Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:54:00 -0600 Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators http://rvnavigator.com Podcast Maker v1.3.8b - http://www.lemonzdream.com/podcastmaker The digital home for RVers. RVing is not camping anymore. It has evolved into a high tech life style that requires maintaining many technology systems. This podcast will address the many issues that arise while traveling in an RV. The podcasters travel extensively in their RV so experience many of the issues first hand. en-us 2006-7 Ken Wiseman navigator@rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/logo_144.jpg http://rvnavigator.com 144 56 Places & Travel travel, RV, camping, technology clean Ken Wiseman Our destination this month are some of America's iconic National Parks. We last visited them 30 years ago in a small campervan. We have a long time friend from Munich, Germany traveling with us. Join us for the trip from Grand Canyon to Yellowstone. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep41_07-09.mp3 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:35:19 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:43:47 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman The motorhome's diesel fired up after 6 months of rest as we head west. We are on the road again visiting some of the iconic national parks with a friend visiting from Germany. Join us for the adventure. After only 6 weeks at home the travel bug hit us again so we cranked up the motorhome to head to Arizona and points North. That's the grand plan, but leaving on May 15th with those many days and miles of road between us and Arizona, left us rather road weary. Arriving in Flagstaff, AZ some 1500 miles from home, we took some time for sight seeing and relaxing in the Arizona sun. That just didn't work out as the weather was not even up to Illinois Memorial Day standards. We tried many free campgrounds on this trip west. This has become a standard operating procedure for us both as a money saving opportunity. We include a list of free camping resources. We do of course keep you up to day with the latest in the RVing world. I am always looking for the latest and greatest RVing toys and have some to share this month. Also covered in this episode is water purification and some questions about campground rules. Join us for 35 minutes of RVing banter. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep40_6-09.mp3 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:15:27 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:37:22 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman After several long flights, the RV Navigator arrived home from 83 days in New Zealand & Australia in early April. This month we are glad to share a new RV song and an interesting interview with another Australian RVing couple, Andrew and Catherine. After several long flights, the RV Navigator arrived home from 83 days in New Zealand & Australia in early April. This month we are glad to share a new RV song and an interesting interview with another Australian RVing couple, Andrew and Catherine. This interview was conducted in our hotel room on one of the final days in Sydney. They we kind enough to drive several hours to spend some time with us. The efforts of our listeners to spend some time with us is truly gratifying and we appreciate the efforts. As usual we also have been doing some upgrades to our RVing experiences at home in preparation for our upcoming trip to some of our biggest national parks later in May. We upgraded our cell phone data service with a new data card, purchased new folding bikes, and bought new batteries for the motorhome. These and several other new topics are the focus of our discussion in this episode. So what about daisywheeling - our guests purchased their motorhome (a class C by US standards) because they did NOT want to do daisywheel camping. We on the other hand nearly always to daisywheel camping. Where do you stand? Take a listen for more details. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep39_05-09.mp3 Fri, 01 May 2009 03:30:15 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:55:06 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman A month at sea - circumnavigating Australia. Not driving in an RV but on a cruise ship. Ninety percent of Australia's population lives along one of the coasts so traveling via ship to see the highlights of Australia is very feasible in 28 days. If you tried to download last months episode (March, 2009) and found 20 minutes of silence about a minute into the show, please download it again. This mistake was online for about 12 hrs. Sorry for the mistake, I have no explanation for this gap - but that's technology. As for this month, we have taken a different approach to seeing Australia. After 35 days in New Zealand driving on narrow roads on the wrong side of the road, we are letting some one else do the driving. We joined the Sun Princess in Sydney for a 28 day cruise around Australia. Looking at an Australia map and knowing the capabilities of our traveling in an RV, we decided that it would be impossible to really see Australia in a few weeks in an RV. A comparible 35 days spent RVing Australia would only get us to the East coast of this vast land. The cruise ship however seemed like a logical alternative. It visits the most important ports on the many coastal areas of Australia from Sydney around to Perth and Tasmania. Driving would have been taxing involving thousands of miles and many days of driving just to get to the major cities. So now that this trip is about done, we are happy with the experience and feel that we have truly tasted the best of Australia. Yes, we could spend much more time in many of the ports, but we now have a much better feel for the soul of the country and it people. The ships passengers were 80 percent Australian, so we were able to meet and talk with many "locals" for every corner of the country. This has been a real pleasure and learning experience. In this podcast we feature and interview with Al and Sue, loyal RV Navigator Podcast listeners from Australia. Listening to them will give all of our listeners a chance to hear about Aussie Caravanning first hand. We enjoy meeting listeners and are sure that you will enjoy this interview. Also, we have our usual features with news from the world of RVing back home, a bit of R'n'R (ranting and raving) by Ken, some new technology to keep you eye on and emails from listeners. