I’ve added a few of the most reliable relays to the GTM map. The snow we have here on the peaks hasn’t melted since if first came early October making it tough for solar applications. Relays at the 4000’ level seem to be working occasionally but the higher ones have their panels encased in snow. I’ve got one running on a stack of 12 lantern batteries that should be good for at least 6 months. This one still functions great despite being encased in snow.
I was able to add a solar relay to the Canfield mountain area that has good coverage of the CDA area covering most of the area south of Praire Ave. In some brief testing I saw the connectivity come and go despite clear line of site during the after school rush hour. Sometimes it was 100% reliable and other times 10 messages in a row would fail. The electronics site in the area doesn’t help reliability. When it works this relay ties in well with those in the Silver Valley (when they are on) it should also add some great meshing for folks in the CDA area. In a more rural setting I’m sure I could hit this relay from the Washington state line but I have my doubts it will work in this case. It probably won’t be on very often this winter as the site is pretty poor for winter time solar. I’ll do some more testing of this in the future and put it on the map when it has proven itself!
The winter weather has made for some great testing of the auto restart modification. I’ve got a couple variants in solar panels and batteries but I’m leaning toward the Voltaic V50 and their 9w panels. The fool proof “always on” feature of the V50 seems to work as advertised. I’ve had several confirmed restarts of these devices as the sun comes and goes. One setup with a Voltaic 10W panel kept the GTM powered constantly in pairing mode thru weeks of overcast and rainy weather until the snow finally shut it down. Even with no prior experience or training in electronics I’m able to do this modification in an hour or less and for around $10. How to make a unit stay on?!
Sorry for the rambling, hopefully this encourages someone!