FAQ

GPS in-car navigators are almost “standard” accessories these days, and I wanted to avoid giving too much DVD space to stuff you can find out anywhere.

However, it’s probably worth mentioning that most of the department store navigators (Tomtom, etc) are great in cities for street-level stuff, but not as good off the beaten track as some other products. We have been using a pocket PC (ASUS) with a built-in GPS receiver, running navigation software. We use CoPilot and Route 66 for city work (why the two of them? because I enjoy fiddling with stuff like this!), plus OziExplorer for bush work. Since getting our setup, a new one has come out which incorporates a street level package and OziExplorer in a ready-to-go unit. It’s called the Hema Navigator, costs just under $1000, and is probably what I would have got if it had been available when I was starting out. There are others also coming on the market now as well with similar capabilities, so if anyone has experience with these new ones, please email me with your thoughts. Here’s a useful link:

http://www.exploroz.com/Shop/GPS/Hema/Hema_Navigator.aspx

Q2:

You got rid of your first van (the Windsor Rapid) pretty quickly, and went to a Kedron. Do you think the Windsor was a crap van, or what?

A2:

Not at all - the Rapid was a beaut little van, and perfect for the right purpose. But in our opinion, it didn’t suit our purpose, which was to live in it full time for a year or more. So we needed something bigger. Windsor make bigger vans of course, and a lot cheaper than the Kedron we finished up with. But we went to the Kedron because we saw a few on the road, and heard many good things about them, including their obvious “built like a battleship” characteristics. And we certainly wanted to go into some very rough places. We took the Kedron to Kalumburu, off the Gibb River Road, and it doesn’t get much rougher than that - the van didn’t miss a beat. I’m not aware if Windsor make a van tough enough for those conditions. So, it’s horses for courses - if you’re planning to stick to the bitumen, there are some great vans, large and small, from the more commonly seen manufacturers like Windsor and Jayco.

Q3:

You don’t cover the basic stuff like how to reverse a van. Isn’t this essential to any kind of caravanning?

A3:

Yes, it is. This is the kind of stuff we left out in the end due to lack of DVD space. And we were fine with not covering it, because there are already a million books and DVDs out there dealing with these basics. Grey Nomad 101 is tailored more towards the long haul aspects, as there is not so much information available out there on this. And in any case, anyone who has already towed a van will agree, I'm sure, that no matter how many times you see other people reverse them, either live or on DVD, it's all very different once you get behind that wheel and look in the mirrors. In the end, practice is the only way to learn.

Just one little tip, though: To reverse into a caravan park bay, always set up with the bay on your right - it's a lot easier than when it's on your left. (It's all about getting the right hand side of the van as close to the edge of the site as possible so the awning has room to open on the left.) That's why caravan park operators will often mark out a route through the park to your allocated site which can look like the long way round. It is! But they think ahead and direct you so your site will be on the driver's side as you arrive at it. And you should work it out the same way if they don't do it for you.

Q4: So what topics does the DVD actually cover?

A4:

There are two menu pages - one has a range of informative/instructional topics, while the other one has segments covering a handful of actual locations we visited in our travels (and even these segments contain various tips and tricks). Here are screen shots of these menus:

Main Menu (the real guts of it is contained in the first 3 segments, which are quite long)

Places We've Bin (just to give an idea of what's out there)

Q5: Your comments in the 12V section of the DVD about electric brakes were rather interesting, but that bit about being able to lock up the caravan wheels doesn't sound right?

A5:

OK, I'll explain it better. Any vehicle, whether it's towing or towed, should be able to stop itself properly using its own brakes. If a caravan can't decelerate as efficiently as the towing vehicle, then in an emergency stop it will push the towing vehicle forwards - a very nasty situation.

Maximum braking, or deceleration, occurs just before wheel lockup - any more pressure and you start to skid. So, if you are able to make the wheels skid, then back off the adjustment so they don't quite get to that point, then you know you're getting the maximum possible stopping power. If you can't make them skid even with maximum brake voltage applied to the caravan brakes, then you're probably not reaching the maximum deceleration point.