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep38_04-09.mp3 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:47:35 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:45:37 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman After 30 days in a rental RV driving on the left(which is right-correct) in New Zealand, we are ready to give you our report. We are joined by our travel companions Barb & Gary to give you the full RVing story & impressions of this very scenic country. Have you thought of an RV vacation in New Zealand? Hundreds of RVers are traveling to New Zealand to see the sights and enjoy the wilderness. We don't know how many are Americans, but there are "camper-vans" on every road at every major tourist attraction. Renting an RV is a very popular way to see the country, so we decided to give it a try. Over all our experiences were very positive. Although it may seem daunting to plan an itinerary for a trip in such a distant location, it really is as easy as traveling at home. The campgrounds (Holiday Parks) are good, the roads are well marked and easy to navigate and the attractions world class. Of course there are differences, but that the fun of travel outside the US. Yes, we were driving on the left, yes there are more roundabouts than anyone would believe, yes there are many one lane bridges, yes the mountain roads are narrow, but the experience makes learning these difference worthwhile. Your 4 (for this trip) RV Navigators have driven 3231 miles in their rental RVs to bring you real story. We could have done an RV Caravan where someone else does the planning, but we wanted a more customized and longer trip so we did it all ourselves. It was a smart decision and we had a great time. No tickets, accidents or mishaps marred our trip. Even the white knuckle driving was worth the scenic beauty that was at the end of the road. We chose January-February for the best weather and we were reward with some spectacular blue sky days. Although the weather is never perfect for long, on the days we needed clear skies the weather cooperated. The temperatures were mostly warm but we did need a heater on some nights even in the mid summer. The south island of New Zealand, has the mountains and water that combines to make for scenic beauty. The North island is more developed and has thermal features and beaches. Because it is in the North, it is warmer and more suited to beach vacations. Although we didn't do much swimming, the seascapes should put it on anyone must see list. This episode is rather long but we have lots to share and we hope that you'll want to travel to New Zealand after hearing it. It has been an experience getting this podcast ready for uploading, so we hope that you enjoy it. As always we appreciate your listening. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep37_03-09.mp3 Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:29:00 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:52:48 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman A quick flight south takes us to New Zealand for some new RVing experiences. For the next month we'll be in the summer sun of New Zealand traveling on the left with a rented class C rv. We also share some general travel tips for making long flights. This winter we decided to head really far south, crossing the equator, dateline, hemisheres abd multiple time zones, to find a real summer experience. We landed in Auckland NZ for a month of travel via rental RV. In our case we are renting a 21ft Jayco class C, with a left hand drive diesel and manual transmission. The biggest problem with this set up is that the copilot is always getting in on the drivers side. Artie our Garmin GPS has been updated with NZ maps so is doing his usual great job of getting us around in unfamiliar territory. He has not learn how to shout "STAY LEFT" but the co-pilot is handling this job with ease. Over all we have enjoyed some great natural sites and good roads as we travel around the country. More details next month- there are alot interesting RVing details that we'll share later. We thought that many of our listeners might be planning a trip overseas - now that the dollar has finally start to increase in value, travel is more affordable. Traveling outside the US has its quirks, so you need to know a few facts and tips before venturing abroad. We share our packing, money, jet-lag stratgies with out listeners. Internet abroad is getting better but we want you to be aware of some issues in the internet landscape with effect you both at home and abroad. We share an article from "Geeks on Tour" and give our perspective on this important topic. It has been an experience getting this podcast ready for uploading so we hope that you enjoy it. As always we appreciate your listening. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep36_02-09.mp3 Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:07:58 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:40:17 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman The end of our 3 season of doing the podcast and it has been rewarding. We now have over 1600 downloads per month plus we hear from many listeners. It is time to say thanks for listening. Year end bring lots of interesting topics for the show. The end of our 3 season of doing the podcast and it has been rewarding. We now have over 1600 downloads per month plus we hear from many listeners. It is time to say thanks for listening. Year end bring lots of interesting topics for this month episode. After unsuccessfully searching for RV themed carols for last months episode, listener Don from Texas suggested "Livin' in a Mobile Home" by "Riders in the Sky" as a theme song with no holiday significance. An a joy it was to listen too after spending quite alot of effort to obtain the out of print CD from 1990. Then it is on to Homer Simpson and his trails with buying the "Ultra Land Behemoth" ultimate motorhome, from Bob's RV. We spend some time talking about new products introduced at the national RV show in Louisville in early December. Besides the interesting new RV configuration including a slide within a slide, there was a fuel cell electric generator. These and many more topics are