DeltaOne

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I think I've narrowed it down to the TESLA Model Y and the Chevrolet Blazer EV.  Unless, the Honda dealerships get more realistic and are willing to work with me on another Accord.

Two solid choices.  

I know many of us charge at home 99% of the time.  But, the Tesla SuperCharger network is so superior to the third-party chargers that I'd want an EV that can connect to a Tesla SuperCharger. 

Many of the non-Tesla EVs being sold now come with an adapter to allow owners to use a Tesla SuperCharger.  Speaking for myself, I'd want a non-Tesla EV to have the NACS plug built-in (meaning no adapter necessary).  This may not matter to you, but it would be important to me.  

The non-Tesla EVs probably won't have the NACS plug built-in until 2025.

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

As you know, Tesla is really about education when it comes to setting up an appointment with them.  So, there's no pressure there.  Although, I'd have to order one.  But, they say they have delivery times down to about 3 weeks in my area.  

 

Mentioned my neighbors have Teslas.  And, talked to them about home chargers.  It's about $750-$1,000 installed.  That includes the equipment and labor.  And, there are 3 companies local to me who do nothing but install EV chargers.  So, if I go that route, I'll add that to the cost of the vehicle.  

My Tesla purchase was almost identical to buying something on Amazon.  I ordered online, paid the deposit and a few days later got a pickup date/time through the Tesla app.  Showed up at my local Tesla dealer, signed one or two documents, and drove away.  During that time frame some Tesla's were delivered to your house, but I picked it up.

As for home charging, sounds like you're in good shape.  If you go with the Model Y, get the Tesla Wall Charger.  It's a bit more expensive than the mobile connector, but it's better in the long run.

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Drove the Tesla Y.  Very impressive.  Would be a tough choice between it and the Blazer.  Tesla is quicker.  Blazer is bigger.  Tesla is ALL SCREEN for the interior.  Blazer has buttons galore....along with the BIG screen.

 

I personally didn't know electric cars vs hybrid cars vs internal combustion cars, etc generates strong opinions.  I am getting a real eye opening about it.   Never called names because of the car I am looking at.

 

@DeltaOne..as you say, why would anyone care whether I drive an electric, hybrid or internal combustion car?  Apparently people, some I don't even know, do indeed care.  I don't.  

 

That's all that matters.

It's nice you got to drive both cars.  It's good to have choices.  I hope you'll keep us updated.

You haven't mentioned charging at home.  I'll guess you've already looked in to this and have a plan.

1 hour ago, Roscoe13 said:

Are gasoline and diesel powered cars subsidized by the federal government?  To my knowledge all EV's are and Ford announced recently that without the federal subsidy they'd lose $130k on every one sold...

Don't over look the 2008 - 2010 bailout of the auto industry.  The U.S. and Canada pumped $85 billion dollars in to the auto industry to save them from the recession.

Not all EVs get federal tax rebates.  There are limits on the cost of the vehicle and where it is manufactured.  And limits on how much the buyer earns.  It can be complicated and confusing, for example Tesla makes three variants of the Model 3, all made in the United States and only one of the 3 qualifies for a federal tax rebate.

Whether you agree with the present administration or not, their goal is to push the country towards EVs and away from gasoline burning autos.  Hence the tax subsidies.

The big three U.S. auto manufacturers are losing money on EVs.  They're also a decade behind Tesla.  It'll take them a bit, but they'll get it right.

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

 

 

Looking at Teslas this afternoon.  Probably a Model Y.  But, I have neighbors on both sides of me with Model 3s.  They feel the same as you.  They love theirs and will never go back to a gas powered car, again!

I don't get the EV hate.  Nobody is telling those folks they can't buy a gasoline car.

It sounds like you signed up for a test drive.  We actually went on a test drive after we had already ordered our Model 3. The test drive only reinforced our purchase decision.

My wife and I did a lot of EV research when we decided it was time to replace my old Acura (3.5 years ago).  We researched everything but Tesla...we just didn't know anything about Tesla.  After review after review...we noticed they all compared that EV to a Tesla.  So we decided to do some Tesla research.  We were sold.

