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G has a "swell" time kayaking

G has a "swell" time kayaking
G has a "swell" time on Lake Michigan in an inflatable canoe

Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico

Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico
Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico

Warren Dunes Sunset

Warren Dunes Sunset
Warren Dunes Sunset

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Cargo Carrier Addition to RV - GVWR and OCCC



Rumble  Seat - This was the test for the carrier. We transported this to our summer lily pad, about 120 miles.

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The door does clear the carrier and the cargo and can be fully opened

We decided to add a cargo carrier. This was for use on our longer treks with the goal to move some of the stuff we transport out of the Roadtrek and free up interior space, or allow us to carry a few more things on longer treks. We find ourselves carrying "all weather" gear or an inflatable canoe and we usually don't need it until we arrive at our destination.  

We had no need to transport both bicycles and a carrier. If that was a requirement there are carriers with hitches that can simultaneously accommodate a bike rack, but we keep bicycles at each of our "lily pads". We can remove the cargo carrier and install the bike carrier if we desire.

Bicycle Carrier while in Florida

After some research I went with a "Haul Master" Heavy Duty Cargo Carrier from Harbor Freight.  The version I chose weighs about 50 lbs and folds.  Note: "Some assembly required".  Be aware that the weight capacity is determined in part by the hitch and capacity of the vehicle. I have no intention of loading the carrier beyond about 200 lbs. 

There are specifications for each Roadtrek which ultimately determine how much weight the vehicle can carry. I've included the specs for my 210P here. Because all of the weight of the carrier will be on the axles, I need to be mindful of the vehicle load.  One way to avoid exceeding the load specifications of my Roadtrek is to carry less fluids (water, waste).  The fresh water in my 210 can weigh 250 lbs. (30 gallons fresh water at 8.345 lbs per gallon). The 33 gallons gray + black tanks can add another 275 lbs).

A hitch extension is required to clear the tire carrier. I chose a rugged, slightly longer than necessary Curtis.  This adds 18 inches from pin to pin and allows me to open the right rear door completely with the carrier in the horizontal position.  The price of the carrier and a rugged nylon cover was less than $99 because of a sale and I also had a coupon.  To that I added the cost of the Curtis extension,  pin locks and nylon webbing tie-downs.

My selection criteria included:
  • Intermittent use and easy storage when not in use.
  • Flexibility for intended use.
  • Basket dimensions approximately 19 x 60 inches.
  • Rear door access when the carrier is on the Roadtrek.
  • To be within allowable vehicle weight limits.
  • Modest cost.
Cargo carrier specifications:
  • Cargo space approximately 19" x 60".
  • Weight Capacity: 450 Lb on 2 inch Class III hitch with 500 Lb. Tongue. (Higher with a Class IV hitch).
  • Foldable.
  • Assembly Required.
  • Weight of cargo carrier 50 lbs, with hitch extension total about 70 lbs.
An extension was necessary to clear the tire carrier.  I used one longer than necessary. My decision to use an extension required a reduction in the amount of weight on the the carrier. The actual weight limit is a consequence of the hitch on the Roadtrek, the extension, and the carrier.

My Roadtrek 210P has a 2 inch receiver Class IV hitch.  These are the specifications according to the information provided with the vehicle by Roadtrek and Chevrolet. Your specification are probably different:

  • 6.0 L V-8 engine on 3500 extended chassis (155" wheelbase) with 3.42 Axle Ratio.
  • "Towing - Tow Weight" approximately 7,650 lbs. Note: this is approximate, as the GCWR must not be exceeded. Total weight of vehicle, contents and trailer must not exceed 16,000 lbs. That is per the specifications for my Roadtrek.
  • "Towing - Tongue Weight" is 1,000 lbs. (The extension reduces this, see below).
  • The GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is 9,600 lbs.
  • The OCCC (combined weigh of cargo, liquids, tongue weight and occupants) is 1,246 lbs.
  • GAWR front (Gross Axle Weight Rating, Front) is 4,300 lbs.
  • GAWR Rear (Gross Axle Weight Rating, Rear) is 6,084 lbs.
  • GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating, vehicle, passenger, contents and trailer) =  16,000 lbs.
Note: Check your 200, 210, 170 or 190 Roadtrek Chevrolet or Dodge Manual and Roadtrek data sheet for your model for actual towing limitations for your Roadtrek. Do not rely upon the specification for my 210P.

Here is a sample data sheet, based upon my vehicle. Use yours for determining the specifics for your Roadtrek. I have blocked out some vehicle specific identifying info:


Sample Data Sheet - My Roadtrek - Use yours to determine your Roadtrek data

According to Curtis, the extension reduces the tongue weight to a maximum 350 lbs. 

