Interested to see that the great generator debate has made it out of our electronic world and into the print media.
Monday's The Australian newspaper mentioned it in the Soapbox column on the back of the A Plus section.
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it on The Australia's web site, so can't repeat it here (it's not a long article).
However, the writer did note that when he asked one genny user how useful the machine was he replied: "Fantastic! Its runs my plasma TV, microwave, heaters, airconditioner, stove and even our washing machine."
The writer then commented that he wondered why the gennny man had come to the bush at all, and pondered "the desperate need for generational change."
Interesting . . .
Tony
jimricho said
07:31 AM Aug 16, 2011
Saw the article Tony, and yes, unfortunately as you say it doesn't appear to be available on their website which is a pity.
Generators are very useful at bush camps for ensuring that those campers who have the hide to want to enjoy the serenity of a bush/free camp on a still starry night are denied the pleasure. If the campers don't complain, the generator mob can always turn on the air con and turn up the volume on the stereo and/or the large screen TV, conduct a noisy intrusive conversation on the mobile, and put the clothes through the dryer.
They could take it all outside and sit around the campfire if only someone would invent an electric campfire!
PS: The best place to set up a bush camp is near a pretty little creek or river so there's have somewhere to empty the porta potti. Ladies can also do no1s in the nearby bush and leave a pretty display of tissue snowflakes)
-- Edited by jimricho on Tuesday 16th of August 2011 07:37:27 AM
beachball57 said
10:18 AM Aug 16, 2011
i agree, although i do have a genny i use it spareingly,, and only to recharge the batteries, if you need the tv and everything else blasting away the stop the home????
NeilandRaine said
10:56 AM Aug 16, 2011
I use a genny and not sorry for it, howerver I only put it on for a few hours every couple of days to bring the batteries up. If SWMBO uses the washing machine its during that time and the lap top goes on the charger then. I did not see the article but it would appear the writer took a few literary privaledges. Most people have a 2ka genny and they will not run an a/c very good (watch me get some rebuttles) let alone all the other stuff at the same time. When you are on the road full time a genny is a must, as are solar panels that I cant afford just yet. I must admit the people who run their gennies well into the night really PEE ONE DOUBLE ESSE me off also. As in all things commen sense and courtesy come to mind. Having said all that don't you think the genny debate has really escallated since the advent of solar panels.
Smokeydk said
12:02 PM Aug 16, 2011
Only gennys I would let used at night are those required for medical reasons.....as said...Solar/Batteries are the way to go
jack biggles said
12:35 PM Aug 16, 2011
Look, I feel Generators have their place.
I just can't believe people think its acceptable to run them during the evening hours especially when camped near other people. LETS GET REAL. What happened to enjoying the bush beauty at sunset for crying out loud.
Stop being so damn tight and at least get a few batteries to accomodate that rechid generator. I have also met a fellow that ran a solar system which was also used for the cpap machine. I am sure if he could do it, others could too.
My theory, if you have enuf money for the big flat screen, huge fridge, this electronic device and that electronic device then smarten up and spend the coin on the battery bank as well. If you have enuf money for a generator you have enough money for some batteries and a charger, surely.
DeBe said
01:57 PM Aug 16, 2011
Sorry Solar & batterys dont run Aiconditioners or heaters! When free camping the cost of petrol doesnt come neer what parks charge for a powered site.
-- Edited by DeBe on Tuesday 16th of August 2011 01:58:34 PM
jack biggles said
02:33 PM Aug 16, 2011
That's right debe bennies have their time and place
Wombat 280 said
05:15 PM Aug 16, 2011
During daylight hours to recharge the battery bank when needed. Aircons. Flat Screens,Washing Machines. Do you want a motel then book ahead at a Golden Chain Makes me wonder why some people leave home. I can understand a washing machine when considering the cost incurred when using those in a CV park but would only use it in a powered site if I had one . Shorts ,T Shirts and undies hardly justifies a washing machine while I'm on the road
sandsmere said
06:46 PM Aug 16, 2011
Gennies do have some up sides .
As blaze said in another thread on the same subject , common sense is a major factor .
If there are other people around , I wouldn't use a generator in the dark hours .
colnden said
08:07 PM Aug 16, 2011
Just wondering if all those that complain about people having a tv, washing machine etc have those things at home. Our home is our van and yes we do watch TV and use a washing machine if water is not in short supply, the same as most people do when they are at home. If water is short then out come 2 buckets and we become a twin tub washing machine.
It would be nice to think that people who cannot afford the expense of solar panels,$$$, and batterys, (weight and $$$), are still welcomed on the road, albeit with a genset.
Granted some people need to learn when it is and is not reasonable to use generators.
