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Frank's Trailer Works · 08-01-2011, 08:32 AM

I guess I look at it a little differently. The fact that the International is a business meeting is bizarre to me. I thought it was a gathering to celebrate the founders birthday. I guess I take Dale's words a little too literal. I kind of look at the business aspect like an invasive species. I also look at fellow Airstreamer's "AS" family. We had one heck of a family gathering this past July 4 and plan to do it again next year.

RickDavis · 08-01-2011, 09:16 AM

If the dates were more flexible it would open up more possible locations for a large rally.
Plus then , if so inclined I could attend both the Bash and the International. As soon as they bring back a low cost parking option of course

overlander64 · 08-02-2011, 10:04 PM

Greetings Pahaska!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I was surprised that a previous post mentioned a spike from the generators at Springfield. The rally was held on grounds owned by the city electrical utility and we were served power by the city utility. Not to say that there was no spike, but the power did not come from mobile generators such as several more recent rallies. The utility was happy to put in power poles and lines for us in hopes of attracting other big RV clubs.

I was parked in the Vintage Section at Springfield, MO and our section was definitely seved by large diesel generators. Between the generators and an electrical storm, my nearly new Coleman air conditioner was fried . . . . $275 in repairs later it was restored to health but it took the coach out of service for the balance of the season waiting for the inept Airstream dealer in Central Illinois (now defunct) to figure out what parts were needed and make the repair.

The Springfield, MO Rally was memorable for me as I was more or less tied to my Minuet nursing a leg injury that I sustained when its step malfunctioned and removed most of the skin on my left leg from knee to ankle while on the Wagon Wheel Caravan . . . those large yellow generators had a very definite vocabulary of sounds -- but were reassuring at the same time since I knew that they were supplying the energy to keep my air conditioner going which was critical to my happiness and comfort. I was suffering from heat exhaustion at the International Rally at Madison so I spent over 90% of my time close to my Overlander and its air conditioner . . . if 30 AMP wouldn't have been avaialble I wouldn't have made it through the first day.

Kevin

xrvr · 08-03-2011, 04:44 AM

Gonna try the Swiss national in Ohio with 3 amp this year. End of Sept/first Oct. Hope it's cool by then. jim

Coloradobus · 08-05-2011, 11:21 PM

Sorry Kevin, but you are in error. We were parked a few trailers to your south. The only generator noises we all heard were from the massive City of Springfield Power station that was to our west that separated us from the 3 amp where the Happy Hour tent was. There were no large portable generators at 2005 Springfield Rally. We did have large portable gensets at Salem Oregon in 2006. Remember the large building and the tall smoke stacks off to our west and a bit north?. They were west of us beyond the narrow row of trees we cut thru to see the fireworks on the fourth.

RickDavis · 08-06-2011, 05:18 AM

My recollection of Springfield is that the power co. was paid many thousands of dollars to run power lines into the site. I think the power co. may even have owned all or part of the site.
Generators were used the year before in MI. and I think the next several years up through Madison also. I was told by the guy in charge of power at Bozeman that they lost money on the generator rentals.
Now that developed areas are used the extra $200 on the rally fee for power should be a profit center, and it appears it was in Wyoming.

dwightdi · 08-06-2011, 05:38 AM

I think it was a matter of connivance at Gillette. No need for separate parking for the 3 amp lovers. Just park all as they come in and everybody is together. Even the leadership was parked in the same campground. Only special parking was for the disabled and dogs.

overlander64 · 08-06-2011, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coloradobus

Sorry Kevin, but you are in error. We were parked a few trailers to your south. The only generator noises we all heard were from the massive City of Springfield Power station that was to our west that separated us from the 3 amp where the Happy Hour tent was. There were no large portable generators at 2005 Springfield Rally. We did have large portable gensets at Salem Oregon in 2006. Remember the large building and the tall smoke stacks off to our west and a bit north?. They were west of us beyond the narrow row of trees we cut thru to see the fireworks on the fourth.

It is possible. . . . I may have been parked next to a transformer that varied its hum according to the load it was experiencing . . . whatever it was . . . it was very large . . . painted bright yellow . . . and had about a three octave range in the hum that it produced. I had to remain in bed for most of that rally as I had developed an infection following a mishap while I was on the Wagon Wheel Caravan to the Rally. Springfield, Missouri is the only International Rally site of the dozen that I have attended where my coach was damaged by the incoming power. (I was nearly flooded by gray water at my second International Rally in Dayton, Ohio when a gray water removal pipeline design flaw caused my coach and two others -- Tom Howarth and Bill Scott -- to become the low spot for our row's gray water drain system). A spike or surge shorted three capacitors in my air conditioner . . . primary compressor . . . condensor fan . . . and distribution fan. The shop (and I readily admit to finding their staff unable to interpret parts manuals . . . good diagnosticians but terrible at parts ordering) indicated that a voltage spike likely from a problem with an electric generating device fried the capacitors . . . . I ended up paying the $275 repair bill as it was only $75 more than my insurance deductible and my Coleman RV Air Conditioner warranty wouldn't cover the damage which was understandable given the circumstances of the damage.