We're on the Gadget Show!

One of our best-selling 12V plug-in products is our toasted sandwich maker. But we've been a bit surprised at just how many were being ordered during the past few days.

It turns out that, not only had our fantastic product been featured in the Daily Mail but it was also shown on Channel 5's Gadget Show where the presenter demonstrated a disturbing lack of ability to even butter a slice of bread.

Unfortunately, in both cases the toaster was just one product in a list of five being described as "the silliest gifts of the year". But we've got thick skins at RoadPro. We've sold thousands of 12V toasted sandwich makers and haven't received a single complaint. Anyway, since the publicity, sales have soared proving the truth of the old adage: there's no such thing as bad publicity.

RoadPro Goes Rallying - again.

The RAC Rally was held on the 14th - 17th November. Recreating the RAC rallies of the 60's, 70's & 80's, the event saw 55 vehicles of the period covering 946 miles - 204 of them on special stages which took in forests and the Oliver's Mount racetrack in Scarborough.

Seeing and hearing Ford Escorts and Cortinas, Porsches and Lancias racing flat-out was an exhilarating spectacle and taking part in a 40 year old Saab 96 with a 3 cylinder, 2-stroke engine was even better! Driven by Jim Valentine with Andy Harris as navigator, our classic piece of fine Swedish engineering (the car used by Erik Carlsson to win the RAC Rally in 1962 & '63) came 1st in class, 2nd in the historics and 20th overall, beating a Porsche 911 into 21st place!!

Click here to see the cars in action. We're in the second car up.

Channel 5 News.

Channel 5 has gone "free to air" at last.

This means that you will be able to watch all the wonderful programmes available on this channel without having to use a SKY receiver.

You will have to perform a satellite scan in order to enter it into the free to air receiver's channel list. After you've done that, at the moment, look for Channel 6335 in the channel list.

Channel 5's sister programmes, Five US and Fiver are still encrypted.

At the Show

With just a week to go until the International Caravan & Motorhome show at the NEC, the tension is mounting! Who will be there? Who won't be there?

RoadPro will definitely be there - Stand 1171. Making special guest appearances will be "Diamond" Dave Newell of Practical Motorhome fame and Brian from Car-Fi. Both Brian and Dave will be happy to answer questions on installing things in your caravan or motorhome.

We will have plenty of show offers on satellite equipent, TVs, etc and along with Blaupunkt - who are on the next-door stand - we'll be demonstrating their fantastic new range of GPS systems, with prices starting at under £100.00 (just).

We also hope to be showing the new Pocketsurfer. This got a tremendous response when we introduced it at last year's show and the new model is even better with a new pricing structure which includes Euopean roaming rates at £0.05 per minute.

We hope to see you there.

Now that's a motorhome.

At RoadPro we send goods all over the world and some of our customers are very interesting indeed. This week we're sending a consignment of Procar DIN sockets to an American company which makes some of the most spectacular motorhomes I've ever seen. How about this monster based on a long-nosed Kenworth truck?



You can see more by visiting Kibbi's website: http://www.kibbi.com.

CHARGE !!

When caravans, motorhomes and boats are parked up for the winter, it's a really good idea to take some simple steps so that, when the sun comes out next year, your 12V electrical system is in good condition and ready to go. Here are some good tips from CTEK, manufacturers of "the most intelligent battery chargers"

When preparing your vehicle or boat for Winter storage:

• Ideally the battery should be removed from the vehicle but whether removed or not the following should be undertaken:
• The battery should be checked for any cracks and disposed of or repaired professionally if needed.
• The top of the battery, the terminal posts and connections should be carefully cleaned with water and baking soda to remove any dirt or moisture. Dirty or moist surfaces increase the level of self discharge.
• Contact terminals should be clean, dry and lightly greased to protect against corrosion.
• If the battery has been removed, the compartment it sits in should be cleaned and dried to remove any electrolyte that may be present that will cause corrosion.
• Traditional wet / flooded batteries (not maintenance free types) should have electrolyte levels checked and topped up between min /max levels with distilled water.
• To avoid a flat battery maintain constant regular charge. If you have electricity in your garage or storage area you can use a smart battery charger that will maintain charge levels, keep the battery in good condition and ensure that your vehicle or boat is ready to drive when spring arrives.

Before re-starting your vehicle or boat in the Spring

• Ensure that the battery terminals are clean and secure.
• Check battery charge levels and recharge the battery if required.
• It is a common misconception that a jump start, followed by a long drive fully recharges the battery from the alternator. This is not the case, as an alternator will only partly charge the battery. After this first drive, the battery will need to be charged or it will quickly be drained once again.
• If you are unsure about any area of battery maintenance ask a qualified technician.

Reporting from Dusseldorf

The Dusseldorf Caravan Show is the largest of its kind in Europe. It's always worth a visit if you're interested in keeping up with the latest thinking in caravans and motorhomes but the primary reason for visiting as far as we were concerned, was to look at the new products and accessories from manufacturers such as Camos, Procar, Kerstan and Alden, all of whom RoadPro distributes for in the U.K.

We weren't disappointed; all of these companies had interesting new products such as:

• Motorised rear-view cameras from Camos which look down when reverse gear is selected and give a rear-view mirror image in forward gears.
• Dome systems from Kerstan which enable Internet access all over Europe. They're designed for boats and, if you have to ask the price, you can't afford one!
• New satellite TV systems from Alden who now offer most of them with an Internet option which can be added at a later date if required.
• Useful new 12V & 24V connectors from Procar as well as a simple and practical way of converting 12V halogen lights to LED, giving the same light output but using 90% less power.

We also got a chance to try a new 'phone system which can be used with Alden's or Kerstan's Internet systems and, at a cost of around £0.20 per minute from anywhere in Europe gives land-line quality calls.

High-definition TV was on view at the Alden stand via the new DQT TVs - distributed in the U.K. by RoadPro. Even on a 17" screen, the clarity of the image was incredible and we'll be able to offer these TVs as well as H.D. satellite receivers during September. Keep an eye on our website for more information.