Zephyrs

Lifehacker has a rundown on How to Get Rid of Ants. One idea is to get a good picture of the villain and send it to your local university extension service to identify. As they say, wars are won by knowing the enemy. That is the first step towards eliminating nests and trails and access points.

If you get an infestation at a campground, it can be difficult to get rid of ants that got into the RV. That means you need to be aware of any ant hills near your campsite and to watch carefully any access paths. At least with an RV, the means of ingress are a bit more limited.

How about free? It’s one of those base level service free if you buy the hardware things. Laptop has a story on the latest item: FreedomPop Hub Burst Router Grants Free 1GB Monthly Internet Access.

The Amazon affiliate link: Freddompop at Amazon supports this site.

FreedomPop’s website.

The biggest hassle for this idea might be that it appears to use the Sprint and Clearwire network. That network does not have the presence on the road as does Verizon or AT&T.

There is a similar product for telephones that uses the free Google Voice. Obihai on Amazon provides an ATA (analog telephone adapter) that plugs in between a typical landline phone and an internet connection. You program it with the Google Voice login data and then you can use it for making telephone calls. In addition to the free Google Voice, you can also program it to use one of several VOIP providers that will provide E911 and other services for a nominal fee.

Google Voice uses an email ‘chat’ function for its phone calls. It provides extensive voice mail facilities as well as the ability to route incoming calls to your other telephone numbers. When you sign up, you get a free telephone number but you can port a cell phone number (not a landline number) to be your Google Voice number for $20. Google has what they call 2 factor login that has, as a feature, special passwords you can allocate to specific applications such as the Obihai ATA or an email program like Thunderbird. If you log into your Google account from a computer, you will need to enter a code number received via phone call as the 2nd security layer.

Both of these communications channels, one for I’net and the other for telephone, illustrate how technology is being leveraged so we can get more for less. It can drive you nuts trying to keep up.

“By far, the biggest killer after a blizzard is carbon monoxide poisoning,” Lavonas [associate director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver] says. “The biggest mistakes people make are using improvised heating sources and using electrical generators improperly.”

Liz Szabo says Portable generators pose safety risk after snowstorm. The same thing happens whenever there is a major grid outage.

The same issues are a concern with RV’s. This is why such things as the Camco 44461 Gen-Turi RV Generator Exhaust Venting System [Amazon affiliate link] were created. If you can’t get the genset away from your RV and downwind, then perhaps getting the exhaust up will help. Whatever you do, a properly functioning CO detector is a must.

One of our friends ran a 2kw genset in the back of a pickup truck for an oxygen concentrator overnight. He was startled with the CO alarm in the wee hours as genset CO had penetrated his trailer.

In a B-Van, the genset exhaust was run to the nearest side right under the main window. It should, at least, have been run back to the rear quarter away from any windows or vents.

Note that carbon monoxide is a cumulative poison. Alarms have to look at potential dose over time to determine when things are getting hazardous.

As for the grid, PhysOrg says Better power grid synchronization may enable smart grids to self-recover from failures.

“Although the LHC has often been called the largest machine in the world, that title may be more appropriately given to something much more familiar: power grids. Consisting of thousands of generators and substations linked across thousands of miles, these networks form the backbone of society in developed countries. Yet most of the grids that power our modern economy are based on technology from the 1960s, even though power demands have changed dramatically since then.”

If you can get around the bias that seems so common these days about everything falling apart, the story does report on some of the esoteric stuff that we depend upon for electrical power. The grid is kinda’ like a big bowl of Jell-O (Jell-O at Amazon) with all sorts of wiggling on its surface. If something big comes along, a jiggle can form that swamps things and creates havoc. The report is about new techniques that watch the surface of the Jell-O and apply counter jiggles to help keep the surface smooth and power flowing like it is supposed to.

note: Amazon affiliate links support this site at no cost or obligation to readers. Your click through is appreciated.

The thing is, to make Jell-O during a power outage really requires refrigeration and that means an alternate power source. The advice is that you want to avoid opening the refrigerator door to help keep things cold. Maybe Hot Chocolate? But that requires heat and the problem of backup heat sources in the house is another hazard. Oh, my. Just bundle up and wait it out?

