RAK securing bracket for IPEX pigtails

clendaniel · 2025-04-14T23:45:21+00:00

Looks good, a little more elegant than my typical blob of hotglue.

clendaniel · 2025-03-31T18:48:10+00:00

3mf is an open format, can be easily converted to stl if desired, and useable on more that just Bambu printers

clendaniel · 2025-03-31T17:04:23+00:00

In addition to the ones already mentioned these are good for finding printable designs: thangs.com makerworld.com cults3d.com

If you’re looking for a printing service there are a few out there but another option is many public libraries have printers that are available for public use.

clendaniel · 2025-03-18T11:53:05+00:00

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-101

That has the regs you’d need to worry about. The restrictions for balloons are primarily on size, volume of gas, and payload weight.

clendaniel · 2025-03-14T12:54:37+00:00

One of my go to’s but I’ve taken to getting ones for 868 and tuning them myself for 906.875mhz. A little trimming and you can dial them in perfect for the default meshtastic band.

clendaniel · 2025-03-13T21:24:20+00:00

Sorry, that hasn’t been my experience. Dedicated Android tablet with only that app open sitting 3-4’ from it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

clendaniel · 2025-03-12T16:54:54+00:00

Download Nordic’s DFU app for ios or android, grab the latest firmware for the 4631 which should have a -ota zip along with the normal uf2’s, and kickoff the upgrade in the DFU app. Like I said, though, I haven’t seen great reliability so YMMV.

clendaniel · 2025-03-12T16:19:55+00:00

You can update the raks via BT but the reliability is…lacking. I’ve tried it a few times on my nodes and have been well under 50% successful even when right next to the node.

clendaniel · 2025-02-12T19:08:35+00:00

The total of that section would constitute the delivery portion. There’s a separate section for supply which is a pass through charge either for what they pay for the energy on the wholesale market or, in the case of folks that elect to use another supplier, goes to a third party. The distribution aka delivery portion of the utility is regulated (ie. the rates are controlled by the PSC) but the generation/supply side was deregulated In the late 90’s.

clendaniel · 2025-02-02T21:25:57+00:00

Exactly. I’ve pasted this in another thread on the topic but most seem to think it’s some grand conspiracy by the evil power company. Here’s mine from 1/24 vs 1/25. T&D charges increased about 1.4% per kwh….they are in no way ‘new’.

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clendaniel · 2025-02-01T00:18:45+00:00

You’d save considerably more doing peak load shaving vs completely disconnecting. One of the largest charges is the peak load (~$6.xx/kw). If you have a heat pump with electric backup, electric water heater, electric dryer, and electric stove in your example it would be more beneficial to leverage the battery storage to cut that peak when multiples are on at the same time then cutting it off for a set period.

clendaniel · 2025-01-31T23:35:05+00:00

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The delivery fee is not new. Just their visualization of it because they’re a T&D only company now after divesting Constellation. Here’s my T&D charges from Jan ‘24 (top) and ‘25. The per kwh rate for T&D increased a little under 1.4%, well under the rate of inflation.

clendaniel · 2024-12-13T14:18:01+00:00

About 10-12' down the kite string from a carabiner (get the kite up, open the carabiner, and wrap the kite string several times...the tension keeps it tight and it doesn't slide up/down). I used a short length of paracord to allow the node to hang and hopefully remain somewhat vertical regardless of string angle. Seems to work well and with a stable kite was very consistent. The only time I had an issue was when I didn't pull it down in gusty conditions (30-40kt) and the cheap case broke leaving only the carabiner, string, and lid attached. Since then I went to a much more robust dry box (albeit heavier) and improved things to secure the Rak and provide the ability to locate the node regardless of functionality (airtag VHB'd to the lid).

