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Richard Mackney

Creative Technologist

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Oct 15 2014

Motorhome and Caravan Show 2014

It's that time of year again when we nip over to the NEC for The Motorhome and Caravan Show. This year I visited on behalf of a Derby based client, Hillside Leisure who create beautiful bespoke micro campers. After we built them a new Hillside Leisure website where they can upload details of the vans, I've been writing the campervan news blog and have introduced social channels with a large … [Read more...] about Motorhome and Caravan Show 2014

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan

Jun 18 2014

River Dart Country Park

We've just returned from a three night break at the River Dart Country Park Campsite and managed to go outside of the school holidays as the school had Thursday and Friday as inset days. We went in the campervan with two other families who were in a caravan and a tent (6 adults, 6 kids) - each allocated pitch was one of the biggest I've been on. The place was empty on the Thursday and Friday … [Read more...] about River Dart Country Park

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: 301, Campervan, Caravan

Aug 12 2012

Road Trip around France

A couple of years ago I took our touring caravan across the ferry for a trip around France but due to the fact that towing a caravan from Derby to Poole takes so long (220 miles at 50 miles an hour) we decided to stay only 15 miles from Cherbourg in Normandy. This year we decided to leave the caravan and hop further by having short stops in a tent - It sounds easy, but with two small children to … [Read more...] about Road Trip around France

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: 301, Campervan, Caravan, Photography

Feb 18 2012

UK Caravan Sites

Here are links to the sites we've visited in the last few years, some we've visited more than once and are planning on returning again this year. If you are planning on touring this year, have a browse through the links as they give you a good idea of the quality of the site. View Caravan sites we've visited in a larger map   Carsington MAY 2008 Hawthorn Farm MAY 2008 … [Read more...] about UK Caravan Sites

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Photography

Nov 28 2011

The New Three MiFi (Huawei E586)

Well I didn't think they could improve on the older (second generation) Three MiFi, but I was wrong! This Huawei E586looks like sex on a stick! don't you think? ;) It now comes with a nice little cradle for docking the MiFi and is much faster as it uses HSPA+ Quoted speeds: Maximum Download Speed: Up to 21.6 Mbps Maximum Upload Speed: Up to 5.76 Mbps The PAY AS YOU GO price … [Read more...] about The New Three MiFi (Huawei E586)

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Tech · Tagged: Caravan, Mobile, Tech

Oct 11 2011

Motorhome & Caravan Show 2011

The show this year is running from today until Sunday (11-16 Oct) at the NEC Birmingham. We went on our annual pilgrimage today and as usual, here are a few shots taken and uploaded direct from the iPhone. The show is THE place to go to see the full range of caravans and motorhomes available in the UK and gives you a chance to look inside at all the layout and design options. Technology also … [Read more...] about Motorhome & Caravan Show 2011

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan

Aug 14 2011

INOV8 12v Battery Charger

In the quest to run everything from 12v I needed the ability to recharge my camera batteries as well as other general purpose AA batteries. I found this product called INOV8 Universal li-ion Battery Charger on play.com for £11.99 delivered. It comes with a 12v car adapter and can be used to charge any lithium-ion battery including 3.6V,3.7V,7.2V & 7.4V and also AA/AAA & NICD/NIMH. It's … [Read more...] about INOV8 12v Battery Charger

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Mobile, Power, Tech, Video

Aug 13 2011

Twin USB and Twin 12v Adapter

This is a car twin 12v cigarette lighter power adapter supplied by Cables and Leads from Derby. When I'm away in the caravan I struggle with the limited 12v power sockets. This device will provide two USB sockets at 500mA and two further 12v cigarette lighter sockets which can be used with extra 12v to 5v USB converters such as the Powertraveller Motormonkey I'm considering hard-wiring this … [Read more...] about Twin USB and Twin 12v Adapter

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Mobile, Power, Tech, Video

May 20 2011

Off-Grid Power Research

Once again I'm investigating ways of generating electricity off-grid (not necessarily green power). Part of the emphasis will be on mobility, this doesn't mean it will fit in my pocket, but certainly could be used for living in a caravan, boat, tent or nuclear bunker ;) The main point is to create electricity from a generator - how you power the generator is what I'm investigating. I'll update … [Read more...] about Off-Grid Power Research

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Power, Solar, Tech

May 15 2011

Owning a Holiday Home at Ruda, Croyde

In all the years we have been coming to Ruda Holiday Park in Croyde Bay, North Devon we have dreamed of owning a holiday home here. Whenever we've asked about it we've been met with the response 'no chance' - this is because the park has a very low number of owner plots and they 'never' become available because it is such a popular holiday destination. A few years ago we purchased a touring … [Read more...] about Owning a Holiday Home at Ruda, Croyde

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: Caravan

Apr 13 2011

On Tour with Social Hiking

Recently I've had a few conversations with Phil Sorrell (@DaylightGambler) about his geo-blogging site called Social Hiking (in alpha) and we've been discussing ways in which it could be used outside of hiking and for geo-event-blogging type of shizzle (see my post on The Social Media Portal). He's amazingly pro-active and has already added extra geo-tagging services like Gowalla. I think it's … [Read more...] about On Tour with Social Hiking

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Mobile

Oct 16 2010

Caravan & Motorhome Show 2010

This post will update throughout the day with live images :) As usual, it was an amazing show. This year it even had a CAMRA Ale bar! I took the opportunity to sample a few ales as I was not driving and also try out a couple of electric bikes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBDux-dApfw   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJjRwChFEWE     You might also like … [Read more...] about Caravan & Motorhome Show 2010

