Yesterday, we mentioned five of our favorite electronic devices that help keep us sane as we live life on the go. Now to complete our list with the other five:
9. Atomic Clock/Weather Station – A device that deceives us regularly, but we always have an accurate time check, and the little man in our LCD 
window is cute, even if he’s wearing shorts on cold, rainy days. We see folks with the complete set-up including wind and rain gauges, but we’re mostly interested in knowing whether to wear short sleeves or a sweater. As an added weather monitor, we can look up at the skylight to see weather phenomena like sun, rain, ice, snow, etc. [pic]
7. GPS — “Defenestrate: the act of throwing a person or thing out of the window.” Monique spent a year threatening to defenestrate our GPS. It screws up regularly — like a few days ago when it had us going around a two-block area over and over (that’s the truth!) — it’s maddening, and you and everyone else using one has horror stories to tell. BUT, when it finds what we are looking for in a strange land, all is forgiven. GPSs take patience but are probably worth it.
5. Inverter – Motorhome and other RVs come with these, but I don’t know if it’s common in 5th wheels, trailers and smaller rigs. We bought one on recommendation of our long-haul trucker son; then, I spent almost a year getting up the nerve to attach it to the on-board batteries. Why did I wait so long? Now, when the campground reg is no generators before 10 a.m., we can make coffee at 7:30. We also run the computer, vacuum cleaner and any low-wattage device without hook-ups. Be careful, though; it drains the battery quickly when you’re using it for heat-producing devices. [See items 2 and 2a, Solar Panel and Regulator, from Part I] [Pic]
3. Internet connection — For many RVers on the road full-time or for extended travels, getting to the web is essential. We do all our banking online, as well as paying bills, communicating with friends and family, keeping up with the news, and a myriad of other uses. If you don’t have a way of connecting while in your RV, you probably go to campgrounds featuring WiFi, coffee shops, town libraries or find other resource. We started out with a big satellite dish on top of our rig, but with the frequent time-consuming pain of finding the satellite, Monique threatened to defenestrate me, so we dumped it. [More in Part III tomorrow] The satellite dish is the way-to-go for high usage, lots of data, streaming videos, speed and security. I used a friend’s phone card a couple of times, but now I “tether” my cellphone to my laptop and the world is within reach everywhere, except when we don’t have cell signal. Then we enjoy the chance to get to know locals at the library or coffee shop.
And now:
No. 1 Cell phone and 1a. Signal Booster – I’m sure I don’t have to explain the benefits of having at least one cell phone. We saw an article in an RV magazine a couple of years ago about the signal booster. It wasn’t long before we invested in one (in the $200 range with accessories), but it is one of those little-known gems that exceed expectations. When we have one bar in the tow vehicle and put the phone next to the booster pad, it often jumps to 3 or 4 bars. When we’re staying at a spot with poor reception for a few days or weeks, I hook it up in the trailer. A very useful electrical device that makes our life traveling the highways and back roads of North America much more comfortable.
I hope this article spurs your suggestions in the comments section below. We’re always eager to hear what works for you. And tune in tomorrow for the whirrr that drove Monique bananas.
From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.
Pat Hoechst
I just started reading your blog today and I’m fining it very interesting. You mentioned that …… ” now I “tether” my cellphone to my laptop “. I was wondering if any cell phone can be used and where you bought the ‘tether’? I’m also interested in the booster…can you tell me where you purchased it?
I really appreciate any help you can give me.
David in MN
Missed the others in your top 10 but these are great. Thanks for the info.
Jim B
Enjoyed the article(s).
The electronic devices we take along with most of the list includes
a. Ham radio and portable antennas. The rig is run off a storage batteries recharged by solar while boondocking, and if we are hooked up at a site I’ll use local power. Our generator is a backup and rarely used.
b. Handheld GPS, programmed for geocaching activities. With over one million caches registered worldwide, there is almost always the opportunity to get outdoors and explore the areas we visit.
See you out there!
w Baxter
A question – Why did you wait so long to install the inverter?
Without an inverter it always means either powerpole or generator for the morning routine. Which means less boondocking.
Enjoyed the articles.
Geoffrey Pruett
We are still using the non-preferred twin 12 volts for cabin use with a small solar panel for extended dry camping. Too little time on the setup for any real feedback on battery life but it works for us. We find ourselves dry camped at least 80% of the time and many of these places are quiet except during the day so the inverter gets used. Did redo my breaker box so that the fridge, 1000 watt wall heater and electric element in the water heater are not connected when dry camped. This is done very low tech with a junction box in the inverter housing(as close to the batteries as possible) and requires the usual time on the knees as the plug in used for shore or generator power. This works fine for at least 90% of our needs but when it is unshaded and hot we go back to the smelly noisemaker. Full automatic would be nice but we own what we have and do not need payments as that would make the rig a driveway queen with empty tanks.
Cushman Phillips
Comment on #5 Inverter
We tow a 36 foot triple slide 5th wheel. The unit is “Gen Prepped”, however we did not want to loose the storage space in the basement or listen to the “noise”. Our solution was to install four golf car batteries (440 AH) and a Xantrex pure sine wave inverter (2000 W)/charger. We can run everything in the coach except the AC units. Our Direct TV receivers and computers love the clean electricity.
Jarel Amox
I am a catastrophe adjuster and work all over the country. I know your pain with weak and non-existent signals. When we go to a storm my wife gets on the phone and lines up a park that has WIFI, a strong cell signal, and full hookups. I carry a Direct v dish with us wherever we go and we have local channels just like we were at home almost everywhere we go. Some times I have to call Direct v and politely discuss the lack of signal and it is immediately fixed. It only takes about 10 minutes to install the antenna on a tripod and tune it in.
I transmit very large email files and have not encountered a problem yet. We just let the people at the park know who we are and what we are doing and they give us all the help that they can.