Off the (Meat) Hook has an entry {meeeeeeeeeaaaat} How To Cook Steaks On Your Stovetop That Taste Better Than in a Fancy Restaurant with some good tips for a good steak.

In your RV, the biggest problem is probably going to be the limits of the stove. Most modern RV stoves do have a high heat burner that will help get the pan good and hot. A good sear is one critical step to a good steak.

Also see wikiHow – How to Cook Steak in a Frying Pan. What’s Cooking America has its take with similar ideas: Perfect Steaks – How To Cook Perfect Steaks

good quality meat, room temperature, season or cure ahead of time, very hot pan, dry meat, good use of fat in the meat, consideration for carry-over cooking, — simple stuff but getting it right is sometimes not as easy as it sounds.

Fifty concepts stated, explained, and illustrated to show the how and why of cooking: The Science of Good Cooking (Cook’s Illustrated Cookbooks)

If you are into Alton Brown or are a Cook’s Illustrated subscriber or just interested in learning about such things as why Gentle Heat Prevents Overcooking, High Heat Develops Flavor, Some Proteins Are Best Cooked Twice, and more, this looks like a good resource.

(note: Amazon Affiliate Link: helps the site at no cost to you)

lifehacker had a couple of interesting ideas this morning. One is to cut a slot and mounting holes in a leftover piece of plastic pipe so it can serve as a plastic bag dispenser. The other idea is about peeling potatoes for mashed or perhaps potato salad use by boiling until they are cooked, immersing in ice water until cool enough to handle, and then just rubbing off the peel.

The bag dispenser looks good for those bags that come on a roll. You’d need a 2 or 3 inch pipe such as used for drain pipe. Cutting the slot for extracting bags one at a time could be a challenge without the right tools. Or you can see the Amazon search for garbage bag dispensers (Amazon affiliate link) if you don’t want to roll your own.

If you’d rather, you can use a device for potato peeling. See Potato peeling (Amazon affiliate link) for some ideas. The other option is to just leave the peel on the potato. It is supposed to be good for you (see nutritional value or Wonderful Health Benefits of Eating Potato With Skin On) — a lot of this just depends upon the type of potato and how you choose to cook and serve it.

Amazon has the SainSonic Non-Contact IR Infrared Thermometer Gun With Laser Targeting on sale for about $18. You need to keep this one handy in your rig so you can check tire and hub temperatures whenever you stop for a break.

If you find a tire running a lot hotter than the others (they should generally run at about 120F +/- 10F or so) you need to investigate. It might have a leak or, maybe, is just under-inflated.

If you have a hub running hot, it could be something as simple as a broken brake spring or as important as a bearing failure.

The IR thermometer can also be handy for cooking and other needs. Look around and you’ll find all sorts of ideas.

There is a fall sale of camping gear at Amazon. Tents, chairs, sleeping bags, Support the site, check it out, no cost to you, etc. (affiliate link)

The Churchill County Fairgrounds has a nice campground right on US 95 just south of Fallon Nevada. There was a lot going on there during the Labor Day weekend besides the SNU rally. The Lions Club Junior Rodeo raised the dust, the Cantaloupe Festival had the goods, and the concerts entertained. Then there was the mud volleyball …

See the photo galleries!

The campground has electricity and water at the RV sites. The dump station and water station near the entrance have robots to collect fees if you need to use their services. A lot of the horse trailers parked in the no services area at a reduced overnight fee. Good shade and a whole lot of goathead (aka puncture vine, Tribulus terrestris, see also sexual effects at nih.gov) and other stickers for the dogs and any bare feet. Jerry’s lawn carpets were a real help under the awning!

If you are into amateur radio or just looking to put up a CB antenna so you can hear the rally information, installing an antenna and wiring the radio can present a challenge. K0BG has a rundown on OTR and RV Installs that summarizes the issues.

“Common threads often include long cable runs, limited antenna mounting options, poor ground plane issues, and RFI suppression. Worse, the answers are not always simple; the solutions are usually more expensive than passenger vehicle installations; and most manufacturers are generally less cooperative than automobile manufacturers. The latter is especially true when the chassis, and the coach-work are made by different companies; a common occurrence with RVs, and not unknown in OTR trucks.”

