EAA AirVenture - Oshkosh, WI

[Ddmo]

T-Mobile home still showing great results 337mb down and 55.8mb up. Could be because it it 10pm. But still. Pretty fast.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

Cool stuff going on there

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

More cool stuff

 

[Neal]

Had a great time at the EAA AirVenture airshow and 11 days boondocking. Great spending time with @Ddmo in their new ceramic coated Dutch Star which I had such a reflection I was able to point 10 solar panels at them and create a solar station powering the entire event

The rains were frequent this year making the dirt roads extremely slick so I almost got trapped around day 8 and danger low on water and full black and gray tanks which all 3 were balanced nicely surprisingly. I could have made it to the end with extreme conservation but with the intense sun and heat the roads dried out enough I could make it to the dump station - what a relief.

Solar once again really didn't pay off as it was so hot that I needed to run the GEN a lot with critter inside and also I like keeping cool. Nights were cool and GEN was not really needed, down in the 60's. But for those looking at solar I still am not sure it's worth the investment when you have a ONAN quiet generator unless in a place where you don't need to run A/C and can really use it. Solar did its job and worked well in getting batteries charged etc. until it was time for A/C to run which was around 9-10 AM. 6 year old batteries are still working well and I'm waking up to around 82% SOC when loads are managed. One night I didn't turn off my powerful desktop computer (1000W power supply), my Dometic basement cooler was on 22F trying to get very cold drinks, and Starlink was in use which was a power hog so I was drawing a steady 50A for the night so I got surprised by the GEN running when SOC got down to the preset value of 65% SOC to charge the batteries. Next night I turned off the PC, set the dometic CF-80 to 32 and left Starlink running and I drew between 5-10A for the night, big difference.

Event was great, of the 3 times I've been it wasn't the greatest due to higher costs keeping some performers from coming or flying but it's always great to do something different whether an airshow, NASCAR race (for those that have done that), Balloon Fiesta, etc. Taking the RV to new adventures and uses makes it more fun, doing with others makes it even better.

Now I'm up in the U.P. MI enjoying peace and quiet (full hookup) doing 98 loads of laundry, disinfecting a dirty coach, and enjoying real dishes and glassware.

In a few days I'll move over to Hearthside Grove which is going to be interesting, stay tuned for the story which I'll post AFTER I leave, yeah, there's some drama there which is still ongoing.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

We’re still debating the investment in solar for the new RV.

Solar once again really didn't pay off as it was so hot that I needed to run the GEN a lot with critter inside and also I like keeping cool.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

I’ll be interested in this as we plan to go there next summer.

I'll move over to Hearthside Grove which is going to be interesting, stay tuned for the story which I'll post AFTER I leave, yeah, there's some drama there which is still ongoing.

 

[Neal]

Dutch Star has a better GEN setup with more vibration dampening I believe. My coach has a good jolt when it starts. If you're going to be some place with LifePO4 and want to be off grid and even able to run an A/C then go for it. How often will you do that? In 6 years I've been in a situation to enjoy solar that I can count on one hand. It has its benefits such as if your coach is in for service and you want the batteries maintained when not plugged in which is why I installed mine in the first place, I was storing in a lot with no power. For normal use, I just don't know. From an educational standpoint it's worth it, from a practical for most users, don't know I can support it.

 

[Neal]

I’ll be interested in this as we plan to go there next summer.

When the story is shared you'll learn it won't affect you. I have to delay the story for my safety. Seriously!

 

[Ddmo]

First time for us at Airventure. I’m not a pilot, just an enthusiast. This event exceeded my expectations and was awesome. My wife was not looking forward to 8 days at this event, but it totally surprised her. We both loved the camaraderie , educational sessions, seeing the young one’s excited about aviation and just the sheer number on unique aircraft with pilots from all age levels flying around.

Neal was a great resource that made it so much easier for us to enjoy this event from the beginning.

Besides having to extremely conserve on fresh water while we were there for 8 days and dealing with a faulty battery isolation manager (stuck in closed position, so chassis battery draining), the coach performed very well.

Looking forward to returning next year.

 

[Neal]

 

[jaydee325]

I attended a local fly in with a buddy of mine this past weekend. He has attended AirVenture for many years and for the last several, he has been a volunteer. Said he still had plenty of time to take in the show when off duty.

Have any of you volunteered in recent years. What was your experience? My buddy has just about got me talked into volunteering for 2024!

 

[Neal]

It would be a fun event to volunteer for. Go for it.