Would calling this thread Comms CHAT be redundant?

[NT2C]

With my kids moving away, some to the other side of the state, is there anything decent that doesn't require us all to get a license that can act as a backup for cell service when cell service becomes unreliable?

No. Nothing short of a private hardline.

[EBuff75]

Just in case anyone here has an old Starlink setup in storage that they haven't used lately, better dig it out and install the updates, or else it will end up bricked:  https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-bricking-select-starlink-dishes-on-nov-17-how-to-protect-yours 

[NT2C]

I was sorting through my HT collection and my HT antenna collection, checking power levels and also checking antenna SWR, trying to match up the better HTs with the better antennas, and I made some startling discoveries.

All of my UV5R-Minis output 5 watts or better on both VHF and UHF, all had the lowest SWR with their stock antennas, and least you believe Baofeng really nailed it with this model, every one of them (I have six) had the same problem...the nut on the antenna connector was so loose the meter was rattling.  I snugged them all up a bit with the blade of a pocket screwdriver (the old Baofeng standby of using the volume knob as a wrench <hidden feature> didn't work on the Minis, so I ordered a proper X wrench) to ensure good contact with the radio frame.

My Radtel RT-817, which was supposed to put out 18 watts on VHF and a little less on UHF, puts out 16.3 watts on VHF and a whopping 19.6 watts on UHF. All tests were done (using a 20-watt dummy load for power tests) on the respective band's calling frequencies. It also came with a pretty crap stock antenna (2.5 VSWR on VHF and 2.2 on UHF), and this was true of all three Radtel radios (RT-817, RT-880G, RT-950 Pro) that I own.

Testing continues!

[NT2C]

In other news, I finally got that recalcitrant pair of LoRa nodes to accept new firmware by doing it on my laptop and using CAT 8 cable to the router and a brand new USB-A to USB-C data cable rated 10 Gbs

Now I just need to configure my local network.  The good mounting bracket for the solar node will arrive tomorrow, and I just have to bolt that together with the node on my galvanized steel pipe mast.  I do have a better antenna coming for it but it will not be here until January 8th.

[majorhavoc]

In other news, I finally got that recalcitrant pair of LoRa nodes to accept new firmware by doing it on my laptop and using CAT 8 cable to the router and a brand new USB-A to USB-C data cable rated 10 Gbs

Now I just need to configure my local network.  

This is a little like Wesley Crusher saying:

"Captain!  If we reconfigure the sensor array to emit a tachyon carrier beam, we can tap into the whosimewatt's thingamagiggy and renergize the food replicators.  We'll be able to make chicken Mcnuggets again and then we can all go home!"

[NT2C]

Just had the most confusing and frustrating customer service experience with a telecom company.

I still have that big, clunky Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra 5g walkie-talkie phone.  It's too massive to carry as my regular phone, but it makes a good backup when I'm traveling.

I had an account with Ultra Mobile for it, but I forgot to update my payment info on the account when we got new bank cards last year and then somehow missed the payment requests they sent, so they closed the account.  I found out two weeks ago when a different Spectrum SIM contacted me to say I was going to need a new SIM card because they were changing them.  This is the SIM that I use in my travel router/modem so I have internet on my laptops even in the field.  But I got the two confused with each other, so when the new SIM arrived yesterday I put it in my phone and had all sorts of issues because the SIM is data only (and the phone is a PITA to fit SIMS in because it has a double SIM carriage with a micro SD carrier on the back, and one of the three always falls out as you try to reinsert it) but eventually I figured it out and just cancelled that account.  Then I went to Ultra Mobile to fix the issue there but the account was gone, so I pre-paid for a new plan $249yr for uncapped/unlimited service and 25GB per month mobile hotspot.

It wasn't until after the charge went through and the new SIM order went in that I noticed they're running a nice family plan promotion: 3 lines, unlimited (same as the single plan I bought) for $85mo forever (as long as you keep the account activated).  Since we're currently paying almost $200mo for just our two lines I told my wife about it (save $120mo is a good deal) and she was interested.

That was where things stood last night.  Today I went to log in to my new account, but their portal wouldn't let me in.  The new account info, being almost the same as the old cancelled one, the portal kept saying the account didn't exist.  After 45 minutes with their chatbot, I finally got a human who could fix the problem, but it would take 24 hours.  Okay, cool, but here's a question.  Can I upgrade to the three-line family plan and get credit for the unused plan I bought yesterday?  No, they don't do that.  Went around and around with the agent, trying to figure out a way, but the best she could offer was to cancel the new account, wait two weeks for the refund, then see if they still offered that family plan.  Or, use up the one-year plan and see if they offer it next year.


I said, screw it, cancelled the new plan, and will look for a different company for our three lines.