on our agenda for this podcast so give it a listen and keep in touch via the listener comment line, 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep35_01-09.mp3 Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:50:55 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:44:02 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman At home for the holidays we begin thinking of what RVers want for the Holidays. We make some suggestions and pass along the latest RV news. New RVs, Podcasts from the national parks and electric vs propane are just some of the topics for December. A warm holiday greeting from your RV Navigators is the first order of business. We have heard from so many listeners about their RVing hopes and dreams this past year. It has been very rewarding for us. We are homebodies for the holidays. Since retiring we don't travel over the holidays, so we spend the time getting caught up on projects and seeing friends. Out of this busy schedule (oh, ya, very busy :-) we take time out to make the monthly podcast. Our thoughts are about the holidays, so we are doing our annual RVers gift guide in addition to a few other topics. How about a 32 foot diesel class A motor home that gets nearly 15 miles per gal? Damon has introduced the Avanti which is just that. We offer some great gift ideas - and we look to you for more. So send us your greatest hits for RVers list. One of our projects has been the creation of a photo book of our New England Fall Colors trip. There are many choices, but we have settled on Blurb as our printer. For a few dollars they will print a high quality photobook which has been custom designed by you. These can also be view on their website. Do a search on "Peeparazzi" on the Blurb.com website to see our work. With the cold weather taking hold, RVers are faced with keeping their RV warm and toasty. As we all know even the warm climes frequented by Snowbirds can still get cold. Should you use electric or propane heat? How to keep your expensive RV batteries in good share are both topics covered in this podcast. Time to be merry, our gift list includes some big, some small, some funny, and some serious gift suggestions. We even end with a Christmas carol, so take a listen to this months RV navigator and send us email or a comment on the listener comment line, 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep34_12-08.mp3 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:59:09 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:36:45 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman A month of travel over several states in New England finds us with a huge collection of great collection fall color photos. We have stories to tell and experiences to share about this most interesting trip. RVing news & a digital photo primer are included It has been quite a month on the road for us. With falling prices of diesel, we feel more like hitting the road and that is exactly what we did. We left you on the coast of Maine eating Lobster. We headed inland to take in the fall colors of New England. After a rainy and cold beginning, the weather turned perfect for leaf peeping and we got to working taking what turned out to be 24 gigs of digital photos. The crystal blue skys combined with the rich color of the foliage really made our photos pop. The website contains a link to some of the best examples. We also spent 5 days at a digital photo workshop sponsored by Elder Hostel. We took several field trips - some in the early morning - to get the perfect shots. On the RVing side, although gas prices are down, sales of RV are not up, Why? We have an explanation. We also stayed a a couple of interesting campgrounds which will be interest to many listeners. Our trip to Speedco for an oil change proved enlightening and we share some of our digital photo experiences. All in all a good month in the RV and we are anxious to share it with you. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep33_11-08.mp3 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:25:33 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:41:46 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman On the road in New England this month for the Fall Colors - which are finally about ready to view. We interview new full timers, Geoff and Ellyn as they embark on their RV travel adventures. POI files, winterizing your RV, and new GPS round out the month. This month has been full of great experiences from interviewing two of our listeners to eating many lobster dinners in the RV. A week on Cape Cod in the off season was a great way to introduce us to the best of New England via some great beaches, scenic campgrounds, bike paths, good eateries, and new friends. This is RVing at it best. Leaving was hard, but we headed up the Maine coast to see some of the picturesque fishing harbors for which this state is famous. Boothbay was one of the most interesting but we found many smaller towns full of fishing boats just waiting to be photographed. With the trees beginning to change, we headed off to NH and Lake George (NY). Unfortunately the weather has not held out so our enjoyment has been diminished as the rain falls. The POI (point of interest) file that I purchased for my GPS last month did not pan out. This file for a cost of $49, was supposed to give our GPS new power by installing a huge number of new searchable points of reference like campgrounds, state parks, and similar RV related destinations. The company could not deliver the product to me without a great deal of aggravation (who ever heard of a 24 hour download window that expired two hours after notification?) so I use an alternative source for this info, POI-factory. com. This website posts POI files (usable in most GPSs with a USB port or connection) created by fellow GPS users. These files are a free download and can be combined into a very useful set of additional POIs for your GPS. As an example, I downloaded Superwalmarts, Flying Js, State Parks, NH covered bridges and many others. Downloads are quick and transfer to the GPS is even faster. Once in the GPS, using the search function makes them accessible. We also tried casino camping this month. Free is always a nice way to camp as long as you are self contained. The casino camper website provides lots of info and useful tips and a database of casino that welcome