Contacting CATCON re: defective unit

[upstatetrout]

We finally got resolution after 6 weeks of trying to reach Steve at Catcon. We called Airstream Customer Service to see if they could intervene and Randy contacted Steve on our behalf and asked that he contact us, which he promptly did. All communication was by email. The end result was a new unit and black water sensor in the mail within a week at no charge. Steve was wonderful to deal with, as was Randy with Airstream.

[dsrtgrls]

hope you are up and running soon with the parts and assist from steve and randy. i'm still wondering with all the problems and needs to replace sensors and units entirely is this system really designed to last or to repeatedly fail and trash?

[billberk]

It's obvious by searching threads for Catcon or Micro Pulse that Steve at Catcon is a real nice guy who never answers his email or voice messages. I've figured that part out first hand as I've been trying to get tech support for two weeks now.

Mine has never worked but I thought it might be useful since we're dry camping at the balloon fiesta. Does anyone actually have a Micro Pulse that works? Is it just junk? Am I wasting my time?

[Silvertwinkie]

I simply gave up on it. I can visually check all the tanks, except for the gray tank and for me it's a non-issue.

Steve is a really great guy (talked with him and emailed back and forth several times right after I got my '04). He sent me a new control unit, I installed it, it worked for maybe a few months, and when I say worked, all the tanks displayed something. Later, Airstream replaced that control unit when I was there and they re-calibrated it. I think it worked for a few weeks, then was grossly inaccurate (again), and shortly thereafter the tank status lights would work, then not, then work. I found that going into the access doors and finding the phone cable connectors and jiggling it sometimes got the tanks to show up again on the display, but still woefully inaccurate.

Since that time, tanks show levels, then don't, and even when they did, it was never really accurate by even the furthest stretch.

My advice is to simply give up on it because even in the off chance you actually get it to operate, getting it to operate properly is another headache that to me just wasn't worth it. I spent nearly 3 years on and off trying to get it to work as advertised and frankly, last 2 or 3 seasons I haven't even turned it on.

[dznf0g]

Knock on wood, I finally got mine calibrated this summer pretty well. It has worked fine.

[RTOS_1_LLC]

For those interested in providing market research input to resolve this age old issue of tank gauges I would (vendor) GREATLY appreciate your comment on post #72 of the automation research topic. Not sure how to give a "link" here but if you do a search of "RTOS_1_LLC" you will find the thread posting.

Under interest of full disclosre I am a vendor whom used this site, and others, to research small business opportunities and the referenced thread is a result of comments from this forum and others. I will be asking for additional comments relative to tank gauging in RV's in the referenced thread and again, as a small American business in this economy would GREATLY appreciate your comments.

As "real end users" those on this site are "very direct" in your opinions and "we are listenting". Wish I could say the same about my phone company, cable company, and so on.

Don as "RTOS_1_LLC", formerly C5Don.