One of the neatest things about RVing is how it complements so many other hobbies like hiking, kayaking, photography and.... amateur radio.

Yes, amateur radio, or ham radio is it is often called. There's a huge resurgence in the hobby these days with more people participating in the hobby that ever before. Joining me on this week's episode of the podcast are Sean Kutzko and Norm Fusaro from the American Radio Relay League. Both love camping and the outdoors and say it's the one sure way to have reliable communications no matter how far off the beaten path the RVer happens to be. But more than that, it is a hobby so rewarding and enjoyable that there should be a spot for it in every RV.

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Complete shownotes for Episode 71 of the Roadtreking RV Travel Podcast:

I've been a ham operator since I was a teenager (K8ZRH) and now use it all the time in my RV travels. You can hear the full interview with Sean and Norm at [spp-timestamp time="24:55"] into the podcast. In it they discuss:

What is amateur radio?
How easy is it to get licensed?
What can you do with amateur radio in an RV?
What equipment do you need and how expensive is it?

Relevant Links about amateur radio mentioned in the interview:

The American Radio Relay League

What is Ham Radio Report

National Parks on the Air

The Family Motorcoach Association Amateur Radio Chapter

Before the interview, we reported on many more topics in this week's episode.
Jennifer's Tip of the Week - The Best Way to Pack Your Clothing
In an RV, space is at a premium. And few things take up more room that suitcases packed with clothes [spp-timestamp time="5:52"]

That’s where eBags Packing Cubes come in so handy. We heard about them from fellow RVers who sang the praises of this very affordable way to pack and carry clothes on an RV trip. Some RVers are so hooked on eBags that they even put them in a suitcase when they do traditional and  airplane travel.

But in an RV, they’re the hands-down best way we’ve found to pack.

I’ve done a video that shows how much you can get into an eBag. A three piece set of the packing cubes costs $19 from Amazon. They come in different colors. Mike uses blue, I use raspberry red (the closest they come to pink). They have a mesh top panel for easy identification of contents, and ventilation

We store them in the overhead bins above the bed in the Roadtrek. It keeps everything wrinkle free and compact. They let you “unpack without unpacking” –that is, you can remove the cubes to get at your stuff, but still keep things neat and tidy.

Watch the video we’ll link to in the shownotes fopr this episode to see how much you can get in one. Trust me, in an RV, or on a boat, or if you want to make your suitcase neat, these are what you need.

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Listener Questions:
Heating an RV – Is carbon monoxide an issue?

Carbon Monoxide is an invisible, odorless, and deadly gas, produced by the partial combustion of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. Carbon monoxide is the number one cause of poisoning deaths each year. [spp-timestamp time="7:53"]

Almost all of today’s RVs come with carbon monoxide monitors. But they can, and do malfunction. Thus,  as a matter of routine, you should test the carbon monoxide detector every time you use the RV If they have batteries, replace them at least once a year, twice if the unit is exposed to extreme cold. A good tip is to change the batteries when when you change clocks for daylight savings time.

Here's a complete report I did for the blog on RVing and Carbon Monoxide - https://rvlifestyle.com/rvers-biggest-danger-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/

What is the difference between a Class B RV and a B+?

B+ is a made up category. There really is only Class A, Class C & Class B sometimes they are referred to Type A, Type C & Type B. [spp-timestamp time="10:26"]

Basically, if the RV base vehicle is a van then it is a Class B. If the RV base vehicle is a cutaway chassis then it is a Class C.