Newbie

[Gina]

You guys are amazing! Priceless advice which I will use. I'm picking it up next week and will spend 1/2 the day with the tech going through everything. We had a towable for years so I am familiar with the basics of hooking up and such even though this is a little more technical. I mean this sincerely, thank you all!!!!!!

[Bob Denman]

Please let us know how the delivery process goes for you: good luck!

Oh... we'll need to see some pictures.

[Gina]

I'm sure I'll bore everyone with pics...lol So far the dealer has been great. Even supplying all the hoses and hook up connections. Fingers crossed all goes well.

[cruzin101]

Welcome aboard! Do a a weekend trip to a local RV park or State park and take notes on what you might want on future adventures. I think most of the must haves are covered. I would take a basic toolkit, duct tape and a tarp also. :-)

[LATraveler]

Welcome, Gina! This forum is awesome for help of all kinds but especially when an unexpected problem arises. Sorry to hear of your husband passing but as Bob said, I'm sure he will be with you in your new adventures. Hope we may meet up on the road. Safe travels.

[bobj73]

The flying J/pilot app has been valuable to us. You can filter stations that have rv fuel lanes, for us regular gas engine drivers. Makes it much easier to get in and out of the gas pumps, especially if you're pulling a toad.

[rudyhehn]

Hi,
I hope you have a great trip and I'm sure your husband is smiling to know you are happy.
Don't worry too much about supplies. Your first trip should be close to home and in an area with other campers. Any time we've had an issue other campers have been very gracious to help us out.

[Bob Denman]

I agree: try to keep the "shakedown cruise" kind of close to some trusted helping hands...

[OKnative]

Look at RVsingles.org website. When I started out on my own after my husband past away (we had been RVers in a 5th wheel) I got a class A and went to Yuma AZ where I still knew friends were there. I learned about two single RV clubs that were very helpful in learning more about RVing on my own: the Wondering Individuals Network (RVsingles is their web site) and Loners on Wheels (LOWS). They both have Facebook pages where you can ask questions and learn more. There is an RV park in Bushnell, FL - FloriLow Oaks - that gives a discount to single RVers so there are many members of each of those clubs who spend the winter there. They are very supportive of other single RVers. I have been traveling as a full timer now for 4 years - the first 3 with the WINS but joined NOMADS a year ago - a UMC mission group. Loving it!

[Golfbum18]

Originally Posted by Gina

Hi all. Just purchased my Class A Hurricane and can't wait to start this adventure that was long planned by me and me late husband. I'm looking forward to diving into this community and appreciate any help or advice. First question is what are the MUST HAVES for the RV before the first trip?

We've seen this questions often. Check the other posts and you'll probably have a complete list but go somewhere closeby first to test all your systems.

[Joyful Traveler]

Hi Gina. Welcome! When my husband and I bought our first RV, we found this forum to be tremendously helpful. We recently replaced our Thor Axis with another brand and although I love our new RV, I really miss this forum and still return often as you can see. Members here are very helpful. If you have questions, this is the place to come. Happy RVing!

[Billr580]

A lot of good advice here on the peripherals, my suggestion is you get a good set of tools with all the basic sae and mm sockets and wrenches up to 7/8. More than once something small happened that became something big because I didn't have a basic tool with me.

[RVMichael]

One of my best small purchases was a can of Lysol to spray after dumping the tanks. I'm not a germaphobe, but...

[RVMichael]

Also, be careful on loading up on things you think you need. I have worked myself down to where I will only buy things that are really needed. Anything that works dual purposes is gold.

[RVMichael]

One more thing before I go is when we first started RV'ing we only went for a local overnighter at a full service RV Park. Then we went for a 2 night trip at a local state park. We then went for more 2 night trips and eventually stretched them into 4 night, then 6 night, then 8 night, to the point where we have a fairly good idea of what's needed and where we want to go and the best ways to plan. E.g. we started small and built.

[Ron]

Originally Posted by Gina

Any advice on type of in motion satellite? My coach is "wired" but I'm not sure what's best for getting Direct Tv on the road.

I was waiting to see if anyone would answer this because I'd like to know too. I don't have satellite TV at home because I'm too cheap so I never got satellite for the MoHo either. I use what used to be called “Direct TV Now” but is now called “ATT TV” which is an internet streaming service. It has all the channels and is much cheaper than satellite but as many already know, Internet is not always available in remote places and when WiFi is available at a campground, it is usually too slow to stream video.

My solutions so far have been to use my phone as a hot spot when I can. It's fast enough to stream TV but cell service is not always available either. In those cases where I can't stream entertainment, I always bring a terabit sized USB Hard Drive with stuff I record at home. The challenge is two fold;

1) to be able to watch content recorded on an USB drive on your MoHo system.

2) to be able to record content at home.

I solved these challenges this way;
My MoHo is a 2011 model which in electronic terms is ancient. My coach is wired between the TV switchbox and the two TV’s with coax cable (RG 59). The TV’s all have inputs consisting of coax, USB and HDMI but the coach was only wired with coax. The front TV is close enough that I was able to run HDMI and RCA Composite cables from it to the entertainment cabinet where the switchbox and all my devices are located but the rear TV only has the coax going to it from the switchbox. This presents a problem. The easiest hook up with devices sold currently is HDMI. So, converting HDMI to coax is the problem.
When I want to watch content recorded and stored on my Hard Drive, I use the MXQ 4K box

https://www.amazon.com/Amalen-Androi...64946776&psc=1

which I connect the USB HD to and the MXQ 4K has HDMI out that goes directly to the main TV in the front of the coach. That's easy but if I want to watch the HD on the rear TV, it is a little harder because the TV (entertainment) splitter/switchbox only has coax and RCA component inputs and only coax outputs and there is only a coax cable going to the rear TV. In this case I use a HDMI to RCA component converter like this;

https://www.amazon.com/Composite-Con...s%2C183&sr=8-9

and connect RCA to the TV switchbox. The switchbox has RCA inputs for the old VCRs. Now, I can display all my content on any TV in the coach.

To record content to the Hard Drive, I use the PlayOn App

https://www.playon.tv/offers/upgrade/

which allows the recording of any online video that you can legally watch. This means I can record cable, Amazon Prime or Hulu content to my Hard Drive. I bought the lifetime version rather than the annual subscription.

In your case, if you want satellite, the Dish Playmaker

https://www.dishformyrv.com/new-dish...waAtbjEALw_wcB

has coax out. It will be simple to hook it up and Dish only charges you for what you use, however, I think they may charge you for the whole month. So, if you use it once a month, you will be paying for full time. At least that’s my understanding. Someone else with experience with it may have to chime in.