RVers. Our casino camping proved to be not only economical but scenic to boot. We always wondered how it is to start off on an RV lifestyle without any experience. Our interview with listeners Geoff and Ellyn give us some insight into their decision to sell the house and belongings, buy an RV and head out on the road. I am sure that you'll be interested in their decision making process and can do spirit as they move into their RV. UPDATE: It looks like their house has sold so they plan to be full timers by October 1st. Great news and good luck. As full timers you'd probably don't have to winterize the RV, but the rest of us in colder climates have to shut down the RV during cold weather (at least for a few months). We share our winterizing procedures and techniques with you during this October episode. Last major topic this month is my purchase of a new hand held GPS. Geoff showed me a cool feature of his hand held GPS, its ability to create tracks. Tracks map your movements on a map for later download. Put the GPS in your pocket and it follows you on your sight seeing for the day. Not only didn't my old GPS not do tracks, but it needed a full view of the sky to read the satellites. My new Garmin Oregon 300 tracks us almost everywhere - even indoors. Amazing. Once you have the tracks, your digital photos can be tied to a specific location using the GPS info. Digital photos have a data record called metadata where all sorts of info about the photo is kept - and a blank space for GPS coordinates. Unfortunately, most cameras do not have a built in GPS so this data is missing - until now. Once the track is downloaded, it can be easily synced with your photos AND plotted on a Google map. http:rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep32_10-08.mp3 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:28:40 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:44:41 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Your RV Navigators are once again using their mobile RV studio for the Podcast. This month from Boston. Topic include several updates, listener news, & of course our monthly features (solar panels & tire pressure monitors) & web selections. Labor day finds us in Boston, MA at a very nice campground. You'll remember that the weather in the Northeast was perfect this year and we made the most of it. We don't travel much on Labor day, but this year we wanted to be ready to see the fall colors a bit later in the month so we left a bit early. After a 1200 mile trip where we saw the price of diesel drop significantly (only about $4.10/gal), we'll be in this area for a couple of months. In the podcast we describe our 2 week trip to this area with a few nice stops in PA. Our listeners have contributed to the podcast with both audio comments and a nice description of a TV install. This is an update to my efforts at swapping out our TVs earlier this summer. Over all our transition to all digital tvs has been very successful. Nearly every location has several digital channels now (several months before the mandatory change over) that are easy to received and excellent quality. This even when the old signal is questionable. At one campground in PA, we were able to receive 2 old channels and 4 digital channels. Of course the digital channels had a great picture. Our monthly features include discussion of tire pressure monitor systems, solar panels, and new cabinets. http://rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep31_9-08.mp3 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:09:01 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:38:32 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Podcasting from the home front but we have lots of good RV stuff to share. Really our listeners have been sharing with us this month by sending comments via email and voicemail so we base our agenda on their input. Once again we are podcasting from the home front but we have lots of good RV stuff to share. Really our listeners have been sharing with us this month by sending comments via email and voicemail. In these days of bad news in the RV industry, we try to take a lighter approach to our usual RV news with several rather funny stories form the world of RVing. We are about to finish the TV swap project started last month now that we finally have a solution to the last problem. Included is a great book review from listener Suzi and a an extended question about full-timing from listener Ellyn. This last voice mail gets us started on an extended answer that takes through the entire RVing lifestyle - at least the way we live it. We end up with our usual recommendation of great web sites - but with a twist. This month we recommend free cell phone services that will make the life of an RVer easier. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep30_8-08.mp3 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:57:21 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:46:11 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Summer at home but always thinking of RVing. We take time to replace our current tube TVs with new larger LÇDs that fit in the same cabinets. Hear about this exciting adventure plus lots of RVing news and commentary. With lots of days of perfect weather, Chicago is a delight in the summer - this is our camping off season! The big city offers a plethora of interesting activities for all tastes - including the taste of Chicago food festival. We bike the lake front, go to the theater, golf and generally enjoy the summer ambiance surrounding the big city. Rving is never far from our minds as we planned to replace the factory installed TVs in the rig. This is a challenge because we didn't want just big holes where the old ones once sat. There had to be new LCD models that would fit into the hole without alot of specialized carpentry. After some planning and measuring we found models that would fit the holes but how would they be mounted? It actually turned out to be easier than we thought and only minimal cost beyond the cost of the TVs themselves. Based on our experience, most of our listeners should be able to make the transition. As always we talk about trends in the RVing world which is dominated by rising gas prices. It only cost us $250 to put in 52 gallons of diesel last week on our short trip to Elkhart, IN. Will be get used to spending 55 