Interstate Mods - I'll go First

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Titus

We were on the road (actually on the ocean and river) when the remote entry string was posted, so missed it until now. Wondering if it is possible - or advisable - to install a longer antenna when doing the relocating. Would it help to have a longer antenna stretching further across the upper portion of the dashboard.

Not really. The optimum antenna length is directly proportional to the wavelength of the signal being received.

[Lotus54]

Originally Posted by Titus

We were on the road (actually on the ocean and river) when the remote entry string was posted, so missed it until now. Wondering if it is possible - or advisable - to install a longer antenna when doing the relocating. Would it help to have a longer antenna stretching further across the upper portion of the dashboard.

Yes, it all depends on the current antenna and freq.
If it is a 1/4 wave now- and 1/2 or full wave would most likely work better. If already a full wave- then longer probably would not help but likely make it worse.

A quick look on the internet- shows about 434MHz (no clue if that is correct). I think that is about 69cm.
But exact length and impedance is VERY important. Trying to make your own without some good equipment to ‘sweep’ it would be quite difficult. A good service monitor would be invaluable. I’ve tuned lots of radio ‘front ends’, duplexors etc using them.

Mark

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Lotus54

Yes, it all depends on the current antenna and freq.
If it is a 1/4 wave now- and 1/2 or full wave would most likely work better. If already a full wave- then longer probably would not help but likely make it worse.

I yield to your superior knowledge. All hail Lotus54!

[scott.semone]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

That can work. The main point of my advice was to not get rid of the outside switch.

Also, if you've got both inside and outside switches, if the LP gas alarm goes off, I'd recommend you shut off the propane from outside, not inside. I don't know if the inside switch would spark at all when turned on or off, but best not to take chances when you've got a propane leak.

I installed a relay which completes the circuit for the LPG solenoid, which I control using the aisle lights switch. I leave the outside LPG switch in the ON position, and control the LPG solenoid when using the Generator, Hot Water Heater, Heater Furnace and Stove Top via the aisle light switch; the aisle lights aren't bright enough to disturb our sleep at night when using the heater while sleeping. I used the aisle light which is in close proximity to the rear wheel well, which activates a relay that opens / closes the circuit to the LPG solenoid; the relay and the outdoor switch are in series.

Added a Roof Rack and Ladder which allows me to utilize the space as a viewing platform, as well as storing my kayak and fly rods.

Also swapped out the standard DOMETIC Air Conditioner, for the Houghton super quiet AC Unit by Advanced RV - I really love the new AC and it is extremely quiet, and it works very well when compared to the stock unit. Hopefully Airstream will adopt this or something similar.

[InterBlog]

A teeny tiny mod, but this thread hasn't been bumped in a while...

I replaced the porch light cover with a night-shifted amber version, and in so doing, regained a working porch light for the first time in probably four years.

We replaced the original bulb with an LED retrofit, but 4-ish years ago, that tech was still shaking out. The LED was ill-designed, and melted the cover in two places.

The center melt spot, shown below, was not a big deal. Far worse was the fact that it sagged the top surface of the cover, allowing rain water to enter the fixture freely - it created a little channel directly into the thing. At that point, I threw away the LED and stopped using the fixture entirely.

I bought a new bulb directly from the brick-and-mortar camping supply store. That way, if it, too, melts the new cover, I can return both in person.

Longer term, I might use this porch light location as a security camera installation port, given that Airstream already pucked a hole in the side of the van there. But for now, I have a snazzy new cover that coordinates well with the orange security reflectors on the side of the van.

[Pahaska]

I got tired of having to open the sliding glass and stretch to check that power is present when I hook up. Since my solar display is now located in the rear, on the solar controller itself, I decided to move the Power Control System that is in the front overhead cabinet back into the area where the solar display was located.

Space in that area is very tight. I mounted the power control panel at a 90-degree angle. It is still easy to read at 90 degrees and the door on that area is pretty much always left open. If it were not for all the screw scars, I would probably remove that door altogether.

The switch for the Blue Sea battery controller is also in that area.

I still need to trim around the panel.

[Pahaska]

At the rear end of one of the cabinets over my galley counter, there is a boxed area where wires for the lights and AC outlet are brought down to the aluminum extrusion. There is about 1 1/2" between the front of the box and the cabinet lid.

It happened that I had something that "just almost" fit into that wasted space. The space lacked about a quarter-inch in depth. Otherwise, it was a perfect place for that item.

I removed the box front and rabbited out 3/8"x1" from the back of the 3/4" piece. This is not visible with the front reinstalled and it provided me last little bit of depth
that I needed.

