tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50855912008-05-08T09:44:32.174-07:00Michaelnoreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-7984424279998343282008-05-08T09:25:00.000-07:002008-05-08T09:44:32.280-07:00

Here's a few more thoughts and tips about using the Global Sun Oven. Pizza If you like pizza with the cheese just melted then you better turn on the gas oven. The Sun Oven cooking chamber is small so only a small pizza will fit. When cooking pizza the cheese needs to be burning a little (bubbly and getting dark) so that you can be sure the dough in the center of the pie is cooked. Rice Ok, how

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-65687427003605654422008-05-05T11:27:00.000-07:002008-05-05T11:45:59.328-07:00

A few thoughts and tips about using the Global Sun Oven By Michael Little, Manager, Vegas Trailer Supply (vegastrailer.com) Earth Day was a windy success. Though the winds usually pick up on Earth Day, this was the worst in a decade! I cooked some wings for lunch then cooked a chicken which I took home for dinner. Steve R. from SolarNV, the local solar organization gave a solar cooking demo at

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-90369959411372660822008-04-18T14:16:00.000-07:002008-04-18T14:39:17.637-07:00

If everything goes right I will be at the Earth Day celebration with the giant Villager Sun Oven. I say if everything goes right because last year everything didn't, so I didn't make it. Most of the problem this year is my health. Can't do too much standing with the arthritis that has gripped me the last few months and the bout I had with a Bakers Cyst has made things worse. Anyway, enough about

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-70526616158010269942008-03-04T13:22:00.000-08:002008-03-04T14:05:51.313-08:00

Here is a chart that was refered to in the posts on batteries. Please note that these diagrams are for 12 volt systems. Refer to a battery professional for diagrams regarding other voltage battery banks. Click on the chart to get a larger picture that you can copy and print for your files. When wiring a battery bank a common mistake is made when multiple load or charge connections are made at

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-19890716464064232842008-03-04T12:07:00.000-08:002008-03-04T12:14:43.183-08:00

3-way charging. A 3-way charging system does several things to extend the life of your batteries. First, if the batteries are low then the charger charges at a higher rate to get the batteries full. Typically the Freedom series inverter charges at a rate of 100 amps to get the batteries in the “safe zone” quickly. This high rate diminishes as the batteries get close to full. When the voltage of

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-27003370096493314602008-02-02T11:31:00.000-08:002008-03-29T10:09:14.411-07:00

6 volt batteries are taller. Batteries like to be discharged slowly and charged slowly as well. The size of your battery bank in relation to the charge/discharge rates can be an important factor. As a general rule, more batteries are better than less, but many RV’s don’t have room for more. When changing from 12 volt group 24 or group 27 batteries to heavier duty 6 volt golf-cart batteries, you

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-84781694359205164352008-01-24T11:44:00.000-08:002008-01-24T12:20:02.001-08:00

It's almost 5 years since this blog started and we have discussed a lot of different topics. I have run into some rather critical health problems lately so my evaluation of wattage draws of home appliances came to a stand-still. Also we have sent two of our children off to distant lands for schooling. In the last two weeks our youngest went to Hawaii to continue her education and our oldest

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-52757777267996818492008-01-11T13:22:00.000-08:002008-02-02T11:45:36.144-08:00

Have you ever wondered what the wattage was of those 12 volt bulbs in your RV, cabin or rig? With the invention and popularity of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's) and more recently LED bulbs, we are becoming more and more aware of the power that our lighting consumes. It's easy to determine wattages of 110VAC incandescent bulbs because they are generally written on the bulb itself. It's not a

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-54712844873203169672007-10-18T16:16:00.000-07:002008-03-29T10:13:33.707-07:00

Over the last few years we have not been too impressed with the performance of LED bulbs (lamps) for general lighting but some recent changes are promising. We know that when it comes to these ultra-energy saving LED light bulbs technology will soon catch up with our expectations but you may want to check them out now. Recently one of our employees (Tony) at Vegas Trailer Supply has been

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-59269688845578913362007-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:002007-07-30T09:34:46.148-07:00

During the last 24+ years that I've been working with solar energy I've often used the WBAN information that is available to help people understand just how their solar panels will perform in their specific location. The information is available on the web in spreadsheets but the easiest way to digest this information is found in the downloadable pdf files located on this page: http://

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-64560228164894003502007-06-04T10:33:00.000-07:002007-06-04T10:44:58.146-07:00

The word is not out yet, but we're hoping that soon we will have information on a new 115 VAC adapter for the 12/24 VDC SunDanzer refrigerator. This will be a great addition to the popular chest refer that will run on solar panels (with batteries). As soon as I get positive info I will pass it on in this blog. Sorry I haven't been posting for the last several months. We have been busy at the

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-78700466043265748422006-12-06T11:41:00.000-08:002006-12-06T12:22:32.385-08:00

It appears that the family who was recently found snow-bound in the mountains of Oregon was not adequately prepared for an emergency in a remote area. Through the years many have advocated that anyone attempting such a trip include in their trunk a 72 hour kit with emergency water, food, first aid and other emergency supplies. We have heard time-and-time-again that a simple thing like a cell

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-85974165142260967932006-11-24T16:12:00.000-08:002006-11-24T17:16:48.720-08:00

Recently we sent our tech from Vegas Trailer Supply to the MotoSAT training classes so that we can become a MotoSAT dealer for mobile TV and mobile internet. At the class he learned about the mobile internet systems and a little about how they are used for Tactical Command Centers (TCC). When we purchased the first 3 MotoSAT products we were impressed with the high quality of the products.