Den and Col
jimricho said
07:28 AM Aug 17, 2011
DeBe wrote:
Sorry Solar & batterys dont run Aiconditioners or heaters! When free camping the cost of petrol doesnt come neer what parks charge for a powered site.
-- Edited by DeBe on Tuesday 16th of August 2011 01:58:34 PM
Daryl, don't forget the power for the CCTV camera outside the van coupled to the big screen TV inside so you can enjoy the great outdoors!
Jim
PS: Air conconditioned bush camp???? methinks an oxymoron!
PPS: Daryl, as a lateral thinker with a technical bent, maybe you could start work on the design of that electric campfire (indoor model perhaps too). From some of the responses I feel sure there's a market.
jimricho said
07:44 AM Aug 17, 2011
You probably think from the tone of my posts (admittedly tongue in cheek) that I don't own a generator.....wrong! I have used my generator to recharge a van battery when caught out. It's very effective, delivers a 50 amp charge into a half discharged AGM (I've measured it) and is powered by a 3.2 litre turbo diesel.
A Honda/Kipor etc genny would probably use a little less fuel however, and the fuel saving should pay for one in a couple of centuries.
NeilandRaine said
09:53 AM Aug 17, 2011
It is funny how gennies are singled out! I don't like it when people who want to enjoy the camping experience light a loverly camp fire, with complete disregard to other campers when their smoke goes through someoe elses van Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on I don't like it when a group of people sit around a campfire enjoying the camping experience. as the night goes on those campers get louder and louder as the tonsils get more lubricated. Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on I don't like it when parents take their kids bush to enjoy the camping experience. The kids are allowed to run wild with complete disregard to other peoples enjoyment and property Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on I don't like when people take their dogs bush to enjoy the camping experience, for some reason (there are many) the dog just barks and barks. Also the owners do not pick up after their dogs. Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on.
I'm not having a winge all I am saying is, Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on. So I ask are gennies really the worste thing in the world.
Happywanderer said
10:07 AM Aug 17, 2011
I don't mind listening to a gennie during the night as it makes me feel secure there is someone else still parked nearby and I am not totally on my own.
Bent Axle Bob said
10:19 AM Aug 17, 2011
Generators are not trouble makers, it's the muppets who operate them without regard to others in the area. They should not be used after dark unless an emergency situation arises. Yes, I do have one, but it's purpose is as an emergency backup should my 2 solar and 1car battery fail, all together.
-- Edited by Bent Axle Bob on Wednesday 17th of August 2011 10:20:11 AM
DeBe said
01:50 PM Aug 17, 2011
Yes Happy wanderer nothing like reasuring humm of machinery, lived with it for years.
Dreamcaster51 said
06:27 PM Aug 17, 2011
Colnden, That was put beautifully, we live in our van full time also and could not agree more. Nielandraine, You guys have put it beautifully also, I was getting to the stage with this forum ( which is usually very tollerant) that I was going to get rid of the bookmark from my computer. In another forum there was a newbie asking advise re waterusage. His question drew the usual anti every thing brigade. The thread started a contest with forumites trying to outdo each other, you know, I only shower every three days, then only if needed, others just use wipes for days to save water.
We only use a table spoon to wash with and a teaspoon to drink, please, get bloody real, there is no need to live like a third world country. I did enough survival stuff in the services years ago. This guy was next to a water source, the Murray river no less, us, well I start my very quiet genny, throw in my submersible pump, the water goes through two main filters, 30 micron then 5 micron into tanks then through .5 micron for use in the van. Still healthy still have a heart beat. Hell I thought we were supossed to enjoy this life on the road? My boss would desert me if she could not have a shower every day.
And some times that means running my Honda, I only use it for up to three hrs to top up batteries every three days or so. I am very aware of my fellow campers.
Never had any one complain yet.
Enjoy the experience
-- Edited by Dreamcaster51 on Wednesday 17th of August 2011 07:48:26 PM
barrie said
09:58 PM Aug 17, 2011
What a load of moaning minnies !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if you don't like gennies then move on it's that simple
Bent Axle Bob said
10:00 PM Aug 17, 2011
Absolutely, Dreamcaster, Absolutely
Gerty Dancer said
10:22 PM Aug 17, 2011
We dont have a genny but that might change in the future. If we buy one, we'll use it in a way that wouldnt annoy ourselves if positions were reversed. (Hope that makes sense?)
tonyd said
12:43 AM Aug 18, 2011
Barrie, why should those who don't like gennies "just move on?" (I'm assuming here that you meant move on in a physical sense from a campsite). Whatever happened to consideration and respect for others? As the old legal maxim goes: Your freedom to wave your fist around ends at the tip of my nose.