[Pahaska]

I posted photos earlier of my additions to the wall beside the desk in my GT. I bought 4 white wall-hung bins at Office Depot, sprayed them bronze to better fit the decor, and installed them on the wall.

Unfortunately, the bins did not withstand the wear and tear of use very well. The various pieces started coming apart and the soft material was easily injured. The bins tapered in at the bottom so that they really didn't hold very much.

I still had some plywood and laminate left, so I built new bins to replace the top and bottom store-bought ones. My new bins are 1/4" plywood with 1/2" plywood framing, covered in laminate. They do not taper, which makes them a lot more useful. I had just about 6" x 15" of laminate left over.

I am out of useful laminate, so I ordered a new sheet today that will be here by April 4th. When that sheet arrives, I will build a two-story bin to fit between the desk and the upper bin. Something to keep me occupied while sequestered.

The photos show the new top and bottom bins and the two paper bins between.

[Ryoungca]

Originally Posted by scott.semone

Also swapped out the standard DOMETIC Air Conditioner, for the Houghton super quiet AC Unit by Advanced RV - I really love the new AC and it is extremely quiet, and it works very well when compared to the stock unit. Hopefully Airstream will adopt this or something similar.

For the Houghton AC unit, does it provide heat as well? It would be great to have some supplemental heat while plugged in. Also, one post said the Houghton could not run while the coach is riding down the highway, something about the fan being overcome by the wind. Any experience with using it while you're driving?

[Pahaska]

This sequestering is great for getting things done. I can run out to the AI in the storage yard and never come within many yards of another person.

I ordered another sheet of laminate, which came very quickly since it is manufactured about 70 miles north of here and the Wilsonart HQ is here in Austin.

Handling the big sheet of laminate is a chore in my 20 x 20 workshop, full of power tools. That said, I was able to build the last part of my pockets for the wall next to my desk in about a day. I was short of 1/4" plywood, so I used my planer to cut down some 1/2". Kind of a waste, but it saved a 30-mile round trip to HD.

My new pockets are a lot better than the paper Office Depot pockets I had before. These are 1/4" plywood with laminate and are framed in 1/2" plywood. The new pockets do not taper and therefore hold a lot more. There is enough intentional clearance at the bottom to allow my Galaxy phone to slip under on the fixed part of the desk. The new pockets are designed to clear the Goal Zero 1000 underneath.

[Pahaska]

Not being around others gives me plenty of time to think up mods for my GT. I can go to the storage yard and never come within 100' of another person.

I had to buy a full sheet of laminate to make my new desk pockets (post above). That left me with most of a full sheet.

Today, I installed laminate over the gray plastic, above and behind where the bed extensions had pivoted. It really looks nice back there.

One thing that has bugged me is the over-cab space. I'm not tall and the space gets cluttered with hard-to-reach and seldom needed items. DVDs, especially get scattered all over the place.

Today, I designed a sliding shelf for the curb-side. The road side can stay as-is with the DVD player and cables. I have my foul-weather gear stuffed at the rear of the road-side.

The sliding shelf will have 2 1/2" sides and back. I'll build in a partition to hold DVDs and a partition to hold my battery organizer and battery checker, and my field glasses.

Look for an update in a few days.

[Pahaska]

Here are the two pieces of laminate that I installed to cover the gray plastic behind the beds. The laminate is simply tucked under the mouse fur at the bottom and slipped under the plastic at the rear. It lays nice and flat against the wall and is held in place without any fasteners except the screws mounting the box with the solar controller.

A very minor item, but it does look more finished from the aisle between the twin beds. Something to keep me from going bats while sequestered.

[Pahaska]

Keeping sane during sequestering, for me, consists of thinking up things I can change on the GT and a trip every other day to the storage yard without being near any other person to do the deed.

I had installed laminated storage pockets on the wall to the right of the desk, but it did not look finished to me. There was the strip of mouse fur to the left of the pockets that had some scars from previous iterations of the wall.

I have plenty of laminate, so I cut a strip to cover the mouse fur, with holes for the USB charger and the associated switch. The laminate strip is held in place by slipping it under the woodwork at the top, under the pockets, and three cable clamps for the cable to the Goal Zero at the corner of the wall.

I think the wall looks finished now.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Keeping sane during sequestering, for me, consists of thinking up things I can change on the GT and a trip every other day to the storage yard without being near any other person to do the deed.

I had installed laminated storage pockets on the wall to the right of the desk, but it did not look finished to me. There was the strip of mouse fur to the left of the pockets that had some scars from previous iterations of the wall.

