Episode 163: How a high tech RV is helping restore communications to Puerto Rico

The RV Podcast

Episode 163: How a high tech RV is helping restore communications to Puerto Rico

We’ve all heard of the horrible devastation still affecting Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Nearly a month after the storm, water and electricity are in scarce supply. Cellphone service ranges from spotty to nonexistent, landline telephones are out, banks and many businesses are shuttered, cars are damaged and roads blocked. For many, work and school still have not resumed and there’s been no outside communication with friends and family

Helping out is he Erwin Hymer Group of North America and their special mobile research lab equipped with a Kymeta satellite antenna for the Internet, part of a humanitarian effort sponsored by Liberty Cablevision, the islands cable TV and broadband provider.

We caught up with Joe Raetano, the director of advanced research and Development for the Hymer Group, who explains how valuable the Internet Satellite system on his Roadtrek advanced mobile Lab is in helping island residents reconnect. We interviewed Joe over a satellite phone connection made possible by that Kymeta antenna on his RV

That’s coming up in the interview of the week segment in just a few minutes. But also in this episode, your questions and comments, RV tips and news and much more… but first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride…Jennifer.

Show Notes for Episode #163 October 25, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast:

WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK

We had a great spontaneous meet-up this past weekend with many of our listeners along Florida’s Emerald Coast in Navarre Beach. We will try and do this sort of thing again as we visit other parts of the country. Here’s a call we got from Gary, who was among those who showed up.

As we begin the last week of October, we're starting to see the first signs of the great snowbird migration as tens of thousands of folks from northern states are starting to make their way south for the winter.

For those who stay put during the winter, it's time to winterize their RVs, cleaning it out and putting it in storage for the next several months.

Jennifer and I are spending a few more days in Florida but we'll soon be heading north to Michigan. We, too, will have to winterize while we're up north, but we are among the growing number of RVers who camp all year round. We love winter camping in the snow but we also plan to head back to Florida shortly after the first of the year. If you ever wonder where we are, there's a live map on the lower right had column of our roadtreking.com blog that shows where we are.

There's one big camping weekend left! Most campgrounds are sold out this coming weekend for Halloween, with costume contests, trick or treating and decorated RVs. In fact, the whole month is busy as RVers try to squeeze as many outings as possible before the cold weather arrives.

But that cold weather is not to be ignored. Out west, they are starting to close roads in some of our national parks....because of snow!

This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 16 locations and growing

JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK

Here’s a tip on what to do with your RV AFTER you return from a trip, after you’ve emptied your clothes and other items and after you’ve emptied the refrigerator and are ready to leave it for a long period of time, be it a week or a few months.

And it has to do with the refrigerator.

Specifically, how to avoid the sour smell that often happens when an RV is shut up tight when it’s not being used or is in storage.

One, after the freezer had thawed, wipe it and the main compartment out. You want to put it away dry.

Secondly, we put an open box of baking soda in one of the shelves on the fridge doors.

And third…and most important… leave both the freezer and refrigerator doors open until the next time you need to turn it on and head out on an RV trip. That prevents any odors from being trapped inside.

That’s it. Follow those three steps and you’ll have no more refrigerator odors.

And now it’s your turn! I want you to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox.

I love hearing from you!

Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping

LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

A reaction to our recent meet-up on Navarre Beach, FL

• A follow up to our recent tip about using Ikea bags to store things in the RV

• A question about the Kymeta Satellite Internet system we are using and that will soon be marketed by the Erwin Hymer Group of North America

• A story of an alarming incident in a campground out west

Sponsoring this part of the podcast is Van City RV in St. Louis, Missouri; Las Vegas Nevada, Kalispell ,Montana and now Colorado Springs, Colorado. Specializing in Class B and C Campervans.

INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK

We’ve all heard of the horrible devastation still affecting Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Nearly a month after the storm, water and electricity are in scarce supply. Cellphone service ranges from spotty to nonexistent, landline telephones are out, banks and many businesses are shuttered, cars are damaged and roads blocked. For many, work and school still have not resumed.

Helping out is he Erwin Hymer Group of North America and their special mobile research lab equipped with a Kymeta satellite antenna for the Internet, part of a humanitarian effort sponsored by Liberty Cablevision, the islands cable TV and broadband provider.

We caught up with Joe Raetano, the director of advanced research and Development for the Hymer Group, who explains how valuable the Internet Satellite system on his Roadtrek advanced mobile Lab is in helping island residents reconnect. We interviewed Joe over a satellite phone connection made possible by that Kymeta antenna on his RV

The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new or used Roadtrek motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country

RV NEWS OF THE WEEK:

More Florida state parks open to visitors, as recovery from Hurricane Irma continues

Tourism up to to record levels for Montana, with most visiting Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks

Family lost while hiking in Michigan state park called police, then followed the sound

This part of the podcast is sponsored by Steinbring Motorcoach, Roadtrek’s newest dealer and a third generation family business in Minnesota’s beautiful Chain of Lakes region built on quality motorhomes and excellent pricing and service.

TRAVELING TECH TIP:

By Steve Van Dinter

Verizon Wireless

You don’t need to visit a haunted house to have shivers sent down your spine. In fact, all it takes is getting out of the car after forgetting that your phone is on your lap. That’s just one of the many scary ways phones can meet their demise this time of year!

And it’s not just Halloween we need to wary of. In fact, every two seconds, someone, somewhere cracks their phone screen. About half of those people had their phone fall out of their hands, ? had their phone fall out of their pockets, and you guessed it roughly the rest had it fall out of their lap when standing up.

The worst part is about 1 in 3 people who break their phone screens won’t get them fixed - and have even suffered glass cuts because of it!

Fortunately Verizon customers have a worry free option. It’s called Total Mobile Protection. And now - Nov 17 any customer who currently doesn’t have their device covered, can sign up.

And once covered, you can get same day, cracked screen repair for just $29! That means nothing to ship and no need to transfer content from one phone to another. Now that’s peace of mind and convenience!

You can learn more about total mobile protection at www.vzw.com/tmp

This part of the podcast is brought to you by Verizon, which operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 112 million retail connections nationwide.