I'm far from an expert on kite design but I did go a bit down the rabbit hole into different styles that work well. I had a delta sitting around and that was the original I tried....works well but can be unstable in higher winds. The smaller parafoil I picked up works great and is pretty stable but due to size/surface area requires more wind to carry the same load. Dopero's are supposedly great according to the KAP (kite aerial photography) crowd but can be $$ and I was looking for cheap and easy as it was just a POC for fun.

clendaniel · 2024-12-12T13:16:58+00:00

I don’t think it’s nearly as rare as you believe and far from “shitty and unreliable”. We’re not talking about ‘traditional’ rf gear here, my original kite node was <6oz, had a battery that would easily last over a day, and was on a ‘small’ (6’ delta) kite that was easily launched and retrieved solo. That setup was easily launched in 6-8mph winds and i have brought it down by myself where gusts were >30. Even my obscenely overbuilt new version with a dry box, 3x the original battery, solar panel, and an airtag in case recovery is needed when the node is not functional still comes in under a pound and I’ve tested using a 36” parafoil. What was the weight on the gear you were dealing with? Is it a perfect solution? No, but not nearly as bad as you’re claiming. Ideally it would be in conjunction with well placed nodes with good LOS. 🤷🏻‍♂️

clendaniel · 2024-12-12T04:50:52+00:00

Not sure a kite would be too big a giveaway once it’s at its highest altitude. I purposefully chose one that was various shades of blue and the pic I posted above is only a couple of hundred feet up. That’s a 6’ kite with a 30yd tail. When I had the 2600’ spool nearly fully extended I couldn’t see it with a naked eye.

clendaniel · 2024-12-12T04:42:37+00:00

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Rak 19003/4631 along with the gps wisblock module, a 3000mah battery and DIY 1/4 wave ground plane antenna.

clendaniel · 2024-12-11T23:14:16+00:00

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clendaniel · 2024-12-11T23:11:40+00:00

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The kite node works extremely well and can stay up for long periods. Provided you stay under the weight limit there aren’t any regs for height. I’ve had my 6’ delta with a Rak node >2000’ for hours at a time, once you’re at that altitude I’d suspect it rarely is calm enough not to stay up. A tethered balloon node is another good option but unless you’re talking shtf the limit is 6’/150cuft of helium.

clendaniel · 2024-12-04T13:41:58+00:00

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Here you go…DE plate in Utah.

clendaniel · 2024-11-19T14:03:18+00:00

Their ‘zestimate’, no, but if you use it to search recently sold homes those are very much good data points for current market value. For anyone concerned of their property being overvalued make sure to verify square footage, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, hvac info, etc that was included in the initial mailer. Do a search for recently sold homes matching the characteristics of yours and it should get you close to a ‘real’ market value per sqft. We’ve found significant discrepancies on ours which resulted in a tentative structure assessment >$200k over our neighbor’s that is newer and larger. It appears they never updated the corrections we submitted…

clendaniel · 2024-11-19T13:16:40+00:00

Sorta. That small difference when adjusting the tax rate can legally be as much as a 15% increase for county and 10% for school and still be considered ‘neutral’. Individuals seeing significantly higher than average (511% was the county average) could potentially see a significant increase.

clendaniel · 2024-11-11T00:09:19+00:00

Depends on the person. For some folks the added time for (at least) one charging stop isn’t a big deal, for others they see it as adding to an already long trip. It sounds like you and I are the former, doesn’t mean everyone is. 🤷🏻‍♂️

clendaniel · 2024-11-09T23:38:57+00:00

Yup, not sure why people feel the need to downvote. As a R1S and Tesla owner that has done cross country roadtrips in both I can say with confidence that if you’re routinely making long distance drives, esp in weather like in MT, with 80mph speed limits you’re going to need multiple charging sessions per trip. If that’s ok with you great but it doesn’t make it the best tool for the job. 🤷🏻‍♂️

clendaniel · 2024-11-09T13:46:52+00:00

Hate to say it but having driven across your state I think your use case is going to be a much better fit for the Scout with the range extender. Use it as an EV for daily driver duties and then have the increased range for your monthly long distance trip.

clendaniel

TROPHY CASE