Archive for the ‘What’s Happening’ Category

The N.E.C. Boat, Caravan and Outdoor Show never happened so we went to ExCel in London instead. It was different and, although we missed the  good old N.E.C., we still managed to have some fun and see plenty of people.

Many of the people we met have come back and arranged installations or just bought stuff and, with the cherry blossom just starting to appear on the trees at RoadPro Mansions, I’ve got a feeling that Spring is just about to make an appearance.

Trevor and Pauline’s Rapido 799F came to us this morning to have an 85 watt solar panel fitted. Apparently, friends had recommended RoadPro having been impressed by our friendly and professional manner!!! (They must have been thinking of some other company).  Trevor wanted to use the solar panel to charge  both the leisure battery and the engine battery and so we also fitted a Votronic Dual Regulator which, unlike most solar regulators, will do just that.
The cabling already installed in the Rapido meant that the panel was fitted to the roof and connected to both batteries in a couple of hours.

The Camos Dome was fitted to the ‘van when they bought it from Brownhills and it enabled Trevor and Pauline to watch the Eurovision Song Contest Final in Rheims, on their way home from a recent trip to northern Italy. Maybe we should have done them a favour and removed the dome so that they don’t have to go through that experience again next year.

David & Christine Burton bought their superb Burstner Elegance from Becks Motorhomes in Norfolk. They’re delighted with the vehicle and also with the in-motion sat-dome supplied by RoadPro. Because they bought the Burstner with the dome already installed, they weren’t sure what model it was. After visiting us at Daventry, they now know that it’s an in-motion model which means that, if they wanted to, they could listen to British radio stations as they’re driving through Europe.

The Burtons are “really pleased” with their RoadPro dome. They tell us that, using their Sky receiver, they even managed to pick up BBC & ITV in Berlin! According to our footprint maps, Berlin is well outside the dome’s reception range for Astra 2D but satellite TV is a very strange thing and anything (almost) can happen. Sounds as though we need to make a test trip in the Laika.

Mike & Pam Moore were amongst the first people to put one of our sat-domes on their caravan. That was six years ago and, since then, they’ve travelled all over the U.K. and further.

“We spend from April to November in the caravan” says Mike “and we’ve been just about everywhere – from Cornwall to Kent, to the Hebrides and the Orkneys, even to Northern Ireland and into southern Ireland too. Everywhere we’ve been, the sat-dome has worked perfectly. It’s a fantastic piece of kit and being able to just switch it on and watch TV, not having to worry about setting up a tripod or wondering if it’s too windy is great.”

Although Mike and Pam haven’t been to the Shetlands, we do know people who have been to the Shetlands and have had perfect reception using one of our 40cm sat-domes. So that’s just about the whole of the U.K. covered we reckon!

From the outside, this motorhome looks pretty much like any other apart from the extra-wide door on the off-side.  On the inside though, it’s plain to see that this is no ordinary camper. The open living area, the massive shower and the space for a mobility chair where the passenger seat would normally be are all designed to make life in this motorhome as easy and as comfortable as possible for a severly disabled person.

Based on a Fiat chassis, the conversion has been done by a company called Nirvana in Kent. When we saw it, we were very impressed by the way the conversion had been carried out and here are some pictures which show why.

The extra-wide door and electric lift can cope with a large mobility chair.

Shower / toilet area is big enough to accommodate a wheelchair

Mobility chair can be secured when travelling

Whether you turn up in a caravan, a coach, a motorhome or a truck, we’ve got plenty of room for everyone at our Daventry premises.

If you’re booked in to have work done or you just want to look at some stuff or make a purchase, you’re welcome to wander round our showroom.

Or, you can play around with satellite dishes on our purpose-built mezzanine floor. Bring your own or borrow one of ours.

The Dusseldorf Caravan Show has been and gone for another year. The biggest show of its kind in Europe, it attracts people from all over the world who want to see what’s happening in the world of caravanning & motorhoming. Attendance was up and, apparently, there were more visitors on the first day than there had been for 20 years. In the temporary campsite, around 3,000 motorhomes and caravans parked up – nose to tail in a manner which would give a British club warden a severe attack of apoplexy!

For many visitors the first stop is Hall 13 where the accessories are on display. Satellite TV systems seemed to be the flavour of the year with new models and variations of old models all over the place. The Camos stand was busier than it’s ever been before with eager visitors wanting to find out about the new PAPSA units and the new Camos sat-dome – the first to have auto-skew.

The PAPSA system was on view in several other halls including Hall 17 which featured only caravans and motorhomes from Hymer. Many Hymer models are fitted with Camos TVs but one of their new models also had a PAPSA unit prominently display on a specially constructed frame. As you can see from the picture, it attracted a lot of interest.

You can see the PAPSA on our website by clicking here.

On the same vehicle there was a first sighting of a new Camos rear-view system which uses a camera hidden inside the high-level stoplight housing: very discreet and very effective.

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At the beginning of May, we decided to get out on the “cut” in N.B. Windhover, the RoadPro narrowboat.  Apart from it being great fun to get out on the water again, we wanted to check that everything was working properly after a winter in which icebergs were seen in the canal and the boats in the marina were seized solid for what seemed like months.

Fortunately, the ancient Lister engine started first time and chugged us out onto the Grand Union as if we’d last used it yesterday instead of almost a year ago! Down to Braunston, through the tunnel (hope the forward light works!), loads of locks, eggs, bacon, beans and  mugs of tea – perfect. Then to work: cleaning the accumulated green algae and general muck that comes from who knows where. Windhover is 61ft long so cleaning it inside and out is a serious undertaking. But we did it and, all ready for the long, hot summer ahead, she’s sleek, shiny and ready to cruise: all we need is some spare time.

Richard arrived at RoadPro HQ on Wednesday to have a Camos sat-dome fitted to his Autocruise Starlet – a Marquis special edition. We provide mains hook-up for all our visitors as well as water and, although his dome installation was straightforward, he liked our N.C.L. so much that he stayed for another night.

If you’re passing by and looking for a safe and comfortable place to park up, feel free to visit us. There’s no charge and no obligation. Facilities are limited but we always have tea, coffee and biscuits to hand. To find us, click here.

Be seeing you!

A few weeks ago, we had a visit from David and Mary Vinall who use their Burstner motorhome as a base to help the charity Link Romania which aims to help poor and needy people in Romania and other East European countries. (Having recently driven in our motorhome through some of these countries, we know that there are a lot of people who are in real need of assistance).

David and Mary’s motorhome is equipped with a Kathrein CAP200 satellite system which was originally supplied by RoadPro in 2003. We’ve updated its software and tweaked it a bit and Dave and Mary still use it on their travels through England, France, Spain and Portugal as well as when they’re parked up in Worthing and helping to get parcels of clothes and other goods to Romania.

You can contact Link Romania via their website: www.linkromania.co.uk.

Today we’re installing a Kathrein CAP900 Satellite Dish on a Fifth Wheel trailer built by the Fifth Wheel Company in Denbighshire.

Fifth wheels are common in north America but in the U.K. and Europe they are still a bit of a rarity. One look inside though, especially when the slide-out living area is extended, gives a good idea of the advantages of this kind of set-up. The amount of space really is very impressive and the completely separate bedroom and bathroom reminded me of an American RV. However, there are several advantages over a conventional R.V. For a start, they tend to cost a lot less. Then, there’s the ability to easily unhitch the trailer from the towing vehicle, ease of towing, lower running costs and easier maintenance. Definitely worth looking at!