The choice between a Model 3 and Model Y is a personal one, although the current tax breaks make the Model Y very interesting.

Just now, graphicguy said:

Thanks.  I'm really immersing myself in this.  Appreciate the info.

 

I also suppose that any changes in charging or range in the cold would mirror the drop in MPG I have with my gas car in the winter, too.

That's correct.  

An EV's range, in winter, is less than in summer.  Just a wild guess?  Ten to 15 percent?  

Probably more of a range hit than a gasoline car, but it's not a show stopper by any means.  Just something you get used to.

I've been reluctant to join this EV conversation.  There's so much FUD surrounding EVs.  I've owned a Tesla for 3 and a half years.  It's the best car I've ever owned.  And the most fun to drive I've ever owned.

47 minutes ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

I have heard that they don't work well in extreme cold weather (charging stations don't, either), and I have been wondering how the Tesla owners in my area have been doing with the power out for several days now in some parts. There are charging stations still working within driving distance, but in a larger storm that might not be the case. 

Tesla charging stations work well in any weather, they have an up-time rate of 99%.  The main problem last winter with Tesla charging stations was new owners and drivers for ride-share programs would connect to the charging station and go home.  It's likely their car was fully charged in less than an hour but they didn't return until hours later, or the next day...thus blocking charging stalls for other owners.  

Third-party charging stations (Electrify America, EV Go, others) have a terrible up-time rating and caused most of the news that was reported last winter.

And anyway, most EV owners charge at home and rarely visit any of the on-the-go charging stations.

One still has to clear the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  

I believe the clearance for the Bay Bridge and Francis Scott Key Bridge was virtually identical. (About 185 to 186 feet.) So a new bridge to replace the FSK Bridge doesn't change anything as far as cruising out of Baltimore.

29 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Don't think that is correct, the way I heard it, they have enough lifeboats for the passengers, but the crew would be assigned to the life rafts.

I found some info here:

https://www.frommers.com/tips/cruise/icon-of-the-seas-doesnt-have-enough-lifeboatson-purpose

Here's the pertinent part:

Icon of the Seas, like an increasing number of vessels, is also equipped with what the maritime industry terms a Marine Evacuation System (MES). When a signal to abandon ship is issued by the bridge, MES systems deploy escape tubes over a ship's sides. Escaping passengers make their way down the tubes using an internal ladder system and descend into rafts that are capable of fully inflating within 90 seconds.

Some here may enjoy this video about the state of the cruising industry.  I found this YouTube channel after the bridge collapse here in Maryland.  The fellow is a long time merchant mariner who now teaches in North Carolina.  His videos on the bridge collapse are good.

This video summarizes the recent CLIA (Cruise Line Int'l Association) meeting.  Fun facts: cruising is significantly down in Asia and the RCL Icon of the Seas doesn't have enough lifeboats for all the passengers -- you may end up in a life raft.  Video is about 20 minutes.

https://youtu.be/zE5XbaBz70o?si=8w6DSL3oIO_Q2_-u

On 3/28/2024 at 5:01 PM, A&L_Ont said:

Time to fire up your camera Chief. YouTube is waiting and I’d subscribe.

Me too!

I did find another chief engineer on YouTube.  Here's a 12 minute video on how they start the engine on a cargo ship.  Spoiler: they use compressed air!

https://youtu.be/5mFmCxOjY_A?si=b9QMIje_GWf22iyA

The NTSB has, so far, posted three videos.  In one (length 7:32) you can see the bridge pavement laying on the bow of the cargo ship at about the 3:00 minute mark!

https://www.youtube.com/@NTSBgov/videos

24 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

I wonder if Best Buy will eventually go the way of Sears.  I originally said that I would not buy a larger purchase like a big TV online.  I bought my last TV online though and it worked very well.  Above a certain size, it's easier than transporting a TV box home from a store yourself.

