Camper Specifications

You have seen the camper from the outside photo and Television photo in the rear dining/sleeping area but you may be wondering about what the camper has for features / specification.

VEHICLE:
1994 Chevrolet G30 (1 Ton chassis)
Engine Gas 350 V8
Odometer 42,234 miles at purchase (Nov 2013)
Cruise Control
Power Windows & Locks
Replacement AM /FM Radio with cassette
Heater & A/C
Tilt Steering Wheel
Power Windows
Trailer Hitch
Tire Size 16"

Length 19’0”

Width 6’6”

COACHMAN CAMPER:

Height 9’6”

Interior Height 7’0”

Gross Weight 8,600 lbs

Fresh Water Capacity 36 gals

Grey Water Capacity 20 gals

Black Water Capacity 16 gals

Propane Furnace BTU 24

Sleeps 5

Generator None
TV (Installed 12 Volt)

TV Antenna w/Booster (replacement - old one was analog)

Outside Shower 

120 Volt AC 13,500 BTU Non Central/Ducted 
120 Volt Heating Furnace 21-28K BTU 

Kitchen Sink

Microwave 

Water Heater 6 Gal. Gas/Elec DSI 
Propane Tank

Propane Range Top Stove

Refrigerator (3-way, 120 Volt, 12Volt, Propane)
12 Volt power Roof Vent

Toilet

12Volt Water Pump 

Coach Auxiliary 12 Volt Battery (one - not connected to vehicle battery)

LPG Gas/Smoke Detector 

Auxiliary Battery Charger (Shoreline 120Volt to 12Volt)

Television for the Trip

I enjoy watching the news and weather and some selected programs.  I also like the company that the TV provides even if I am not watching it.  On my Christmas wish list was this 12Volt TV, articulating wall bracket and amplified digital antenna.  Thanks to my lovely wife Denise, son Brent 2, his wife Manina, & their daughter Avery it came off the wish list to a Christmas present. 

With a little planning I picked this location at the back of the camper where I can see it from the front area too.  As noted it runs on 12Volts but also has the 110 Volt power supply too.  The amplified antenna is paper thin and can be hung in the rear or ether side window (digital signals are so directional)  and runs on a USB connection.  The TV uses 20 watts or the same as a 12 Volt vehicle dome light.  This becomes important on how I power everything to be discussed in a future post.

I have an application for my IOS devices that shows me the location of all TV transmitters and what network the are.  This way I can figure what direction (window) to put the antenna.  I just need to scan for channels every time I move around. 

It is also a DVD player and PC monitor.  With the WIFI hotspot on my phone the family subscription to Netflix & since we have HBO at home I can get HBO on the go on the road.  So, I should be good now for entertainment.  If/when I stay at a campground that has cable I need to fit the camper with a connection to get this feed.

How to Print , Scan & Copy on the Road

HP Envy 4500

I want, no I need to be able to print while on the road, and for that fact scan & copy while I am traveling.  This project set out looking for a printer I can print to without ever hooking up to a PC to set up.  I also had size requirements as the space is over the microwave.  I found HP & Cannon that would fit and they are WIFI ready, but can they be put into service without a PC. 

I called both companies & spoke with technical support people.  My questions didn't have exact answers.  I have WIFI hotspot on my phone so I defaulted to asking about using my phone's WIFI to make the connection and print.  HP had the best answers so I decided to get this HP Envy 4500.  The woman said it should work.  It didn't give me great confidence.

It came in the mail and I set it up and I didn't need a PC or to load the printer software.  it also worked with my cell WIFI hotspot to print.  What was more interesting is that you can connect to your WIFI Phone or Tablet direct without the hotspot as a router.

All you need to do is unpack the printer and plug it in / install ink cartridges and make a direct connection from your devices direct through WIFI using the info from the printer screen.  It can be secured with password or not.  Then just print.

Now why didn't the tech hotline for HP know this?

Have visitors?  Get one of these and set it up and they can print their own boarding passes. 

I'm happy!

The New Radio

New Radio

I ordered up a Bluetooth radio with CD from Crutchfield. If you have done business with them you know they give you all the parts to fit the dash and cables to hook up to the vehicle wiring. The only problem I ran into was that the wiring harness I for with the kit from Crutchfield said to match up the wiring to the new radio harness & splice together noting that the color of the wires may not match so match the function of the wires. The issue was that the book that came with the radio didn't have all the functions listed nicely as the cable harness to connect to the vehicle. After some deduction I figured it out & spliced the wires.

During install of the new radio I was hoping that the amp would work & it did.

With install complete the Bluetooth radio is ready for the trip.