It is not only about where to put the antenna but also about where to put the radio and how to run the wires. Then you get into problems of interference and noise. It can get interesting …

On the ‘free Kindle Books’ today at Amazon: How NOT to RV; The Rvers Guide to RVing in the Absurd (The How NOT To Guides).

The experience is based on a 1986 Airstream 345. “That’s thirty four and a half feet of vintage Need This, Fix That.”

“I didn’t have a great time without getting myself into a few pickles on the road. If you’re planning an RV adventure you should probably learn to like pickles no matter what kind of rig you’re driving”

The author is a psychoanalyst and says that “if you are seriously considering following the instructions in this guide, you should see a psychologist and it should probably not be Dr. Jennifer Flower.”

Looks like a fun book if you have a Kindle and probably worth the $3 if you don’t get in on the free deal.

(note: Amazon Affiliate link – help the site, check it out, but you’re on your own as to what you see and do)

There Is a Right and a Wrong Way to Use a Beach Towel — do you want to know why?

“That water-wicking blanket is actually an intricately designed instrument, fine-tuned to provide you with the best possible poolside experience. And here’s the thing: It’s entirely possible that you’ve been using it wrong all along.

The beach towel is not just an oversized, elaborately patterned bathroom towel, used to dry you off any which way. It has two distinct sides, designed for two very different purposes—and one side has absolutely no business in the bathroom.”

Gizmodo‘s Rachel Swaby provides some insight into the technology behind towels and why a bath towel and a beach towel are different. Who knew?

There is a transition under way from mechanical gauges for speed, coolant temperatures, oil pressure and other driver information to a video display. Extremetech has a rundown on the Digital dashboard: Why your car’s next instrument panel will be one big LCD.

There is the center stack – that’s in the middle where the radio, navigation display, and such things live. That radio is in transition, too, as it becomes more of a media center and interactive touch panel computing center. What to call the instruments behind the steering wheel is still a question.

“The industry hasn’t yet settled on a term for an instrument panel that uses an LCD or brighter OLED, so you’ll hear digital dashboard, virtual instrument cluster, reconfigurable instrument cluster, glass cockpit (borrowed from the aviation industry), and

digital instrument cluster display (ICD)

used to describe the instrument panel of the near future.”

It looks like that driver information is getting settled on a 12″ wide display with a layout selected as one of about four different options. There will likely be some customization available as well.

Once the transition to a 1280×480 display is done, the transition of the dial type display and some of the other gauge display styles that have become habit may occur as well. The manufacturer’s can’t change that look too much too fast as it tends to confuse drivers. Then there is the self driving car that is starting to become a realistic possibility. Driving won’t be the same and change is rapid.

Ziploc bags have a handy zipper closure that works pretty well in most cases (see Ziploc search on Amazon) but a lot of stuff, especially from bulk grocery stores, comes in thin plastic bags that normally need a twist tie or something to keep closed.

Lifehacker cited an idea about this that sounds interesting: Flip Top Vitamin Bottle To Easy Pour Plastic Bag Sealer which in turn cites A Useful Re-use of Plastic Bottle Caps. (good ideas do get around!)

The idea is to collect screw on lids, especially those that have flip up pour capability like some ketchup bottles or other condiments – and, apparently, some vitamin bottles. Along with the screw on lid, cut off the bottle top with the threads. Then you can trap the plastic bag between the threads and the screw on top. Then you can flip the pour spout on the lid to pour out bag contents as needed.

One nice thing about this plastic bag idea is that it is flexible storage. You do need to be careful to avoid rips or other holes in the bag but it will adapt its shape to the storage area available and only use as much space as its contents need.

What started as a ‘build your own’ when travelling has become something else. A Short History of the Campsite describes how culture and campsite and technology have kept pace. The story includes pictures!

“There is a satisfying immediacy about the prospect of establishing an encampment for the night — clearing the site, erecting the tent, chopping wood, building a fire and cooking over the live flame — that in turn suggests a meaningful connection to landscape, place and the rugged life of backwoods adventurers. In essence camping is an act of faith and survival, a way to buttress a modest, isolated human settlement against the forces of nature.”
…
“This summer millions of Americans will take to the road in search of this powerful experience of nature. And that parcel of land upon which most will elect to drive their car, set up their tent, park their trailer or RV is the campsite — which is thus not only an imagined ideal but also the fundamental unit of management of the modern campground.”
…
“Modern campsites embody a peculiar contradiction: They are defined and serviced by an increasingly sophisticated range of utilities and conveniences, and yet marketed to perpetuate the cherished American ideal of the backwoods camp.”

