Robert Fisher typed:
> Feeling a little over-sensitive today or what?

Well, maybe.

Okay, yeah.

But I can be accused of being very sensitive to noise levels in camp.
"Generator people" make me crazy. By the same token, when we watch a
film, the sound is turned down to a whisper and the subwoofer shut off.
bass carries. So if we installed an S&M dungeon, it would be very
soundproofed.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR

>  How do you get that I was
> ragging on you? I just said I didn't get it, I didn't say you were a moral
> defective for doing it. As long as the screams don't bother me while I'm
> camping I don't give a damn if you put an S&M dungeon in your Westy.
> I suppose I should follow your lead and feel ragged-on for expressing
> puzzlement about something...
> Sheesh.
>
> Robert
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 3:01 PM
> Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
>
>
>> I'm a big-time reader. I started and finished "Passage to Peshawar,"
>> while in Joshua Tree, and started Rushdie's excellent "Shalimar the
>> Clown." While there I rode my bike on a sweet 14-mile round trip from my
>> site to Jumbo Rock and back. I spent a lot of time taking pictures,
>> daydreaming and generally puttering around camp. Installed new visor
>> clips in Mellow Yellow, managed to get the drinking water pump working
>> again and wrote Mrs Squirrel a letter. You're ragging on me because I
>> watched "The Syrian Bride" one night, and "World's Fastest Indian" the
>> second? I don't measure up to your purist standards?
>>
>> PS - I never said anything about TV. Not one word. Wouldn't watch it
>> even if there was reception.
>>
>> --
>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>> KG6RCR
>>
>>
>>
>> Robert Fisher typed:
>>> I guess I don't understand why you would drive hours from home and go
>>> through all the other efforts involved with 'camping' to sit out in the
>>> nowhere and watch TV and movies.
>>> Hell even if it was raining I'd rather go for a walk in it, or sit under
>>> the
>>> tent or awning and watch/listen to it; otherwise I'm out doing
>>> something, or
>>> sittin' on a log not doing anything, which is part of why I go.
>>> After the first day's withdrawal the kids act like they've been freed
>>> from
>>> chains, with 'nothing to do' but run and play and explore- and bug the
>>> neighbors, if there are any.
>>> At night we watch the fire and actually ... talk to each other. We wait
>>> for
>>> the kids to fall asleep so we can, um (ahem) ... fresh air will do that
>>> to
>>> you. : )
>>>
>>> I don't get it.
>>>
>>> Cya,
>>> Robert
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Michael Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>> Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 11:26 AM
>>> Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi Dennis, that's right. For this exercise I was looking at monitor
>>>> power consumption only.  I know that our Philips DVD player likes about
>>>> 2.5A when running, so I'm figuring another 5Ah for the player itself
>>>> for
>>>> a 2-hour movie.
>>>>
>>>> Mark's 17'' 12V monitor makes my 17'' 120V monitor look like a total
>>>> power hog. Mine is rated at 1.2A @ 120V which is 144W, while his is
>>>> rated at 4.2A @ 12V which is closer to 50W. For a 2-hour movie, his
>>>> monitor would only need a relatively miserly 8.4Ah
>>>>
>>>> Player + monitor would be about 14Ah for a 2 hour flick. With our Group
>>>> 27 battery topped off, that's not out of the question as long as we are
>>>> sure we'll have charging power (either engine or sun) the following
>>>> day.
>>>>
>>>> Where do you folks camp where you receive TV signals? I can't think of
>>>> any nice camping area in SoCal where one would expect to be within
>>>> range
>>>> of a TV transmission tower.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>>>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>>>> KG6RCR
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> dhaynes@optonline.net typed:
>>>>> Don't forget, you will still need to power up the DVD player to watch
>>>>> the DVD on the monitor.
>>>>>
>>>>> So an Optima will have trouble playing one movie.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dennis
>>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: Michael Elliott
>>>>> Date: Saturday, March 3, 2007 11:45 am
>>>>> Subject: Re: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
>>>>> To: dhaynes@optonline.net
>>>>> Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>>>
>>>>>  > Thanks, Dennis. I use my laptop for photography and treat it
>>>>>  > gingerly
>>>>>  > after having had it break twice while in the field. It stays
>>>>>  > stowed
>>>>>  > unless I need it. Our Philips standalone portable DVD player is
>>>>>  > less
>>>>>  > dear, so if it breaks it won't break my heart at the same time.
>>>>>  > Plus,
>>>>>  > we're looking for a standalone monitor we can place above the
>>>>>  > poptop
>>>>>  > latch when the top is up.
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  > I also noticed that my laptop draws about 50% more current from
>>>>>  > the
>>>>>  > battery than the DVD player. I have no idea what 12-v LCDs
>>>>>  > wants,
>>>>>  > powerwise . . . hmm, let's look at the sticker on my home
>>>>>  > ViewSonic
>>>>>  > VP720b monitor: 1.2A @ 120VAC. That's 1.2 X 120V = 144 watts.
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  > Using the handy-dandy online Battery Demand Calculator at
>>>>>  > http://www.altavistaaudio.com/Westy/Vanagon/battcalc.html we
>>>>>  > find that
>>>>>  > with an 80% efficient inverter, a 2-hour movie will require 32
>>>>>  > Ampere-hours from a battery. If inverter inefficiency is removed
>>>>>  > from
>>>>>  > the setup by finding a 12V monitor with similar power
>>>>>  > requirements, the
>>>>>  > 24Ah would be needed for the same film.
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  > I reckon we'd pull out the big monitor only if we could be
>>>>>  > assured of
>>>>>  > adequate charging the next day.
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  > --
>>>>>  > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>>>  > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>>>  > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>>>>>  > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>>>>>  > KG6RCR
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  > dhaynes@optonline.net typed:
>>>>>  > > I find the best option to be a large screen laptop. Does a
>>>>>  > whole bunch
>>>>>  > > of stuff in one package including the the DVD player. Robust
>>>>>  > and
>>>>>  > > compact. Sitting on the top of the stove cabinet makes great
>>>>>  > viewing
>>>>>  > > from the rear seat or chairs outside the sliding door. If
>>>>>  > getting a new
>>>>>  > > one, look for one with the tuner card built in. Works better
>>>>>  > than the
>>>>>  > > USB add ons. Some of the new laptops are very efficient. My
>>>>>  > son's HP
>>>>>  > > Laptop will go 6 hours on its own battery. My older Toshiba
>>>>>  > doesn't go 2.
>>>>>  > >
>>>>>  > > Dennis
>>>>>  > >
>>>>>  > > ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>  > > From: Michael Elliott
>>>>>  > > Date: Saturday, March 3, 2007 10:59 am
>>>>>  > > Subject: 12-volt LCD monitors for DVD?
>>>>>  > > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>>>  > >
>>>>>  > > > Mrs Squirrel and I often enjoy the watching of a film while
>>>>>  > > > camping. Her
>>>>>  > > > tastes are in the rom-com vein, while I can be tempted by an
>>>>>  > > > indy film.
>>>>>  > > > Somehow we manage to find something to rent that we both
>>>>>  > like. Our
>>>>>  > > > little portable DVD player has a similarly little screen
>>>>>  > and we were
>>>>>  > > > wondering if there are standalone 12-volt LCD monitors -- not
>>>>>  > > > televisions -- in 16:9 17'' or so size.
>>>>>  > > >
>>>>>  > > >
>>>>>  > > > --
>>>>>  > > > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>>>  > > > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>>>  > > > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>>>>>  > > > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>>>>>  > > > KG6RCR
>>>>>  > > >
>>>>>  >
>>>
>