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Old 04-17-2016, 09:36 PM   #81
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That is beautiful!
As far as adding the second water tank, will that make it extra heavy? These Aviators are tongue heavy as it is.
No just the opposite. I put the second tank in a large empty space behind the rear axle. It actually reduces the tongue weight. I towed 300 hundred miles with both tanks full without issue. The extra water really extends your boondock capability. The municipal campground we stayed at is closed for the season because the water is off and bathhouses are not open until mid-May but they allow electric-only camping for just $15 a night. An added bonus was we were the only campers there so we got a prime lakefront site and a wonderful view of Lake Superior all to ourselves. It was very peaceful and relaxing.
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Old 04-18-2016, 03:02 PM   #82
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Lowered sofa arms

I'm 6'1" and to fit into a 75" opening I lowered the arms on my sofa.

How about it?

Steve Eckart
in Leander, TEX
512-260-2274
AWF #1923
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Old 04-18-2016, 03:15 PM   #83
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Very custom looking job! Hard to tell it didn't come from the factory that way. What's next on the improvement list?
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Old 06-16-2016, 09:39 PM   #84
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Well I finally got my back splash done. Also replaced the door and draw handles. for got to take pictures will post later. Take a look at my pics.
Jim temporarily fixed our door so now it can dead bolt until we get back to Goshen to have it repaired.
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Old 06-16-2016, 09:42 PM   #85
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Sorry the pics did not upload.
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Old 06-17-2016, 12:09 PM   #86
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That looks great Carol! Always fun to do mods although I am running out of new ideas! We are in our Aviator now enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. Everything has been working great with really no issues over the last year or so. The more time we spend in it the more I appreciate how well it was built. Do you have any trips planned this summer? We would like to get down to the Gulf someday to meet up with you and Eddie but that will probably have to wait until our youngest son who is 16 graduates from high school.
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Old 06-17-2016, 04:37 PM   #87
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Called the Dish guy over for a Monday afternoon class on how and what satellite system we can use/install with the Aviator/home TV situation. WAY TOO MUCH info/options out there
We want a system that can work both at home and the RV and trees are the main problem at both. Seems like every CG we go to has full canopy cover that would not allow us a signal. Same at the homesite for a roof mounted unit. Gonna see if we can go with a tripod system at both. I NEED MY TV FIX
Any help here would be appreciated. Ken, please don't mention a chainsaw.
Oh, and by the way, I had the door latch problem also. I filed the dead-bolt slot a little larger and deeper and no problems since. Easy fix.
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Old 06-18-2016, 09:01 AM   #88
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Thanks it was fun. Yes we are heading to Asheville, NC on the 28th of June and stay until July 7. Big family reunion. We take the camper and camp where we can get reservations. That area stays booked. We like to be able to get away from the craziness of family and zone out.😳
Then we are heading to Goshen in August and the Bamaganza rally in October. Would like to do some other camping but trying to get unpacked and settled her at the lake.

Jim filed on the door latch as well so we can dead bolt the door. So hopefully no more issues there.

It would be fun to get together on the beach some time. When will your youngest turn 16? Let's plan ahead when ready and we should be able to get 4-5 Aviators together.😍🤗😊
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Old 06-18-2016, 09:27 PM   #89
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Thanks it was fun. Yes we are heading to Asheville, NC on the 28th of June and stay until July 7. Big family reunion. We take the camper and camp where we can get reservations. That area stays booked. We like to be able to get away from the craziness of family and zone out.😳
Then we are heading to Goshen in August and the Bamaganza rally in October. Would like to do some other camping but trying to get unpacked and settled her at the lake.

Jim filed on the door latch as well so we can dead bolt the door. So hopefully no more issues there.

It would be fun to get together on the beach some time. When will your youngest turn 16? Let's plan ahead when ready and we should be able to get 4-5 Aviators together.😍🤗😊
Works for me!! May not be able to bring the DW due to work issues, but I will show up.
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Old 06-18-2016, 09:54 PM   #90
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Called the Dish guy over for a Monday afternoon class on how and what satellite system we can use/install with the Aviator/home TV situation. WAY TOO MUCH info/options out there
We want a system that can work both at home and the RV and trees are the main problem at both. Seems like every CG we go to has full canopy cover that would not allow us a signal. Same at the homesite for a roof mounted unit. Gonna see if we can go with a tripod system at both. I NEED MY TV FIX
Any help here would be appreciated. Ken, please don't mention a chainsaw.
Oh, and by the way, I had the door latch problem also. I filed the dead-bolt slot a little larger and deeper and no problems since. Easy fix.
If you can't cut down the trees, you need to go above them. What you need to design is a telescoping mast to mount your dish to! I know you will come up with something creative. We have cable where we are at for the summer but have been to places with no cable or any tv signals at all. Do a lot more reading!
It would be great to get to the Gulf beaches but it probably be a few years for us. DW loves the ocean and would be all over a trip like that. Just got to get the last child through high school before we would have the time.
Having some great weather at the campground now. Highs in the 70s. A cool bank of fog just rolled in this evening for a little seaside ambiance!
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Old 06-20-2016, 08:49 PM   #91
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Ken. The trees in my yard are well over 100 ft as we are in "Pine Mecca". Being a ham operator that has been hit by lightning three time at my station [total lose each time] a dish on top of a tower is a no no.
Called the tree guy Saturday for an appointment come Monday. I want to get the satellite dish guy out here first to see what limbs or trees have to be removed before I install the satellite equipment here at the house.
My satellite guy saved me $500 [$750] on an automatic antenna that can travel with us on the road. "Aim and shoot" is what he calls it and IT WORKS! Even has a handle to carry it. Bought one controll box and a wireless device that allows TVs to operate without a coax cable. I'm on the $49 a month plan with an additional $9 a month for the "New York Plan" which has all the channels I watch, plus a few hundred I don't. Soooo happy to get away from Comcast cable.
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Old 06-20-2016, 10:06 PM   #92
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I guess you don't want I lightning rod attached to your house! I see those portable dishes around quite a bit. They seem especially popular with the big coaches and full-timers. We have satellite at our home and maybe once we hit the road more frequently we will get the portable set-up too.