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1160001615127352982006-10-04T15:29:00.000-07:002006-10-05T16:18:53.700-07:00

They're checking in our new lodge order right now and I couldn't wait to post an announcement about the new stuff! We received the small 2 quart 8" Camp Oven (Dutch oven) that we have not been able to buy for several years. It's a small one and a lot of people have wanted it to add to their collection of cast-iron stuff. Just in time for hunting season and the holiday season. We also got in

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1159220085555935752006-09-25T14:30:00.000-07:002006-09-25T14:34:45.576-07:00

When the five year mark of 9-11 came around I decided to do a little more concerning my family's emergency preparedness. I think the hardest part of food storage and 72-hour kits is keeping the food stuffs rotated, so I got out the 72 hour kits (mobility bags, evacuation kits, etc.) and took out the old soup and other dated food items. I replaced them with some freeze-dried light weight camping

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1156279547373672402006-08-22T13:45:00.000-07:002006-08-22T14:02:35.553-07:00

Although I am not a fan of cooking with charcoal, I am a fan of Dutch oven cooking and preparing for emergencies. A few years ago I remember seeing on television people waiting in long food lines after the San Fernando earthquake hit California. Many of the people in the damage zone spent hours in breakfast lines, then long lines for lunch, then a repeat for dinner. They had to spend many

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1150589441946936072006-06-17T17:03:00.000-07:002006-06-17T17:12:12.373-07:00

Well, we're needing a Service Writer for our RV parts store in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's that time of year when we're hot, busy and needin' more help. If you know a thing or two about RV parts and wanna work in Sin City, send me your resume. We're also looking for some part-time help as well. If you're retired or in school and wouldn't mind working in a pretty tough retail environment for

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1148430904002379842006-05-23T17:28:00.000-07:002006-05-23T17:38:31.446-07:00

It is amazing that hurricane season is knocking at our door. Will it be a bad season, or won't it? There's a lot of controversy on this one, but regardless, there is something that can be done to prepare your business and family for the worst. I visited a link on the SFE website (solarprepared.com)that had some great info on preparing for natural disasters, especially hurricanes. Have a look:

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1147200664349313462006-05-09T11:32:00.000-07:002006-05-09T11:53:44.996-07:00

Below are a few links to topics relating to this preparedness web log. They are from the Whitehouse concerning Bird Flu and high energy costs. You will find links to pdf downloads on these pages if you so desire. Please make a comment on your thoughts to this blog, or visit the new Prepare America discussion group. Whitehouse: National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Whitehouse:

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1146605094087971652006-05-02T14:14:00.000-07:002006-05-06T13:10:19.673-07:00

Well, a picture says a thousand words. This picture is of a battery that was part of a system on a horse trailer that we replaced. We don't know what started the fire, but the owner is darn lucky his battery bank of 6 golf-cart batteries didn't blow up in his face. This one caught fire, which the owner put out with a fire extinguisher. The other 5 batteries wouldn't hold a charge after this

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1145643084788465302006-04-21T10:51:00.000-07:002006-04-21T11:11:24.800-07:00

We will be showing the world's largest Sun Oven, the Villager, at the Summerlin Earthfaire tomorrow. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by to get a cookie or two that is baked in the Sun. We will be showing the Villager Sun Oven as part of the Solar NV group. Solar NV is the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society. Solar NV will be the largest group at the Earthfaire.

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1141841392400622462006-03-08T09:44:00.000-08:002006-03-14T16:55:25.026-08:00

There are many options when it comes to portable solar battery charging. New technologies have created some pretty amazing solutions to charge electrical devices when away from the grid. We have a link to Global Solar on our Solar for Emergencies (solarprepared.com) web site because their line of high quality foldable solar battery chargers are an important part of emergency preparedness for

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1140899909876715962006-02-25T12:24:00.000-08:002006-03-01T03:57:54.996-08:00

The NPR.org site has the downloads of the 3 government reports on the Hurricane Katrina response. The downloads are reports from the Whitehouse, The House and GAO. They are in PDF format and a heck of a lot of pages. You can find links on this NPR page. Happy reading! (You didn't want to do much this weekend anyway). I haven't had time to plow through them yet, but I hope there is enough real

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1140823269627881902006-02-24T15:20:00.000-08:002006-02-25T11:31:36.466-08:00

I've put this chart here on the blog because I am constantly handing it out to RV owners, solar owners, and everyone else who has a wet cell battery (isn't that all of us??). Click on the above picture for larger graphic. Copy it, paste it, print it, laminate it, save it, tape it up where you won't lose it, and then you will someday memorize it. Hope this helps, if not, give it to someone

Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5085591.post-1140651414392653842006-02-22T15:36:00.000-08:002006-02-22T15:38:03.436-08:00

The new RV catalog has been published with 900 pages of RV stuff in it. In the electrical section there are several solar products that you might want to consider. Perhaps the biggest sellers of small solar panels is the Sunsei (formerly ICP) line of products. You can find the Sunsei line starting on page 104. On the top of the page in the blue section you can hit "next page" or simply type in

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com