I much prefer Gerty Dancer's attitude to this vexing problem. Tony
sandsmere said
06:30 AM Aug 18, 2011
Neil and Raine . Very good post .
out of control children
out of control adults
noisy dogs ( and their smelly p**p )
loud music
are all just as bad or worse than gennies .
jimricho said
08:16 AM Aug 18, 2011
In summary it appears that most of the genny users on this forum are conscious of their fellow campers and do use them with due consideration to others.
Sadly it appears from at least one post that the forum is not totally free from members of the "Bugger you, I'm all right Jack" club.
Popeye said
06:17 PM Aug 18, 2011
Hey Jim what do you do when a eighteen wheeler pulls up along side of you & its one of those cold carriers. Having his refrigeration on all night.
A tell him to shut it of?
B shift?
jimricho said
07:11 AM Aug 19, 2011
Popeye wrote:
Hey Jim what do you do when a eighteen wheeler pulls up along side of you & its one of those cold carriers. Having his refrigeration on all night.
A tell him to shut it of?
B shift?
Don't camp at truck rest areas
Ma said
07:24 AM Aug 19, 2011
+Sometimes there isn't a choice Jim !!
twobob said
01:12 PM Aug 19, 2011
Well, well, I can post. Its been a long time, computer problem that solved itself hopefully
I was just reading the gennie debate, though I have no real issue, but will write to see if this posts
It is still amasing that these issue come around every so often,and nothing really changes. I have noticed that more and more people are purchasing "quiet" gennies and some of these are so quiet, its hard to know they are running. Maybe thats the change we are all after
I have been doing seasonal harvest work for the past two years, travelling the remainder. While doing this I noticed that with the ability to have more power, more gadgets are taken, ie airconds, tv, kitchen gadgets. While this makes a home away from home, it has reduced the social side. I see so many pulling up and then spending all their time inside. Makes me wonder why they left home in the first place.
well lets see if this posts
Ma said
01:46 PM Aug 19, 2011
It posts Bob
JRH said
01:49 PM Aug 19, 2011
twobob wrote:
Well, well, I can post. Its been a long time, computer problem that solved itself hopefully I was just reading the gennie debate, though I have no real issue, but will write to see if this posts It is still amasing that these issue come around every so often,and nothing really changes. I have noticed that more and more people are purchasing "quiet" gennies and some of these are so quiet, its hard to know they are running. Maybe thats the change we are all after I have been doing seasonal harvest work for the past two years, travelling the remainder. While doing this I noticed that with the ability to have more power, more gadgets are taken, ie airconds, tv, kitchen gadgets. While this makes a home away from home, it has reduced the social side. I see so many pulling up and then spending all their time inside. Makes me wonder why they left home in the first place. well lets see if this posts
Saw the article Tony, and yes, unfortunately as you say it doesn't appear to be available on their website which is a pity.
Generators are very useful at bush camps for ensuring that those campers who have the hide to want to enjoy the serenity of a bush/free camp on a still starry night are denied the pleasure. If the campers don't complain, the generator mob can always turn on the air con and turn up the volume on the stereo and/or the large screen TV, conduct a noisy intrusive conversation on the mobile, and put the clothes through the dryer.
They could take it all outside and sit around the campfire if only someone would invent an electric campfire!
PS: The best place to set up a bush camp is near a pretty little creek or river so there's have somewhere to empty the porta potti. Ladies can also do no1s in the nearby bush and leave a pretty display of tissue snowflakes)
(whatever happened to the KISS principle?)
(whaddaya reckon Tony, think that'll stir 'em up!)
-- Edited by jimricho on Tuesday 16th of August 2011 07:37:27 AM
If SWMBO uses the washing machine its during that time and the lap top goes on the charger then.
I did not see the article but it would appear the writer took a few literary privaledges. Most people have a 2ka genny and they will not run an a/c very good (watch me get some rebuttles)
let alone all the other stuff at the same time.
When you are on the road full time a genny is a must, as are solar panels that I cant afford just yet.
I must admit the people who run their gennies well into the night really PEE ONE DOUBLE ESSE me off also. As in all things commen sense and courtesy come to mind.
Having said all that don't you think the genny debate has really escallated since the advent of solar panels.
I just can't believe people think its acceptable to run them during the evening hours especially when camped near other people. LETS GET REAL. What happened to enjoying the bush beauty at sunset for crying out loud.
Stop being so damn tight and at least get a few batteries to accomodate that rechid generator. I have also met a fellow that ran a solar system which was also used for the cpap machine. I am sure if he could do it, others could too.