Still getting lots of attention as people pass by and ask about the Aviator. Even had an Airstream owner stop by last Friday. They were intersted to learn it was built to compete with Airstream. All say they never have seen one before. I tell them with only 70 made they might never see one again!
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Old 09-19-2016, 08:26 PM   #93
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Back to the mods!

Brought the camper home from our seasonal site and thought I would post up a few more mods. I added 12v fans with variable speed mounted above the bed. Nice breeze and white noise. Since they run on 12v, they can be used anywhere. Also added a manifold to switch between my two freshwater tank. On the side of manifold is a Schrader valve fitting to allow me use compressed air to easily winterize from inside the camper. To run a 12v compressor or other accessories, I added a high amperage 12v connection point. Also added a convenient switch to turn on and off the electric water. The fun never ends!
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Old 12-06-2016, 08:52 PM   #94
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New favorite mod

Living in Minnesota I use the I use the fireplace a lot and usually as the main source of heat. I am impressed something about the same wattage as a hair dryer can keep the camper warm even with temps near freezing. The thing I don't like is the generic on-off control that keeps the camper temp constantly fluctuating between 66 and 76. To address that I installed a Watlow proportional controller. Now when I switch on the fireplace the fan stays running and power to the heating element is now pulsed by the controller. This results in the fan providing a constant pleasant white noise and perfect temp control that stays exactly where you set it.
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Old 12-07-2016, 09:38 PM   #95
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Our mods

Hi, we have had our new acquisition for about 2 weeks now. It's totally unique. We previously had a 32' Rockwood, 2006. We decided to upgrade,and looked at new ones, and the quality and fit and finish on the "brand" names was questionable at best. Then we found this one on the internet, even though its used lightly, its features and quality are way up there. Even then we had little things that we had to address, the first was setting up the Sat system, it is HD PVR, so we had to turn the incoming cable line in to a sat line, the PVR require 2 incoming cable from the dish. Then we ran a HDMI line from the sat receiver down from above the tv, behind the fireplace into the belly and back up under the kitchen sink, then to the outside tv. Hd sat outside then, a bit of work for sure but worth it. We took the 32" tv and put it outside, and were able to fit a 50" above the fireplace, again a bit of work, but awesome. And yesterday my crafty wife tackled the front window curtains, we installed a lower curtain rod with rollers and she made up the new curtains, they look 100% better than the saggy dark ones that were there. A few other little things to do, but looking forward to spring so we can check it out, gonna be a long winter.

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Old 12-14-2016, 10:48 PM   #96
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The curtain mod was one of the first we made. Our cats sleep between the curtains and window like they were in a hammock. It's either there or in bed with us and I'm not happy with critters walking around on my bed while I sleep.
Our fireplace has a 2 Degree on/off setting and never varies more than that. It will set to leave the fan on with/without heat just like the main thermostat's fan on/auto setting.
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Old 12-25-2016, 08:43 PM   #97
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I know I am way behind in Blackhat6mike in doing these mods but I finally got them done. There is some wasted space in the Aviator in the bedroom and above the microwave. I made hinged panels and now have substantial extra storage above the bedroom tv and a pretty good sized kitchen storage area over microwave. Not sure what mod is next but I am sure something will come to mind!
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Old 12-27-2016, 08:05 AM   #98
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Hey hi. I noticed on one of your earlier mod posts that you had the outside entry handle lighted. If it's not a secret how did you manage to do that ? Thanks
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Old 12-27-2016, 08:42 AM   #99
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It's no secret and pretty easy to do. I ordered 2 led rv grab handle lights from Amazon. They are made just for this purpose. I then siliconed them in to the handle ends and wired them to a switch on the control panel just inside the door. When I first removed the handles I found they were full of water from poor factory sealing so I drilled small drain holes and resealed it up good with clear silicon.
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Old 12-27-2016, 07:42 PM   #100
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Odd that this subject came up. Two weeks ago while I was getting the "Bomber" ready for our annual Christmas trip to the FL Keys, I was leaving the unit and as usual, grabbed the plastic handle at the door while stepping down. As soon as I went for the second step, the handle snapped into right in the middle, which left me on my left side in the grass. I'm too old to take this kind of shock! Didn't break anything but the handle.
Never in a million years would I have believed that handle could break. As soon as we get home, a SS tube will replace the plastic handle. Can't imagine what damage would have been done if it had happened to my wife. A scary thought!
I'll post a picture when we return.
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