Living in vans, cars, RVs, etc

The domain name is up for purchase ($9999.99 according to my registrar), so it looks like it's lost rather than just temporarily parked for a slightly overdue bill.

Luckily the site was recently backed up by the Internet Archive and the archived All, gpx, and csv links seem to work.

(Me= vanlife.)

If you have your starlink satellite thing mounted on top of your vehicle, the only time you can get internet is when you are within range of your vehicle, right?

In case there's no Wi-Fi available, and you're away from your vehicle, which is a situation that is pretty constant in my life.

I presume there's no starlink hotspot to carry around(?)

Like it's been nice to have my Verizon hotspot "Orbic" shitty little thing when my phone's unlimited data service is slow or spotty but even the Orbic has shitty service sometimes.

I definitely want to abandon evil extortionate Verizon. Please tell me if I become a starlink customer, I won't be able to use my phone indoors at work which doesn't allow us to use their Wi-Fi, And when I'm walking around town, what to do for internet?

Please tell me your most highly recommended ISP that isn't extortionate & manipulative.

>> a swamp cooler and humidifier of this design are doing the same thing: blowing air through a wetted, porous medium. The goals are different (humidification vs cooling) but the mechanism is the same.

TL:DR: I saw a set of cheap panels with weird specs at Home Depot. I bought some to experiment on and to use as portables to augment my mounted solar.

-----

Home Depot is selling 200w of panel for $114. That's $0.57/Watt. Not amazing compared to used panels (typically $0.33/Watt) but HD is all over the place and has free ship-to-store.

It also comes with mounting brackets and one of those single-stage PWM controllers. I'm not bagging on that kind of controller, but it's not a great fit for this particular set of panels.

#THE CATCH

The panels are a weird design, apparently 24 cells in series. Normal "12v nominal" panels have 36 in series for ~18Vmp. These have a Vmp of 12.0v, so I think we would call them "8v nominal".

This makes them practically unusable in parallel for charging lead or LiFePO4.

You could run the panels in series on the PWM controller since it has a 50v input max and the series Voc would be 30v. But, due to the way PWM works the panels would be running at in the 14v range at the most. This is way, way off the 24.0Vmp of the series array. I'd expect a max harvest of ~120w with that kind of setup. If these were normal panels in parallel and on PWM I'd expect a max of ~160w. We can go into the math on that if anyone wants.

The best case scenario IMO would be to run the panels in series with an MPPT controller. This would get us closer to ~170w max harvest.

some other thoughts:

• The panels might work well enough in parallel for 3S Li-NMC because of that chemistry's lower voltage
• HD has a 10% discount program for veterans if you provide them with a bit of documentation.

... in which I camped in a spot infested by mule deer, picked up spent brass, and trusted the local forecast enough to do my cooking off solar....

in which I bumblefsck through figuring out why my solar setup no worky

I was outside the zone of totality, so was still making some power.

Notice that panel voltage did not decrease like many think, it does. Vpanel is stable above ~10%-15% insolation, depending on the panel

I did this because the hotplate was a bit more than my offgrid rig could handle comfortably. Been using it at ~500w to very good effect.

This is probably worth considering in general, but dealing with financial lockouts on the road is a particular kind of dumpster fire.

TL:DR: I deposited a check and things went weird (not an NSF scenario). My bank got spooked and locked not just that one account but all of my access for two weeks.

I scrambled to open new accounts elsewhere and move direct deposits over. Soon (like 12 hours) after completion my bank said "oopsie!" and restored my access to the accounts this morning. Having pre-existing accounts at other locations would have been stressful because one institution could not bogart my funds.

We're preparing to move about 1000mi.

I'm getting my truck ready to tow a trailer for our three potbelly pigs, two cats and a dog.

'98 Ranger XLT with 4.0L V6, auto trans. Rated for 5900lbs tow, 9500 gross. Even has the overdrive disable and good rear end ratio.

I'm adding a Redarc Liberty brake control. The 7-way plug kit I got includes 30 and 40 amp auto reset breakers for the control and trailer power.

Here's the thing. I don't like the idea of an automatically resetting breaker at 30 amps or more due to the risk of fire or frying the electronics in my truck. I would prefer to install manual reset breakers. I understand that an auto reset would might allow some brake capability in the event of a short and that is why they are used. I just don't feel like the auto breaker justification is that likely vs the other risks of auto breakers.

