-----What we Do and how we do it-----

One of the ways that we can afford to play more and work less is by "boondocking". That is, parking our rig in an area that has no hookups to water, electricity, etc. To accomplish that, we need -- and already have -- very robust solar and generator power-producing capabilities, as well as very adequate water & power storage, and even always-on, high-speed, broadband internet access! This is "camping?"

Above, you'll see our rig with the three solar panels mounted on the roof and (hopefully) tilted toward the sun. These panels produce about 300 watts of power (in direct sun conditions) and -- if we're very miserly about our consumption -- will get us through a day or two of moderate use.

As for water, we carry two 55 gallon holding tanks full of water on our truck, in addition to the tank in the trailer itself

Below, you'll see some shots of the solar panel charge controller (in the top right corner of the hold), the two Trojan fork lift batteries, and on the left in the hold, the large inverter which converts 12 volts DC to 115 volts AC, so that we can run the air conditioner and other high-current devices.

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Below, you'll also see the Tri-Metric 2020 Battery Monitor Amp-Hour Meter. This amp-hour meter, which we have mounted inside the RV, is for 12 or 24 (and 48 with adapter) volt battery systems. It reads volts, amps and amp-hours on an LED display. Amp-hours can be displayed in actual amp-hour numbers, or as “% full”. An LED lights when the battery is charging and flashes when the battery has been fully charged. Another LED flashes when batteries should be recharged, equalized, and during low battery voltage It also records minimum and maximum voltage, days since batteries were last charged, days since equalized, and total lifetime amp-hours withdrawn from the batteries. The Trimetric can be located hundreds of feet away from batteries using less expensive 4 conductor twisted pair meter wire.

As for high speed, broadband internet access, that took us a couple of years to finally figure out. As you can see from the pictures below, we managed to get a two-way satellite-based system going. Guess we're something like "early adopters", given that RVers are generally not at all supported by these systems.

But, boy oh brudder, is this thing FAST! Of course, that's compared to our only other previous method of 'net access, which was the pitifully slow Sprint PCS cell phone setup. So now we can use the cell phone for voice calls only. Guess which of us will avail herself of THAT the most??

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At present, we know two other full-time RVers who utilize the same two-way satellite system. The point being that no matter what some folks would have you believe, it CAN be done, and IS being done...

Here's one example of a motorhome owner who enjoys the two-way satellite connectivity capability.

Here's a shot of the broadband modems. At the very top is a USB hub which converts one USB port to four. We keep the printer, the optical mouse, the modems and the digital camera attached to this hub. Below the hub are the two modems. Underneath them is a High Frequency ham radio transceiver, and at the bottom is a high frequency antenna system tuner.

In any event, as opposed to trying to use the cell phone to get our email (zzzzzz........), we now get an average of about 800 Kb/second. Once (and only once...) we actually tested out at 2 Mb/second. Astounding! They advertise "400 Kb/s" so we're doubly satisified and doubly happy surfers, I mean, CAMPERS!

Now... a bit more about the batteries. We started out with the traditional "deep cycle" Marine/RV batteries by Interstate.

As it turned out, they weren't at all adequate. Conventional Wisdom among fulltime RVers was that we really needed Golf Cart batteries, which we thought to be a curiousity.

A little more investigation showed us that the most-favored brand was "Trojan" and that -- surprise -- they had batteries that were even more powerful and could store substantially more oomph. These are typically used in Fork Lifts.

Here's some info on the batteries we now have:

Trojan Flooded Deep Cycle Lead-Acid Batteries
Trojan Superior and Deep Cyccle batteries

Trojan "Superior Cycling" (maroon case) and Standard (black or white case) deep cycle batteries.

Alpha Plus Technology: Trojan's proprietary paste formula and the unique way it's processed generate an active (Alpha) material far superior to any in the industry today.  Why is this development so important?  Because in Trojan batteries the Alpha component--the key ingredient to long battery life--reaches 75% of the active material.   (Versus 25% in typical competitive batteries).  This better balance assures maximum battery life.  Meanwhile, Trojan engineers have designed a new grid geometry.   It complements the Alpha Plus crystals and boosts performance, too.  This allows the Alpha paste to maintain contact with the grid longer. 

Model

Voltage
Amp Hours
Price
T105 (includes hex nuts)
6V
250 AH
$79.00
RE5
12V
130 AH
$89.00
L16
6V
400 AH
$199.00

Trojan L-16 HC is a 395 amp hour industrial size 6 volt battery weighing 120 pounds. Lifting handles are included. They are 30% taller than auto or golf cart batteries, 12" x 7" x 16 inches tall, so they take less floor space for a given battery capacity. Typical life is 8 - 11 years. L16 HC is High Capacity model in a red ribbed case with two handles, Trojan's best. Not the standard L-16 model which is only 350 AH. Both have a reputation of reliability in home power systems.

One thing's for sure; these puppies are HEAVY! In fact, they're about 125 lbs each! ...GROAN!...

During those times when the sun doesn't seem to want to cooperate, we can still charge the batteries with the alternator system shown below. It's stored in one of the front holds and provides between 40 and 60 amps of charging current directly to the batteries.

And if we really need more than the sun and/or the alternator are going to supply, we have a 4200 watt generator that seems to do the trick nicely.

Also, we have run a heavy cable from the F650's alternator to a socket mounted near the rear license plate. This connection allows us to charge the batteries at something over 100 amps.