Episode 75: Smartphone Hacks for RVers

Every RVer these days is pretty dependent on their smartphones. From directions, to finding attractions and to stay in touch with friends and families, our smartphones are overwhelmingly the most used gizmos we take with us when we travel by RV. But they could work better, right? Battery life dies too fast. Data allocations get gobbled up by apps. The dreaded "no bars" indication of no nearby cell tower happens too often. Our guest in the Traveling Tech segment of this podcast is SteveCastro, Director of Digital Development at the EGC Group, a New York advertising agency. [spp-timestamp time="37:02"] [spp-player] Steve offers a mix of security, data/power saving and everyday useful tips that most smartphone users are unaware of. You will want to tune into this episode and follow along as he shares his tips, which are written down for you towards the end of this post. But there's much more in this episode as we talk about such things as: Getting rid of black tank odors [spp-timestamp time="11:03"] Finding the right security system for your RV [spp-timestamp time="13:36"] Choosing the right small motorhome for you [spp-timestamp time="22:00"] A first-of-its-kind small motorhome RV show in Phoenix, AZ that will have more motorhomes from more Class B manufacturers than you will find anywhere. [spp-timestamp time="22:00"] And an off the-beaten path report from New York State [spp-timestamp time="57:11"] Keep scrolling down for full shownotes, links to resources and segment by segment info. You can click the hyperlinked time code to jump directly to that section from the shownotes below. Complete Shownotes for the Roadtreking RV Podcast, Episode 75, released Feb. 17, 2016: MIKE AND JENNIFER GET A NEW DOG As Jennifer joins Mike at the top of the podcast, they share the birthday present they received last week from their three kids: A 10-month-old Norwegian Elkhound we decided to name named Bo. [spp-timestamp time="3:30"] Here's a picture of him as Jennifer was trying to record her part of this week's podcast We lost our previous dog, Tai, to cancer last July. He was a great traveler and many of our readers and listeners got to meet and enjoy hi as we made our way across North America. We are unsure of this new pup. Man, a puppy is a lot of work. He's requiring constant supervision and we hope we have the energy to keep up! We call him Bo, in honor of Tai, whose full name was Taibo. Wish us luck! JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK Today’s tip addresses an unpleasant subject: The stinky smell that sometimes comes from the black water waste tank on an RV. [spp-timestamp time="11:03"] First, use a lot of water to flush. Yes, you may have to empty it more that way but we have found mixing water by at least two to one is the easiest way to keep odors down. By that I mean, whatever you put in the toilet, put twice that much water in. We also use something called the “Geo Method.” Essentially, this mixes two cups of water softener and one cup of household detergent in a gallon of water that we pour down the toilet after every time that we dump the black tanks. It really heps keep odors down. We use Calgon Powdered Water Softener. It supposedly dissolves the fastest. We had trouble finding it in stores and ordered it on Amazon. They make a liquid version of this product. It may work, too, though the person who told us about this stressed that we should use the powdered kind. Anyway, we’ve been using this concoction for a couple of years now and find it really does a nice job. One more related tip. Sometimes, gunk gets caked on black water tanks after a lt of use, especially if the unit hasn’t been used much. If you suspect that is an issue, buy a bag of ice, drop it down the toilet and drive around for a while. The ice bangs around in there and loosens the crud. After you think the ice has melted, flush with lots of water and then dump. That’s this week’s tip. If you have a tip you’d like me to consider, just send me at email at Jennifer AT Roadtreking.com. Security Devices For an RV The Canary device A listener named Sherie is about to get a new Class B RV and is worried about security. She sent in a voice message and wondered whether Mike and Jennifer have done anything different since our RV was broken into last summer. Mike brings her up to date on what we learned, talking specifically about the Windshield Witness dash cam we have and how that helped identify the thief. He also talks about a new $199 unit he plans to review called the Canary. This has a wide angle HD camera, monitors temperature and sends video via Wi Fi to your smartphone and it alerts you to a break in, yet also lets you check up on your pets. [spp-timestamp time="13:36"] Choosing the Right Class B RV for You We are recently retired and interested in a Class B of a shorter length for easier parking. Are there pros and cons when looking at Roadtrek vs Pleasure-Way etc.? How do I learn what models/year that have issues when looking