This latter situation can often occur with brake wiring that's too thin, bad plug connections, poor adjustment on the controller, etc.

BUT HERE'S THE KICKER: Many vans out there (and I reckon it's more than half of them) have properly designed brakes, yet are still not capable of stopping properly, even when all of the above is perfect. WHY? Because these vans are heavily overloaded! Van brakes are desiged to be able to stop the van up to it's maximum gross weight. But if you've got a few extra hundred kilos over the top, then you can't expect miracles. Each brake drum is only capable of applying so much friction before it melts!

Which leads to an interesting point when buying a van - Check out the brake design. Many dual axle vans have 10" drum on each wheel. Our Kedron has 12" drums all round, because it's a very solid van. If I was getting another van, I'd try and go for these large brake drums, even if they had to be retro-fitted.

Long answer to short question - I hope it helps.

Q6: The section on ant invasion is scary. Is there any way to absolutely guarantee they can't get in?

A6:

No! At least, not to my knowledge. If you're not setting up a full annex, it's a bit easier - spread some nasty stuff around any bits that touch the ground (stabilisers, awning ropes, etc) and you should be OK. It's much harder when you've got annex walls touching the ground all the way round. If it looks like ants are prevalent, then more nasty stuff helps. But I always try and not use it if I can help it - not good for the environent. Talc powder everywhere can be a big help - most ants don't like it much, and it's not so bad for nature. But some species just walk straight over it.

What do I mean by nasty stuff? Well, the usual ant powders and granules. I've recently started using barrier sprays a bit more, and they seem to work very well. I resisted it for a while because who knows what damage this stuff does to your awning walls, paintwork, etc. But having been invaded one too many times, I've decided to take my chances with damage to the van. And the spray stays on for ages.

Here's an important tip though - never park with tree branches touching any part of the van. Many trees look completely devoid of ant life in daylight, but swarm with them after dark (take a look with a torch, you'll be amazed). And you'd be amazed at how many of the little buggars can move in in just one night. But remember, if you do get caught with this one, don't just break the branch off - that's their escape route gone! Follow my suggestions in the DVD instead.

And finally, of course, the daily ant patrol is a must - walk right around the van and look for ant trails.

Q7: What did you do about getting your mail sent to you around Australia?

A7:

Well that's a very good question!

Option 1: Good ol' Aussie Post - plan ahead where you're going to be and pay for their redirection service. It works, but it's not that flexible, and you are forever filling in forms at post offices whenever you want to change it. We started off this way and quickly hated it.

Option 2: There are several services (just Google "mail forwarding") which require you to redirect your mail to them (Aussie Post), and they will then forward to wherever you are. Quick and easy to change anytime you want (by phone or email) and very flexible. Good idea all round, but the killer is cost. It's not cheap, but then again you can't expect them to do it for nothing. We never actually tried them because we used:

Option 3: Get friendly with your local newsagent-based postmaster - one where there are PO boxes you can hire. Hire one! Redirect your mail to it, or set it up as your permanent postal address. Arrange for him to periodically stick your accumulated mail in an express satchel and send it to wherever you are, based on a phonecall. Make it worth his while. Don't use this option if you have huge amounts of mail. We did this. It works.

Option 4: Redirect mail to a friend or relative and have them forward on as directed by your periodic phonecalls. This is the best way to go if you have someone (a) you trust, and (b) doesn't mind doing it.

With all of the above options, you have it forwarded to "Post Restante" at whatever post office you choose. Avoid GPOs - they can loose your mail (trust me, it's happened). Smaller POs are best, because the local operators have a good handle on what's come in recently, due to relatively low mail volumes. And if you purchase something (eg on-line) and are having it sent in such a way, allow plenty of time for it to arrive. We had real problems with companies not sending things straight away, and they hadn't arrived by the time we wanted to move on to the next place. Then you're into more Aussie Post redirections, and it can be a nightmare.

