TC Teardrops Camper Tour - Ham Radio Q&A
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- What makes these little trailers so exciting? Well, I'm going to take you on a teardrop tour.
This season we took delivery of a TC Teardrops 5x8 foot teardrop camper. As long time tent campers, this little trailer was quite a jump in luxury and comfort. Join me as I give you a tour of the features and insides of these cute little trailers.
TC Teardrops: www.tcteardrops...
Products seen in this video:
Kelty Sunshade: amzn.to/2LRmTSR
Trimax TCL65 Wheel Chock Lock: amzn.to/2LSG3YM
Renogy Phoenix Portable Generator: amzn.to/2NRcDLk
Support Ham Radio Q&A by shopping at Amazon: amzn.to/2kO6LH7
Read my blog: www.jpole-anten...
Colophon:
Camera - Panasonic GH4: amzn.to/2GV2Og1
Lens - Panasonic 12-35 f2.8: amzn.to/2GWC5zU
Microphone: Azden Pro-XD wireless lav: amzn.to/2qt3vDc
Music by license: www.premiumbeat...
#teardropcamper
#trailerlife
#glamping
I'll give you 2 thumbs up for being a SPAM guy!!!! All your videos are very informative, thanks. David K4AYK
Glad you enjoy the videos. SPAM is something we always camp with. Can't leave home without it.
@@KB9VBRAntennas I love SPAM!
The purpose of the red galley light is NOT as bug repellent- it is there to preserve night vision.
(edit) By the way, thanks for posting. Am researching TCTeardrops, the photo of them under construction was very useful.
Fun video my friend, I have been tossing the idea of doing a tear drop to drag behind the Jeep. I agree on the state parks, they are a lot of fun. We are blessed to have some really nice state parks here in our state as well. Oh man the Subaru is a great vehicle, I have an outback on the list for the wife, she will be running one soon.
I want one build with an offload look to it so it matches the Jeep. I used to have a Colman that was build with the offload concept, it was very big and heavy for a pop up. The tear drop looks like a better deal especially since the jeep has the V6. I set up my coleman for off grid camping with double 6 volt batteries wired for 12 volts for almost a 2 full weeks of power. We sold the coleman to build a cabin on our off grid place we bought this past fall. So we are coming up on almost a full year of ownership there. I will be taking the J-Pole I bought from you there and getting it set up for the off grid cabin when we go at the end of this month, I am still having trouble finding a 50' telescoping antenna that don't break the bank for shipping. I have been using your J-Pole here at the house and have made numerous contacts with it as well as doing a few nets with it as well. It is very well built with an excellent SWR straight out of the box, thank you so much, I will be buying another one from you soon for keeping it here at the house and more than likely one more for my buddy who bought 10 acres 2 miles north of me, we will need to get his above the tree line as well about 40-50'
Thanks for this video, love your camper.
Dale
KI5ARH
I appreciate you saying thousands of years ago at :45 not millions or billions.
Nice video! Your videos have helped me a lot to learn about amateur radio! Also, congrats on 5k subs!
Quite an Interesting video... Nice camper.
Wow, what a great presentation! That sunshade looks quite nice too. Might have to check TC teardrops out since I'm here in Weston.
Very Nice Thank You =Cosmo
Thanks for the review. I'm in the market for a small camper, this one looks perfect. Thanks again.
Very Nice Thank You =Cosmo
thanks for your videos nice trailer I just contacted tc teardrops for more information also I just got a dvmega and an openspot hotspot so I am on the yaesu system fusion reflectors and on D star on xrf 757 A reflector the u.s. quadnet array keep up the good work 73 frank kd0hgi in Nebraska.
How do you get the queen size mattress in and out? Will it fit thru the door?
The mattress is about 6 inches deep and folds so that it can fit through the door.
WalMart Intek air nattresses can't be beat for comfort.
Awsome perfect for field trips
Can you tell me the width of your mattress, and make? It looks very comfortable. Thank you.
It's a standard Queen sized mattress: 58"Wx75"Lx6"H. The manufacturer sells the mattresses as an option and they are custom made by Verlo Mattress company which is a supplier in the upper midwest.
Very Nice Thank You =Cosmo
You have a really nice teardrop camper. I really like your set-up. Looks very cozy. Makes me want one. Thanks for a nice tour. 73 Michael!
