DanZemke

I think you need to figure out what carrier you want to use and what "plan" you want to use (i.e. what it costs per month, and how much data you'll be able to use). Let's backup a bit and clarify what a dedicated hotspot is. It's a device that connects to a cellular network just like a cell phone does. And it also creates your own wifi network which you can access from your phone, PC, Mac (and often all 3 at once). So just like any other wifi network, it enables you to browse the web, send emails, download files, watch YouTube etc. You could think of it as a translator that converts incoming and outgoing information from cellular to wifi and from wifi to cellular. For most people, the key first decision is what is the monthly cost of the cellular "data" (i.e. not talking or texting) and what is the maximum amount of data you can use per month. Minimum price per month is likely $20 to $30 and the purchase price of entry-level hotspot hardware will likely be $100+. An alternative to a "hotspot" device is to use a smart phone that can also function as a hotspot. Unfortunately, although the concepts are the same, the actual setup procedure for a hotspot depends on the cellular network you plan to use and the hotspot device itself (sort of like a how to use computer site would have to differentiate between using a PC or a Mac). ---------------- My recommendation for you is to look at Visible. You would have to buy a new phone, that Visable supports, that can act as a hotspot. For $25 a month (including all taxes and fees) you would have a combined cell phone and hotspot. You would also have to provide a credit card which would be debited monthly. https://www.visible.com/ Best wishes. P.S. I subscribe to Visible using a phone (my only one) that I purchased directly from Visible (a Pixel 4a). I also have dedicated hotspot devices/data-plans for Verizon and AT&T. They are more flexible and faster than using my phone as a hotspot with Visible's network. Also, Visible's network has an unusually long ping time because of they way they designed it, which makes it unsuitable for gaming.

I found the review interesting. This is the beta phase of a gen-1 product. Musk tweeted: "Speed will double to ~300Mb/s & latency will drop to ~20ms later this year" which I find plausible.

I also have a bracket for fleet tracking on my 2000 Volvo 770. It's bolted to the back of the cab with 4 bolts and seems to be fairly sturdy. In my case, the flat top of the bracket is 7 inches below the top edge of the roof. That should avoid almost all tree branch danger and allow you to mount it fairly flat, so the direction you park the truck won't affect power output much. Maybe use a slight tilt for the panel to shed water. I suspect the panel assumes support at all for corners. So only supporting it from the middle may, or may not be a problem. There seem to be several places on my truck that could brace the ends of the solar panel. https://i.imgur.com/QGTV35m.jpg

Glenn, That looks like a great choice.

I have a BS in Engineering with a major in Electronics. I'm perfectly capable of copying phoenix2013's design, including his circuit board, with its very heavy copper traces, or design a different approach. But I chose to purchase a Jackalopee many years ago. Why? Because trying to reproduce a successful commercial product for a market size of 1 (me), has always turned out to be more expensive than buying the proven product. I too, enjoy the potential of saving money by building my own version. It can be fun, but in my experience, cost savings (including my time) has never turned out to be an advantage. 🙂

Big5er, Yeah, that's what I did too, and am still using it. I chose a BattteryMinder model 128CEC1 which is only 12v but otherwise probably similar to the one you linked to. ---------------------- For those looking to buy a charger like Big5er and I suggest, here's a link to the device I've been happy with for a little less money ($162, although I have no experience with the vendor). https://www.impactbattery.com/batteryminder-model-128cec1-12v-2-4-8-amp-charger-maintainer-desulfator.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4svR7JDJ8AIVSgOzAB289AjQEAQYASABEgIrRvD_BwE --------------------- In his above post, Parrformance suggests a smaller and much less expensive BatteryMinder. I have one too. But it my case, 1 amp was not enough current to overcome the parasitic draw on my Volvo's batteries, so I needed something larger. Using Parrformance's recommended vendor, here's a better link for the 6amp BatteryMinder: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200661886_200661886

Thumbs up. Harrowing story and very educational/useful for people like me, who are less experienced than you and your wife. Thank you!

Lou, for me, the links you provided are interesting and inspirational. I saved copies of the Harper's article and the PBS video, in case I want to revisit them or share them with others. Thank You!

Kirk, Genuine thanks for the vivid description of a real accident. I vaguely remember a similar story (albeit without such a a bad outcome) of one of the rungs on a Teton ladder breaking while someone was climbing up it. That said, although I am 72 years old, I haven't experienced a significant physical decline in the last decade or two. I realize that I'm extremely fortunate. For me, I don't think that climbing up on my trailer's roof is overly risky. However I am very careful when doing so. Perhaps I'm foolish, but I'm looking forward to down hill skiing again, with my good friends next year for a week or so above Lake Tahoe. That is probably more risky than using the roof ladder, but I'm not willing to give either up until I really need to. 🙂