Q8: You showed a through-wall fitting for external internet antenna in the DVD. How effective are these antennae, and what can you tell us about internet coverage in general for Grey Nomads?

A8:

They are very effective. Go to a Telstra shop or one of the reseller shops and ask to see them. Make sure any connections are compatible with your modem (ie take the modem with you!) and get a kit for your mobile as well (see next para). Connector kits are available for most setups. The simple whip aeriels come in various gains - ours is 9dB I think (the higher the better). Then mount it as high as you possibly can when you camp - we use an extendable painter's pole!

If you want the best coverage, don't muck around, just go with Telstra wireless broadband. It uses the same network as their Next-G mobile, and they have the best coverage, end of story. You'll be amazed at how often you get a signal from nearby base stations, even if you're a real "off-the-beaten-tracker" like us.

If you want a really high gain antenna, you can get a Yagi - you know, the multi-element thing that looks like a TV antenna. The only hassle with these is they are highly directional and you'd have to muck around aiming it, or more likely slowly rotating it until you got a result. Definitely more suitable for fixed installations rather than travelers.

Now, here's a trick very few people know about. To check if a new antenna setup is working, make sure you're in an area where coverage is available. Then hook it up to your mobile phone and dial *748#96, and be amazed! The RSSI figure on this first screen is what you are looking for. It tells you the signal strength from your antenna - the lower the figure, the better (ie -75 is better than -92), and you should see the variation by connecting and disconnecting your aerial (takes a minute or so to register each time).

Q9: That's a great segment on pests & bugs, but you didn't talk about sandflies/midges.

A9:

Yeah, that's right - I figured most people know how to use Aeroguard and mosquito nets! But here's a couple of tips for you:

1) The standard fly screen that you get on caravan windows and many tents and camper trailers won't stop midges/sandflies (let's not get into the old argument about what they're called, and just stick to midges!).You can get much finer mesh, around (0.5mm I think?) which will stop them, at the cost of reduced air flow. I made some replacement screens for our first (pop-top) van which we used when we headed north into midge territory. But last time I checked, I couldn't find ready made midge-proof screens for caravans (if anyone has found them, let me know!!) - it would be nice to have a couple of windows done with this mesh so at least you could get a bit of air flow. They come in through gaps in door catches, etc, too, so it's hard to stop them unless you completely close up, which is a pain in hot weather. At night, you can gets squillions of little flying critters pour in through every opening they can find, attracted by your lights - I don't think these are the biting kind of midge, but they make a mess due their large numbers. We do things like leaving just one light on over the sink, with that window firmly shut, so they all gather on the outside of that window, but can't get in - a sort of decoy tactic! Leaving a nice bright white decoy light on somewhere outside can also keep them more interested than your van.

2) The real problems with midges start when you head out into the mangroves to hunt those elusive barra, and the little sods just about eat you alive. So here's our trick:- We cover up as much as we can, against the sun as much as midges, then smear a nice thick layer of sun cream over the exposed bits. After an hour or two, the cream turns from white to black! They hit it, stick, and die there, but they can't get through it. But if we miss a bit of skin, they find it and bite it!

Q10: Where can I get one of those "noise blocker" devices?

A10:

We've had ours for many years, and we stumbled across it in Myers one day. It's a "Sharper Image Design Travel Soother". Google it and you can see the latest offerings, which seem to be rather expensive ($200 plus) versions incorporating clock radio functionality. Or Google "ambient noise generator" to see other options - looks like you can pick up very simple devices for fifty or sixty bucks.

OR: I can send you a CD that I've done myself. You've got a choice of two. Follow this link for more info: NoiseBlockerCD

Q11: Solar panels - fixed versus portable - what's your preference?

