Subscribed and not getting the Hotline. Click here.. But please be sure to add bob@rvbuildershotline.com and rvnewsletter@comcast.net to your mail program's address book!

The RV Builder's Newsletter is a free e-mail newsletter distributed every Friday afternoon or Saturday morning (or occasionally, Sunday morning ) to those who have subscribed. It contains information about building and flying the RV series of experimental aircraft from Van's Aircraft Inc., of Aurora, OR. Is not endorsed by, nor affiliated with, Van's Aircraft.

It is not another Web site seeking to be the end all for RV news. Indeed, the goal of the Hotline is to send you to other Web sites. It's here to select the most interesting parts of other Web sites and newsletters and present them to you. The Hotline, for the most part, aggregates information about the RV series of aircraft from a variety of sources and depends on its subscribers to refer us to that information. It is then judged on suitability and interest for inclusion in the Hotline. These sources include builders' Web sites, forums and bulletin boards, newspapers, EAA chapter newsletters and any experiences you may have during the course of your RV experience. Have you been to a workshop? Had your first flight? Picked up an interesting tip. Know someone we should talk to? Just send it along.

The Hotline is entirely free. There is no advertising in the Hotline itself, which is e-mailed. There may occasionally be a small advertisement on the archive Web site.

The Hotline is owned and edited by Bob Collins, who writes the News Cut column for Minnesota Public Radio. He also makes two appearances a day with Mary Lucia on MPR's The Current, at 4:20 and 5:20 p.m. Bob has been building an RV-7A in Woodbury, Minnesota (St. Paul) since 2001. Bob is a member of the Minnesota Wing of Van's Air Force and also hosted the annual RV Builder's BBQ at Camp Scholler at Oshkosh each year.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Is this ever going to cost anything?
A: No, although I would like to get a total of about $20 a month in donations to pay for the e-mailing service. Nonetheless, there's some folks out there doing a great job and it actually costs them money to do it - Matt Dralle and Doug Reeves come to mind. If you're inclined to donate to anyone, those are the two guys to start with. If you wish to donate, you may do so via PayPal.

Q: How do I subscribe?
A: Just click here.

Q: How do I unsubscribe?
A: Just click here.

Q: What's the best way to view this?
A: The newsletter is sent by e-mail. So we recommend you set your e-mail program to accept html e-mails.

The Web site will also post the latest version of the newsletter and provide access to all previous newsletters.

Q When I search the RV Builder's Hotline on Google, I end up with an old copy on the Expercraft site. Why?

The Hotline has had several iderations since I started it in March 2006. Work and family life got in the way in 2007, so Rob Riggen, who owns Expercraft, volunteered server space and then took over the Hotline for a few issues in late 2007 before he, too, ran out of time. When I resurrected the Hotline in May 2008, I asked Rob to provide a "redirect" back to http://rvbuildershotline.com, on which new Hotlines are being posted (my Expercraft account had been deleted so I had no control over my content). Rob has decided not to provide this convenience to RV builders who are looking for the fresh version.

There's not much I can do about this other than to ask you to link to http://rvbuildershotline.com on any blogs or Web pages you may own. And send emails to your RV-building friends with the link. We'll simply have to "teach" Google where the Hotline is.

Q: Can I advertise my stuff?
A: Probably not. I don't think I'm interested in display advertising. And I wouldn't know what to charge anyway. Maybe at some point a single "brought to you by" message at the bottom but that would be it. And, besides, the standard rate for that is a penny an eyeball. Not worth gumming up the page, imho. We do have a small Google ad that, hopefully, contains RV content. That provides a small -- VERY small -- amount of money to cover a few expenses, allowing the newsletter to be free.

Q: Are there back issues available?
A: Yes. Back issues are organized both by subject and by date on the archive page of the RV Builder's Hotline Web site.

Q: What can I do to insure the continuation of the Hotline?
A: Since the Hotline aggregates information that's out there, you're the Hotline's eyes and ears for what's out there? As you peruse Web sites or builder group newsletters and see something useful, drop the Hotline a note too. Some folks feel moved to write full articles for the Hotline, and I wouldn't discourage that either. The Hotline is going to be as informative as its subscribers want it to be. So feel free to pitch in.

The other thing you can do, of course, is just tell others about the Hotline. If you're in an EAA chapter, please let your Web site editor and chapter newsletter editor know.

Q: I haven't received an e-mail newsletter in a few weeks, why?

A: Rest assured, the Hotline is being produced and is being sent. However, the chances are your e-mail client/Internet Service Provider has categorized it as SPAM and has sent it to another folder. If you're using Web-based mail -- such as Yahoo -- check the "bulk" folder, and you'll probably find it there. Put a checkmark next to it and then click the "not spam" button at the top of the page. That should solve the problem.

For AOL subscribers, it's important that you add the address bob@rvbuildershotline.com and rvnewsletter@comcast.net to your address book. Otherwise, AOL will filter it as SPAM.

If you use Hotmail, you need to log into the web-based mail client , then click the "mail" tab at the top. That'll load the e-mail interface. On the left side, you'll see a list of folders. Click the one that says "junk" and you'll probably see the Hotline listed. Put a checkmark in the box next to it, then click the "not junk" tab just above the list of e-mail. That will put up a confirmation screen that bob@rvbuildershotline.com has been added to your "safe senders list."

On the right side, click the "options" link. First, click on the "delete junk mail" link. And set it to "deliver to junk e-mail folder and delete later." It'll delete stuff after 5 days. Hit OK. Then click on the "block senders" link. Make sure bob@rvbuildershotline.com and rvnewsletter@comcast.net isnot listed in the right side. If so, remove it and click OK. Then click on the "safe" list and add the above address if it is not already there.

Windows Live - Log in as usual. When you look in the junkbox, check to see if the RV Builder's Hotline is there. If so, click to open and click the "not junk" icon at the top of the message. If the Hotline is in the INBOX, be sure to click the "mark as safe" icon at the top of the message.

For users of Outlook: Check to be sure that either one of those addresses aren't on the blocked senders list. I can't remember exactly where it is on Outlook Express, but on regular Outlook it's under the Actions tab, .then select the "Junk E-mail" drop down and then "junk e-mail options." Click the "safe senders" tab and add bob@rvbuildershotline.com and rvnewsletter@comcast.net. Click OK. Then go to the "blocked senders" tab and see if bob@rvbuildershotline.com is listed there. If so, highlight it one and then click "remove." Click OK.

For Comcast customers. Even if you use Outlook, there is some SPAM filtering that takes place at Comcast. To check, go to http://comcast.net and log-in using your username and password. Click the icon at the top (and also on the side) that says "mail." The Web interface will load and along the left side you'll see a folder that says "screened mail." If there is any, there'll be a number next to it corresponding to the number of screened messages that are there. Click on the folder and see if the Hotline is among those listed.

If it is, open the message and click the "Not SPAM" link at the top of the page.

Gmail
Log in to your GMail account on the Web. On the left side, click the SPAM folder and see if the RV Builder's Hotline is listed there. If it is, click on it and then select the "not spam" icon at the top of the screen.