According to the carrier manual it is designed for a maximum 750 lbs with a Class IV  hitch and 450 lbs with a Class III hitch.  You could say it is overbuilt for my purpose. I wanted something sufficiently rugged. There is a trade-off using a heavier cargo carrier. The weight of the carrier, hitch extension, etc. is probably about 70 lbs.  This reduces the actual cargo weight I can safely transport in the carrier. 

I have no intentions of loading the carrier beyond 200 lbs. One issue is side-by-side weight distribution. Balancing loads is not always possible and that will put twisting moment into the hitch connections. I want to avoid those bending moments.

Photo of carrier in the down position. This has ample clearance to open the door, even with stuff in the carrier:



Photo of carrier in the up position. Note the ample clearance to the tire carrier:



Harbor Freight Photo of 54-1/2 In. Expandable Nylon Cargo Carrier Cover:
Some assembly required: I did this myself and it is important to realize that the assembled unit is about 50 lbs. Moving the major pieces around, attaching struts, etc. requires some upper body strength.  It went together well, as usual it is prudent to lay out the parts, plan the work and take one's time to do it properly.  The diagrams included were sufficient.  I used a crescent wrench and a socket set to do this.  The instructions recommend assembly on a flat surface. After putting the two main components together I raised the main assembly and leaned it against a wall so I could work on the struts which support it while I was standing.

In the box

Major components

Minor components
Copyright (c) 2019 Norman Retzke "All Rights Reserved" See disclaimers, etc. at the blog site
Roadtrek210P.blogspot.com

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Wave Action - Winter is approaching





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Last night we experienced some serious wind with gusts of about 35-40 MPH.  This
morning after breakfast we headed to the lakeshore and with the winds from the northwest, there are predictions of 16 ft waves today.

Weather will improve tomorrow and we will experience sun and 60+F. However, we know this is the  end of this summer season. We will soon be shutting down the northern lily pad for the year, and we'll we leaving for warmer climes.....

Here's current conditions nearby:


5-day plot - Wind DirectionWind Direction (WDIR):NW ( 320 deg true )
5-day plot - Wind SpeedWind Speed (WSPD):25.3 kts
5-day plot - Wind GustWind Gust (GST):33.0 kts
5-day plot - Wave HeightWave Height (WVHT):9.5 ft
5-day plot - Dominant Wave PeriodDominant Wave Period (DPD):8 sec
5-day plot - Mean Wave DirectionMean Wave Direction (MWD):NNW ( 340 deg true )
5-day plot - Atmospheric PressureAtmospheric Pressure (PRES):29.83 in
5-day plot - Air TemperatureAir Temperature (ATMP):49.8 °F
5-day plot - Water TemperatureWater Temperature (WTMP):56.7 °F
5-day plot - Dew PointDew Point (DEWP):41.9 °F
5-day plot - Wind ChillWind Chill (CHILL):41.9 °F
5-day plot - Wind Speed at 10 MetersWind Speed at 10 meters (WSPD10M):29.1 kts
5-day plot - Wind Speed at 10 MetersWind Speed at 20 meters (WSPD20M):31.1 kts
5-day plot - Wind Speed, Wind Gust and Atmospheric PressureCombined plot of Wind Speed, Gust, and Air Pressure


Morning buoy photo


Buoy photo 4:03PM
By the morning of the 18th, the lake had finally calmed down:



Sunday, October 6, 2019

Roadtrek Wooden Cabinets - Replacements

https://www.cutritewoodworking.com/


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"𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 "𝗻𝗲𝘄" 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲."

I'm a member of the FMCA, Roadtrek Chapter. One of the members passed along this info from Cutrite Woodworking In Waterloo, Ontario Canada. If you cannot get wood products for your older Roadtrek, from the "new" Roadtrek Company, this is a possible source. I'm merely passing this along as a "service", I have no interest in the company. The emphasis below is mine:

"For well over 25 years we have been manufacturing all the solid wood components for Roadtrek RVs (Home and Park) locally here in the KW area in Ontario, Canada.......𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗮𝗸, 𝗺𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. We produce all our products 100% locally from start to finish, and deliver straight from our manufacturing facility to all our customers throughout Ontario. The components we have been building exclusively for Roadtrek included all styles and colours of cabinet doors, solid drawer fronts, and all the trim.

As you are surely aware of, Roadtrek will start production under new ownership and has informed us that we will continue to supply them once again.

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 "𝗻𝗲𝘄" 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗸 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.

