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 
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.