First, thanks AGAIN to all the useful and helpful info here. Bought Grey Wolf 26DBH first of June. Due to family issues, have only gotten to use it 3 times. However, we have just taken a trip from Arkansas to Colorado, then home, and now we are in South Carolina. This is WITHOUT the trailer. But we have checked out a ton of campsites everywhere we go.
The following is a bunch of Unsolicited Opinions Of The Clueless. Honestly, I have no right to have opinions, I've owned this thing so short of a time. But maybe someone can be helped by them, or maybe someone can give me some info, or 'set me straight' where I might be wrong.
1) I have driven 1,000's of miles in the last few months to visit my far-flung family, for various reasons. I know driving along a freeway or other road is NOT the way to assess campgrounds, but man, I am sorely disappointed. Arkansas has thousands upon thousands of campsites in dozens of camps, and pretty much all are great and inexpensive. Even the ugly ones are pretty! But in Colorado, and all along I-40, I-25, etc. we saw nothing but private campgrounds where campers were stacked in there all right (I am at a loss as to WHY?), but no trees, three feet between campers, no room to park, just awful looking. KOA's, "Joe's Camping World" and everything in between. We have the huge book and looked them all up, and they want Fifty or Sixty bucks a night! Forget it. I did not see ONE campground I would have pulled my travel trailer to.
Colorado has ZERO COE campgrounds! I guess there's not enough flat space to dam a river......but I can camp at COE for $10 a night or less, and get water (but most don't have sewer) and trees and SPACE and bathrooms with showers, etc. Even the public state campgrounds in Colorado Springs area were treeless and very expensive, most even have a "park access fee" of like SEVENTY bucks! Now it appears there are not many of these COE campgrounds outside the "deep south". State Campgrounds are less than $20 a night, and are usually even better, but there seem to be fewer of them, and their online reservation systems, if even available, don't let you pick a specific site like COE does. We stayed at Lake Dardanelle State Park with FULL hookups for $16 a night, but many other sites were very cramped, and you had to call during day to reserve a spot.
I sure hope I'm missing most of the "Good" campgrounds, but I have yet to see a private campground that I'd pull in to.
2) Having major issues pulling my TT with my 2006 Chevy 1500. Got GREAT advice here on adjusting my WDH, and I did. It didn't seem to matter. In fact, I may have made it worse. It's as high as it'll go, and it now has 7 washers (started with 4), and it still squats and is squirelly all down the road. I am going to have to get Mama a new vehicle in a few months, and I'm about to decide to give her this truck (she's a farm girl) and get a 3/4 ton that'll pull it. I can't wait for the new Chevy "Max Trailer Package" that says "Available Late Fall 2013"......but my experience is that the newest and greatest are usually hard to find unless you order one special. But I got to do something. Till then, I'm not going to be able to get very far. I'd NEVER have pulled it through the Smokies to here in South Carolina, or to my kids in Colorado Springs. Wow. I'd never have made it.
3) Lots of talk here about Direct TV Satellite hookup. I bought one and have the receiver from home and tried it. No dice. Three hours on phone with Direct TV Tech, while at the campsite, and no connection. He did make an appointment for a Direct TV tech to meet me at home and make it work, though.
The guy showed up and HE WAS AWESOME!!! He said that whoever told me that it was easier to use a H23 receiver and a Dish without a powered LNBF, was smoking crack.
He GAVE me a power module and a new LNBF-5, which is what I should have ordered to start with. It was a whopping TEN dollars more, but I was told it was harder if I used that setup and my H25 receiver. The DT Tech said balderdash! We got my H25 receiver and set it up in the driveway and bam.
He also said to throw away the "satellite finder" that is inline with the coax coming off the LNBF, and to use the TV!! He showed me how. With the Satellite Finder, you do not know which satellite you are getting a signal from, only that you are getting one! With the TV, you can designate (or see on the screen) the actual various satellites and all the power readings for each. Just tweak the satellite till you see it showing up, and you're done.
That does mean I need a TV next to the Dish. The little 14 incher that came with the TT (Legend brand) is not very good, and too small. So, we are going to unscrew the cabinet above where the VESA connection is on the wall, take off that connection, get a 32" TV and appropriate VESA connection, and use the provided little TV to set up the Dish with. Voila.
Whoever said that I could NOT use the in-Trailer wiring because it used an A/B switch to go to outside antenna was right. I have to go through a window. The Tech GAVE me a short flat coax and we stuck it through the window, and shut the window so it's there permanently! Easy Peasy!
But the fact that NO dealer anywhere knows how to do this is embarrassing. Their lack of knowledge on this subject is sad.
4) The trailer is awesome. Everything works great. Not enough counter space in the kitchen, but hey, it ain't a house! Only thing on the trailer that I don't like is the refrigerator. These are stupid refrigerators!! Sorry but they are. I was on phone with factory warranty rep, and he said my issue is rare (too cold most of the time), but honestly it's a function of my having the bottom of the line refrigerator....it doesn't have the electronic temp control, just a "Thermist" (???) slide thingy that moves around on it's own! Crazy idea. But it kept the stuff from ruining, and I'm going to get the "dorm refrig" out of the shop, that's all electric, and put it in front of the TV, and have a working refrig while at campsite, at least. Or get two YETI coolers for transporting. Or something. Till then, I'll live with the refrig, but it is not optimal.
However, that's the only thing I can even remotely complain about. I love this thing, and it will be home for a long time, if the Lord lets me live.
Those are my comments, probably worth a LOT less than the two cents that they cost!!!
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