cents a mile? Ask us next year. This is the first anniversary of our purchase of the motorhome and we ask ourselves would we do it again? As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep29_7-08.mp3 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:00:26 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:41:46 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Fuel prices sky rocketing and campground prices rising, can we afford to RV much longer? The RV Navigators give their take on the changes that RVing is undergoing. Also lots of what's new, including GPS and Laptops are covered in this episode. We, like all RVers are faced, with dramatically rising costs for our favorite means of travel (not that other modes are not also facing increases). How will be cope? After discussing the latest RV trends many of which involve fuel saving technology, we give you our perspective on the high prices. For instance, soft demand for RVs many mean lower purchase prices which if leveraged can be put into fuel to power the new rig. A $10,000 savings on a new RV can buy alot of fuel. Beyond this type of "saving" strategy, are thee prices so shocking? We have seen the costs of RVing rise dramatically in the last 10 years, but until recently demand has been strong. We get used to the prices and adjust our travels and budget accordingly. It is really not the price of fuel that is the shock, it is how fast it is going up that kills demand. Along with this topic we address which states are kind to full timers, safety issues and much more. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep28_6-08.mp3 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:13:14 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:42:28 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Your navigators head to the ocean for a small boat sailing adventure - 10 days on the water with 6 friends on a 43ft catamaran on the Sea of Cortez. It would seem that this type of sailing is alot like RVing, but on water. LIsten to our impressions. It has always been one our dreams to sail the ocean blue on a small boat. The opportunity to act on this dream presented itself when we met a real sailor who was looking for a crew. This started our La Paz sailing adventure aboard the "Gato de Cortez" catamaran rented from "The Moorings" in La Paz Mexico. In late April we embarked on a 10 sail along the rugged coast line of the Baja. Ten days of complete wilderness on the water. Anchoring nightly in small protected coves, hiking the hill, walking the beaches where all part of the sailing experience. Although we never lost sight of land, the land was uninhabitable due to rough terrain and desert conditions. Thus there were no towns and only a few hearty fishermen scattered along the coast. Other than buying some fresh fish from them, we encountered no signs of human habitation during our sail. We share with our listeners how we provisioned and lived on the boat during the sail. Was it a hardship for your RV Navigator, who are so used to modern technology? Yes, but we did survive with many great stories. How is land RVing different from sea RVing? Put up your feet and listen to this unusual experience. You RV Navigators tell all and sare their hard earned insights. As always we appreciate your comments and suggestions both via email and listener comment line. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep27_5-08.mp3 Thu, 01 May 2008 00:32:27 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:36:22 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman After spending $600 on fuel to make the trip home, we share the events along the way. From Perry to home with the latest RV news, website and tech topics, the RV Navigator is about what's new in RVing. Life after "The Rally" in Perry, GA. We basically headed for home and cold weather. Yes, the motorhome had to be winterized for the second time this season. Temps in Chicago are not reliably above freezing until mid-May. In the podcast, we share the latest news, rv web sites and our impressions of the Rally's display of rigs. I share some thoughts about the transition to digital TV as it relates to RVers and some WiFi hints to keep the signal coming. We use Wifi to distribute the satellite/cell internet connection to our 3 computers in the rig. Some things can upset the signal or shorten the range. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep26_4-08.mp3 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:47:24 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:40:15 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman The RV Navigators are reporting from "The Rally" in Perry, GA. We making a 2nd episode this month to keep you abreast of the latest in RV trends from the show. The regular episode in April will be a follow-up with more from Perry. Follow our adventures in the Peach state as we travel the roads of Georgia on our way to attending the national RV Rally in Perry, GA. This rally attended by thousands of RVers with their rigs showcases all of the latest RV technology and updates. With over 500 vendors and 30 informational sessions, we have lots to share in this episode. So much in fact that we cut the report in to two sections with the second to follow in April. The RV Navigator feedback line has been busy as we share two calls with our listeners as well as a first hand interview with with a listener and vendor at the show. Debbie owner and operator of TrueSoaps was kind enough to talk with us about the podcast and her products. There is too much to write in a short summary so please take a listen to this episode. We share our experiences with electrical problems, ULSD, camping in Canada, convection ovens, and much more. