Any tips on my setup?

[SunEagle]

No not the card, just a USB Modem. Both Verizon and ATT have what they call WiFi Hotspots. About the size of Altoid Mint can. It is 4G LTE/AWS/IOP. Set it in your house or wherever you want, then connect via WiFi. My cell phone can even do it as it is called a WiFi Bridge. Works just like the WiFi Hotspot, log in from your puter via WiFi and the phne makes the Bridge to LTE/AWS/IOP. Many Smart Phones can do it if you can afford the data bandwidth.

I thought of those hotspots but I think you pay a monthly fee even if you don't use them. I was hoping to find something like that but where you are only charge for the data you use like those cheap cell phone companies that only charge you by the minute and not by the month.

[solar pete]

OK great, sounds like this thread is done, it will be closed soon.

[Wrybread]

And on a related note, I do the computer tech for a local community radio station, and on our email list we used to have these flare ups all the time since there's just something about being behind that keyboard that turns some people into blowhards. We'd have these flare ups all the time until we finally figured out that important things needed to be discussed in person. In person those same blowhards would invariably be the nicest people on the planet. Hopefully that's the case here. But put behind that keyboard...

[Wrybread]

M is referring to poor planning, mismatched equipment and over all poor ass design.

Aha, we're revisiting the charge controller issue. Never mind that it works just fine for my purposes. And never mind that I said multiple times if that turns out not to be the case I'll upgrade it. Or are you talking about shading? If so, I'd have been a better planner if I bought a larger rv?

And as I said 10 times, I'm expanding a system. So there's compromises.

And besides, it's all working beautifully. And if you don't know it's way overkill for an RV, then you don't have very much practical experience with RV solar.

The guy asked what we thought, and now is crying when he did not get what he wanted. He wanted everyone to bow down to his brilliance.

The king of the strawmen has spoken! Never mind that it's completely inaccurate. I've gotten a ton of great info from this tread and have changed a lot of things about my design. And I hope to be uploading to pvwatts soon.

But look at the info you've supplied in just the last few posts, that I'll have to "pay up or shut up" for cellular data service. It's all just noise.

And no biggie, you have the whole rest of this forum to badger people and shout your inaccuracies and faulty logic and shot-in-the-dark insults and occasional technical help. But you're doing a terrible job of contibuting anything meaningful in this thread.

[Sunking]

Could someone help me catch up? Where did the OP post anything that might lead someone into making a wasteful or dangerous choice? I can't find that post in this thread. Is this spillover from another thread I haven't been following?

JPM is referring to poor planning, mismatched equipment and over all poor ass design. Shade tree mechanic. Even Jflorey committed it was piss poor as I and JPM have. Sensij you know me well enough I do not let hacks get away with crap like this. The guy asked what we thought, and now is crying when he did not get what he wanted. He wanted everyone to bow down to his brilliance.

[Wrybread]

I guess an example would help. He spent 20 posts telling me that my charge controller wouldn't work and that I'd need to spend a ton more money on the Morningstar. I told him my reasoning for using the Tracer (it's what I have from before my project expanded, it's 1/3 the price, and I think it'll work fine). He told me I'm an idiot and a mechanic or something unnecessarily hostile like that and made sure the discussion couldn't move on. Other people with much more knowledge of solar than I told him it would probably work fine, and that I'm operating within the specs. But still, 20 posts later, he was still going on about it.

Another even better example is mounting my panels in parallel. That got a bunch of "you don't understand mppt!" from him even as he ignored me repeatedly telling him I'm only doing it because shade issues. For like 10 posts!

Anyway, I don't want to dwell on it too much, but that's what I'm talking about. And I'm not even saying any of the above in a single post is that bad, but it goes on and on until everyone is drawn into his little battles.

[sensij]

Not exactly ? So what if you are wrong and lead or point others into bad/dangerous choices and then move on, just leaving it at that ? Do you feel that you have any responsibility there ?

Could someone help me catch up? Where did the OP post anything that might lead someone into making a wasteful or dangerous choice? I can't find that post in this thread. Is this spillover from another thread I haven't been following?

[J.P.M.]

Not exactly, but I'm fine with conflicting viewpoints being discussed and moving on. Or if you're super compelled to "help" even when specifically told not to, just state your theory and leave it at that.

My objection is that he derails every discussion. He's trying to do it again with cellular data, both with drama and with injecting misinformation to the discussion. Quite amazing actually. I'm simply asking for him to leave this thread alone.