How long does it take the auto breakers to reset?

What are the real world risks using manual reset breakers?

Opinions/thoughts greatly appreciated!

> ... up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Yay.

BTW, I keep track of laws like this in this RVwiki article

Like an idjit I smoked my old shunt by shorting it while moving stuff around. I eventually replaced it with the Aili type.

It works fine, but I don't like how the data is presented. Totally my fault, I saw what the display looked like when I bought it. Grrr......

> House Bill 1365 was filed in January. It prohibits camping or sleeping on public property without a permit. The bill would give local municipalities the power to designate specific areas for sleeping or camping. Such properties must have restrooms, running water, security, and access to health care for mental and physical health. Also under the provision the specified areas may not negatively impact local businesses.

Here is the info if you want to follow along

> This year was more tumultuous than usual. A couple things were literal once in a lifetime events.

This month November I intentionally "moved" to the highest cost of living state for 3 reasons:

1. it's beautiful and I want to live here

2. high cost of living also means that jobs pay more here than anywhere else

3. which is a bonus for us homeless people because we don't have to worry about handing all that extra money to landlords/ mortgage bankers 😉 We pocket the extra money. (And before you assume I'm some drug-addled hobo, nope, I'm not. I'm saving money for new lithium leisure batteries and scheduled maintenance & so many upgrades to my already awesome van. It will take a year or two until I've saved up enough $ for that then I can commence enjoying this healthy spirited life again.)

okay now here's the societal hurdle I've been afraid of and I think I've conquered it today: This is the first time since embarking on this lifestyle I've absolutely had to get a real W-2 job that requires employees to have a permanent address in the state but I don't want my employer to know that I don't have a physical address.

I don't want my new prospective employers to know that I live in a van because they will immediately cast judgment on that because there's an unfair stigma associated with this lifestyle and they would unfairly assume all the worst things about me which would affect their decision to hire me, so How'd I get around this??

When they weren't satisfied with my out-of-state PO Box address, and they also weren't satisfied with my temporary 30-day in-state General Delivery USPS address, today in my FOURTH interview I finally admitted, "All right, I'm HOMELESS but I'm fine, I'm healthy, I'm clean, have everything I need, I show up to work everyday no problem, everything is fine. I just need a job."

She said "ok," and stepped away for a minute but it felt like forever, I was so worried that was the end of my hiring process, but apparently everything was fine! We continued on for an hour with the onboarding documents and I'm in 🎉

>> [I found a] 3qt crockpot to replace the 2qt and 4qt. Back to my original setup. The Crockpot 3120 is rated at 75w/150w and I measured it at 69w/134w.

>>I believed the forecast, which said it would be partly cloudy. In reality it was overcast all day, no blue sky at all. It was lightly raining most of the time. Pic to the right (PF parking lot) shows how low the cloud cover was. Clouds were obscuring the top of the nearby Franklin Mountains.

> I noticed the panels were unusually filthy. An excellent opportunity for an experiment! I dug out the ladder, put the pushbroom head on the multi-purpose stick, and found a suitable terrycloth hand towel...

including a prediction that I will need to use shore power for the first time in over 5 years :-\

> I just realized it’s been two years since I installed the LiFePO4. No regrets.

> Just before the eclipse started (0913 local) the system was making 260w.... “first contact” began and the MPPT algo started thrashing around... at full annularity (1037 local) it was making only 26w. This lines up with the prediction of “89.6% obscuration”.

I recently bought some closeout honeycrisp apples and bosch pears and ate most of them. I had one of each left over and decided to skin each and cook them down with a bit of cinnamon and lime juice. Then I decided I'd make pancakes the next morning to make use of it.

I cooked down the fruit on the 300w lab hotplate. Tried to use it for the pancakes in the naan pan but the 4" head was too hot in center. Tried to use a flame diffiuser but 300w wasn't enough grunt to get through that. So I ended up cooking the pancakes over a single-burner propane stove.

They tasted better than they looked. :-)

• cooking down the fruit
• pancake
• pancake recipe

> I found a tennis ball in a park in SF, and figured it’d make a good aromatic medium for the peppermint oil I bought to repel mousemonsters. I cut it into quarters with a utility knife.

> I applied peppermint oil to each fuzzy surface and mounted one under the hood and one on the floorboard near where I saw mice enter.

I've noted before that when I stealth camp in cities my charging percentage from alternator increases from ~5% to ~10% of total production. The increase isn't needed (solar could cover it) but the alt gets a chance to play.