A11:

It doesn't matter what I say here, I'm bound to buy an argument! But here goes:

Fixed. Panels only work in the sun, so that's where you have to park, even though under those trees over there would be much nicer. (Look on the bright side, you'll probably have a much better shot at the Optus C1 satellite if you're out in the open!). No one's going to pinch them off your roof. Once you've set up in the open you can forget all about them. Lots of big panels=high power.

Portable. You can park in the shade, and put the panels in the sun. And get out there and move them every couple of hours as the tree shadows swing around. That's if someone hasn't pinched them already. And unless you're prepared to deploy a forest of panels, you won't get much juice from them.

You're probably getting the idea that I favour fixed! In a nutshell, portable panels are great for weekends away when all you want to do is charge your laptop. For anything more serious, fixed is better. We have four big panels powering three big batteries, and we can go pretty much indefinitely as long as the sun keeps shining. Sure, it gets hot when you're parked in full sun, but most of the roof is shaded by the panels themselves, and we have an awning one side and a shade screen mounted in a track on the off side, so in the end we still have mostly shade, without branches falling on the van, or cockies dropping nuts and other things on us!

I guess it all depends on how independent of mains power you want to be. For off-roaders like us, fixed is a no-brainer. For bitumen-loving caravan-park-people, hell, you don't even need solar. If you're in between somewhere, toss a coin, then try portable first and see if it works for you. Because going full-scale fixed is costly . . .

Q12: What's with the coffee roasting?

A12:

Ah yes, there's been a lot of interest in this one! On the Saturday at the Perth 4WD Show, I was casually roasting coffee beans at our marquee. This is because we love good coffee, and absolutely detest instant coffee. In fact, we are coffee snobs. So, when we are living in a house, and therefore have the room, we roast our own beans and then grind them fresh and use our Italian espresso machine to prepare the best brew in the world.

Unfortunately there's not enough room in the caravan for our espresso machine, or even our grinder and roaster, so we settle for buying packs of pre-ground coffee and brewing it in a small plunger - not a bad compromise. But if you've got a pretty big rig with heaps of storage, you could go one step further and carry green beans, a roaster and a small coffee or spice grinder, and then still use a small plunger (unless you've got a 35 foot 5th wheeler, in which case you can fit the espresso machine as well).

Some facts about coffee:

Once it's ground, it's only good for an hour or so.

Roasted beans are only good for a week or so.

Green beans are good for several years.

You can roast coffee perfectly well in a popcorn machine (that's what I was using at the show - you just need a cut-down tin can stuffed in the top to stop the beans jumping out) - the beans pop or "crack" just like corn.

Enough already! Go to www.coffeesnobs.com.au for all the info you want, and more. (You'll be amazed - these guys are worse than wine buffs ..)

Q13: How do you book into caravan parks, or do you need to book at all?

A13:

This may sound like a silly question to anyone who's done it before, but if you haven't, then it's a damn good question! Here's my thoughts:

Fisrt, do you book ahead? Well, it depends on your "traveling style". If you are like us and never really know where your next stop is going to be, then you can't really book ahead. We usually just take pot luck and turn up at a park when we decide we want to stop somewhere, and "walk in". About 95% of the time, this works fine. But sometimes you get caught with "no vacancies" and you have to go elsewhere - which sometimes means into the bush or to the next town! The advantage is that you get to see what's on offer before you commit to staying there, and that's important to fussy sods like us.

I know this sounds daunting to you first-timers, but here's the trick - once you are on the road, talk to people coming from the other direction and you'll soon learn which spots are chockers - then it pays to call up and book. Some parks won't take bookings, and it's first in best dressed. Many parks advertise "no bookings" but try them anyway - most will still take a phone booking for the next day only (they figure that you're close enough that you're not likely to change your mind).

On-season, towns like Broome and Alice Springs can be very hard to get a spot. Hence the 5am "wave" of caravanners all racing up the track to get first in line at their intended destination! I guess that's one good reason for having a high-clearance van and 4WD - if you have to go bush for a night it's no big deal. Places like this frequently have an "overflow" area - often the town oval. And sometimes these are really good spots, so don't be put off.

