Exactly this. My wife knows not to panic if she can get my messages, but I don't reply to her.
If any hams live in an area w/o a two-way i-gate, consider putting one up. It isn't that hard and provides a nice service.
1,398 karma · joined April 10, 2014
Some areas have one that works in reverse, taking what is seen on the internet and relevant to the active stations in the area and broadcasting it out over radio.
When I started using SMSGTE I had great success getting a SMS from my radio to a phone, but only 1 in 10 replies from SMS made it back to my radio. I put up a gateway for my area and so we have some decent bi-directional coverage.
I almost feel like it is a bigger deal that some little company wanted my personal domain because the founders happen to have the same name as my wife and I. At least I use my domain and have for decades. I refuse to sell because my email used on accounts everywhere. That kind of change isn't worth a few hundred dollars.
They went and picked up a domain with the same two names, but reversed the order and were unhappy because people confuse our domains. Not my problem.
I guess the point is that it depends on when and where something was built. My most recent home is only a few years old and doesn't have a return per room and no code to say it should shouldn't.
Yeah, those are the kind of people who need to proof the yeast. What is it doing in the cupboard?
Proofing can't hurt and is good advise, but at some point you learn you can get away without.
I haven't bothered to proof yeast in a decade. I'm no pro, but we do make all of our pizza, bread, buns, rolls, pretzels, etc.
I buy big compressed blocks and store them in the freezer. When one is opened, some goes in a small jar in the refrigerator and the rest in a large jar in the freezer.
If you have two pans you can start making the second when the first has about a minute left - then the can finish a pie every 2.5 minutes!
I'm thinking existing truck stops would have a better chance of working than the weigh stations. let's leave the government it, they are barely competent at weighing a truck. Some trucks might not see a weigh station for a week. Some stations are nothing more than a pull out on the side of the road.
A gun is useless to some, especially those who are afraid to pick it up. A knife is useless to me - unless the attacker is a truckload of Amazon boxes.
If you solder, even just a little, you can attach a pair of wires to the board in the wall mounted button so you can control it from whatever project you are doing. I using pins on a pi to flip a relay and complete the circuit as if I pressed the button.
Been there, done that - at least on the side of fixing it. Anyone who implements a calendar, don't make pervious and next links that let someone travel time forever.
I've always wondered how much bit traffic costs us - but never actually tried to figure it out. It is a good portion of our traffic - even when we block a lot of it.
By my math, it makes sense to spend on a really good envelope like SIPs or a very efficient HVAC like ground source heat pumps - but buying the best of both is only for bragging rights and never pays off. Pick one or the other to go all out on and your bills won't be that much different if the other is just above average.
The downside of spending extra on anything that isn't seen by the buyer is that they done want to pay extra for it. To bring it back around to SIPs, if two similar houses are for sale, nobody picks the more expensive one because it has SIPs. (ok, not nobody, maybe I would)
It is so hard to convince people that the codes are the minimum. Who wants a product built to the minimum standard? Why doesn't the "market" demand it? Because people want cheap houses and the builder doesn't have to live in it or pay the utility bill. Buyers don't often ask for or compare bills on similar homes, so there is no point to upgrading insulation or HVAC unless you plan to stay in the home.
My oh-so-official-and-comprehensive-data: One home I built was very typical for the neighborhood, except insulation and a slightly better HVAC system, nothing exotic. When the power was out and everyone was complaining that their houses were 40 degrees, we were still at 60. Our bills were sometimes half what our neighbors were. What did it take? About $4,000 on a $250,000 build (in 2007). The new owners of the home didn't know what they were getting b/c nobody asks or cares. We keep in touch and they've found the same when comparing to the neighborhood. If you are wondering, no the house didn't sell for more because it saves energy and money - that isn't on a real estate comp.
If we would just tweak the building codes just a tiny bit and it would make a huge difference.
I had 2 die recently. The is a thread out there on repairing them, but I don't think my soldering skills are that good. I'm also thinking "repair my light switch?" What has the world come to?
Time spent just configuring a pre-built system, that, in my opinion, is time wasted because it isn't likely that I can apply it to anything else.
I have a few smart switches that I can't say are anything more than convenience, but one smart plug paid for itself in 7 months and now saves me a whooping $4 per month on propane. A dumb timer would almost work, but the smart plug makes it so I can handle the exceptions to the rule.
Humor aside, I'm still interested in what you are referring to. I'm not aware of a way to do that, but maybe didn't know what to look for.
I was interested in a thermostat with an API that worked locally, no internet needed and no 3rd party required and that is what I went with. Paired with the alarm system (old school, hard wired, it doesn't know what the internet is) it can alert me when the A/C is on, but a window is open.
Not used as much, but turning on the A/C before arriving home from a long trip sure is nice. That obviously requires the internet, but I refuse to use a third party.
Downsides - 2 dead smart switches in 2 weeks. They aren't cheap and should last a lot longer.
Subdivisions are easy, they are all essentially the same. They have a road, electricity, water, sewer are waiting and everyone (builders) knows how to hook up to them. As soon as you go of grid you have to figure that out, much of it from scratch because each site is different.
Electricity- How much solar do you need? That depends on the climate and the level of comfort the owner wants. Are they good running a generator when the sun doesn't shine or are they willing to shell out for a lot of battery? Are the panels on the roof or on the ground?
Water - do you want to haul your own water or punch a well? That is a big, site specific cost that can be estimated, but is also a big unknown.
Sewer- composting toilet or septic system? Septic obviously costs not and each site needs some amount of design and approval, even here where you don't even need a permit for the structure.
Roads - it is likely to not exist in most properties, the cost to get that done varies greatly.
Ok, so the price can swing - a lot and it isn't so cookie cutter, but why does of grid so often get coupled to DIY? Because when you live of grid (at least around here) you are the one who will plow and maintain your road. You are the one to maintain your solar system.
Your generator carb needs tuned? Do you drive an hour each way to drop it off and pick it up next week or watch a YouTube video and do it in an hour and have your generator ready and available instead of in the shop?
I can only speak about what I see around me, but it is mostly DIY, self-reliant, prepared people who live here (on or off grid). By building your own systems you are ready to maintain and repair them rather than wait for someone to come save you.
Can't cut a tree with a chainsaw? It might be a while before someone clears the fallen tree from your road. Even old Grandma's around here have a saw and won't let a tree in the road stop them. (I keep a bow saw in each vehicle and have used it. It is slower, but not as slow as waiting!)
It is a mentality that is so different than my old subdivision neighbors.
I only know people who tried hughesnet, none of them kept it. There are lots of mountains and trees here, so a WISP won't work. Distances are too great for DSL. Cell service (in this area) is lucky to be good enough to send a text.
With starlink this will be a lot easier. I think it comes down to fiber or starlink - and maybe a WISP if possible.