I have plenty of laminate, so I cut a strip to cover the mouse fur, with holes for the USB charger and the associated switch. The laminate strip is held in place by slipping it under the woodwork at the top, under the pockets, and three cable clamps for the cable to the Goal Zero at the corner of the wall.

I think the wall looks finished now.

Nice work, once again. At least your GT keeps you out of trouble. Beats hanging out on the street corner with the bad kids smoking cigarettes.

[Luckysnuck]

Originally Posted by Teamaron

Latest addition




Attachment 178798

Teak shower floor mat

Teamaron,
Have you been happy with your teak wet-bath mat?
I'm considering one for my rig and have only found one supplier (Teakworks4u in Minnesota) which offers a custom tailored design for our Interstates. Their products must be purchased via the "Airstream Supply Company". How frequently have you needed to oil, seal or apply anything topical to the teak to preserve it's finish?
Thanks

[Pahaska]

I bought a teak mat from Teakworks4U three years ago for my 2014.5 Lounge.
When I traded the Lounge for a 2018 GT a year ago, I rebuilt the mat to match the GT bathroom. I actually had a slat left over.

My mat is 3 years old and I have never needed to do anything to it. It still pretty much looks like new. The only thing I do is squeegee off the surface after showers and raise it to wipe down the shower floor after each trip.

That is the beauty of teak. When I had a sailboat, I did need to refinish the teak yearly, but that was exposed to the weather 24/365.

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Luckysnuck

Teamaron,
Have you been happy with your teak wet-bath mat?
I'm considering one for my rig and have only found one supplier (Teakworks4u in Minnesota) which offers a custom tailored design for our Interstates. Their products must be purchased via the "Airstream Supply Company". How frequently have you needed to oil, seal or apply anything topical to the teak to preserve it's finish?
Thanks

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I bought a teak mat from Teakworks4U three years ago for my 2014.5 Lounge.
When I traded the Lounge for a 2018 GT a year ago, I rebuilt the mat to match the GT bathroom. I actually had a slat left over.

My mat is 3 years old and I have never needed to do anything to it. It still pretty much looks like new. The only thing I do is squeegee off the surface after showers and raise it to wipe down the shower floor after each trip.

That is the beauty of teak. When I had a sailboat, I did need to refinish the teak yearly, but that was exposed to the weather 24/365.

We love ours. It looks just as it did the day we got it. And gives such and upgraded look to the bathroom... something about the warmth of teak that I like a lot...

We got it from here:

https://store.airstreamlife.com/coll...nt=36362949505

And a photo of it in place:

[Pahaska]

The rear cabinet in our GT is populated with a number of labeled bins for our sheets, blankets, etc. Whenever we are on the road, these bins always slipped forward during braking.

I had a piece of scrap quarter-round in my workshop. I pre-drilled it to prevent splitting and nailed it across the cabinet floor in front of the lower bins.

I still had the straps that restrained the bed extensions that I removed when I converted to twin beds. I screwed the straps into the partial partitions at each side of the cabinet so that the velcro would connect near the center of the bins. This will prevent the upper row of bins from sliding forward.

The red item between the bins is a first-aid kit.

We will need to remove an upper bin to provide clearance to slide the bin beneath over the quarter-round.

Hopefully, when we stop on the road, everything will now stay in place.

[Luckysnuck]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Several months ago the fold down bed expanders on my EXT Lounge model broke. The screws in hinges of these fold down cushions pulled out from dropping in without the center brace pulled out.

Yesterday I pulled the folding cushions completely out of the van and opened the zippered end. The screws were inserted into the end grain of the chip board base that had split. There is no way these will hold up under normal use. So I glued up the cracked/split ends of the base board and added new stronger hinges to hold the cushions. Fortunately I had some aluminum piano hinges that were perfect for the job. Picture attached.

Nice MOD with the "piano hinges" looks very robust, appears they were designed with this specific function in mind. Any chance you remember where you picked up those hinges?
Thanks

[Pahaska]

I had earlier placed a row of plastic remote holders above the desk in my GT. While handy, they did not add much to the appearance.

I have a stack of small pieces of laminated plywood that were left over when I converted to twin beds. I found several useful pieces to make a better remote and pencil holder.

There were two 3/4" thick laminated pieces for the ends that had binding around a curved edge. Add that to a long piece of 1/2" laminated with binding on one edge. Together, they made a very nice assembly to be attached to the desk and wall using UHB tape.

I kept the small credit-card holder and moved it to the other end. It is very handy and small enough to not block access to the USB charger on the wall. It holds all the fuel cards and membership cards that I use on the road.

I actually spent most of my time removing the traces of tape from the wall that attached the plastic holders and cleaning the plastic holders for reuse elsewhere in the coach.