OK I hear you say, but what if I'm planning a 4 week holiday with the kids over Christmas at a single location and want to make sure I get in? Then I guess you're not a real nomad! But given that you might be one day, I'll answer the question - book about 6 months ahead!!! And good luck . . .

And what info do you give them, what choice of site do you have, etc? Well, once again, it depends on how busy they are. The most important thing is to tell them the length of your rig - some sites have more room than others. (And don't be a dog in the manger and ask for a large site if you've just got a 14 foot pop top!) Then, if you're fussy, you might be able to ask for other things like "not close to noisy ablution blocks, camp kitchens, kids playgrounds or nearby highways". (And good luck with those requests too - you've generally got a better chance when you're actually there looking at a plan over the counter.)

Summary for long-haul travelers - talk to people on the road!

Q14: I've never reversed a van before - HELP!

A14:

I've tried to restrict the DVD and website to stuff that's not so easily found anywhere else. And there's a mountain of info out there on reversing vans (but see Question 3 - you've just gotta get out there and do it!) So rather than re-invent the wheel, I'll ask you to Google "How to reverse a caravan" - the result will amaze you! And OK, I'll see what I can do in the next DVD!

Q15: I need more info about load distribution - how to fit those bars, how to measure ball weight, how to balance the rig, etc.

A15:

This is "on the list" for the next DVD! But here's a little bit to go on with:

*Ball weight should be around 10% of van weight. Much lighter will lead to instability on uneven roads - when things start to bounce up and down, you can "unweight" your rear wheels and lose traction. Much heavier will overload your towbar/ball/rear suspension.

*Variations due to full or empty water tanks, jerry cans, etc. Use common sense. Probably the worst thing you could do is to have insufficient ball weight to begin with, then chuck 4 jerry cans, 4 bicycles and a collapsible boat trailer all on the back of your van. Experiment until you get ball weight satisfactory. See below for measuring ball weight.

*If you've got a heavy van, and especially if you're loaded up in the back of the car as well, you will need to have your car's suspension upgraded - heavier springs, maybe air bags. I'm not going to get into the merits of air bags, except to say we have them and they seem to work well, but they are just another item to be maintained - ie you have to keep an eye on the pressures. The big advantage with them is that they are adjustable.

*When hooked up, everything should be level (Duh!). If ball weight is correct and your front wheels are sticking up in the air, it not only looks stupid - it's downright dangerous. So, if it only needs a little bit of correcting, use load bars. If it needs a lot, do your suspension first (see above). And, make sure your car tow ball is the correct height for the van to sit level. Good hitches are adjustable up and down. Or for lighter rigs, you can get tow balls with varying vertical offsets.

*Load distribution bars work by taking some of the vertical flexibility out of the coupling, which results in more weight being carried by the front wheels and less by the back. It's hard to visualise how this happens, but try this exercise: Sit at a table and place your fingertips on the edge. Move your forearm up and down, leaving your wrist floppy. Hold your other hand underneath your wrist, and feel how the weight of your arm bounces on the hand underneath. Now do the same with your wrist stiff, and feel how there's less weight getting through to the underneath hand, while you can feel the extra load through your fingertips on the table. Pretty neat, eh? That's the best explanation of load bars that I've ever seen, and I done it me-self :) Oh, one more thing - weight is redistributed from your rear axle in both directions - the greater portion transfers to the front axle, but some of it goes back to the van wheels. Not too many people realise that.

