Hidden Valley RV Park

Another RV Antenna Bites the Dust


If I pull out with my TV antenna up one more time I am going
to turn my keys in!
One of the most common things missed while getting ready to
pull out of a site is leaving the TV antenna up.  I have even had people honking at me trying
to let me know that my antenna was sticking up and I actually waved at them
like they were my friends.  
Funny RV Toon showing the hazards of not having a hook up check list


It doesn’t matter what type of RV you are sporting, Motor Home,
Bumper Pull, or 5th Wheel, there is probably a TV antenna up there. Most of
them are a crank up system; some are stationary.  If it is the movable type you must remember
to lower it before you hit the road.
 Some people use a
check list to remember all the little hook up duties and some just wing
it.  I use a system that fits somewhere
between the two.  Along with a fairly
detailed written checklist I have learned to leave myself stop-guards, tricks
and reminders. 
RV Park sign reminding RVers of the most forgotten steps for departures
I have hooked my 5th wheel trailer up so many times it is like
second nature.  But, if I am parked in
one place for an extended period of time the process becomes more like 3rd or
4th nature.  I forget my routine. I find
myself saying “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah” as I go through the hook up
process, so I have developed some break-point reminders.
 
Here is how I have saved myself from the embarrassing and
costly mistake of leaving my TV antenna up.   The minute I unhook, I take the lock pin from
the hitch lever and hang it on my antenna crank handle.  Then when I hook back up I have to go
retrieve the pin off the antenna crank and “Aha” this is enough to remind me to
roll the antenna down while I am there.
Hitch Pin hanging from antenna crank
                                               
I don’t know how many times this has saved me but I CAN tell
you how many times it didn’t.  That
information is documented in my check book.
Any tips that you’d like to share in the comments would be appreciated.  The crazier, the better: those are usually the best tips.

Travel Safely
Janice
Janice has recently become a solo RVer. Having Oregonian roots she
now is a “6 time across the US” RV traveler and enjoys workamping, yarn crafts,
hiking and biking and everything horses. Guest blogging is a new
addition to her interests.