My theory, if you have enuf money for the big flat screen, huge fridge, this electronic device and that electronic device then smarten up and spend the coin on the battery bank as well. If you have enuf money for a generator you have enough money for some batteries and a charger, surely.
Sorry Solar & batterys dont run Aiconditioners or heaters! When free camping the cost of petrol doesnt come neer what parks charge for a powered site.
-- Edited by DeBe on Tuesday 16th of August 2011 01:58:34 PM
Gennies do have some up sides .
As blaze said in another thread on the same subject , common sense is a major factor .
If there are other people around , I wouldn't use a generator in the dark hours .
Just wondering if all those that complain about people having a tv, washing machine etc have those things at home. Our home is our van and yes we do watch TV and use a washing machine if water is not in short supply, the same as most people do when they are at home. If water is short then out come 2 buckets and we become a twin tub washing machine.
It would be nice to think that people who cannot afford the expense of solar panels,$$$, and batterys, (weight and $$$), are still welcomed on the road, albeit with a genset.
Granted some people need to learn when it is and is not reasonable to use generators.
Den and Col
Daryl, don't forget the power for the CCTV camera outside the van coupled to the big screen TV inside so you can enjoy the great outdoors!
Jim
PS: Air conconditioned bush camp???? methinks an oxymoron!
PPS: Daryl, as a lateral thinker with a technical bent, maybe you could start work on the design of that electric campfire (indoor model perhaps too). From some of the responses I feel sure there's a market.
A Honda/Kipor etc genny would probably use a little less fuel however, and the fuel saving should pay for one in a couple of centuries.
I don't like it when people who want to enjoy the camping experience light a loverly camp fire, with complete disregard to other campers when their smoke goes through someoe elses van
Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on
I don't like it when a group of people sit around a campfire enjoying the camping experience. as the night goes on those campers get louder and louder as the tonsils get more lubricated.
Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on
I don't like it when parents take their kids bush to enjoy the camping experience. The kids are allowed to run wild with complete disregard to other peoples enjoyment and property
Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on
I don't like when people take their dogs bush to enjoy the camping experience, for some reason (there are many) the dog just barks and barks. Also the owners do not pick up after their dogs.
Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on.
I'm not having a winge all I am saying is, Its just part of the life and I accept it, if it's to bad I can move on. So I ask are gennies really the worste thing in the world.
Generators are not trouble makers, it's the muppets who operate them without regard to others in the area. They should not be used after dark unless an emergency situation arises. Yes, I do have one, but it's purpose is as an emergency backup should my 2 solar and 1car battery fail, all together.
-- Edited by Bent Axle Bob on Wednesday 17th of August 2011 10:20:11 AM
Yes Happy wanderer nothing like reasuring humm of machinery, lived with it for years.
That was put beautifully, we live in our van full time also and could not agree more.
Nielandraine,
You guys have put it beautifully also, I was getting to the stage with this forum ( which is usually very tollerant) that I was going to get rid of the bookmark from my computer.
In another forum there was a newbie asking advise re waterusage. His question drew the usual anti every thing brigade. The thread started a contest with forumites trying to outdo each other, you know, I only shower every three days, then only if needed, others just use wipes for days to save water. We only use a table spoon to wash with and a teaspoon to drink, please, get bloody real, there is no need to live like a third world country. I did enough survival stuff in the services years ago.
This guy was next to a water source, the Murray river no less, us, well I start my very quiet genny, throw in my submersible pump, the water goes through two main filters, 30 micron then 5 micron into tanks then through .5 micron for use in the van. Still healthy still have a heart beat.
Hell I thought we were supossed to enjoy this life on the road? My boss would desert me if she could not have a shower every day. And some times that means running my Honda, I only use it for up to three hrs to top up batteries every three days or so. I am very aware of my fellow campers. Never had any one complain yet. Enjoy the experience
-- Edited by Dreamcaster51 on Wednesday 17th of August 2011 07:48:26 PM
We dont have a genny but that might change in the future. If we buy one, we'll use it in a way that wouldnt annoy ourselves if positions were reversed. (Hope that makes sense?)
I much prefer Gerty Dancer's attitude to this vexing problem.
Tony
Neil and Raine . Very good post .
out of control children
out of control adults
noisy dogs ( and their smelly p**p )
loud music
are all just as bad or worse than gennies .
Sadly it appears from at least one post that the forum is not totally free from members of the "Bugger you, I'm all right Jack" club.
Hey Jim what do you do when a eighteen wheeler pulls up along side of you & its one of those cold carriers. Having his refrigeration on all night.
A tell him to shut it of?
B shift?
Don't camp at truck rest areas
+Sometimes there isn't a choice Jim !!
It posts Bob
Good to see you back online Bob.