Costco is a good place to buy.  I believe they double the 1 year manufacturers warranty, so you're covered for two years.  Some purchases include an additional three year warranty for five years of total coverage.  One can buy the three year add-on if it's not included for free.  They will deliver any set 55-inches or larger.

Costco won't have as many choices as Best Buy, but they have the latest and greatest from most manufacturers.  

Two months ago my six year old Sony Bravia died.  I was very happy with that set, the picture was fantastic.  I was focusing on a $600 65-inch Samsung at Costco.  My son convinced me the OLED was worth the extra $1,000.  I pulled the trigger and I'm very happy with the purchase.  As good as the picture was on the Sony Bravia, the picture on the Samsung OLED is better.  Much better.

Agree with your suggestion to not waste any time comparing the picture in the store.  All the sets are on demo mode where the color and contrast are pumped way up.  No way one would want to run it like that at home.

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Yes, that is the thing my Wife noticed, on Xfinity after you watched a taped show you could delete it right away on the final screen of the taped show. Can't do that on YTTV.

 

If you are watching a series with lots of shows in one season, can you delete just the one show you all ready seen or does it delete the whole season? on YTTV ?

YTTV records everything on every channel they carry.  When you add a show to your library it's simply creating a link to the show they've already recorded or will record in the future.  So there's nothing to delete.  But there's also no storage capacity to worry about.  So forget about deleting anything.  All you can do is add or remove shows and movies from your library.

You can mark individual shows, or entire seasons, as being watched.  I often use my smartphone to mark individual shows as being watched.  I've found it easiest to use Safari on my Mac to mark entire seasons as being watched.  I did a bit of marking seasons as being watched in our first few months of YTTV, but haven't done so lately.

BTW, your YTTV watch history is recorded right along with your other Google stuff.  You can log in to your Google account to check your history settings.  If you've never changed them they're most likely fine.  Some new YTTV users see problems with their YTTV history because they've gone in to their Google account and changed the defaults.  For example, some users don't want Google recording the things they search for and they've gone in and changed the defaults.  Then they have trouble with YTTV not working the way they expect.

17 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Found it here too.

 

Add family members

1. Sign in to YouTube TV.
2. Select your profile photo > Settings > Family sharing .
3. Select Set up.
4. Type the email address or phone number of the person who you want to invite.
5. Select Send. You'll receive an email notification when someone joins your family.

One of the strange things about YTTV is some changes are better made on a certain device, some changes can only be made on a certain device.  

For example, it's much easier to create a custom channel grid on a computer using a web browser.  It's much easier to mark shows in the library as watched on a smartphone (works okay in a web browser too).  

I'm kind of obsessive with the New Shows in the library.  YTTV is great at recording everything, I spend a few minutes each morning and evening clearing the library of things we've already seen.

32 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Another question, when I signed up on the main TV I used my User Information for that TV. Since my Wife really uses that TV more then me how does she set up an account for herself. Seems like when she tries to add a User they are asking for my info again.

Bring up the screen with Library, Home and Live.  Right arrow to the right, just past search, to your account options.  Then Switch Account, then Add Account.  I don't think there's a limit on accounts, as long as everyone lives in the same household.

Having multiple accounts is one of the main reasons we switched to YouTube TV.  My adult son lives here and wanted his own DVR.  Xfinity does not allow a household to separate recordings within a household.  My wife and I haven't found a need for separate accounts yet, but I can see where it would help.  

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Another question when watch Youtube Tv on my Android Phone is it possible to get the picture on the full screen , rather then only about a 1/4 of the screen?

Bob is right, touch the "square" in the bottom right to go full screen.  To change back just turn the phone to vertical.

I like that when in vertical mode you see your four recent channels on the bottom.  Makes it easy to channel surf and avoid commercials.

I sometimes just want to listen to a news channel and discovered that when in full screen mode you can swipe down from the top to stop the video (you'll see a gray box).  To get the video back just tap the screen a little above the "pause" control.

For audio only I wish they'd let you turn the screen off, but it stops the audio.  When I listen to audiobooks, with the Audible app, you can darken the screen and the audio continues to play.

