More 2801 mods

[Tombsy]

Beautiful 70 degree day in Calgary today, spring is coming pretty early. All the easy mods today . Installed the new shower head, valve extenders on the duallies for the TPM sensors, a new set of AGM batteries, and put in the tune from 5 Star. Most of my driving will be thru the Rockies and we're at 4000' so hoping it will help out.
And most important my fear no fish license plate.




Brian

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Tombsy

Beautiful 70 degree day in Calgary today, spring is coming pretty early. All the easy mods today . Installed the new shower head, valve extenders on the duallies for the TPM sensors, a new set of AGM batteries, and put in the tune from 5 Star. Most of my driving will be thru the Rockies and we're at 4000' so hoping it will help out.
And most important my fear no fish license plate.


Brian

Not so hot here in central Wisconsin. Woke up to this this morning.

[sgtlm17]

Got my Camp Pro WiFi booster kit yesterday and did the install today. It comes with an Alpha Booster Tube, Alpha antenna and an Alpha R36 router, plus everything else you need to complete the install. I got it from Rokland.com and there customer service is great. Price can't be beat at $100.00. I've seen this priced separately for over $200.00 and similar devices at $400.00 or more.
With the 2801 came some challenges of where to mount the booster tube and antenna. The recommended spots are the RV ladder or batwing TV antenna. I have neither on the 2801 so I used the rear vent cover and it worked out perfectly. I mounted the antenna horizontally as to keep the height of my rig under 11 feet. I routed the USB included wire from antenna to the fridge vent which leads right into my electronics cabinet above my door. The router is in this cabinet and fits perfectly. I used the included 12v power cord in lieu of 110v so it can be used when off grid.
Setup is easy with any phone, tablet or laptop. A big plus not needing a laptop to configure. You sign in pick a Hotspot or network and click apply and your done! I went from seeing only my home network on my phone to the Alpha R36 seeing 18 available networks. It shows signal strength of each available network and type of security. Have only tested it from home but so far I give it two thumbs up. Super easy upgrade/mod.

2016 Forester GTS 2801QSF

[newRVer]

SGT,

I have been looking at wifi options for my new RV and your post caught my eye. I'll have to do some more research on this unit but the price certainly is right. Two questions though. One - since you have the antenna horizontal instead of vertical, have you noticed any limitations for accessing different points? The reason I ask is because Omnipole antenna's typically work best when placed vertically because of the radiation pattern of a pole antenna. That is, unless you know the direction of the source wifi your trying to repeat and you can orient the direction of the RV accordingly. Also, do you have to plug in to the ethernet port to change the wifi point your are trying to connect to or can you do that wirelessly?

RVr

[sgtlm17]

You are correct vertically is the optimum way to install the antenna. I chose this horizontal install to keep max height of rig the same as it was. I live in the country and can only see my homes wireless access point on my tablet and phone. Today I checked with the CampPro and 26 wireless access points were visible so I know the antenna is reaching out. I like this system as you do not need to connect via hardwire to change the WiFi point. They recommend hardwire for first time setup which I did. Now I just use my phone and connect to the router and pick any WiFi point I want and hit apply. You can see a video by TechnoRV on you tube. They sell this system as separate units. Good video of how it works. Once you set up a name for your router and a password you never have to change that. Your only picking an available Hotspot or available network. I have not tested on a free network where you have to agree to terms on a Web page like many campgrounds do.

[AbdRahim]

Added shelves to the right side of the bedroom closet.

[sgtlm17]

I plan on adding shelves there also. I can't decide whether to use wood or the white metal ones they sell at Lowe's. Looks great.

[AbdRahim]

Should have used real wood.Cost would have probably been the same. .tis is laminated Closetmaid Shelf from HD. It just happened to be close enough to the right size (13" X 48").

[sgtlm17]

Matches well and has a finish on it. I think the laminated will be good

[Tombsy]

Looks really good, I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do under the sink it's a mess. Pots, frying pans, toaster, and the Keureg while travelling.


Brian

[sgtlm17]

Yea I haven't even begun under the sink. It needs shelves but I haven't figured out just how to put them to maximize space

[RedLdr1]

If you guys will post the measurements of the cabinet under the sink I'll start looking as well. Any potential interference from the sink plumbing would be good to know as well. This is one of the first mods I'll need to make to keep the DW happy...

[Tombsy]

I have the measurements, I'll have to translate them in to something legible. Since the cupboard is half blind I think just a short shelf across the blind half is about it for me otherwise you can't get the things out from the bottom easily without unpacking everything from the open side.
They do make swing/slide out shelves for blind cupboards but they are heavier and more expensive than I think I need.
But basically the cupboard is 25" x 18" and 27" high. The sink drain comes down 10" from the aisle end, the trap is 19" high then the drain goes up to 21" and then runs horizontally to the corner closest to the stove.


Brian

[RedLdr1]

Thank you! I'll start looking around...

[AbdRahim]

Hmmm. This is off topic, but do any of you know what the switch above the mirror adjustment switch on the driver's door is? When it is on a little red light on it illuminates, but I have no idea what it controls. I can't find any mention of it in the manual.

[sgtlm17]

That switch is for your heated Sideview mirrors

[AbdRahim]

Thanks. Glad to know I have those.

[Creativepart]

Originally Posted by RedLdr1

TOAD: 2015 Ford C-Max on an Acme dolly

RedLdr1, since the Ford C-Max is flat-towable, why are you using a dolly with it???

[RedLdr1]

Originally Posted by Creativepart

RedLdr1, since the Ford C-Max is flat-towable, why are you using a dolly with it???

Three major reasons... First, while the C-Max is flat towable it has issues since it is a hybrid. The 12VDC battery will go flat in a few hours as the car turns on and off electrical components automatically. This can be addressed running a trickle feed and some other work arounds but it is a hassle. The Active Shutters in the grill need to be removed. Plus the warranty issues that can arise. There is much better info on those issues on the C-Max forum than here.

Second, I only keep cars two to three years. The cost of constantly setting up a car to tow would get old...fast!

Third, with the dolly I can load about just about any FWD car. My wife's Fusion is not flat towable so I can use the dolly with it.

It just worked out better to use a dolly when everything was considered.

[Creativepart]

Thanks for that info. I see a fair number of C-Max Hybrids and Energis being flat-towed.