*Measuring weights. The best way is on a weigh bridge. Go to a public one and pay. Or go to a traffic authority one and it might be free, but watch out - if you're over weight they might book you too! We went to the one in Alice run by the traffic cops. They were kind enough to point out that it was only manned in business hours, but it worked 24/7, with the readout visible through the window!!! Record these weights while hitched up: (1) whole rig (2) car only (3) Car front axle only (4) van only. Then unhitched: (5) whole car (6) car rear axle only. You now have enough data to calculate anything you need. eg (2) - (5) is the ball weight, and (1) - (5) is van weight. Of course you could measure these directly with a bit more hitching and unhitching . . . Once you know the exact weight on each axle (and therefore each wheel) you can use the tire manufacturer's pressure chart to work out tyre pressures very accurately. Most tire places can give you these charts, or Google it.

Measuring ball weight the sneaky way: This really works well, and is accurate enough for all practical purposes. Use a strong lever (like a fence post) on a sturdy fulcrum (like a small log). Put one end under the van hitch (not when it's hitched up - duh!) and stand on the other end. Adjust the position of the fulcrum (not while you're standing on it - duh!!) until your weight can just lift the draw bar off its stand. Then use the ratio of the distances applied to your weight to get the ball weight. You also need to factor in the weight of the lever, if it's substantial. If you're no good with the maths of levers, don't try this method!

Crikey, I do ramble on don't I . . .

Q16: What's the best way to communicate with friends & family on the road? Mobile phonecalls are expensive.

A16:

If you're camped near other people in mobile coverage areas, then every evening from 5pm onwards you'll hear lots of people shouting into their mobiles (I think they shout because they think it might make it go further . . .). These are the people who have mobile plans with a "free hour" - they can call anywhere in Australia for nothing during the particular hour they have nominated with their carrier. This is definitely the way to go!

Or, if you've got wireless broadband (and you've gotta have it, right?) then Skype will get you calls that cost very little or nothing. Go to www.skype.com and all will be revealed.

And of course, with wireless broadband you can do other things like email broadcasts to a set list of friends, telling them all the latest in a very impersonal way. Or run a blog site that your friends can log onto whenever they want to check up on you. (I was doing this - after any major updates to the site, I'd send a brief email to everyone inviting them to check out the blog). And I hate to say that Facebook looks like taking over the world for this sort of thing - it has the advantage of allowing generic postings that all can see, combined with individual communication when required. I've resisted joining up so far, but Sandie's on it, and makes great use of it. She's even been known to get up at 4am to "feed" her electronic fish (don't get me started).

Q17: I want satellite TV on the road. What can you tell us?

A17:

Hmmm, I've had a fair bit of interest in this one! I'll start by saying that there's not enough room to cover it here, and it will be dealt with in the next DVD. Just a few quick pointers for now:

The small 65cm dish is usually not enough for extreme north or south coast locations, where you are on the edge of the satellite "footprint" and the signal is weak. 85cm is great, but is getting large to lug around. We're on our 3rd dish, and at 75cm, it seems fine.

Get a setup that erects and collapses quickly and easily, without mucking around with nuts and bolts. You'll pay more, but it's worth it.

Get a set top box that takes 12V - ours is a Strong, and it's good. Some boxes seem to be more sensitive and easier to tune in than others. Ours is a Strong, and it's great. (Getting the idea?) Get a decent LNB as well - some are better than others.

What the hell, here's a free plug for the guy who supplied the gear we now use: http://www.minicompact.com.au he does a great mail order service, sells good gear, and is still very cost-effective. Tell him I sent you . . .

When you're trying to aim it, and you just can't get that bloody satellite, you've probably got trees in the way. If you can't find a big enough hole in the foliage, then you're stuffed. Make sure you've got a very long coax cable to your dish so you can move it around a lot.

Can you have it set up permanently on the draw bar, etc? Some people do it and seem happy with it; we've never bothered because it can limit where and how you park the van. (See previous para.)

Get a tripod which is easily pegged down. Then if it's windy, peg it down. If it's not windy, peg it down. If you're sitting right beside it on a calm day and aren't going anywhere, peg it down. Get it? Good! Because if you don't, then it will blow over, and you will break your LNB . . .

Grey Nomad 101 - FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)