Hi Dave

Unfortunately there are lots of people out there who have no idea of the help they can get from membership of a forum like this one so, they just do what they think they need to do and have no idea of the conventions we adopt in order to be responsible and considerate campers.

We know there are quiet gennies available but lots do not.

Those people may have had a medical issue that required power all night but not being aware of the same things we are they likely thought it was ok to do what they were doing.

In that situation rather than confront someone I would prefer to relocate to a quieter place.

hope that helps mate

Frank

Frank is spot on - we have been lucky that those who run their gennies all night try to park in the remotest part of the free camping area and then put the unit between the open and their van to reduce the noise carrying.

No doubt there are some who use it to run air con or TV (no batteries), but many older people need constant power for the whole night for medical reasons.

Sounds like you struck one that needed to at least up grade to a quiet genie

Aus-Kiwi wrote:

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Then you get the types who hear a genie as they walk or drive past . Then run 200m plus to say there genie is noisy !! Lol .

---

 We struck a Bloke like that on our trip around the Block a few years back.

We were camped in a free camp site near a small Nth Qld town, it was around 2.00pm and I had just fired up our generator and had started the washing machine which were both on the outside of the Caravan,

I watched this Bloke come in and set up his full awning on a big flash caravan, a good 3-400 mts away from us,

after about half an hour this Bloke came over to me and stated ..... I just can't stand these bloody Generators !!

Thinking quick I replied, "Hell mate" this genny of mine to quiet ( 56db )  compared to that one over there, or those other two up that way, pointing in three different directions, and by the way on the other side of me there was a truck with a 4 cyl Commercial Diesel genny on the back, which he used to run his Micro wave, wait till you hear that one fire up !!! 

Well the next thing I saw, was this Bloke tearing down his Awning, throwing his table, chairs and BBQ into the back of his wagon, and off he went out the gate and gone.

I forgot to tell him that by 8.00 pm, there wasn't a sound anywhere in this camp of around 20 odd Campers, a lovely quiet camp.  LOL

K.J.

That's the great thing about Rvs if your camped alongside a drop kick you can just pack up and move on ,when the same grub lives next door at home that's a problem,a real big one, haveing said that it's rarely required As most people have common sense..

Unfortunately, this will always be an emotive subject.

I personally prefer not to hear generators while we are in a rest area or bush camp. I enjoy the sounds of the bush.

That said, and as I always note, you get what you pay for with free camps. That is an area that generally has few if any rules about what anyone can do. I know all about common sense and care for others, which is unfortunately often in short supply, but unless specifically ruled out by local by law, the use when they want of a generator is allowed. That is part of the cost if you like of using facilities with no written and enforceable rules.

I know the argument is put there that if people need power they should stay in caravan parks, but it could equally be said that if people want rules setting out what others can and cannot do at the camp site, they too should stop in caravan parks to ensure that their expectations/rules are enforceable. All we can do is try and reduce the effect on ourselves when we encounter this by camping as far away from the annoying behaviour (any behaviour not just generators) as possible!

If I can hear your generator, you are polluting the area.
Doesnt matter what YOU think, its offensive and YOU should not be doing it.
How offensive is the question. Not long back it was fine to smoke in pubs.
smokers and non smokers all came home stinking.
in retrospect it was the wrong thing to have other people covered in another persons smoke, also dangerous, health wise.
Nowdays with decent batteries and solar power there is little need for generators except in strange days of weather. Then there is little choice.
Other days, consider your pollution.

yes, its a part of travelling life .
Just putting it out there, 99% of us are very considerate but most of us are deaf.
Note carefully how quiet it is when the fridge shuts off in your kitchen.
-But you didn't notice it until the fridge actually stopped, the background noise blended in to your thinking.
For those with Tinnitus this background noise is mind-bending.
Can someone also enlighten me as to what medical condition requires THAT much power ALL night?????
A CPAP machine (for example) easily runs off battery power.....

To the whingers

Genny's ARE a fact of life.
whether for medical reasons or just cooking dinner. Fridges or Aircond.
I've been vanning over 50 yrs. "I" have a genny. and "I" use my genny...

