We usually take our satellite dish with us on our long road trips. In some of the places we stop, there isn’t TV, cell phone, or anything, so having the satellite we can at least stay somewhat connected to the outside world.
Running the dish antenna cable has always been a problem, Like many, we initially solved the problem by using one of those ribbon type connectors and running the cable through a window and stringing the cable to the back of the satellite receiver, After our last trip, I decided I wasn’t going to do this anymore , I was going to add an external coax connector specifically for the satellite antenna.
For those of us who don’t have automatic steps, or only have a mechanical step, the most common question in the RV community has got to be: “Is the step still out?”
The stock seats in our Mirada are very uncomfortable. After several hours sitting in the drivers seat, I start developing pain in the lower back. The passenger seat is equally bad, and seems like its at the wrong height and angle.
I don’t want to jinks this by saying that I’ve finally solved the problem. I’ve learned from several previous attempts to solve the chirp, only to be welcomed by the Chirp-Chirp-Chirp several hundred miles down the road.
I’ve been asked what things a new owner should look at and anticipate doing if they purchase an older motor-home that’s built on a F53 chassis, i.e. 1999 – 2005.
Last month while doing some work on the Mirada, I unrolled the awning and noticed something unusual. The small brackets that slide inside the main support arms had cracks. The sliding bracket on the front arm was cracked almost all the way through. The rear sliding bracket was cracked about 1/4 way through. 
I purchased a used one year old Acme EZE-TOW dolly last year, it came with surge brakes and a spare tire. I’m very happy with the dolly and have put almost 10k miles on it in the year that I’ve owned it. About 1/2 of these miles were in mountainous terrain where the dolly brakes were used extensively.
Whenever we stop, I always do a walk-around to check straps, chains, electric plugs, tires, etc.
I didn’t have any of the normal “water-pump going bad” symptoms, i.e. leaking at the weep hole, bearing play or noise, etc. I was having problems with a chirping serpentine belt and wanted to closely inspect the pulley and the pump shaft.
The roof of the Mirada was 15 years old and showing signs of wear and tear. It wasn’t leaking, but had a few minor repairs. It was also leaving tell tale white streaks on the sides of the Mirada. These are caused by EPDM roof decaying because of UV exposure.