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When I bought the camper I was told the vehicle radio did not work. The vehicle has a radio & amplifier. I was hoping that it was just the radio. It was time for an upgrade from a cassette to a CD too.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Having a Travel Image

Business Card

I like travel, meeting people, and writing about my experiences. As Fire Chief I got a lot of satisfaction from writing the Fire Department Update for 15 years. This new phase if my life will be to set a direction of what I may want to do in retirement or semi retirement. I am an adjunct professor at Mount Wachusett Community College and will be teaching an independent study while on this trip. I want to do this to learn about teaching while on the road.  I did teach a distance learning course in Fire Investigation last spring.  Doing it on the road should be interesting.  I have had a couple suggest I consider a couple part time work situations.  I am even open to working here and there on my trip.  I would do it just for the fun and experiences and of course meeting interesting people.

Meeting people is a goal of mine.  In fact I will try to meet someone new everyday.  I want to write about them.  Who the are and what makes them unique.  This is a lofty goal, but I will not be writing biographies, just their story.  This is why I need an image and business card.  I want people to take me seriously and offer their story.

Those of you that follow this blog will get the view I get when you read about each person I interview.  My writing doesn't stop here.  I plan to be busy writing about my adventures on places I go and things I see.  Another tall task and possibly much more than you want to be reading.  Since I set out on my planning for this trip, many I have spoken to have said I have always wanted to do this or plan on doing it one day.  There is a deep interest in people to travel and have adventures.  I have been so lucky in my life to have had great jobs and diversified experiences traveling around the world.  Much of my travels have been alone and this gives me platform to venture off by myself for 3.5 months.  I am also a true road worrier when it comes to technology.  I have been carrying a mobile device for so many years that the first weighed about 10 lbs.  It had a text screen of 24 lines and built in thermal printer.

I will be very connected during the trip the best way is to email me or plan to leave a phone message. When I stop I will do my best to catch up on the days mail.  You are welcome to write me and tell me what is going on in Westminster, family, friends, and ask questions.  Remember that I am not running away just on an adventure to return to Academy Hill and Westminster and of course our camp in Vermont.

If you have any troubles with this blog please let me know as I am learning and want my work to be worth the effort.
  

My home on wheels

My 1994 Coachman Camper Van

I did extensive research on what I would use for transportation for my trip.  My original plan was to use my Tacoma pickup truck and purchase a light weight truck cap with pop up top.  There were a number of problems with this the major one was cost.  The need for a light weight camper is because of the Tacoma's payload of about 1100 lbs.  The camper weighed in at at least 800 lbs. and this was dry & no personal items.  Many people do this putting on rear airbags but ultimately exceeding the GVW.  The other problem is that these units are not sold further east than Wisconsin.  This would leave me to a trip to get it or hall everything it need and buy it on the way.  Oh the cost of $16K was not not what I wanted to spend considering that I don't know if I would enjoy doing this.  This idea of the truck camper did not prove to be a great option.

My next idea was to get an oversized truck cap and build the inside to my liking.  I went so far to create a very elaborate design around a truck cap that again only available in California.  I would again have to get to CA with all my belongings somehow secured and the. Spend about 2 weeks at my son's house in La Jolla building the inside.  It would have been logistically challenging but for a past project manager something that would be fun and frustrating at the same time.  Since this was the plan of choice for some time it did purchase a number of things to make this work before finding the Camper Van.  I did purchase a very high end cooler that runs on a true compressor and is super efficient.  At a $800 price it is expensive, but can be used for years on day trips.  That is excellent about it is that it runs on 12volts so efficient it uses less than 2 amps.  So, this is a great choice to use on this trip as I plan to be off grid a lot of the time running off batteries as it is more efficient than the 3-way fridge in the camper van.  One other thing I bought was airbags for the rear go the Tacoma.  I installed them and after one bag problem that was addressed up under warrantee by Firestone they work great and will be useful for a lot of heavy hauling for future projects at home and camp. There were other issues for using the Tacoma bed the biggest one was that although I have a 6 ft. bed length I am 5'11" and that meant sleeping straight would require sleeping on an angle to the bed.

The camper van idea came from me looking at campers on how they are laid out for my truck bed design and then looking at prices. A visit to Craig's List brought me to the one I'm the picture above in Greenville, NH. Although 20 years old by model year I decided to take a look. I have developed a good ability to look at used vehicles having done much of my own vehicle work over the years. What I don't have knowledge about are camper specific items.

When I arrived looked in good shape. I proceeded to climb under and look for body rust and there was none. I listened and checked out the engine. There was only a squeak in the engine that I know to be an idler pulley sound. I learned that the husband and wife that were selling it only owned it for this past summer having bought it from the original owner who is now in his 90's and still works in his garage business. breaks were new, exhaust new, and new Michelin XLT tires. I know them well as tat is what I have on our Highlander. All in all in good shape. I got a w quick overview of the camper items and the inside looked good but in need of some updates. I was told the radio didn't work, but this wasn't a bother as electronics are no problem to deal with. After a short should I / shouldn't I the decision was made right then and there to purchase it. having done some prior research I knew the pricing of such units and it was a decent deal.

It was delivered for me and I went to register it and the RMV said wait a week as it's a camper with yearly registration and it was still November. I would have had to register it and then pay for a new registration the following week in December.

Having secured my wheels & sleeping arrangements it was time to outfit it for the trip.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]