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. We look forward to hearing from you. http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep25_3.5-08.mp3 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:21:08 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:40:13 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Join us for a circumnavigation of Florida this month. We share the surprises and joys of camping in this state. The latest RVing news, gadgets, and our expectations for 21st century campgrounds are our major topics in this episode. Join us! Our goal for this winter's warm weather traveling was to circumnavigate Florida without a schedule. We started on the West coast near Tampa and spent the month traveling south to the Keys and then back North as we gradually head toward home. We had some surprises and many interesting experiences in this the Sunshine state. Join us for our reactions to the major camping centers of Florida both positive and negative. The trip South started at the nations largest RV dealer, Lazy Days RV near Tampa. Many of your have probably already visited this RV destination, but this was our first visit. We had heard of LD many times so we were glad to finally have a chance to actually visit in person. It is quite a place - worth a detour. The podcast agenda moves on to the latest in RV news (how about a 6 slide out RV?), gadgets that we purchased at the Tampa RV supershow and ends with our take on 21st Century RV parks. What do you expect from an RV park? Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_ep24_3-08_4.mp3 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:05:43 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:40:01 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Leaving the cold Illinois weather was hard in January as we headed South to the warmth in Florida. Join us for a RV updates from the Tampa RV super show with over 1300 new RVs on display we share our impressions of the latest and greatest RVs. After some delay in starting our trip South due to poor weather/road conditions, we got under way in -3 degree weather at home. Just a few days later we had made the journey south where the weather turned out to be very nice thus making the trip worth the effort. Our first stop was in Fort Desoto county park near St. Pete. A wonderful campground offering sites on the ocean and one of the great beaches of Florida. We headed off to Fort Wilderness at Disney World. Quite a different experience but quite nice also. As you would expect this campground is well organized with uniform sites and amenities. It has all of the services of a Disney property including site cleaning prior to guests arrival. After a few days in the park, we headed to the Tampa RV Super Show to see the latest in RVs and related stuff. In this episode we talk about the new RVs on display (1300 of em). In the next episode we'll talk about the new stuff. Send comments, suggestions and ideas to navigator@rvnavigator.com or use the comment hot line 815/230-0772. http://rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/Rv_nav_ep23_2-08.mp3 Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:45:21 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:35:29 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Our new Iistener comment line 815/230-0772 is introduced as we share the latest news in the RV world and our take on winter camping. As we begin the new year our thoughts turn to hitting the RV road and how to handle the cold that we experience while RVing in the winter. We begin with some interesting news from the RV industry- trends and developments as well as some takes on new products. We also follow up on some comments about RVing in Europe with a very interesting RV blog. We move on to some ideas about winter RVing - we are not experts so we ask for your suggestions via our new listener comment line 815/230-0772. Thanks for making the RV Navigator podcast a success with over 11,500 downloads to date. http://rvnavigator.com/RvNavEp22_1-08.mp3 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:24:06 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:32:51 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman Xmas gift suggestions for your favorite RVer, RV news and developments plus our observations about Caravaning (Camping) in Europe are featured in this espisode. After spending a couple of months on the road -not RVing - we are once again at home planning our next RV trip. We'll be heading off to Florida for the winter season. Nothing stationary for us this years as we'll moving around the entire state following the weather. This episode finds us at home reflecting on our most recent trip and making some comparisons to camping in the US and the UK. With the Christmas season upon us, we also got to thinking about some appropriate gifts for the RVer in your family. We suggestions for all budgets from the $5 to the $500+. The show notes will have all of the links for the items mentioned. We are also starting a new feature that will bring you current news from the world of RVing. New products, floorplans, trends and anything else we find interesting. Be sure to send us your comments and show suggestions. http://rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_ep21_12-07.mp3 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:00:00 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:45:16 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators This month finds us still on the road overseas but we are still actively working on RV adventures. What good are sway bars provides an interesting topic of discussion plus some thoughts on digital photography make up this months topics. RVing is never very far from our thoughts and is one of favorite means of travel. In order to see much of the world however, we have to leave the RV. This month we are on a suitcase trip that will take us to Ireland. It might be possible to RV in Ireland, we are renting a car while doing the B&B stays for the nights. More on this later. This episode's first topic came via a listener who asked about sway bars for their TT. Although we've had some experience in this area, we did a bit of research and shared our ideas. The episodes ends with our take on digital photography - which camera for you and what specs are most important. This is a hot topic for all types of travelers including RVers. http://rvnavigator.com/RV%20Nav_ep20_11-07.mp3 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:28:52 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:36:12 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman This month finds us away from home & RVing as we make a wide ranging trip to Asia. Our mode of transportation is cruising which is second only to RVing as a mode of travel in our minds. We have been cruising since 1973 - almost as long as we have been RVing so we have had many exciting trips on various cruise ships over the years. When we thing of