Normal times are between 7 am and around 8 pm.
everywhere apart from no genny areas.

Unless you running Air cond (me) a 1\2-3\4 kva will charge battery's and run medical
those briefcase units, run on economy are near silent.
Mine. is a 3.5 as I bought it for home.
Noisy.. reasonably.
But I run it with an extended exh/spark arrestor. Inside a collapsable ply box,
insulated with Styrene and egg box corrugations.
and between 7am-8pm.

AND ALWAYS WILL DO.

Everybody is allowed to camp out, In whatever With whatever, legal.
in all circumstances. at their level.
Some use different methods to others.
And ALL are entitled to use/NOT use such items.

We normally go out of main area.
and if there first. off to one side WITH genny visible for all to see.
But I will use my right to use it. whenever I like. within reason.

If genny's running in a camp area when YOU arive.
YOU have the choice of moving on.
or staying and accepting.
IT's NOT AGAINST THE LAW>...

Gday all.. my turn to chime in..

I am a great believer in technology, I also love to sleep comfortable in the hot weather, and keep the batteries in good nick!

In saying that I also believe getting along with other nomads is a very important part of this lifestyle as well.

Our solution:

1. When its predicted to be hot, we pull into a caravan park and use their 240V to run the aircon (which I think is as noisy as some generators).

2. When we have decent weather and the battery need a top up, I ask our fellow campers if I can run the genny for a few hours.

Its very simply a matter of consideration and communication, if a camper told me where to stick the genny I would move on.. (edit) after a few movements of a serious Mozart Opera on the external speakers)  there are a lot of good camp sites in this great big country..

Cheers

-- Edited by Phil C on Saturday 29th of October 2016 06:20:12 PM

-- Edited by Phil C on Sunday 30th of October 2016 10:23:19 AM

And the first person Broken down on side of rd.
Needing Any electrical tools and having no AC to get them out of strife.
are going to abuse you for starting up the genny too.
Ain't they.

Genny's ARE a part of life in Aust . have been for well over 50 yrs.
Specially with campers.

They ain't going to stop now.
Just cause a few of these "newby" campers don't like them.

You want your AIr cond. And/or medical items.
You run your genny.

Simple fact of life

If a person alongside of me when I start up,
I do normally ask if they want to plug in.
costs me nothing extra with a 3.5kva.

Actually runs several camps comfortably.

macka17 wrote:

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And the first person Broken down on side of rd.
Needing Any electrical tools and having no AC to get them out of strife.
are going to abuse you for starting up the genny too.
Ain't they.

Genny's ARE a part of life in Aust . have been for well over 50 yrs.
Specially with campers.

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I carry an electric drill, rattle gun, angle grinder, sabre saw and a mig welder, but no generator. I can run any of them at any time.

And NO, generators have not been part of Australian camping life for 50 years at all, only since some decided they needed air conditioning when "camping", and that is a relatively short time.

I have never met anyone who needed medical equipment that could not be run via batteries and solar at a substantially lower cost than buying and operating a generator.

 

Cheers,

Peter

Hi

Just to recount my recent experience free camping in SA. We pulled into a spot that had several vans and cars late in the afternoon. We choose to go quite a long way away,~200+m from them and set up. Bliss looking over the salt lake. Went for a walk etc. As the sun set a generator started. From our possy we heard some 'discussion' then the genny stopped. We were happy with that. I guess others there were too

I have been camping around the place for 50+ years and have not noticed generators much in the past.  Never had one for camping and do not use one now either. What I have noticed is in the bush or away from 'civilation' on a still night you might hear people talking up to a couple of kms away or with a light breeze from the ocean you might hear the surf from 5kms away. So if there is a genny running anywhere closeish it will sound loud. People have no idea of this relative noise IMHO. I have checked background noise that is too low for my meter to measure < 30db. 56 db is VERY LOUD compared to that.  

Jaahn 

-- Edited by Jaahn on Sunday 30th of October 2016 08:23:44 AM

Sometimes people have to park nearby because there's no where else Available .