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Dear RV Doctor:
I own a 36-foot Holiday Rambler Ambassador. The day before we left on our last trip, the temperature here dipped to about 16 degrees Fahrenheit, so I kept the heater on in the coach and placed a small space heater in the bay where all the water lines are.
The morning we left, all was fine.

I have attempted to find the answer to the question of lightning strikes to motorhomes or travel trailers. Manufacturers don’t seem to have information to offer.

Dear Editor:
As we write this, we are on a caravan through the Holiday Rambler club, touring Newfoundland and Labrador. We have 15 RVs in the group, and when we travel from one campground to another, we drive in groups of three.

Quite often as families join FMCA, they are on the verge of making that once-in-a-lifetime whirlwind tour of the United States and possibly even Canada or Mexico. These motorhome owners very quickly find out that unless they have a family member who will periodically forward their mail, they are at a loss to stay on top of their correspondence, and especially their bills.

By the time you read this article in the September issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine, I will have completed my two-year term as president of FMCA. As of this writing, no one knows who the new president will be, because the election will be held in mid-August just prior to the start of the Redmond, Oregon, convention.
Writing the President’s Message has been challenging for me.

Chugging through the Appalachian Mountains of eastern West Virginia, belching smoke and emitting an occasional loud whistle, the Cass Railroad has become a popular excursion train. While the railroad is the highlight at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, visitors also discover the public buildings and homes of a company town that existed from 1900 to 1960.

Investing a few minutes each month could double your RV battery’s life. However, batteries seem to be one of those things RVers commonly overlook until a problem arises.

Creative and important developments are continually added to today’s motorhomes, and among those leading the charge is a coach builder that has made type Bs since 1974. Roadtrek Motorhomes (formerly Home & Park), of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, introduced the type B SS-Agile in October 2006, and it’s one of two models the company builds on the Sprinter 2500 van chassis.

Bigfoot Industries is a family-owned company based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada, that has been manufacturing recreation vehicles for 30 years. The company has a reputation as a maker of slide-in truck campers and travel trailers, and these still compose a major portion of its business.

Imagine driving down a steep, winding, two-lane road. The early-morning sunshine highlights the beautiful scenery bordering the route.

Document storage on the roadYou never know when you might need a copy of an important document (driver’s license, credit cards, insurance policies, prescriptions, etc.) while traveling. A convenient solution is to scan such documents into your laptop computer and copy them onto a CD before leaving home.

ClearCam Camera Mirror SystemThe ClearCam Camera Mirror System from Velvac Inc. combines the functionality of a side-body camera with a VMax or VMaxIII mirror head to provide drivers with a more complete view of the side of the motorhome.
The camera mounts in the Lower Electronic Module housing under the mirror, is wired through the mirror arm into the motorhome, and can be calibrated to the individual vehicle for an optimized field of view.

Four Winds International announced the addition of Mega Storage — enhanced exterior storage — on select 2008 type C motorhomes and some type A Windsport and Hurricane models.
Mega Storage is said to offer more exterior storage capacity than most type C motorhomes, as well as additional features. The extra-large rear storage compartment has conveniently located exterior doors on all sides for easy access.

The deserted 1983 Tiffin Allegro motorhome sat in a field near a home in La Vergne, Tennessee, so long that a small tree had grown through one of its entry steps. Its carpet was rotted; its brown paneling and dash were woefully out of style; its tires were toast — and those were only a few of its problems.

In the summer of 2004 Sperry Randolph drove past the 30-foot motorhome, and, as he was already in the habit of seeing things as they could be, he figured the old RV had potential.

Recipes full of freshness.
Farmer’s markets. Roadside stands spilling over with fresh produce.

See the moon in a different light during a total lunar eclipse this month.
Wolf moon, storm moon, harvest moon, hunter’s moon. The Earth’s lunar neighbor goes by many names as it crosses the sky in shades of whitish-gray.

Find radio frequency, food safety, and data storage info via the Web; forum members provide communication, coach selection, and security advice.
When it comes to finding information quickly, a full-timer’s best friend is a computer with Internet access. Check out these Web sites the next time you’re online.
Tuning In. To find the best local radio stations no matter where you roam, go to www.radio-locator.com and enter the zip code for your current location.