cruising is it in many ways like RVing. Compact living away from home. AHHH, but cruising has a major difference - 2600 passengers move from port to port with only one driver. We don't have to navigate, drive, cook, clean or worry about where to park. RVing is great but cruising puts it on steroids. We talk about the similarities and difference and add a few RV specific topics in the mix. How did you finance your last RV? Our recent purchase made us do the research to consider the pros and cons of each option. We candidly share our financing decisions with listeners and ask for feedback and comments. http://rvnavigator.com/RV_NavEp_19_10-07.mp3 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:11:04 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:28:03 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators After several months of ownership, we have almost completed the customizing. Every rig needs a bit of customizing to make it your own and would like to share our experience and hear about yours. We take the opportunity to wrap up a couple of issues from previous months and to share our experience with custom cabinetry for our rig. Wether it's a motorhome, 5th wheel, or TT , it probably is not exactly as you'd wanted from the factory. The Elkhart IN vicinity offers many opportunities for customizing your rig. We share our experiences and offer ideas. We are always anxious to hear from you about this topic, so share when you can. http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_ep18_9-07.mp3 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:12:08 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:38:16 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators How to connect to the internet while RVing - a hot topic and one which we share our first hand knowledge. We recently got on the high speed cell phone data network but we are keeping our satellite internet. Why do we need both? Dog days of August but we are still at working customizing our motorhome. Lots has happened this past month, but we are focusing on our internet connection options this month. You can rely on campgrounds for internet connectivity or you can bring it with you. We have started a 2nd service via cell phone which offers several advantage over the long time satellite connection that we have used. Both deliver the internet over wifi but each has its pros and cons. Listen to our first hand experiences and decide for your self. http://http://rvnavigator.com/RV Nav ep17f_08-07.mp3 http://rvnavigator.com/RV%20Nav%20ep17f_08-07.mp3 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:55:19 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:33:53 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators As you might guess we have made the switch from being experienced 5th Wheelers to novice Motorhomers (class A, diesel pusher). Why did we switch, what are the advantages of each, how does this fit in our life style are the main topics this edition. Several emails have prompted us to describe the process that we went though in making the switch between a 5th wheel trailer and a Diesel pusher motorhome. Our rational make sense to us but it may not be for everyone. Join in the discussion via email at navigator@rvnavigator.com. The switch will be fodder for several more podcasts as customize this coach for our specific uses. This should provide listeners with many interesting ideas for their own rigs. http://rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVNavEp16_7-07.mp3 Sun, 01 Jul 2007 13:00:00 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:36:49 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Now that we are back home, we are catching up with listener email and questions. The RV Navigator listener rigs website will host pix of your rigs - send them along. We talk about our recent rally experiences and our use of web resources to buy a new RV. Join us as we go through the process of buying a new (to use) rig for future adventures. How to buy and sell on the web as well as our use of the web for other RV issues and questions. http://rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_ep15_6-07.mp3 Fri, 01 Jun 2007 10:08:46 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:37:57 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Join us for a discussion of the pros and cons of membership campinng - is it for you? Topic two is an interview with two new owners of a Sportsmobile class B RV. Why did they choose this type of RV? Is Sportsmobile for you? http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_ep14f-5-07.mp3 Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:39:45 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:33:07 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Part 2 of the Eastern Mexico RV Caravan adventure. The ups and downs of caravaning in Mexico are discussed. The technical topic is electricity for the RV. Generator and campground electricity, what are the issues? The RV caravan is a great way to get introduced to RVing in Mexico. Our experiences were very positive, but there are some special techniques that are required to camp in this interesting country. Over all they are not set up with full service campgrounds so how do you cope? Last month we discussed water issues and we expand on that with electricity this month. What are the concerns with electricity both at home and in another country. http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_Ep13.mp3 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:23:20 -0600 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:35:19 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators On the road in Mexico's Yucatan, the RV navigators describe their adventure and discuss how they handle the issue of pure water. The RV Navigators are on a 44 day caravan RV tour of Eastern Mexico including the Yucatan. The trip has many interesting aspects and challenges. One problem while in a developing country is clean water. Your Navigator spend some time explaining the ins and outs of finding and purifying water for their RV. The website has several handouts and links to relevant information. http:rvnavigator.com http://rvnavigator.com/rvnav_ep12.mp3 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 14:20:13 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:36:39 