AI Summary
5 min readA Shift in Camping Seasons, FCC Inverter Rules, and the Reality of Summer Heat
The hosts of RV Miles return after a bout of strep throat to tackle a cluster of developments reshaping the RV world: new FCC rules on connected inverters that could affect portable power stations and solar gear, data showing a surge in fall and spring camping as summer heat becomes unbearable, and the practical questions that follow for campgrounds and travelers alike.
The FCC's New Inverter Rules—What They Actually Mean
The biggest news story the hosts tackle is the FCC's impending crackdown on "connected inverters," a rule issued in coordination with the Department of War. There has been widespread confusion about what this covers, so Jason walks through it carefully. The key point: "connected" does not mean "grid-tied." The FCC defines a connected inverter as any inverter—including microinverters, string inverters, central inverters, and hybrid battery-based inverters (i.e., portable power stations)—that contains components enabling remote communication, control, sensing, data collection, or monitoring through Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, or similar connections.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:31) **Fall & Spring Camping Surge & The FCC Inverter Ban** - Jason and Abby preview two big topics: new data showing a shift toward shoulder-season camping and the FCC's new rules on foreign-made "connected" inverters.
- 2 (01:13) **Personal Catch-Up: Strep Throat & Road Testing** - The hosts explain their unexpected week off due to illness and share details of a recent, grueling road test in extreme heat and wildfire smoke.
- 3 (05:07) **Deep Dive: The FCC's "Connected Inverter" Ban** - Jason clarifies the scope of the new FCC rule, correcting widespread misinformation about what "connected" means and how it will affect RVers and future products.
- 4 (13:33) **Why Now? The Rationale Behind the FCC's Move** - Abby asks for proof of the threat, and Jason connects the broad ban to recent infrastructure hacks and a long-standing government trend of restricting foreign-made electronics.
- 5 (17:15) **Rising Electricity Rates & The Solar Boom in RVing** - The hosts discuss how rising electrical costs are making solar more attractive, noting that RV manufacturers and owners are heavily embracing the technology.
- 6 (18:13) **Campgrounds Metering Electricity: The Big Debate** - Jason revisits the topic of campgrounds charging separately for electricity, asking the community what the "magic number" would be for a rate reduction to make the model fair.
- 7 (27:26) **Data Point: Summer Camping Is Losing Its Appeal** - Abby shares an email from Outdoorsy showing a massive surge in fall bookings, suggesting that record heat waves are fundamentally changing American vacation patterns.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Is the traditional summer camping season starting to shift?
New travel data shows growing interest in September and October trips as travelers look to escape extreme summer heat, peak-season crowds, and higher prices. In this episode, we dig into why fall and shoulder-season camping may be becoming a bigger part of the RV travel calendar — and what that could mean for campgrounds that traditionally close their gates in October.
Plus, we follow up on the FCC's new rules affecting foreign-made connected inverters and what they could mean for RV solar, batteries, portable power stations, and other connected power equipment. We also debate campgrounds charging separately for electricity, share the wild story of a hiker who walked 10 miles after being impaled by a trekking pole, and look at an incredibly detailed experiment showing what really happens inside your RV black tank when you use the flush system.
All that and more on this week's RV Miles Podcast.
The black tank video from @RVTIPSANDTRAVELS : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZfzZTONwho&t=3s
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Track SSTK_MUSIC_ID 437726– Monetization ID MONETIZATION_ID AMXDXB4BX5FLHUYE00:00
00:00 Intro
00:47 Welcome Back
05:47 Are Foreign-Made RV Inverters Being Banned?
18:13 Campgrounds Are Starting to Charge for Electricity
27:26 Why RVers Are Moving Their Trips to Fall
43:05 Hiker Walks 10 Miles After Being Impaled
47:49 Do RV Black Tank Flushes Really Work?
51:57 Are We Still “Real” RVers?
55:27 The New Little House on the Prairie
58:08 RV Miles Homecoming & Closing
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