TV Install – Part One

This weekend I started working on replacing the old CRT TV in our coach.  The TV is mounted above the dashboard and bounces, rattles, vibrates, and is generally just annoying when driving down the road.  Plus it is not in the best position for TV watching.

Stephanie and I decided it would be best to remove the “ugly blue chair” that sat between the door and the kitchen and place a cabinet in that space with the boy’s litter box inside and a TV on top.  So that’s what I worked on this weekend…demolition time!

 

Step One: Remove the ugly blue chair!!   It was attached to the floor with 4 large bolts through the bottom plate.  Two of the bolts came out into the first basement bay and those were pretty easy to get out (found out I can actually fit into the basement storage bay, and for those that don’t know me, I’m a big guy at 6’ 5” and 265 lbs!!!).  The other two bolts were under the chassis…so under the coach we go!

 

Step Two: Remove the old CRT TV.  This one was easy.  About 6 screws to remove the plastic fascia, 6 screws that hold the TV in and Tada!

 

Step Three: Next was to remove the big box that the TV sat in.  Since we are not putting a TV back in here and our Challenger has vast amounts of storage we really did not need this extra space.  The outer vinyl covered trim piece was held on by two screws (one on each side) that looked like buttons.  With the trim piece gone all that was left was to beat out the plywood base and sides.

 

Step Four: There was no power or coax for cable/antenna connection in the space were the new TV was going to go.  So I did some snooping around and found a 120v junction box on the floor of the sink cabinet in the kitchen.  Perfect! I ran a new romex line to a new outlet here on the end of the kitchen cabinet in the place were there was a phone jack (who needs a phone jack in an RV anyway???  There are still 3 left in case we ever do need them).

 

Step Five: The last prep step to be ready to install the new cabinet and TV was to run the coax over.  I was able to fish it out of the passenger side overhead (which is were the transfer switch and antenna connections are) over to the corner post, under the daylight blinds, down around the seat belt post, under the header for the door’s privacy shade and then between that and the lambrequin for the window that will sit behind the TV.  Whew!

 

When we get back from my birthday trip to Hawaii next week (woop woop) we will install the new cabinet and TV and be ready for our Tennessee trip on October!

Short weekend trip to Lazyday’s Campground

We spent this past weekend at Lazyday’s Campground in Tampa.  This was the 3rd weekend in a row out with our new motorhome, and probably the last until our big Tennessee trip we have planned for October.  These past weeks have been “shakedown” trips to make sure everything was working properly and to get our two cats, Stanley & Ole, accustom to the RV lifestyle.

The good news is they both did really well!  We did loose Ole for a bit on our way back as he climbed into the back of the bedroom slide!  He came out on his own (thank God!) but now we know we need to do something about that before October.

To Do before Tennessee:

• Find a way to block kitty access to the back slide (foam rubber blocks maybe?)
• Remove the over head TV from above the dash (that thing rattles like it is going to take off to the moon!!!) and replace “the ugly chair” with a multi-use cat box / TV cabinet.
• Upgrade to LED lighting (bought replacement lights, just need to wire them up)

Sun N Fun Resort Sarasota, Fl – our first outing!

We wanted to stay close to home for our first outing in our new RV.  We chose Sun N Fun resort in Sarasota, Florida and planned the trip for the weekend after delivery with two other couple friends with their pop-up campers.

The drive to Sun N Fun was quite easy from Sarasota.  Stephanie easily navigated busy I-275 through from St Petersburg, over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (affectionately known in our house as “The Scary Bridge”) and onto I-75 for the few miles to Fruitville Road in Sarasota.

The Sun N Fun Resort is quite nice (of course this is really the first time we have stayed at an RV resort).  The camp spaces were quite large and had some nice big Live Oak trees around the grounds.  The pool was awesome and everyone had fun swimming , using the Hippo Slide, and other water fun.  We did not try out the put-put or any of the other sports…it was just way too hot!

We brought Stanly along with us for the weekend to see how he would take to the RV life.  He did great!  Now we just have to see how our other cat Ole fares.