I am not trying to sell anything nor am I pushing the product, I am merely informing you and your members that we are here to help in any way possible.

We are:
Cutrite Woodworking
Waterloo, Ontario
1-800-[xxx-xxxx]
519-747-4891

The website is currently under construction:
https://www.cutritewoodworking.com/

Friday, October 4, 2019

Sedona Arizona - Pink Jeep Tours




Ready to begin our Pink Jeep Tour

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One of the opportunities when visiting Sedona is to take a jeep tour. We took two opportunities via Pink Jeep Tours.  There were different venues. Some are more bouncy than others.  The first was a somewhat mild, shorter jeep excursion. However, after that we were ready for the "Rim 2.0" tour which is so named because it is two hours in length and take one up into the bluffs above Sedona.

Both tours were fun. The second provided wonderful vistas, which is why we decided to take it.  Pink Jeep offers a discount for second tours so we took advantage of that promotion.

These jeeps can hold six in the rear and a seventh in the passengers seat, adjacent to the driver. For this reason our tours consisted of two family groups. All the seating locations provide good views, seatbelts and ample hand grips. The rearmost seats are more bouncy than the front seats, which children enjoy. On the first trek I had the opportunity to sit in the front passenger seat.  For the rim tour G got the front passenger seat.  That seat provides the most thrilling front facing view. LOL!


Ready for the first of two tours. G is excited!  Our driver was Kyle. Great Job!
First, short Pink Jeep Tour:



Second, and longer Pink Jeep Tour. Interrupted by a Neiman Marcus photoshoot - LOL:




Thursday, September 26, 2019

Orphaned Roadtrek Chevy Owners Group Notice



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I claim ownership of all original material on this blog.   Furthermore, most original photos contain my watermark. All material on this blog is copyrighted by me or the respective owners. Copying it and placing copied files on Social Group websites other website or blogs is prohibited...

The content of this site including articles and diagrams or. photographs by the author are Copyrighted by this site. If you wish to copy or print any of the articles found on this site you may do so for personal use only.  If you wish to share any of the content on this site you may do so for personal use only if and only if you include a reference to this website as to where the information and content has come from - that is:

"http://Roadtrek210.blogspot.com"
and "Roadtrekking 210 Blog"

Any COMMERCIAL USE of anything found on this site is prohibited without prior written permission from this site which can be requested by email Thank you!

===========================================================

A facebook group Administrator for  "Orphaned Roadtrek Chevy Owners" asked permission to copy the contents of blog articles and place the resulting PDF files on their group.

Yesterday, September 25, 2019 I Declined that request and stated to the Administrator "Carlos M. Fernandez" in writing that I claim ownership for all of the material on this blog. I also have watermarks in most of the photos which are originals and will protect the rights of others who have contributed to this blog.  I pointed out that I want to retain control of the content of this blog and that I do make updates or improvements to old articles from time to time.  I want readers to get the most helpful and accurate content.  Obviously, when someone copies this content they remove that opportunity and it is possible old and less reliable information will be passed along.

I counteroffered and suggested that the group make a searchable pdf with links to articles of interest on this blog and others. That file could be stored on the group file location and accessed by all members of the group. However, the group administrator(s) apparently decided to do otherwise....

Today I discovered that I cannot access the group. Apparently the Administrator of "Orphaned Roadtrek Chevy Owners" has blocked me from that group. In other words, their request to copy the contents of this blog was not a request. It was in fact a demand.

The Copyright Notice is at the bottom of every page of my blog, which consists of several posts.  This blog has contained a copyright notice since the date of inception in 2013:

(c) NORM60189, NORMR60189 2013, 2015, 2017. 2019 Simple theme. Powered by Blogger.

Piracy is a crime, people.....

Copyright 2019 "All Rights Reserved"

Article originally posted September 26, 2019


Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Wi-Fi Connection Difficulties




Unlimited Streaming Possibilities - But not at the Campgrounds!

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Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

If you are like us, you have encountered campgrounds that advertise wi-fi but internet access is non-existent or very sloooooooow. More often than not, the issue is streaming by campers....

Here is my "home" internet speed, with four devices connected. You will not experience this at the typical campground, yet this is what many campers expect:


This post is prompted by a recent experience at a campground which had upgraded the wi-fi system. Some campers were thrilled and immediately connected their TVs so they could stream movies. One camper even posted a photo of their internet enabled TV.......Well, you can guess how that turned out. Soon we were all once again plodding along with poor connections, as apparently everyone attempted to stream movies and videos.

