The Alarm: Get UP! It's Time to Go to Work.

Part of the "fulltime RV experiment" was to continue with my daily commute to work in Medford. Retired fulltime RV people don't usually have to keep a schedule and before this experiment, I always relied upon the sun to wake me while on an RV vacation. For the first time in my RV, I needed an alarm clock. The "house alarm" was an AC clock radio. I wanted something smaller and not dependent upon AC for power. As a "gadget" person there are two occasions that are the most exciting, 1)shopping for the gadget and 2)learning how to use it.

When I first began shopping for an alarm, I quickly learned that I was thinking too simple. There

were $5 alarms that were nothing more than a battery powered clock with an electronic alarm. But for just a bit more money, the shopper could get many more features and sizes. I chose this unit for it's size, price and

The wireless remote temperature sensor during a snow storm

features. It's 3" wide and 7" tall. The purchase price was the mid-$20's. Some of the features are dual alarm, radio controlled clock (atomatically sets to the atomic time in Colorado), day, date, inside temperature and remote-wireless outside temperature. There are more features but not as important to me such as the crude barametric pressure indicator and temperature "alert" signal. I purchased this unit from Wal-Mart. It has been everything I had hoped for. It sure is interesting to check the outside air temperature as well as the time when the alarm sounds in the morning. The second alarm is convenient when Gwen and I must report to work at different times. I will admit that the birds are just as reliable as an alarm (currently 5 a.m.)

and our next door RV neighbor is the resort night security guard. He returns to his RV exactly at 5:59 a.m. (1 minute before my alarm sounds) but I doubt he knows what the temperature is.

Note: June, 2005: I'm adding a note to say that this unit does NOT report any changes in barometric pressure so that part of the gadget does not work. The minimum-maximum temperture also does not work. So far the alarm and inside/outside temperature reporting appears to be working. Wal-Mart does have a one-year return policy but I'm choosing to keep this gadget as long as the alarm and temperature reporting continue to work. This particular brand is not offered online so the link above to the online unit is a different brand.

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