Just found this after inquiring about the camper on your recent parks video. Thanks for this review!
Great video, again. Thanks
Great video, I am in the market for a tear drop. My only concern is the lack of a vent fan (fantastic or otherwise) is not an option. Do you find it warm in the summer for sleeping at all?
When I purchased the trailer I asked about a vent fan. The manufacturer doesn't include them as you receive good cross ventilation from the door and windows. There are two passive cross vents (that's the little black black obstruction above the window). Some users have added a small 12v computer fan in those vents to increase air movement. This is mostly done to limit condensation during colder weather.
Here's my experience in warm weather sleeping. We use a battery operated fan that we place on the pull out table to move air around inside the trailer. The hottest I've slept was on days when the high was in the low 90's and the low in the 70's. It was warm inside the trailer but the airflow was sufficient to sleep comfortably. The roof of the trailer is reflective and the interior is insulated which helps in keeping the trailer from overheating.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Thanks, that makes sense. I appreciate that.
Seems like you showed everything, but the shack setup. There must be a rig mounted in there somewhere?
Sadly, no radios in the camper, yet. . . I'm still trying to decide how I want to set it up radio wise. I'm thinking of a small dual band in the galley, and maybe adding a bracket for an HF antenna support.
A backpack rig would do OK, but better yet a cooler setup. An Igloo or Coleman plastic cooler can hold SLA, rigs, mic, key, etc. with room to spare for cable and wire dipole.
Well with 3 boys still at home I had to go with a Prime Time Tracer 3200 bht. They get their own little living space so it works out great.
pleas slow the speech down
73
Nice overview! How is it when it turns cold and what are some ways to keep warm overnight?
We’ve stayed comfortable in the trailer when the overnight low hit 26 degrees. We use plenty of blankets and also have a 12 volt electric blanket we run periodically to warm things up when we first get into the bed. The bigger problem isn’t the temperature but keeping the condensation at bay as it get cold. For that we crack a window and keep a little fan running to move the air around.
@@KB9VBRAntennas thanks Michael and 73! de AB6YA
somebody in this video drinks a shit-load of beer!
I just ordered a blue teardrop from northern teardrops up here in Canada 🇨🇦 cant wait.
I recently ran across your TH-cam channel and I am really enjoying the content of your videos. I have seriously thought about either buying or building a tear drop camper to not only use for camping but also to pull behind my work vehicle. As a broadcast Engineer I maintain a large number of transmitter sites across the state of Nebraska and really do get tired of staying in motels when I go out. A quiet campground and the added ability to set up amateur radio operations would be a whole lot better. By the way my Mom grew up at Devils Lake south of Baraboo, beautiful place. Thanks for the great videos and keep them coming!
Mark -NØVUB
I little camper might be just the ticket for you. It would certainly be a good change of pace staying at campsites than motels all the time. I would have gone the build-it route myself, but that takes time and expertise so buying one made sense. There's a lot of dealers out there so you should be able to find a trailer that fits your needs.
More videos are on the way, although the camping and ham radio ones will have to wait til spring.
Thanks for the video, nice overview.
I don't like that you cannot stand up in them, too small. I'd go with custom built box on a HFT frame, cost under 1k$. BUT better yet, a small POP UP camper trailer, cheaper and larger, but towable with most cars.
A conversion van camper, or pickup camper, is great for ham radio mobility. I had a 1977 Coachman E250 with high top, booth, kitchen, and plenty of room for two in it. And it came with CB and 8 track player, lol. The BOOTH is best for ham radio.
My dream camper would be a "schoolie" coach, i.e. converted bus w/wheelchair lift.
Don
I think any camper, from a teardrop to a travel trailer or Class A is a lifestyle choice. This little camper fits our needs and lifestyle perfectly. But it may not be the best fit for someone else. We deliberately didn't go the pop-up route for two reasons: canvas and mechanics. I like the ability to pull into a campsite, drop the hitch, and be set up in 10 minutes- maybe 20 minutes if we set up a shelter.
yup, um clostraphobic lol. A sardine can is not for me. I suppose that one can get a 6'hx6'wx8'l utility box trailer for about 2k$, add windows, cupboards, and airmatress, under 3k$ custom made. Um not a pop up fan, but that's better than a sardine can. Teardrops are only good for sleepage, may as well put an air mattress in a van, with room to spare.