Visit some of these less-publicized attractions in the nation’s capital.
Washington, D.C., is one of the few cities we go out of our way to visit. The only problem is trying to find someplace to park a large motorhome.

Is your diesel-powered motorhome registered as an LLC, or limited liability company? If so, you might be required to possess an International Fuel Tax Agreement license or a fuel trip permit when traveling out-of-state.

The Snake River is a very long body of water that flows west from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to join the Columbia River on its quest to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way it cuts through a good portion of southern Idaho, and winds northward to form part of the boundary between Idaho and Oregon.

The 16th Great Eastern Area Rally (GEAR) took place May 3 through 6, 2007, at Agricenter International in Memphis, Tennessee, with approximately 550 member and commercial coaches filling the grounds for the extended weekend. The “Chasin’ The Blues” rally was co-hosted by Eastern Area vice president Judy Czarsty and her husband, Steve, and Eddie and Elizabeth Baker.
Activities began on Wednesday night when members of the Frustrated Maestros Eastern Sharps and Flats performed a few songs, followed by an informal welcome by Judy Czarsty.

Dear RV Doctor:
I bought a heat strip for my Duo-Therm roof air-conditioning unit and I don’t know where to install it. I know it is the correct type for my unit, but I can’t quite figure out where it goes.
John Justice, Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania
John, first you must remove the plastic ceiling air distribution box.

I have a 2003 Alfa See Ya diesel pusher with a 7.2-liter Caterpillar 3126 engine with 26,000 miles on it. Is there any way to test a turbocharger, or is there any kit out there to check the boost or performance? The reason I ask is that the coach seems underpowered for the first hour of driving but after that it feels better.

Dear Editor:
FMCA members, guests, and vendors registering for the Midwest Area “Shine On Harvest Moon” rally September 12 through 16 in Manchester, Iowa, at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, are invited to participate in the first MAC golf scramble. The scramble will be held at the beautiful Hart Ridge Golf Course, only two miles from the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
The 18-hole scramble will start at noon on September 12.

FMCA has made it a goal to find ways to give back to the communities the association visits for its conventions. When FMCA members depart Redmond, Oregon, following the association’s 78th International Convention this month, they will have touched lives in the community through their support of several charitable programs, which I’d like to describe.
An organization called NeighborImpact has been selected as the official charity for FMCA’s Redmond convention.

Memorial Day weekend marks the traditional beginning of the summer travel season. Most schools are out, and families are now busy enjoying summer vacations.

Every year, hundreds of people in the United States die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, and thousands of others end up in hospital emergency rooms from breathing this noxious gas. The statistics are regrettable, as most of these incidents could be avoided.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no color, odor, or taste.

Wrapped in romance, legends, and mystique, American lighthouses occupy breathtakingly beautiful, isolated spots. The simple white profiles and classic architecture have an almost spiritual appeal.

Get ready to start using a new term — “power unit” — instead of generator or gen set when talking about a motorhome’s onboard energy provider. With the roll-out of the Hybrid Quiet Diesel (HQD), a fully automatic, two-button electrical system, Cummins Onan introduces the term.

During a recent motorhome trip, we had loaded cardboard boxes into our outside storage compartment. After we arrived at our destination, I opened the storage door to find that there had been a fire.

Silva Tech4O Handheld Outdoor Data CenterThe Silva Tech4O Handheld Outdoor Data Center from Johnson Outdoors Inc. was designed with the outdoor enthusiast in mind.
The unit features a digital compass; an altimeter with graph display; a barometer with 24-hour trend display and weather forecast; and a thermometer.

Legendary television host Bob Barker of “The Price Is Right,” and the Barker Beauties, arrived at the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, held June 15, 2007, in a Fleetwood diesel motorhome. Stepping out of Fleetwood’s 2007 Discovery and onto the red carpet, Mr.

The 2008 American Eagle motorhome, 42 feet long, 13-plus feet high, stood waiting for us, sporting an impressive new look for the 2008 model year. We were in Decatur, Indiana, home of the American Coach division of Fleetwood Enterprises, to pick up this prototype for an on-the-road review.

Here’s a way to repair a deteriorated battery cable end for a stud bolt terminal. Start by removing the battery cable from the battery and cutting a slit, parallel to the cable, in the thimble cable end with a hacksaw.