Since I am moving at least twice a day (3x with PF showers) I've had an opportunity to record a higher frequency of engine starts and LFP bank acceptance. The setup:

• 180A alternator that typically runs at 14.2v
• Battery Doctor VSR setup left over from my previous FLA bank
• 150Ah 12v LFP bank
• SoC and voltage measurements below taken from BMS before engine start
• current measurements taken from BMS though it agrees with shunted battery monitor. (I can see the BMS via bluetooth from the driver's seat but I can't see the monitor)
• solar contribution and loads ranged widely, leading to variance.

Over the last ~20 runs, the average state of charge was 72%, bank voltage 13.20v, charge acceptance 0.183C (27.39A)

``` SoC Vbatt C A 60 13.07 0.245 36.75 72 13.15 0.130 19.50 69 13.13 0.120 18.00 27 12.95 0.270 40.50 80 13.29 0.150 22.50 80 13.27 0.240 36.00 81 13.30 0.170 25.50 77 13.22 0.165 24.75 39 13.03 0.260 39.00 95 13.30 0.115 17.25 48 13.06 0.235 35.25 86 13.56 0.120 18.00 90 13.25 0.220 33.00 90 13.26 0.165 24.75 62 13.08 0.240 36.00 92 13.27 0.084 12.60 92 13.27 0.090 13.50 58 13.07 0.235 35.25 89 13.26 0.140 21.00 84 13.26 0.215 32.25 49 13.07 0.225 33.75

```

Given average charge acceptance of 27.39A, the obvious comparison here is to a 30A DC-DC like the Orion-TR. The DC-DC would have a much more stable charge rate, typically ~30A except late in the charging process when acceptance at Vabs tapers.

> Charge to ~100% SoC then allow the system to settle back to the quasi-float voltage... Final measurements taken when the sun had gone down enough that solar could no longer hold Vfloat.

my first vinagaroon IRL and I did not like it. Also a tarantula, but that was much less freaky.

I contribute pretty regularly to Google maps. I know at some point I should probably switch to Open Street Maps but, I am not ready at this time. I would like very much to share my journeys and to follow other houseless members on gMaps. DM me if you would like a link to my profile.

Right now I am in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It has been a soggy few days but hopefully it will be beautiful by the weekend. I do like this little town. It seems cheaper and friendlier than Durango. It is growing so I suspect I will have to find a place to replace it in my rotation in a few years.

Lots of good camping to the south and also to the Northwest. Much of it with good cell service.

In the springtime you can tube down the icy San Juan River, stop in some hot springs then jump back in your tube for the remainder of the trip.

> I have a prescription from the VA coming in, and an Amazon order in the queue. I’ll try to time everything arriving in 14d so I can collect everything, get a shower at PF, etc

> Heavy rain was forecast in Los Alamos for the next few days (and lighter for the next week). Highs in the 60s. I needed to move (14d) so I could either scout a location within acceptable distance or chance going into Santa Fe.

> You know the locals are well-paid when you see a Ferarri at the grocery store.

Made some cheddar biscuits in a sandwich press; yummy!

Normally the dog is in the pics looking at the food but she was still busy on cleanup duty.

recipe in blog link

> [Vpanel] can reveal much after we learn what the controller is doing.

> The spot was lovely but had mice. I trapped them but they kept coming. By the time I decided to relo it was too late; they had chewed into the wiring harness...

>> Last night I watched Oppenheier. I took Muffin out for a break afterwards and could see the lights from Los Alamos, the town Oppie built for Project Y.

> I moved into the campervan on Aug 18th, 2018 and headed off to the job I transferred to in El Paso. I hadn’t planned on moving into the van FT until 2028 when I retired but everything fell into place ahead of schedule.

Not only is it a weekend, but the so-called "Ring of Fire" eclipse will be visible from states where boondocking is common:

>> The narrow path of annularity begins in Oregon and crosses Northern California, Nevada, Utah, northeastern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, New Mexico and Texas - livescience

Be prepared for a deluge of casual campers looking for spots from which to burn their eyes out watch the eclipse.

... in which the high pressure dome moves off New Mexico so the monsoon weather can approach on little cat feet.

Musings on relocating in mud, water provisions, and a wiley coyote

I've been using an angled tarp but it catches too much wind. Just reset it flat and installed a center grommet for drainage. We will see...