My friend VE7NV built his own tear drop trailer as well another local ham va7let bought a slightly larger size. They were used at 2018 field day.
Awesome. I flirted with the idea of building one, but put that notion away when I realized that I really wanted to be able to use the trailer some day. Plus my construction skills are nowhere near as good as the guy that built mine. I did have it out at Field Day this year. It was nice not having to sleep in the car plus I did all the cooking out of it to feed the crew during the weekend.
Nice job. KC9MIJ-MEDFORD WI
This would be a great park to activate for the WI Parks on the Air in September. I’ll be in Aztalan SP.
This would be a good park for WIPOTA. Unfortunately the campground closes after Labor Day weekend. So to use that area, the gear would have to be hiked up the hill. I haven't decided which park I'll be at for the event, I'm kind of narrowing it down between two or three different parks. But I will be on the air.
I was thinking more of a set up in the trailer.
At least you blinked!
Hi Michael, do you lease that land? I had a cabin which I owned outright on about 1 acre of Federal lease land in the Idaho panhandle on Priest Lake. Weyerhouser clearcut that whole area back in the 50`s and the gov`t parceled it out to hunters. I bought it back around `92. Kept it for about 13 years. Sorry I got rid of it. Nice rig, by the way. . I have plans to build one of those. I will probably build it on an old snowmobile trailer. It`s about 8x12. 73, KC3BXZ Joe
No it's not leased land. I was camping at a state park. But there is national forest land less than an hour's drive away, so that's an option for some real primitive camping.
I saw the wood plaque with your family`s name. That is what folks did in Idaho at the tract where we were.
I think it's a midwestern thing, people put up a little sign at their campsite to let others know that they welcome visitors.
I've been interested in these campers for a while .
Too long winded but otherwise some good info.
Good video. Thx!!!
Great video!
I really want one of those. I also really want a shower too... lol
If you get the roof rack, you can add a 7 gallon solar Road Shower.
How much does it cost.
You can go to the website www.tcteardrops.com to get a more accurate price estimate, but ours with the options we selected was just a little bit over $7,000.
IMO, over priced, a pop up camper would be much better.
Not necessarily overpriced. This model is on the low to mid range of price for teardrops. Most teardrops are custom built by small manufacturers so you will find a level of quality and craftsmanship that is steps above the mass produced campers.
That's my point, OVER 8k$, is OVER priced to me. btw, funny thing, our 1970 Rambler Holiday Vacationer 22' TT was about 5K$ new in 1970., we got it for 800$, and cost me a few hundred to restore it. In my hodge podge 35 vid, it's shown in a Let's Make A Deal clip from 1970.
I also have a FAN 22' TT in which I have my ham shack. Got the 55 year old FAN for 100$ from a farm, just cleaned it up.
I don't like the new slapped together cheap junk trailers. And Air Stream are way over priced too. I dread to think what Air Stream teardrops sell for?
@@umajunkcollectorThe wife and I walked onto an Airstream dealerships lot to inquire bout their prices, we had to quickly go straight home afterwards and change out our underwear.
I can't seem to get anyone or hear anyone on my Kenwood TS480SAT. Not sure if it's the antenna or I pushed the wrong button. I've been off the radio for years. A guy set it up for me and it worked. Any ideas?
I'm not an expert on that rig; but if you can't hear anything, the first thing I'd check is the Ant1 and Ant2 switch. The TS80SAT has two antenna ports and you should check that you are on a port that is connected to an antenna. If that checks out, then I'd tune to WWV at 10.000 Mhz. Can you hear a signal at all? If not, then you may have an antenna issue or there is something wrong with the radio.
Thanks a lot, will check. I've been reading the troubleshooting guide, so far, no luck. I will go to 10.000. What is WWV?
I went to 10.000.00 Mhz, nothing on USB, LSB, AM, FSK,FM, CW.The S meter sits at about 5 or so. No idea if this is an antenna issue or what. I'm a US person in Europe. Hard to find anyone who knows about it.
Ok, you may not hear WWV then. It's the atomic clock broadcast from Fort Collins CO. Not knowing anything else about your setup, I guess I'd lean towards an antenna issue.
Ok, thanks a lot, it is appreciated!