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RE: Help With Aiming Dish TV Antenna
If your doing HD TV good luck with manual aiming. We did it and it took forever to setup every time we moved. A huge hassle. Our best solution was a solid base, absolute vertical alignment, and then watching the "signal screen on the TV when doing final alignment. We had issues locking on to the wrong satellites (there are lots of them), sighting thru trees, and faulty wires and components at times. Most of the people we talked to had the same issues. Lower resolution (Non HD) is much easier to do but HD enabled satellite receivers make doing this tough. We finally gave up and bought an Wineguard autotuning dish. Pricey (about $700), but functional when not in the trees. We still don't use it when its just an overnight stop. Pulling it out of the bin along with the 3 cables is just too much hassle when we are tired, not to mention the reverse in the morning.
Good Luck and Happy Aiming
Bill
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BillandCarole
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06/11/11 08:40am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 3G Vs 4G Data Plans (Verizon in Particular)
I also ran this question by another group (internet by data card) and the consensus there is that there is definite potential for this to happen. For normal email, not a problem. However when you get to video (Hulu, Netflix, Youtube etc) this is either an option or an automatic "upgrade to a higher resolution. The larger corporate web sites also have "sensing" code that can automatically increase the resolution based on response (ping) time. It appears we are going to have to be more careful in our downloads. We use 4 to 4.5 gig a month when away from home. An additional gig is $10 even if you are only 1 "bite" over 5 gig. ugh. And we don't do Netflix, just "normal" surfing.
regards
Bill
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BillandCarole
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06/11/11 08:21am |
Technology Corner
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RE: How much money do you keep for emergencies?
Ok ... Credit and debit cards..verses cash. But I learned the hard way.
On a trip to the boat show in Miami, I used my CC to buy dinner for the team. I had to stop next door and buy something at the drug store. As I was leaving the clerk said " Thank you Dr Smith." Huh? The credit card was issued to Dr. Smith and was not mine.
I walked back next door and asked to speak to the Manager. The waiter had been taking CC and swapping them with other patrons. In the mean time he was selling the CC info to a third party. In the 20 minutes, mine had racked up almost $1800 in charges. Needless to say the cops arrived and the waiter got some silver jewelery as a gift.
Then the CC company got involved and the fun began. Actually Capitol One was very nice and reassured me that since it was a CC I would not be charged and a new CC would be issued to me in 24 hours. They also went as far in helping me so this would not happen again. Fraud protection was set on my CC and debit cards.
It was also suggested that the CC be marked so this would not happen again. To do this, I took a hole punch, the kind you punch paper for a binder, and put one hole in the side of the CC under the magnetic strip and away from the numbers. If it's dark in a restaurant or a couple of drinks, I just feel for the hole before it goes in my wallet.
Another piece of advise from the fraud people. ALWAYS USE CC , NOT DEBIT CARDS! If something happens and your account is stolen. The money in question belongs to Capitol One, or "PEGGY" if you use Discover cards. This can take several months to straighten out. You are not out of pocket. But, if you used your debit card, well that's your money and it's gone till they resolve the problem.
Horace
A good story and one I have learned from. And good advice as well. The hole is a clever idea from several standpoints. Thieves don't like things out of the "ordinary", preferring "routine" victims where the outcome in in their favor. The hole makes for quick identification of the card.
We also have had the wrong card returned to us. A simple mistake, not a crime (fortunately) but the potential mischief great. We noticed because the card was the wrong color, right company though. Fortunately the right charges had been rung up. Simply the case of a very busy cashier. We live out of our cards 24/7, even when home. We have layered alternatives and backups. This is the society we live in today. We are almost entirely dependent of electronic media for out finances, from deposits to expenses, to investments, to taxes. All electronic. And the sad part is that its becoming almost impossible to avoid, and too inconvenient not to. Its either expensive not to, requires snail mail (this is getting expensive and is "slow"), or a physical trip to somewhere distant or unknown. The satellite company, phone company, and power company have no physical offices where we live. Its either snail mail or electronic. And mailboxes are getting hard to find. We don't dare leave outgoing mail in our box. It disappears well before the mail-person ever gets there. Sad...
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BillandCarole
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06/11/11 08:08am |
Class A Motorhomes
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3G Vs 4G Data Plans (Verizon in Particular)
This topic has been moved to another forum.
You can read it here: 25135929
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BillandCarole
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06/10/11 08:51pm |
Tech Issues
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3G Vs 4G Data Plans (Verizon in Particular)
Hi Everyone
I came across an interesting comment in one of the reviews of 3 and 4G devices. One of the negatives for 4G was that for a given web site or download was that the source would increase in size when a 4G device was detected. An example would be a JPG that instead of being in 480p would be in 720p or even 1080p. Video would “upgrade” as well, increasing the data consumption/usage for a given site, while viewing the same data. The result would be increased data consumption eating up the 5 gig limit much faster. Has anyone heard of this or encountered it? We often push our 5 Gig limit (normally in the 4 to 4.5 gig range) when we are on the road. I wish I had saved the exact quote and the url of the website. I can’t find that exact review now.
Regards
Bill
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BillandCarole
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06/10/11 08:51pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: How much money do you keep for emergencies?
I didn't think cash was so popular these days :).
As long as you never have to park anywhere that doesn't take credit cards (and there are plenty of those places!), no need for cash.
I haven't found a 'cash only' business for at least 10 years. I guess I don't get out enough.
Ran into a place in Lubbock, Tx last week that wouldn't do credit cards. Checks or Cash. Checks are so "yesterday". We still have them, but only reluctantly use them in CG's that use them or cash. Take too long and are open to all kinds of fraud when photo-shopped or copied. Its tough and expensive to stop a check. Our credit union charges $20 for a stop payment order. Credit cards are much safer and cheaper.
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BillandCarole
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06/10/11 08:42pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Planning & finding the sights along your route
Its what the wife does. She always tells me where to go....
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BillandCarole
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06/08/11 07:19am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: How much money do you keep for emergencies?
We have been on the road 2.5 months are still spending the original $400 that we brought with us. Checks and credit cards make up 90% of our purchases, especially for fuel. "Filling up" can cost well over $200 for us. Too much cash to carry around, not to mention the hassles us using it in our "pay at the pump" era. And "credit" is so pervasive that we even now use our cards to pay at McDonalds... I can't remember the last time I used "change". How things have changed.
Bill
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BillandCarole
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06/08/11 07:12am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Design/Max Water Pressure
Does ANYONE know what the design water pressure is supposed to be? I know stick houses are designed to run at 40 psi and had assumed (you know what this means) that RV's were the same.
Regards
Bill
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BillandCarole
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06/08/11 06:47am |
Tech Issues
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Design/Max Water Pressure
This topic has been moved to another forum.
You can read it here: 25127973
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BillandCarole
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06/07/11 09:12pm |
Technology Corner
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Design/Max Water Pressure
When connected to campground water, what is maximum safe pressure for a water connection? I have drawn the line at 50 psi before using our pressure reducer. Is this correct? An I overly cautious?
Thanks
Bill
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BillandCarole
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06/07/11 09:12pm |
Tech Issues
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