I discussed this with the campground management who said "Norm thanks again for the information but I have no clue. I'm not a tech kind of guy. For 32 years ...I turned all this stuff over to the IT department. As I did here..... My [contract] with this company was to provide  a stronger WYFI signal and to reach a broader scope of campers. Seems that both of those objectives have been met. Does it meet everyone expectations.  No!!! But certainly better [than]it was. "

I made three posts on the Facebook page of the campground to advise campers of the limitations. This blog article is based upon that.

When that campground upgraded one camper posted "Thanks for the great WiFi..I think I may never leave.." They included a photo of their streaming TV:

Streaming TV at the Campground?? Good Luck!
We usually encounter slow speeds at campgrounds in which all campers sign on with a common user name and password. In this situation the internet connection is shared without individual restrictions between all the users in the campsites. In other words, there are no bandwidth restrictions on any one user and if you want to stream, go for it. However, this shared connection probably won't allow us all to stream movies at the same time. For example, it can be expected that smaller campgrounds have a total bandwidth of about 60 MB/sec (60 Megabytes per second).

In the campground, if we all attempt to open the cold water at the sink at the same time the water flow drops to a trickle. The same thing happens with the internet connection. That internet "pipeline" has only so much capacity.

You may ask "How many users can that support?"

Not all of us can stream at the same time. I think there may be a misunderstanding about this. I'm going to include some figures later in this post. This post is the background information so you, the reader understand what those numbers will mean to you.


As additional users log in with their smartphones, PCs, tablets and internet enabled TVs the internet bandwidth is shared. In simple terms, if 60 people sign into a shared system that 60 MB/sec is divided among 60 devices and each of us gets 1.0 MB/sec internet speed. The actual allocation can be more complex.

If a campground with 60 sites has two people at each site and one is using a smartphone on the internet and the other a PC or internet enabled TV, then at those times the campground is full we could have 120 or more users logged into the wi-fi and internet service. In that case, we might each get only 0.5 MB/sec. However, the bandwidth may not be shared equally.

To demonstrate, the photo below shows the actual internet speed at a recent campground at about 6:30PM. That is distinct from the wi-fi connection speed. The campground has a wi-fi system that connects to an internet provider (ISP) via a modem. The campground wi-fi speed and the internet speed are not the same.

At the time I took the screen shot the internet speed was 4.3 MB/sec. At the same time the wi-fi speed on my PC was 27 MB/sec. In other words, the campground internet connection is the ultimate deciding factor about how much bandwidth is available. It was being shared by all of us who were logged in at the time, and my portion was 4.3 MB per second.

Internet campground speed as checked at FAST.COM

I’m providing this info to pass along to anyone having a camp wifi connection issue. Of course, if they aren’t connected they would need someone to pass this info to them.

At a recent campground with few users plugged in, the wi-fi was fast, really fast (see the photo). Speeds will vary.

However, as people got up and connected the speed dropped dramatically. You may experience connecting issues as we did. For one thing, there are different wifi (WLan) standards. Some of these are backwards compatible and some are not. I have no idea what campgrounds have installed, and apparently neither do some of the management. Knowing the bands and protocols of campground hardware would certainly aid in solving connection issues.....
Internet speed at a campground with most campers asleep and disconnected!

In other words, our ability to connect to the campground wi-fi will be determined in part by the compatibility of the hardware we are using to whatever the camp owners have installed.


However, here’s a few things to be aware of.
  1. The wi-fi signals can experience interference. The strength can be reduced by metal walls and so on. At another resort we know of people who live in “candominiums” with metal walls who experience issues with cell phones, wi-fi and so on. Some campers have aluminum sides. The signals are “line of sight” so if the network router is behind a building, or another structure or blocked by other rigs you may not get a signal or it will be greatly diminished (very weak). Weak signals do “come and go” which can be really annoying. You may get a better as in stronger and more reliable signal by moving your hardware to another table, etc. Try setting up your laptop or whatever outside of your rig. If that solves the problem then you know it is structural interference.
  2. Rebooting (power off ,then power on) can sometimes help, as does a kick to the head.....
  3. There are different wifi communications bands. The wi-fi source such as the campground may support only one band or both. There are 2.4GHz and 5 GHz (Giga-Hertz) bands. If your hardware is designed for 2.4 GHz and the campground is 5 GHz, then your hardware won’t see the new network. Consider it to be like attempting to use an AM radio to listen to an FM station. On questioning the owner at a recent campground he could not tell me what hardware is installed, but I suspect it is single band 5GHz. If so, it will be invisible to any 2.4GHz hardware (TV, PC, etc).
  4. When you bring up a list of available wi-fi “hotspots” what you see is a list of SSIDs. These are “service set identifiers” for the available networks. Each network device may broadcast that SSID. If you do see the SSID for the campground you should be able to connect to the network if your hardware is using the proper encryption and you have the proper password. Many campgrounds use WPA2 PSK encryption. Most campgrounds use a log on name and a password. You must use these.
  5. There are a number of standards for wi-fi data link protocols and these have evolved over time. Current standards include IEEE 802.11a, but there is also 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac and 802.11ax. Older hardware may not be compliant with newer protocols and that means you may have connection issues. You may see the SSID but there will be connection problems. Some network technology (routers, etc.) are backwards compatible to different standards. It is likely the campground management will be unable to tell you what they have installed, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Why is Streaming a problem?
I hope this clarifies a few things. Realistic expectations will aid us in having a pleasant internet surfing experience while at the campground.  Streaming is what is called a "data hog".