Thanks Ray and Kirk for causing me to recalibrate my risk assessment of getting on and off my roof. I use the rear ladder on my fifth wheel to get up on my roof for inspection/cleaning. I think it has about 1.5 foot of railing above the roof. But it's solidly attached, unlike a ladder. Still, I do find it awkward to make the transition off and on. In my case, the most risky activity is probably carrying 5 gallon bucket of water and other smaller items up the ladder. This seems like an accident waiting to happen. I need to adopt a safer approach. -------------------------- I purchased a 22' Little Giant, for my two story house, and anticipated using it with my 13+ ft truck and 5th wheel trailer. I've used it a few times at my house. It's very sturdy and versatile. But it's bulky and heavier than most alternatives. I've used the standoff option for some exterior work on my house and to wash my truck and it works better than tying rags around the top of a ladder. My favorite option is the "work platform". Here's a small (8MB) video describing it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raQtR9BVjV0 ------------------------ However, I think it's very unlikely for a Little Giant to be the best choice for someone's RVing Van. A collapsible one does seem more practical. One consideration that hasn't been mentioned. Is the treads. One inch wide, or even worse, a tube will likely be very uncomfortable standing on it after more than a brief period of time. Sorry for contributing to the thread drift. p.s. This seems like a reasonably inexpensive way for me to reduce the risk carrying things up to the roof. https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Bucket-Shoulder-Carrying-Strap/dp/B07F6P6C3F/ref=pd_rhf_cr_s_vtp_ses_clicks_nonshared_3?pd_rd_w=lDJ7Z&pf_rd_p=f818a79d-4393-4f85-8a51-3c71ea371f3e&pf_rd_r=90330RATF0RYK955MV4B&pd_rd_r=8def31bd-101e-4449-a60b-47a6e16af653&pd_rd_wg=DQsbL&pd_rd_i=B07F6P6C3F&psc=1

Someone suggests to those in power that the behavior is not in the best interest of the community. I did.

RV, I may not have been clear. I'm eagerly looking forward to StarLink service. In fact, I ordered one as soon as I could on Feb 8 and my order was accepted the same day. But after using Starlink's land survey app, it appeared that reception would be poor at my house. I canceled my order on Feb 10. My post about Visable was not meant to assert that it could be an alternative to StarLink - it isn't for most folks. It was an attempt to explain why joining a Party makes sense, and suggest a good way to do it.

agesilaus, I too, started Visable at $40 a month. But a few months ago I joined a large "Party" and have been paying $25 a month since, without any downsides that I'm aware of. The members of the Party (including the starter of the Party) do not know anything about the other members. Not phone numbers, email addresses - nothing. IMO, very large Parties have an advantage in that the odds of losing enough members to drop below 4 (the minimum number to owe $25 a month) are low. I chose to join RVmobileInteret's Party because they support Escapees and I assumed they would have a fairly large group. The group size was over 100 when I joined. Their referral code is included in this link: https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/visible-makes-changes-to-party-pay-referral-codes-and-international-calling-texting/

You've convinced me - I need a wife 🙂

I agree with all of the above responses. IMO, one battery of the type originally installed in your truck is good enough most of the time. The problem for most of us, is that a 10% risk of being unable to start our truck is not acceptable. My 12.7L truck was ordered with 3 batteries and seems to work well for me. Why do you want to use fewer batteries?

Just to clarify, these are Ellipsis Jetpack hotspots. Not the ones most of us have.

I signed up for Visable primarily as a data backup plan, and also ported my existing phone number to it. It's the only voice plan I have. It's hard to beat $25 a month for unlimited voice, text, and data. I signed up about 2 months ago. The default price is $40 a month, if you join a "Party", with 4 or more members, it becomes $25 a month. I chose to join RVmobileInteret's Party because they support Escapees and I assumed they would have a fairly large group, so the odds of the size dropping to a total of 3 or less people seemed remote. Their referal code included in this link: https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/visible-makes-changes-to-party-pay-referral-codes-and-international-calling-texting/

A Covid-19 vaccine usually does both. Prevents getting the disease most of the time (about 90%), but if you did get it, it's likely to cause far less pain and damage. It may be easier to think of it as: 99+% protection from a bad case of the disease. Few things in life are 100% 🙂

Concise and well said!

No, it's not from ABC news. It's from an affiliate of ABC news. That means it a private company (not ABC) that pays to air ABC News content. However, this appears to be local story, that was not sourced from ABC. Personally, I'm getting tired of the self promotion and baiting.

It was intended to be a receipt/record - not a wallet card. I've never been asked to prove that I've been Covid-19 vaccinated. Have you?

Hopefully, all will ignore all of the voices. Jay and Kirk are right - time to move on

I think there is a difference between reporting and opinions. Fortunately, everyone can decide for themselves, if these were intended to be, and are, the same message: ‘Scared’ CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warns of ‘impending doom’ CDC director Rochelle Walensky warns of "impending doom" amid COVID-19 spikes P.S. In the same press briefing Walensky said: "I think people want to be done with this.,” adding: “The thing that’s different this time is we actually have it in our power to be done because of the scale of the vaccination.”

The two articles do not read the same to me. They are both reporting on the same briefing, so of course there is a lot of overlap. But the headlines clearly try to convey a different message: ‘Scared’ CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warns of ‘impending doom’ CDC director Rochelle Walensky warns of "impending doom" amid COVID-19 spikes

Good tip - thanks! If you don't want to go to Staples or want an additional backup - take a picture with your phone and keep it for display.