Sunshade for our Fuse

You have got to love the views while driving the Winnebago Fuse or any other Transit based RV.  The position of the chairs and the huge size of the windshield make any view to the front perfect.

The problem with the windshield being so big and letting all of the light in is that all the heat comes in as well.  We need something to block the heat.   Winnebago includes privacy panels for the front windshield but they are not exactly the easiest things to put up.  As a matter of fact, this is one area Winnebago should put some more thought.

We decided to invest in a sunshade for the window.    After some research and reading the reviews my wife purchased the X-Shade Jumbo III shade.  It is 82x40 and seems to work great.  She got it from Amazon for $27.97.   You can go take a look here:  http://www.amazon.com/Car-Sunshade-Harmful-Windshield-210X102cm/dp/B00KGGTGO4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1459629760&sr=8-6&keywords=x-shade+jumbo

So far so good.  It came in a case that was 12-18 inches in diameter.  Then we took it out, it sprung open to full size.  The material it is made of is thin and reflective.  One concern with the thin material is will it hold up.  On the other hand with the thin material, it folds/twists up into a small package.  Time will tell how well it holds up.

Once we put it up you could immediately tell the heat was not getting through the front window.  It was much cooler sitting in the drivers seat.

From the outside it looks good in the windshield.  Not too obnoxious. From the front, it will provide all of the privacy you would want.

In addition to a sunshade, it might make a reasonable alternative to the Winnebago privacy panels.  It is a much lighter weight and will store easier.  I will have to investigate this approach.

Winnebago Fuse TVs

I guess it is time to talk abut the televisions and TV support equipment in the Winnebago Fuse.     

To start with there are 2 TVs located in the Fuse 23a.   They are both from Insignia.   There is one mounted up front over the cab area.   There is an additional one in the back over the foot of the right side bed.  

The TV up front is an Insignia 32" HDTV.  It is 110v powered so unless you are plugged in or are using the generator, you are not going to be watching it.   The picture is great, the sound is fine and it can be seen from the couch when the slide is either in or out.  You can actually see it fairly well while laying on the beds if you look around things.    To be honest we have not used it much.  We have been doing our TV watching while laying on the beds.

The TV in the bedroom is a 24" Insignia HDTV.  The specifications for the Fuse say this TV is an optional item.  It is 12V powered and can be watched with just coach battery power.  We tend to watch this one the most.  It is about the perfect size for the bedroom.  One note of caution.  There is a DC power switch  behind the front TV next to the entertainment center.  This has to be on or no power will come to the back TV or any of the entertainment stuff.

I got conFUSEd immediately when we first tried out the TVs.  There is one problem.  Either of the remote controls work on both TVs.  If you turn on the TV when you are on shore power you might get one or both.  You get 2 remotes, the problem is,  both TVs respond to either controller.

Both TVs are connected to the external antenna for Over the Air (OTA) vewing and can also receive cable  (CATV) input if it is available in where you are staying at.  To use cable vs over the air  (OTA) you have to press a button on the coax power injector.  It is under the green light in the photo below.  

The other key to using the using the TVs is you must do a channel scan to find the stations.  This is fairly easy but might take 10 min to complete.

Both TVs are connected to the central entertainment system.  This is a Jenson Radio that I have touched on in another post.  It has a DVD player and when you play a movie it goes to the HDMI on both TVs.  We have watched several movies and it has worked great.

The Fuse 23a comes with a directional TV antenna.  You use the selector knob to pick what direction you want the antenna to point and use the lights on it to get the strongest signal.  There is a switch on the side to turn off the lights so they do not bother you at night.  The antenna does not go up or down, just turns direction and should be pointed forward when moving per the book.

In the utility bay, next to the power cord is the external connection for the CATV and for a satellite dish if you have one.  It is mounted on the side of the compartment and is easy to get to.  Winnebago has also prewired the Fuse for satellite on the roof per the manual. I have not checked to see if this is really there or not.

There is also a coax output next to the coach door if you want to watch a TV outside.  Not something I plan to do but it is there.

Now this is probably more choices that I really need but Winnebago has made this pretty complete.

The Winnebago Trend 23D only has the bedroom TV but it is on an arm and can be swiveled out to be seen from the front.   I am not sure this is better or not, but it would actually work with how we plan to use the unit.   On the other hand, maybe the two of us will want to watch separate shows sometime and we can do it.

USB Fans

One of the great things about the Winnebago Fuse is that is has USB ports scattered throughout.  There are ports located over both beds and over the couch up front.   The outlet they use has two ports that are available for use.   One downside of these ports is you can tell there is power to them since they are surrounded by a blue light.  There is a cover but when something is plugged in,  there is nothing that stops the bright light.

The Fuse has a nice house fan that helps cool the coach but you don't feel any air moving.   It is not stuffy but I like the feel of air moving while I sleep.  The easy answer was to get a fan over the bed.

The first fan that we got was a Opolar fan.    It had great reviews and in addition to being able to be clipped to the shelfs over the bed, it came with a removal base and then could be used outside on a table (with the appropriate USB AC charger).  The general info is that it twists and tilts in any direction.  It has two speeds and moves large quantities of air.   It is reasonably quiet and works quite well.

After using it for a while we decided that clipping it to the wire shelf was workable but a better spot was close by.  The valance over the shades provided an even better place and did not take up any shelf space.    The fan idea worked so well that my wife decided that she wanted one as well for her bed.

There is a downside to the fan however.    It is a little large, and it is white.  White makes it stand out and bothers the aesthetics committee.   We are keeping it, but I was told the next fan needed to be black.

The Opolar fan was not available in black so we searched for another one.  Our second fan is Topwell 5 inch fan.  It is a little smaller that the first fan and does not move as much air.   It moves enough air, just not as much as the first one.  I am guessing this is because the fan is 2 inches smaller.   On the other hand, it fits the space much better and blends in and is much less noticeable.