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Photography

Sep 02 2010

6.5W Folding Solar charger MMP4

This week I've been testing a portable folding solar panel. It's called the "6.5W Folding Solar charger MMP4" it costs £110 and was provided on loan from @Select_Solar I'm trying to find a lightweight panel that can easily be carried and would provide a decent enough current to charge the Kensington USB battery (http://j.mp/df3uGI)This panel actually outputs 12 volts and the operating current is … [Read more...] about 6.5W Folding Solar charger MMP4

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Mobile, Power, Solar, Tech

Sep 01 2010

Touring Caravan Energy Systems

If you grew up in the UK then a fairly high percentage of you will of been away in a caravan. I spent many a happy six week school holiday with my brother and sister totally off grid with only foot pumps for water and a gas bottle for light and heat. Things have got a little bit easier these days and the whole energy system built into caravans gets more sophisticated each year. Our current … [Read more...] about Touring Caravan Energy Systems

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: 301, Caravan, Power, Solar

Aug 05 2010

Three MiFi Mobile WiFi

I've had my eye on a Three Mobile WiFi unit for a while, I managed to blag  one of the original Three units from @Documentally which used my USB dongle but wasn't battery powered. @ThreeMobileBuzz contacted me via twitter and asked if I would like to trial the new unit - luckily I was destined for two weeks in the caravan, so a perfect opportunity presented itself.The unpacking in the pic above … [Read more...] about Three MiFi Mobile WiFi

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Mobile, Solar, Tech

Apr 14 2010

Touring Caravan Freeview Reception

Not far from where I live, a company in Nottingham called Grade UK have been making antennas for caravans, motor homes and boats since the early 80's at one time it seemed that their Omni-Directional antenna (flying saucer) could be seen on all UK caravans.   With the advent of Freeview, Omni-Directional antennas just haven't had enough power to get a good digital lock in weak areas, so … [Read more...] about Touring Caravan Freeview Reception

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: 301, Caravan, Tech

Jan 09 2010

Energizer Rechargeable Solar Flip

    As mentioned in the video above, this is an AA or AAA battery charger from Energizer. It comes with an AC adaptor but also a solar panel to recharge your batteries. The pack also includes 2 x 2000mAh rechargeable Energizer batteries and feels quite solid with a rubberised finish. It claims to be weather resistant, so the solar panel can be left outside on a table … [Read more...] about Energizer Rechargeable Solar Flip

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Solar, Tech, Video

Oct 15 2009

Caravan & Motorhome Show 2009

As you may of noticed from a few live uploads earlier, we went to the Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC today. Here are a load of iPhone snaps of the kit on show ... the most expensive motorhome we saw today was £187k ... Crazy machines! You might also like ... Motorhome & Caravan Show 2012 Motorhome & Caravan Show 2011 Caravan & Motorhome Show 2010 Caravan … [Read more...] about Caravan & Motorhome Show 2009

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan

Aug 01 2009

Roaming into France

Bonsoir ... I'm in France and wanted to jot down a few of my experiences with roaming data and costs. As we sailed out on the ferry leaving Poole Harbour, the first thing I noticed was how far the O2 signal stretched. It seemed I could still twitpic at no extra cost (on the iPhone data bolt on) quite a long way away from land. The second thing worth noting was that when the signal did die, … [Read more...] about Roaming into France

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Mobile

Jan 03 2009

Touring Caravan Kit

So at the start of 2009 I've been thinking about last year and the touring Caravan we bought in March 2008. We have been thinking about where we might go in 2009 and what extra kit we might need. When I first got 'the van' I was totally unprepared for the onslaught of kit required and also surprised at what kit does not come standard when shelling out for a van. For example you wouldn't dream … [Read more...] about Touring Caravan Kit

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: 301, Campervan, Caravan, Mobile, Power, Solar

Oct 19 2008

Caravan & Motorhome Show 2008

People on my facebook account have asked what the hell was going on at the weekend with all the live postings of caravans and motorhomes! ... well, we went to the NEC in Birmingham for the Caravan & Motorhome Show - it was pretty good with a lot of nice new stuff for the kids to jump around and 'clamber' over. It's also a good chance to catch up on new mobile technology ... which let's face … [Read more...] about Caravan & Motorhome Show 2008

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan

Jul 24 2008

Hillhead Holiday Park Caravan Club Site

We had Hillhead Caravan Site pre-booked for months and was really looking forward to spending two weeks there – I’m glad to say we were not disappointed! After the 250mile trip we arrived at the site and found the entry layout to be very clearly marked with two lanes for arrivals and one lane for site traffic, all with key code barriers. The reception was extremely helpful and we mentioned we … [Read more...] about Hillhead Holiday Park Caravan Club Site

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Mobile

Jul 02 2008

Hawthorn Farm Caravan Club Site

We had a week here in May 2008 and I really liked the site. Initial booking and reception was very friendly. Pitches are half hard standing and half grass - we selected grass. We had two options for Water, waste and bins from our pitch. The wardens were driving around regularly in their tractor and very friendly . I got the impression they are very strict and enforce all the rules (as they … [Read more...] about Hawthorn Farm Caravan Club Site

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan

Jul 01 2008

Blackwall Plantation Caravan Club Site

First impression of the site was how nice it was to be surrounded by pine trees. Most of the site is hard standing, but we wanted grass - it was roasting hot and it seemed no-one else wanted grass! we got a great spot in front of the under 5 play area - not so great if you don't have kids and don’t like to hear then playing! – We could sit outside the van and watch them. We did not need levelling … [Read more...] about Blackwall Plantation Caravan Club Site

Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan

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