Not exactly ? So what if you are wrong and lead or point others into bad/dangerous choices and then move on, just leaving it at that ? Do you feel that you have any responsibility there ?

[Wrybread]

Let me make sure I correctly understand what you are writing: Based on what you believe you know, you're OK with the risk of leading others into situations that other knowledgeable but perhaps acerbic individuals believe to be based on incorrect or faulty knowledge or reasoning. Just making sure I understand. What if you're wrong ?

Not exactly, but I'm fine with conflicting viewpoints being discussed and moving on. Or if you're super compelled to "help" even when specifically told not to, just state your theory and leave it at that.

My objection is that he derails every discussion. He's trying to do it again with cellular data, both with drama and with injecting misinformation to the discussion. Quite amazing actually. I'm simply asking for him to leave this thread alone.

[J.P.M.]

I'm fine with taking that risk. He's stated his opinion on it, and seems adamant about derailing the thread to a discussion of it *every* *single* *time*. I simply wouldn't trust him to tell me the time of day, and I'm sure by the end of it he'd derail the conversation.

Let me make sure I correctly understand what you are writing: Based on what you believe you know, you're OK with the risk of leading others into situations that other knowledgeable but perhaps acerbic individuals believe to be based on incorrect or faulty knowledge or reasoning. Just making sure I understand. What if you're wrong ?

[Wrybread]

But I wil tell you this. Not in the USA. Pay up or shut up.

Yet another bit of misinformation. Will the wonders ever cease.

[sensij]

For this purpose (uploading data when I'm not there) a few megabytes a month would probably do it.

ringplus would have been a good option, but shut down recently. Ting will get you 100 mb / mo for $9 / mo. Google MVNO, I haven't stayed current with options.

More on pvoutput later.

[Wrybread]

Ha thanks any Sunking. I'll manage.

Anyway, for anyone else who comes down this path, I just found what looks like a possible gem:

https://hologram.io/pricing/

40 cents per month service fee, and 60 cents per megabyte upload. Costs $5 for the SIM card.

And they're DIY friendly:

https://content.konekt.io/blog/raspberry-pi-on-cellular/

Just chatted with a rep and they piggyback on AT&T and TMobile, which should work at my site. Ordered!

[Sunking]

I'm fine with taking that risk. He's stated his opinion on it, and seems adamant about derailing the thread to a discussion of it *every* *single* *time*. I simply wouldn't trust him to tell me the time of day, and I'm sure by the end of it he'd derail the conversation.



A USB modem still requires service, and its the service I'm talking about.

As I said I know I can add the service with my carrier at least (Verizon), but they charge $20/month for that kind of service. As I said I'm trying to find something metered. Cellular providers in most countries around the world give people the option of buying a SIM card and paying for the data you use without any monthly fee, I'm wondering if there's something like that in the U.S. In most countries you land at the airport and buy a pre-loaded SIM card that you put in your cellphone or cellular modem, and pay for every minute or megabyte you use.

For this purpose (uploading data when I'm not there) a few megabytes a month would probably do it.

I know the answers and tuff titty, you get no help from mee. I am well connected to telecom. But I wil tell you this. Not in the USA. Pay up or shut up. Here is your hint M2M try to figure it out. I do not think you will be around here much longer.

[Wrybread]

Here's what may be the crux of the problem: What if others are taking what you write and (perhaps ignorantly) running with it, and some others here who may be quite knowledgeable sincerely and honestly think what you are doing is wrong, wasteful and perhaps dangerous,

I'm fine with taking that risk. He's stated his opinion on it, and seems adamant about derailing the thread to a discussion of it *every* *single* *time*. I simply wouldn't trust him to tell me the time of day, and I'm sure by the end of it he'd derail the conversation.

No not the card, just a USB Modem.

A USB modem still requires service, and its the service I'm talking about.

As I said I know I can add the service with my carrier at least (Verizon), but they charge $20/month for it. I'm trying to find something metered. Cellular providers in most countries around the world give people the option of buying a SIM card and paying for the data you use without any monthly fee, I'm wondering if there's something like that in the U.S. In most countries you land at the airport and buy a pre-loaded SIM card that you put in your cellphone or cellular modem, and pay for every minute or megabyte you use.

For this purpose (uploading data when I'm not there) a few megabytes a month would probably do it.