Using a wok allows cooks to make sizzling meals with little cleanup.
Dedicated wok users cook almost everything in this one pan. Cooking in a wok is fast, helps food retain its color and nutrients, conserves fuel, and doesn’t overheat the galley.

A few reasons why folks flock to this beautiful region each year.
When early mapmakers first charted New York’s Finger Lakes region, they had no way to study the landscape from the air. Otherwise, they would have viewed a total of 11 lakes instead of the fingers of five.

Look-alikes in nature find safety in sameness.
We spend a lot of our time outdoors trying to identify what we see, and sometimes this can be quite difficult. During spring migration, look-alike birds give us fits.

Traveling with youngsters; organizing tips; selecting a coach for full-timing.  Full-Timer’s Primer By Janet Groene, F47166 July 2007 In this annual column, the spotlight is on children. Only a handful…

As national treasurer, one of my responsibilities in accordance with Policy & Procedure 2027 is to “have all books of FMCA and/or its subsidiaries audited and certified annually at the close of each fiscal year by an Independent Certified Public Accountant.” This year’s annual audit was performed by Plattenburg and Associates, and the financial figures accompanying this report were taken directly from the 2006 audit report. As much as I would like to report to you that FMCA had another good year financially, I am unable to do that for 2006.

Tennessee is only about 120 miles long from top to bottom, but it’s 440 miles wide. In spite of this, members of FMCA’s Tennessee Primetimers chapter cover it all. As chapter president Chuck Roam said, “The uniqueness of the chapter is that we’re so spread out.”

Former FMCA national president Glen R. Key, L26355, passed away at his home in Chandler, Oklahoma, on April 25, 2007, at the age of 90.
Glen and his late wife, Martha, joined FMCA in 1976.

DEAR RV DOCTOR:
My emergency start switch is not working on my Fleetwood motorhome. Can you provide troubleshooting steps?
Ron Berube, Endicott, New York
Ron, in many cases, the emergency start switch on a motorhome is nothing more than a momentary dash switch wired to a simple solenoid.

Ford recently extended its cruise control switch recall to include 2003-model F-150 through F-550 Super Duty trucks. The original recall covered 1994 – 2002 vehicles.
Today I contacted Ford’s RV customer service (800-444-3311) to inquire as to whether the recall included the Ford type A motorhome chassis, as the V-10 engine is basically the same one used in some of the recalled vehicles.

Corrections

• The listing for Four Winds International in the June 2007 “Coach Manufacturers And Custom Converters Showcase” article on page 100 indicated that the company offers the Windsport 35W as a handicapped-accessible model. We have been advised that the company no longer builds this handicapped-accessible floor plan.
• The “Towing Equipment” article in the May 2007 issue (page 62) advised that tow dollies can be used to tow all vehicles that are towable using a tow bar.
  

This month I am dedicating my column to the questions most frequently answered by the staff in our Membership Services Department. I have found that although the facts are quite familiar to those of us who work with the issues daily, they may not be to members who deal with us infrequently, or those who are new members of FMCA.
Beverly Spurgeon, director of membership services, and the Membership Services Department staff have compiled the following list of the most frequently asked questions and the answers.

Since I took office as FMCA president, Darlene and I have tried to attend each FMCA area rally plus both FMCA international conventions every year. We meet new members and renew old friendships at these gatherings.

rom 1994 to 2003 Tim Ruddy anchored the Dolphins offensive line, many of those years as center for legendary quarterback Dan Marino. How Tim and his family embraced motorhoming after his retirement from a successful career in professional football is the subject of a three-part story, which concludes this month as the Ruddys complete a two-month summer trip in their Tiffin Allegro.

Have your children or grandkids ever returned home from summer camp and bragged about the silly skits, wild games, and oh-so-cool counselors? Home life is pretty boring compared to learning how to play a nose kazoo or “Dress the Counselor” at camp.
Most children look forward to relaxed family RV trips, but, at times, a little “formal” entertainment is needed. The following are ways that ordinary parents or grandparents can re-create that wild and crazy summer camp experience.

All pre-registered families will be assigned a day and time of admittance based on the date their registration is received at FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati. Convention parking is divided equally over a three-day period.

America’s oldest permanent settlement west of the Rocky Mountains was founded by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark two centuries ago. The explorers and their Corps of Discovery wintered at Fort Clatsop from December 1805 to March 1806.