Hi All :)
It was a rainy weekend for the most part as predicted - Thursday was interesting though. The Direct-TV Guys were at the door at 9am to install service in the RV, which I was really pleased about because the campground we were staying at had no cable service - a first for us.
The doodled with trying to get a signal for 30 minutes (mind you I had a dich pre-installed on the RV by the previous owners) but after aiming correctly, etc., they got nothing - finally I said "Let's go up top and see if there is a problem."
We did and there was! the cable F-type connector had sheared from the cable at the dish and the installer placed a new connector on the cable - minutes later, I had 135 channels of TV and music in the bus -
www.beemaster.com/bus.htmlThen, after they left, I lowered the dish and (learned something new) it needs to be rotated 90 degrees to the left OR it meshes against my FM radio antenna - ugh. I lowered the dish and sure enough, I pulled the NEW CONNECTOR right out of the cable. I was furious knowing I wouldn't get them back before the time I left for camping - so I grabbed a 20ft piece of patch cable I had, screwed on a QUICK-DISCONNECT and ran a cable from the dish, thru the driverside window and connected it to the receiver - it worked perfectly fine!!!
I disconnected everything for the ride and hooked it back up at the campground. It got us thru the weekend wonderfully and I'm capable of replacing the f-type connector (radioshack $0.69 each) and keep the quick-disconnect attached up-top so it pulls free rather than strips out another connector.
Being an RV install (technically) I couldn't get the "Local Channel Package" until I got home....
More soon
Well... I was typing along, until the BOSS pointed a flashlight in our faces to get our attention - lol.
I called Direct-TV the same day we got home, said we were done with our traveling, give me my local channel package and BOOM it was done. Honestly: next day install, phone assistance in less than a minute - wow.
So, now I'm ready, with 3 months of HBO, STARZ, CINEMAX, SHOWTIME and ENCORE for free (til July 28th) I'm really delighted with their service (so far).
Any way - it's cold (in the 50s here) and although bees are flying, it is NOTHING like it should be. Both colonies look great and I'll be inside them later this week.
It was nice getting away, great to see 600+ members in the forums - and I hope everyone here had a great weekend.
NEXT.... We go further down the shore to a place we camped before, Oceanview Campground - again with the same friends and their friends - more card playing (I won $36 on Sunday night playing under the tarp in a rain shower) so there were no good days weather wise AFTER Thursday, but Tracey and I needed a break from life for a few days, and we sat around enjoying movies and educational shows and occasionally visiting with friends over the camp trip.
PS... About my alling it CAMPING - I know it is a STRETCH of the word - camping rarely involves, washer/dryers, convection ovens, 135 channels of digital tv and side by side fridges - I'll try to refrain and call it RVing which it surely a better description. Again, my idea of ruffing it is when the ice maker runs out of cubes (which, THANK GOD) hasn't happened yet