11 hours ago, Jimbo said:

When we put on either a taped show or a live show and then go to the  Library, Home or Live page while watching the show. Then going back to the show, that library, Home, Live screen over lays the show we are watching.

 

So my question is how do we lose that screen and go back to the show we are watching with out it backing out of everything and losing what we were watching?

You'll see the name of the show that is playing (live or taped) at top of the screen.  Press the UP button until it's highlighted and then press the OK (or SELECT) button...I don't know what remote you're using.  On the Apple TV remote it's UP and then the center (OK) button.

36 minutes ago, Lois R said:

The activity stream is not working for me either.

Same here...Activity Streams stopped working Nov 6 during the afternoon.

51 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

@DeltaOne my SIL and Sharon figured out how to load it up! After loading it up they drove it up to the Church building and found an area that will be easy to unload it.

We will probably change the ramp surface because it's a little slick.

Also yesterday we were able to drive our DD Siena into the drive. It made it but still concerned how much clearance there would be after they would lower the floor.

That's great!

Yeah, the lowered floor on the Braun and VMI conversion vans can be a problem.  I'd suggest using the Braun site to find your local dealer.  Call 'em up and ask if they'd be willing to bring one by your house to give the driveway a test.  I'd think they would be willing to do that.

37 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Thanks for mentioning this.  I have considered a converted Toyota Sienna.  The biggest problem is our driveway is slanted and lower vehicles can drag when pulling in and out.  That is why we drive taller vehicles like Highlanders.  My DD has a Sienna and has always parked out front.  I need to see if she can pull in at an angle.

The Braun vans are low to the ground, since the floor has been lowered by ten inches.  

A few years ago we were considering taking the Toyota Sienna on the Amtrak "Auto Train" to Florida.  We were worried the van's exhaust pipe would be damaged during the train loading process.  Amtrak said the minimum ground clearance was 4 inches, the van's exhaust pipe has just three inches ground clearance.  We always take it slow and easy over speed bumps.

Other than ground clearance, the Braun vans are wonderful and solve a lot of problems for wheelchair users.

Looking at the picture you posted, I believe the Braun van would handle that just fine.  It looks like the same angle our driveway has and it's never been an issue here.

10 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

The only trouble I am having now is finding a carrier to haul it around.   The one we tried this week is not working.   The wheelchair is 430 lb and many carriers have a 350 lb limit.

 

Perhaps you know this, but Braun makes conversion vans that allow one to drive a powered wheelchair right up and in to the van.  The wheelchair is then secured to the floor either via hold-down straps or an automatic device that locks on to the wheelchair frame.  

My son is on his second Braun van.  The first was a Chrysler, the current one is a Toyota Sienna.  Braun has a nice web site showing the possibilities.  There is at least one other company that makes wheelchair conversion vans, VMI.

3 hours ago, broberts said:

The Show Filters link is just a contraction of the display fragment you posted. It only appears on devices that the CC software considers to narrow for the full display.

Ah, makes sense.  I was already seeing the full filters menu...so no need to display Show Filters.  Thanks.

Just to wrap this up, my custom activity stream now seems to be working fine.  Only thing I changed was the time period.  

I'll try Chrome (instead of Safari) later to see if the Show Filters option appears.

Also took the opportunity to change my Cruise Critic user name from Paul from Maryland to DeltaOne.

2 hours ago, broberts said:

Very different display, my PC is similar. In reading the filter text "I am following and posted in for the last 182 days." suggests that the user must have a post within the Time Period. Had you not posted in the missing threads for some time?

Could be.  I rarely post in these threads.  Seems like that shouldn't matter, I just want the stream to show me new activity since my last log on...and 99.9% of the time it does that.  But once in a while...something messes up.

57 minutes ago, broberts said:

Interesting about the time period. It's been some time since I looked at this. My recollection is that there were two time periods, when the thread was created and when the last entry was made. Either my memory is faulty or things have changed - even odds on which. 🙂  Could it be that Time Period is refering to thread creation date?

I don't see Show Filters.  Here's what I see (I'm on a Mac using Safari):