Hello Everyone,

I purchased my Itasca Sunstar 30W this week.  I should pick it up next Friday!  I'm soooo excited...Soon as I have it, I'll put my condo up for sale in about 2 weeks and I'm having faith it will sell very quickly like other units in my building!

YEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH!

Awesome! Congrats on your purchase!! That is a great rig from a solid company.

See you on the road!!



--kev

Awesome! And then where are you headed first?

Congrats! Can't wait to see the pics!

Get that condo on the market, show your motivation and the universe will conspire on your behalf (it already is! just want it to conspire a little faster! ;)

Thank you everyone!  I don't know where I will head out first.  I'm kind of a planner, so there is a lot of things to work out before my first trip.   I know I want to go visit my family in NC for Thanksgiving and I don't know if I'll get anywhere else before then, just depends on if I feel comfortable.   In reading the owners manual I'm getting scared.  All of these components and WARNINGS in the manual of what NOT to do! LOL

The first thing I'm trying to work out is how to get internet to the RV.  And I would like to have a wireless network so 2 Macs can access the network.  I don't want to do Satellite Internet so I think the only option I have is to just do a PC / USB card.  Is that true?  I don't want to use my cell phone as that is my main phone line.  Any suggestions or website that spells it out for me?

Thanks!

Wilson Electronics makes a cellular booster system (if you shop around you can find them at an average price of about $300 or so) so that you can get a stronger signal in what would otherwise be a weak signal area. Still no cure for areas with no signal though. 

Check out 3Gstore.com... we bought a Cradlepoint router that our Verizon air card plugs into so both laptops can access at the same time...we also got an amplifier....you can call and these guys will walk you through what you need pre-sale....

Thanks!  I'm definitely going to take some short trips.  I can't believe I'm doing this on my own.  The owners manual is scaring me...all the things to worry about so you don't die!! LOL  I will definitely take a look at the 3Gstore.  See i was trying to figure out if I can plug the Verizon USB air card into a router to do just as you said.  Thanks!

I have another question....I'm trying to figure out how power works.  For instance, while I'm driving, if I have something plugged up...will it be receiving power?   While driving does that charge the house batteries?  Once I've stopped driving, the only way to have power is with the generator right (unless I had solar power)?

I have been wondering how practical would it be to have an AeroGarden and how it can receive the power it needs to grow my vegetables.

Thanks!

You are mostly correct about power for your RV. Most RVs typically have three sources of power: the cord plugged into a campground pedestal, the RV's generator, and the "house batteries". The first two are direct sources of 120v. The batteries are 12v, and need to be converted to 120v with the use of an inverter to power 120v items. Do you know if you have an inverter on your rig?

Many RVs charge the house and chassis batteries when the engine is running via the alternator. When you are plugged in, you are charging the batteries with the shore power through the converter/charger.

When you are driving, things you need in the RV will be powered by your batteries. If it is super hot and you want to run your A/C unit, you can run the generator, which will supply the A/C unit while you are driving. We run our refrigerator on propane while we are driving. There are varying opinions about that.

When you are parked, you will either be in a campground that supplies your RV with 120v power, or you will be "off grid", or dry camping, or boondocking. All of those mean that you are not plugged into anything. To be off grid, you need to supply the power either through the batteries or the generator, depending on your power needs. For the most part, the batteries will run the lights and basic things, but not the appliances. If you need A/C or the microwave, you will need to run the generator.

The generator is also used to charge up the depleted house batteries. While you are running the generator to power your appliances, it is also charging your batteries so that you don't have to always run the genny.

When we are off-grid, we typically run our genny three times a day - a couple hours in the morning to charge the batteries, make coffee, etc. We then run it for an hour or so in the afternoon to charge the batteries. In the evening, we will run it another couple hours to make dinner and charge up the batteries for the night.

For those with solar, if you have enough supply to keep up with your demand, then you won't need to run the generator. If you will spend much time off-grid, that may be a good thing to look in to. For us, we spend most of our time in campgrounds, so we rely on the generator when we are not plugged in.

The above is spoken in generalities, not specifically about your RV because I am not sure how it is equipped. However, most of the info will apply in a general way.

Let us know if this leads to more questions! :)


--kev

Thank you Kev!  I see that I have Inverter - DC/AC, 300 Watt.  What does the wattage tell you?  Yeah eventually I want to get solar panels but that might be a year away.  I don't want to "have to" go to a campground all the time.  Like if I'm hanging out at friends house and I want to leave the dogs in the RV and I need to run the AC, I want the RV to be able to stay comfortable for them. 

I also have been looking for sofa covers, to protect it from the dogs.  Does anyone know of a place to buy this?

What types of materials can be used in a Microwave/convection oven, I assume you can't use things you could use in a real oven, i.e. a cookie sheet pan.

What do people use for organization in cabinets to keep things from moving around while driving?

I would like to put a shelf up on a wall, is this possible without harming the RV.  This wall is a slideout wall.

Thanks!