Yesterday was incredibly foggy.
^ That's pretty much the same view except the fog had gotten so thick you couldn't see the little island anymore.
Hence, the dish kept looking for a signal but it couldn't penetrate the fog.
Later on, once it started to rain I figured I'd try again. I moved the dish because it didn't have a clear southern view. I moved it three times. In the rain. And never got a signal. Then I realized the dish wasn't doing anything, no movement at all, it was just sitting there dead. I checked the connections, I plugged and unplugged, I turned breakers off. Nothing but frustration and a sudden wish to shoot something.
So this morning I got the idea to reset the GFCI's in case one had tripped for some reason, they're both on the slide that seemed to sustain the most damage so it was plausible. Then I swapped outlets. And lastly, I plugged the satellite into the truck. It started making noise again, looking for a signal. Eureka. I found the problem. Checked the camp store and they didn't have the part I needed, but I figured a quick trip to Walmart would resolve the issue.
Sometimes I can't believe how naive I am.
What I needed was basically a power inverter, but exactly backwards. Something with a male plug that goes into an electrical outlet, and a female receptacle for a 12v plug. Hard concept for people to grasp... and after a while it got old having to pretend they were still helping me and not just walk away in the middle of their spiel. Especially the lady at Walmart who got it backwards every time.
So as you've guessed, Walmart didn't have it. Radio Shack had something I could gerryrig, a large power supply for about $86 plus another $10 jobber that clipped onto some terminals to give me the 12 volt outlet. Pass. O'Reilly Auto Parts, Staples, Cowboy's Gas Station (supposedly a truck stop but it was soooo not a truck stop), Lowe's, two RV stores, another Radio Shack, K-Mart, and a phone call to a Verizon store. All I came home with were groceries and a USB bluetooth adapter so I could print from this computer, which is incompatible with Windows 8. So except for the groceries, I wasted a whole day for nothing and actually have to go back to Staples to make a return.
So now I have ordered it from Amazon and it will be here Tuesday. Probably by the end of the day since I am always last on the route. The irony is, even having it shipped overnight, I still paid less than what the RV place quoted me and will have it about the same time. Thank you Amazon Prime and your free 30-day trial (which I actually already used once but somehow got a second shot at).
The moral of this story is: I'm going to go batshit crazy between now and Tuesday. But I did get a lot of practice driving and parking the truck. I even navigated a difficult parking lot and backed my way around a car and through a gate. I still don't like a couple of spots on the way to the campground, but I am finding that I'm not the only one who slows way down when I encounter the steep twists and turns.
I simply cannot believe that there is no RV store, or marine retailer around here - given the number of fishing spots and parks around - that doesn't have it, sitting there, waiting for an idiot like me to take it off their hands. The closest I came was Staples... the guy had something exactly like I needed behind the counter and I think he was going to give it to me, but it was only 1 amp and I need 5.8.
Anyway, the guys come back probably Wednesday with the microwave and a part for the refrigerator so it will run on electric once more instead of LP, as well as a couple of other items. And then things will finally be back to normal around here. Hell, Mike might even be home by then. :)
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