AROUND-OZ MOTORHOMES

The table extension below is a Harry invention and lets him sit on the day lounge when dining. Only one of the front seats swivels. The TV screen folds up into the roof. A backing camera came as standard.

The Mercedes suspension is the tried and true springs all round system. An extra had to be added to the front. When we inspected it there was a good 25 mm clearance on the bump stops. A far cry from our latest model Mercedes where the bump stops actually are resting on the wish bones.

We often get asked if you can successfully run a standard desktop computer whilst on the road. The short answer is yes PROVIDED you use an LCD monitor simply because they use far less power than a cathode ray type conventional monitor. Harry and Trish Godley, have a rather unique set up using a combined computer monitor/TV linked to a normal desktop computer. Harry made the brackets and the set drops down from the ceiling. When not in use it is hidden from view using a push in cover (important as LCD sets are prime targets for would be thieves). Harry has this mounted close to the dinette so the screen is easy to see. A neat trick was using a Logitech infra red keyboard. This means that no leads at all are on the working table. You can now get LCD/TVs from as low as $575.00 from Dick Smiths etc. The only thing to watch is vertical viewing angle. Some become EXTREMELY dark when viewed at an upwards angle as so often can happen in a motorhome. This is a zero problem if you can adjust the angle of the set as Harry has done so effectively here. LG for instance only allow this in the tilt to the back position. In our own case this has caused us a lot of grief as we bought an LG well before anyone had reviewed it. You can get more info from Harry at handtg@telstra.com.