional it also supports Pay-Per-View and Video on Demand (VOD) Services. If you want to install this TV booster, you can read the answer I gave to this question How Can We Improve The Digital TV Reception In Our RV? for the easy installation instructions.

These two steps should greatly increase the number of Digital TV channels that you receive in your RV.

What Breeds Of Dogs Are Banned From RVing?

By RVing Al

I recently received this question from one of our visitors:

Question: Certain dog breeds are not allowed at some RV parks. What are they?

ANSWER: You are correct that some RV Campgrounds and Resorts have restrictions on what breed of dog they allow on their property. The restrictions vary widely by facility. The most common breed restrictions seem to be for Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Mastiffs, Chows and wolf-mixes. Other facilities may allow these breeds, but reserve the right to ask you to leave their facilities if the dog you have "acts in aggressive manner".

I know that there are a lot of dogs in the breeds mentioned above that are not aggressive and play well with others, but if the campground or resort has a ban on a certain breed they usually do not make an exception. The reason these breeds were selected is because they are large muscular animals that have the capability of causing severe injuries to people or other pets if they become aggressive. These breeds are thought to have a more aggressive nature than other breeds of dogs.

Whether these assumptions are true or not; owners that take these dogs camping with them must be aware that their pets may not be welcome at certain campgrounds and RV Resorts. The best advice I can offer to those people is to call ahead to the facility they plan to stay at to see if their pet is allowed.

Killer The Wonder Dog

Killer The Wonder Dog

During the years we have been RVing, we have come across some aggressive dogs. I hate to say it but a lot of them have not been in the restricted breed categories. There are some Chihuahuas that we have come across that were very aggressive. The difference is that a crazed Chihuahua is not capable of causing great bodily harm; a crazed Pit Bull on the other hand is physically capable of possibly killing someone.

Now before I get a bunch of outraged Chihuahua owners sending me hate mail; please take a look at the picture to the left, that is our dog aptly named "Killer". Killer is a cross between a Merle Chihuahua and a pug. He goes camping with us wherever we go. Yes, we are living dangerously by bringing him along.

Regardless of what breed of dog you plan to take camping, there is a book that I strongly suggest you read by Jack and Julee Meltzer called Camping and RVing with Dogs, the Complete Reference for Dog-Loving Campers and RVers. In this book RVing pet owners will learn Eight steps you can take to make sure your dog never gets lost, Fun activities for campers and RVers with dogs, Five easy tricks for finding campgrounds and RV parks that really like dogs, How to prepare your vehicle or your RV for campground life with a dog, How to tackle a medical emergency involving your dog and much, much, more.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you.

Monthly RV Safety Tip

A Good Shake And Your Fire Extinguisher Will Not Coagulate

By RVing Al

If you have a dry chemical fire extinguisher in your RV, you should give it a good shake about once a month. Depending on the type of dry chemicals used in your extinguisher, there is a chance that the dry chemicals can compact or coagulate at the bottom of the extinguisher. If you went to use it all that would come out is the propellant and not the fire fighting chemicals.

So once a month you should turn the extinguisher upside down and give it a good shake to loosen up the dry chemicals. This is also the ideal time to check the extinguisher to make sure that it is properly charged. This monthly preventative measure only takes a couple of minutes to complete.

What's The Funniest Thing That Ever Happened To You When You Were RVing And Camping?

All RVers and Campers have had funny things happen to them while RVing and Camping. Here is your opportunity to share your story about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while camping and RVing with other RVers and Campers. Just visit our Funny RVing Stories page and tell us all about it.

If your story is really, really funny, we may even publish it in a issue of the Everything About RVing Gazette. If it helps you can even add a picture to your story. Don't forget to read our Submission Guidelines before submitting your story.

What Is Your Favorite RVing Destination?

All RVers have a favorite place they like to go. Now it is time for you to tell us all about your favorite RVing destination. It does not have to be about a campground; it can be about any place you like to visit when RVing. Just let us know what we should not miss when visiting your favorite destination. It's easy and it is fun. Just go to our What Is Your Favorite RVing Or Camping Destination page and tell us all about it. You can even add a picture if you want.

You never know if your story is good enough, we may even publish it in our next issue of the EARV Gazette. Don't forget to read our Submission Guidelines before submitting your story.

Tell Us Why You Love RVing

Here is your opportunity to share your Love of RVing with others. We have a lot of visitors to our site who have never RVed before. You now have the opportunity to let them know what they are missing by not being a part of the RVing Lifestyle.

We urge you to share Your RVing Love Story. If you want you can even add a picture of your RV to the story. It's easy and it is fun. Just go to our Tell Us What You Love About RVing Page and tell us all about it. You can even add a picture if you want. Don't forget to read our Submission Guidelines before submitting your story.

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