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Interview with Howard and Linda from the RV Dreams website. RV Dreams shows would be full time RVers how to make it happen. These two are living the dream of many RVers by going full time while in their 40s. Have you considered full time Rving - selling your house and your possessions in order to hit the road full time? Is this a dream or reality for those of any age? Today we interview a couple in their 40s who have done just that. How do they manage to survive both financially and emotionally while in their RV 365 days a year? Howard and Linda have set up a website that details their experiences and decision making processes as they have followed this path since 2005. This interview will give you a tantalizing glimpse into their exciting experiment and adventure. If you need more info, they provide a vast array of content regarding the RV lifestyle on their website, RV Dreams. They look forward to your visiting the website and hearing from you as you conte http://rvnavigator.com/RVnav%20ep11f.m4a Thu, 01 Feb 2007 09:38:45 -0700 Travel, Camping, RV clean 00:46:19 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Join your hosts on their trip to the southern tip of Texas. Topics in this podcast range from digial convergency to the best spots in the US to take your rig to what's new at an RV show they attended. The weather in southern Texas turned down right cold in January, 2007 so your hosts had to hunker down in their rig until the warm returned. The RV resort life style can be enjoyed in many parts of the country. Get your hosts impressions of several popular RV hotspots from across the US. They also talk about several breaking RV news stories and their trip to an RV Showcase in this episode http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav%20ep10f.mp3 Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:18:57 -0700 Travel clean 00:40:44 travel, RV, camping, technology RV Navigator, The audio voice of the RV community With Christmas 2006 fast approaching, the RV Navigators explore some gifts for the Technology oriented RVer in your family. The list is use during the entire years as it has many interesting suggestions, tips and hints. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_ep9.mp3 Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:59:57 -0700 Travel clean 00:30:56 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, the RV Navigators With the official switch to digital TV scheduled for 2009, it is critical that RVers buy with the future in mind. What are the choices and how do they fit into the RV mobile lifestyle are the topics of discussion today. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVnav_ep8.mp3 Wed, 01 Nov 2006 14:55:29 -0700 Travel clean 00:34:06 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken Wiseman This espisode takes you into the reality of mobile internet - how to connect, speeds, options while you’re on the road. While talking about connectivity, we explain the idea of having a travel blog. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_Ep7.mp3 Sat, 01 Jul 2006 14:53:19 -0600 Travel clean 00:41:41 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators The post South Africa caravan report plus information on buying a GPS Navigation system for your RV. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_Ep6.mp3 Mon, 01 May 2006 14:51:36 -0600 Travel clean 00:40:02 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Join us in the second of our reports on our RV Caravan adventure in South Africa. What are the campgrounds, roads and scenery experiences in this country so far away from home. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVNav_Ep5.mp3 Sat, 22 Apr 2006 14:50:54 -0600 Travel clean 00:29:08 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators After several weeks out of the country, we are ready to update the RV Navigator. Due to very poor internet connections in our host country, South Africa, we were unable to update the podcast. We have been on a 5 week adventure of RVing in South Africa. With the senic beauty and natural wild life to match any country in the world, this trip was an RVing highlight to date. We’ll be describing our adventure and sharing our experiences with you over the next few weeks as the Podcast continues. The first segment gives you some of our impressions as we start the driving adventure. Lots of changes from RVing in the US. Driving on the left, stick shift, change of seasons (fall not spring), and the sun crosses the northern sky. Lots of other interesting facts and opinions about this RV Caravan are shared in this episode. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/RVnav_ep4.mp3 Mon, 03 Apr 2006 14:42:53 -0600 Travel clean 00:19:04 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Driving the Florida panhandle with a visit to the Johnson Space Center. We like to ride our bikes so we share our bike rack experiences plus talk about blogs and recommend ours. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/rvnav_ep3_2.mp3 Thu, 02 Mar 2006 13:57:06 -0700 Travel clean 00:35:02 travel, RV, camping, technology RV Navigators, Ken & Martha Your RV Navigators head north for a senior learning experience at an Elder Hostel. Topics include learning while RVing, choosing a long term destingation, and an introduction to Geocaching. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/rvnav_ep3.mp3 Thu, 16 Feb 2006 13:51:13 -0700 Travel clean 00:35:02 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators Boondocking with your RV - what's involved. The RV Navigators are camping on the beach, but still living the high tech lifestyle. What are the issues and experience that need to be shared. http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/rvnav_ep1.mp3 Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:45:39 -0700 Travel clean 00:34:13 travel, RV, camping, technology Ken & Martha, The RV Navigators This short segment will introduce you to the RV Navigator Podcast - our hopes and dreams for this endeavor. The audio is a bit rough but we are still learning. It is a big step betweening RVing and podcasting but we are anxious to share our experiences a http:rvnaviator.com http://rvnavigator.com/Rvnav_intro.mp3 Wed, 11 Jan 2006 13:40:34 -0700 Travel clean 00:03:31 travel, camping, RV, technology