As an example, Sean describes his method for Finding overnight spots.

“I can probably start by saying we detest campgrounds. If we are in the forest, we’d rather be by ourselves in a clearing off a little-used dirt road than in a well-maintained Forest Service campground. If we are in a populated area, we’d rather be at Walmart, Cabela’s, or even parallel-parked on the street than in an RV park. Part of this preference is that we are cheap”

A campsite can be a way stop or it can be a destination or it can be a base for further adventure. It is your choice.

Lifehacker has some good points about pop-top can [wikipedia] technique. Turn Your Beverage Can Tab to Keep Wasps Out.

By simply turning the pull tab around to cover the opening (rather than pulling it off and tossing somewhere), you can use it as a screen to keep wasps and such sugar attracted bugs out of the can or you can use the pull tab as a straw holder to keep it from floating up and out.

Coffee? It get’s people going whether they are into it as a connoisseur of just want something other than water to drink. For a start, see the TT Owner’s Guide chapter on Living: Coffee.

The classic manual method is the Melitta: Melitta Ready Set Joe/Mug 64010 Coffee Makers Speciality. That’s a filtration system to sit on a cup so all you do is to heat water and pour it through.

Another one for hot coffee that provides a concentrated or even Expresso result is AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker with zippered nylon tote bag and an Extra 350 Micro Filters (700 Total). The discussions on just how hot the water should be and the specifics of the technique get quite extensive on the forums for the AeroPress. It does a good job when all you need is a cup or two and is easy to clean up. The amount of coffee you get from it is rather small but quite strong. You can dillute to fill two mugs and come up with a decent cup.

If you are into iced coffee or like to have a concentrate in the fridge so you can microwave a cup of coffee anytime, a cold brew might do. You can go with a ‘make your own’ from a couple of drink glasses left over from your last fast food run: Cold Brewed Coffee on the Cheap. A commercial version of this is the Toddy T2N Cold Brew System.

The cold brew idea is interesting in that it is a room temperature coffee brewing over a long time, like 12 hours or so. That creates a concentrate suitable for 3:1 dillution that can be stored in the fridge for a week or two.

Note: Amazon affiliate links are used here supporting the website. No cost or obligation to you and a potential help with the web hosting bill here. And they do provide an illustration to help you see what is being discussed..

If you do coffee for your camp group, a 3 liter Thermos type pot as shown in the Owner’s Guide will keep coffee available for the morning depending up how many and how coffee driven your friends are that morning.

Those LED strips can be an interesting arts and crafts project. See LED lighting – DIY strip lights (below in the blog).
The 5 meter, 100 12v module, self stick circuit tape runs anywhere from
around $15 to $100 or more depending upon source and (somewhat) LED
type and waterproofing.

A PWM Dimming Controller For LED Lights or Ribbon, 12 Volt 8 Amp, 3301 allows trimming down light levels (and power draw) to just what
you need. It also provides some over-voltage protection. Use a
‘safety off’ with them, just in case. The dimmer board and pot can be pulled
from the supplied case and installed with stand-offs or double sided tape
in the fixture.

The LED strips work well for many of the lights in an older Airstream. The
originals are often 3 bulbs riveted to an aluminum flashing to serve as
a reflector for both heat and light. That reflector makes for a nice
mounting for the LED strips. The result replaced the 60 watt
incandescent with a 20 watt or less, as needed, dimmable LED.

For connections between strips there are some clips Available. Soldering some wire pulled from old CAT 5 ethernet patch cable or low
power speaker cable also works.

Watch out for sharp cut edges that can cause shorts. Lift the ends of the strips a tad off the flashing and put a dollop
of hot glue underneath. The  hot glue is also useful to help secure the
wiring.

There are three color strips with the fancy remote controls and dimmer that can be used for mood lighting. The 16.4
Ft RGB Color Changing Kit with LED Flexible Strip, Controller + Remote
and 12 Volt 4 Amp Power Supply By Ledwholesalers, 2034rgb Kit ~ $35 makes for a good way to experiment with ‘mood’ lighting options.