Netflix and YouTube say we will each use the following bandwidth, if we attempt to stream using these services. Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO and so on are similar to Netflix. Music services such as Pandora also use bandwidth, between 150 and 300 kbps (0.150 to 0.300 MB/sec).

Netflix Requirements (Prime and Hulu are similar):
  1. Required minimum connection speed 0.5 Megabits per second. Below this you won’t be able to connect to the Netflix website. Recommended connection speed 1.5 Megabits per second.
  2. SD (standard) or DVD quality streaming 3.0 Megabits per second.
  3. HD Quality 5.0 Megabits per second.
  4. Ultra HD Quality 25 Megabits per second.

YouTube Requirements:
  1. SD 360 requires 0.7 Megabits per second.
  2. HD 720p requires 2.5 Megabits per second (this is average quality).
  3. HD 1080p requires 5.0 Megabits per second.
  4. 4K requires 20 Megabits per second.

At a recent campground I concluded the peak internet speed for the entire network was 60 MB/sec (60 Megabits per second). I monitored it for a few days and the normal is about 20MB/sec, but at times when logging on my connection speed would drop to as low as 1 MB/sec..

To provide perspective we have camped in many, many locations from the north to the southwest, the eastern seaboard to the Florida Keys and everything in between. Internet access is frequently a touch and go thing, which is why I have a Verizon jetpack….Because of my business travel situation for many years I travelled with both AT&T and Verizon!  However, even cellular systems can become overloaded.  Comcast Xfinity has connection points all over their geographical area, but you will find connect speed of about 1.0 MN/sec. That has been my experience.

Some older campgrounds have DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) internet service, which is via telephone line and is distributed throughout the campground. It does require a DSL modem to connect. Those systems usually have individual login and passwords, and the routers provide download speeds beginning at about 4.0 MB/sec. That is adequate for streaming on one device at a time.  I say that from practical experience gained.

Speed Decreases as more users are added

I stated that our wi-fi, common log on internet speed will decrease as more of us add devices to the campground system. The bandwidth is shared among all of us who are connected. As more of us perform streaming tasks such as movies, videos, music and so on, the speed for each of us decreases, until the connections falter.

This is exactly what we have experienced in wi-fi systems. Some systems have greater bandwidth and more of us can connect than before. However, it is not infinite and we will experience slow downs and interruptions as more of us stream and “pile on”. The campground’s ISP (internet service provider) may also “throttle” or reduce the bandwidth as more is used. That would aggravate the situation, making it worse for each connected user (that’s you and me).

What does this mean in realistic terms, as we attempt to stream movies? If a campground has a 60 MB bandwidth to the internet, then we each might have a connection speed of 1.0 MB per second if 60 of us (including the campground owners) attempt to login to the internet and simultaneously run content. At 20 MB/sec the internet speed for each of us will be about 1/3 of that…..

What can we each do with a 1.0 MB/sec connection? We can’t stream movies……To stream we would need about 3.0 MB/sec on Netflix (DVD quality, but not HD). It would seem that about 20 users might be able to stream movies at a time on the new campground internet service. 

I hope this clarifies a few things. Realistic expectations will make our internet surfing a pleasant experience.

Remember, when all else fails:



Copyright (C) 2019 Norman Retzke "All Rights Reserved"

Monday, September 23, 2019

Make your reservations early


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Fun Fact: There are 555 RVs per campground nationwide. According to the RVIA there are about 18,000 public and privately owned campgrounds nationwide and 10 million households own a RV......

We use the Allstays app, but also are members of Good Sams, FMCA and KOA.

We always make reservations in advance.......

Happy trekking as the winter season approaches and the snowbirds relocate.....

We'll soon be leaving our summer locale because it is the end of the season here and head to our lily pad in the southwest.



Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/