TV4RV MARCH NEWSLETTER
Vol. 7 - No. 3

CHECK THOSE TRIPOD LEG CLAMPS

A product evaluation article published in the March 2015 issue of MotorHome Magazine hit the newsstands and mailboxes the first week of February.  This generated great interest, increased sales and depleted our inventory.  We were caught off guard and began ordering extra inventory immediately.  Our source for tripods did their best to accommodate us but the weather in the East hampered quick service.  We should be up and producing early this week.  You may download the article here if you don't subscribe to MotorHome Magazine.

Before we realized it, the end of the month had arrived and we had not yet written our monthly Newsletter.   We then received an email from one of our customers, Ed Hale, with the perfect subject for this month's Newsletter.  Ed wrote:

"I just thought I would give you a little feedback on my HD tripod system I bought from you almost 5 years ago. I full time so it has been used a lot. It has suffered through high winds including a near miss from a tornado 3 years ago and has never even moved, until last week. On a gusty windy day it blew over. After closer inspection I found it was operator error. I noticed when setting it up the leg adjustment latches were getting loose, but I ignored it. What happened was during a gust one leg slipped just a little and the whole thing just kept going. I tightened up all 3 legs just a little with a trusty wrench and now all is well again.  

Thank you for a superior product. I don't know how many I have sold for you over the years, but I show how easy it is to set up and aim numerous times/week as I camp host about 8 months out of the year.  Great product.  I use a half of a cement block as as a center anchor suspended enough to be heavy, but not quite enough to swing freely.

Ed"

Thanks for the reminder Ed.  Check the clamps of your tripod during the next setup.  If the clamp closes too easily it probably needs to be adjusted.  Simply give the hex nut on the back of the clamp lever a 1/4 turn and check again.  Repeat until the correct tension is reached.

ADDITION TO LAST MONTH'S ARTICLE -

Last month's Newsletter had no sooner hit the IN BOX when I received an email from reader Chris Hempstead.  In the article we had written Many have reported that it takes 3 to 4 seconds for the signal to display on the screen after the dish is moved slightly during the adjusting process.

Chris indicated he didn't have that problem and others might be having it due to the signal strength screen they are using.   Chris wrote:

"From talking to people on rv net, I gather that some use the 'Signal strength' screen. This might be where the problem lies, as that screen shows numbers for each transponder. They do not appear quickly. I use the "Signal Meters" screen - just a couple horizontal bars with a percentage strength reading. It reacts very quickly to changes. Shoot the 101 to 90+%, set the skew and you're in business."

Thanks for clearing that up Chris.