A photo gallery is being prepared – more here when it gets posted!

There are other options. An E-Bay search might bring up some bulb replacements that are under $5. These are 36 LED arrays with a set of common bulb bases. The light strips might require a bit more ‘arts and crafts’ effort and skill but the do allow for more options and for spreading the light out.

more, later ….

The weather is beginning to pull on those who have an RV (and aren’t winter sports nuts!). Consumer Reports has Trailer tips – How to get ready for the summer towing season to get you off to a good start.

“If you’re a first timer, have recently stepped up to a larger trailer, or just want a refresher, start with our towing guide for the basics. That has plenty of information about how to match your vehicle to the load. (Also read: “Pulling your weight.”)

And whether you’re an experienced trailer veteran or hitching up for the first time, take a few minutes to read the following tips.”

Flush out the pink stuff in the plumbing, sanitize the fresh water system, and make sure everything works like it is supposed to. Then you can get out and enjoy what the RV offers.

Another Consumer Reports item is about How to prepare for driving without a spare tire. Check the DOT dates on the tires, including the spare if you have one. Inspect the tires for cracks and other problems, Investigate any tire that seems to be losing air faster than the others. Be prepared and check your emergency equipment.

Ever wonder about what’s left in the battery when off-grid? Worry about running the battery flat on a chilly night?

You’ve got two different measures to consider. One is the state of charge which is like a gas gauge in telling you how much of the battery you’ve used and how much you’ve got left. Another is the battery state of health which, when compared to the original battery specifications, tells you what you can expect from the battery. The state of health is good to know because a battery is like a fuel tank that shrinks as it ages.

Assessing state of charge used to be a matter of sampling battery electrolyte to determine specific gravity. That means lifting and moving a heavy battery to get at cell caps and then pulling a caustic acid sample from each cell for testing. This is serious hazmat territory and OSHA says several thousand people are injured in the U.S. every year from this sort of activity.

A more modern means to determine state of charge is to use a digital voltmeter. Here’s one way to keep an eye on your battery voltage that only costs about $15:

Equus 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor

One feature that makes this item attractive is that it is a three and a half digit voltmeter. That means it reads voltages out to two decimal places. That’s one digit more precision than you really need which means you can do your own rounding and can easier spot small changes in voltage response to loads and such things.

The Equus 3721 also includes a level graph and indicator lights to qualify the voltage reading. It has 2 modes for the indicators so that they indicate both battery and charging status. Switching to charging mode is not a simple voltage decision where higher voltages are considered charging. It appears that the Equus looks at the voltage it is measuring and switches to charging mode if it sees fluctuations that indicate a charging device is in the circuit. That sort of smarts adds value to the meter but it’s not perfect because a very smooth charge, such as from a good RV converter, will not trigger the mode change.

This DVM is intended for the automobile cigarette lighter socket. That is convenient but not always the best place for assessing RV battery status.

A bit more sophisticated is the BatteryMole Car Battery Warning System (12 Volt Automobile Battery Monitor with Battery Failure Prediction Logic). Made in USA for about twice the price. This one analyzes what engine starting does to battery voltage to infer a battery state of health. The description notes that battery voltage is best measured after 4 hours of no significant charging or discharging. Since it uses engine starting load for its measuring, it won’t help much in an RV situation.

One the high end are items such as Clipper BM-1CW Battery Monitor Compact White
or New Xantrex LinkPRO Battery Monitor and Xantrex LinkLITE Battery Monitor. These are integrating ammeters or ‘electron counters’. They not only watch voltage but also current. They use the data collected to try to figure out the actual state of charge.

“Defining the amount of energy available in a battery is a complex task since battery age, discharge current and temperature all influence the actual battery capacity. High performance measuring circuits, along with complex software algorithms, are used to exactly determine the remaining battery capacity.”

Numbers can be fun but tend to get old after a while. If you use that $15 DVM you can keep an eye on what your battery is doing so you can judge when it needs a recharge or you need to turn off the TV or when the battery just isn’t up to snuff anymore. The $250 class turns a lot of the judgment over to a robot whose conclusions should be properly qualified.