This fan we have clipped to the wire shelf.  Not for any reason in particular reason.   As you can see in the pictures, it does blend in much better.

Both fans were around $20.00 each.  I could mount them permanently, but the spring loaded clips that come with them hold really well.  I do want to be able to move them as necessary in the future but if a permanent mount is desired, it is an option.

Ford Stereo

The Winnebago Fuse 23a comes with a Ford stereo in the front.   Be aware this is a basic stereo.   AM/FM/CD/auxillary input and Sirus XM are what you get.   It is not fancy.   No Navigation,  No Bluetooth (that I can find), No fancy display,  No Phone integration,  No connections to the speakers in the back.

Now in saying all that, is this bad?  I don't think so!

For me, all I want is a basic system.  Fewer things to go wrong.  I have a Navigation system in one of my cars and it is always more out of date than google maps/iMaps is on my phone.  Once a year they are pestering me to update the maps for a large amount of money.  If you want to do trip planning you have to go out there as opposed to dream up a plan in your living room.   And lastly, if you listen to the View/Navion owners with Navigation they are always complaining and wanting to upgrade to something else.    So no nav is OK with me.

No phone integration.  Probably you should not be distracted talking on the phone when driving something this big.  I know when I talk and drive, even hands free, I seem to be way too distracted than I should be.  Give the phone responsibility to the co-pilot so there are no accidents.

Everything I read on this says it supports Ford Sync.   I am still not sure what that means for this radio.   Sync seems to be a whole system and various radios support it to various levels.  I have yet to figure it out.

I do wish it had the ability to play on the back speakers. This is something I really wish it had so I could listen to the Sirus XM throughout the coach.

The sound is good sitting up front.  Definitely not a Bose experience but that has never been important to me.  I am not an audiophile but to me it is a fine experience.  It is not great but not bad.

The long term question is do I replace/upgrade this radio with something else?  I really think that any of the current Ford radios would be about the same for me.  I would probably replace it with something that supports Apple Carplay if I get to the point that I want something different.  That would have the best integration with my iPhone.   But to be honest, I am going to stay with this until something comes up that causes me to want to move.   I don't see getting there anytime soon.

The Refrigerator

This is not the most exciting post I will ever do, but it was something I was interested in as I was searching for an RV and the Fuse answered my concerns.   The question I had was how the refrigerator would work while I was standing still, plugged in and driving down the road.   One of the best things I thought about the motorhome would be how we could be doing things and just stop for Lunch or a snack and that included cold drinks and sandwiches.   Not that I am overly healthy in my diet but I am not the biggest fan of Subway and McDonalds.

The Fuse 23a comes with a two compartment - three way Norcold refrigerator.  It seems pretty large,  5.3 cubic feet. Much larger than a dorm fridge though not a residential unit by any means.     A separate freezer compartment, a separate crisper drawer and plenty of shelves and door storage.

There are positive latches on the doors so they will not open while traveling.  The shelves are moveable but are in tight and the wire shelves are additionally secured with a screw to keep them from bouncing.

So what does three-way mean? It has three power sources and can automatically switch between them.  So far I have left the refrigerator on auto, but you can override if you want.    The three modes are:

1. 12v-DC -  This is powered when the engine is on.  Used when going down the road.
2. 120v-AC  -  This is used when plugged into power or using the generator.
3. LP -  Burns LP gas to keep the refrigerator going.   Is very efficient.

Again.  I have just put it on Auto and let it do its thing.     You can also set the cold level on the front panel.  I have it set most of the way up and it freezes ice without problems.

I have a couple of notes on this and other RV refrigerators I want to pass on.

• There is an on/off switch on the front panel.  Make sure it is on.
• None of the RV refrigerators get super cold fast.  They take a while to get down to temperature.  Turn it on the night before you are going to use it and you will be good.
• These use ammonia evaporation to operate.  That means they need to be level or close to work. Not absolutely level, but close.  Get a circular bubble level (or app for your phone).  As long as you are mostly in the circle, you are good.   If the tilt is bothering you (or in my case my wife)  it is bothering the refrigerator.
• As you are going down the road it will be on 12v so don't worry.  Don't run it on LP while underway. Safety first.
• The movement from vehicle traveling down the road moves the ammonia around so the unit not being level, going up hills, etc. is not a big deal.

A tale of two brooms

Owning a motorhome is fun but it does involve some cleaning.   Going in and out and having the beagle shedding fur constantly means we need a good broom.  There is really not lots of space to store one so we started a search for a collapsible one.

Our first shot was a Camco broom that I found at Walmart.  It was $12.00. It worked very well as a brush.  The handle extended out long enough to be used as a broom.  It has a major problem.  The head will not lock into place.  It locks in the shape below.  It stays locked when straight out.  But it will not stay at 90 degrees so it can't be used very well as a broom.   It is still in the Fuse, the dustpan works well, but a broom,  it is not.

The second try was this $23.00 broom from Amazon:

This is a standard broom with a collapsable handle.  The head stays in one position.  The bristles are soft and pick up fur and everything else.  Seems pretty solid and works well.  Sand, leaves and normal things that get on the floor are not a problem for this broom.  The bristles are not designed for scrubbing since they are soft.  It is not going to get stuck on things off but I probably should not be using a broom for that anyhow. 

Fuse valve stems

One of the ongoing complaints I read about from owners with a Winnebago View/Navion or other motorhomes based on a Sprinter chassis is difficulty accessing the valve stems on the rear dual wheels.   One of the more popular modifications for Sprinter owners is to add metal valve stem extensions.

Well the Winnebago Fuse does not have this problem.  Metal valve stem extenders are included as a standard option.  They make access really easy.