I wanna thank everybody who took the time to comment on my question about Starlink. For those of you who want the TL;DR version, the overwhelming consensus seems to be that the Starlink Mini, which is native 12v, is the way to go for a middle-of-nowhere off-grid sort of situation.
So, when its time to get some form of connectivity out there, that’ll be the choice.
In other news, I received the copy of the deed to the property in the mail the other day. I guess thats the ultra-official notice I need to let myself relax and consider this little adventure done, done, done.
Speaking of, I tried to get up there over the weekend and made it about 2/3 of the way there before the iced-over road conditions, on the sloping road, alongside a steep drop off, made me decide that it just wasn’t worth the risk. But it reinforced two things – first, I need to investigate alternate routes and b) I need to get a four-wheeler or side-by-side to navigate in these sorts of conditions. So, more things to budget for.
Another thing I’m working on is to locate and prepare a ‘foot accessible access point’. At the lower elevation, its not too difficult to get a vehicle in there. In that lower elevation theres an easily recognizable and locatable area that is almost exactly two miles from the property. Between that point and the property is two sections of land. (For those who don’t know, a section is 640 acres – one square mile.) One section is private, one is public. I’ll need to contact the landowner of the private section and ask for permission to ‘shed hunt’ or hunt on the property and that’ll give me the opportunity to see how that hike looks in terms of terrain and elevation gain. In a perfect world, if the end of the world occurs in a blizzard in the middle of winter and, for whatever reason, I cannot get a four-wheeler or snowmobile in through the road I need to have an ‘if all else fails’ way of getting to the Beta Site. So, my plan is, during the milder season, find a start point and hike in there, keeping a GPS track of exactly where I’m going but also trying to do it on a course thats a simple ‘follow magnetic bearing of xxx for two miles and youre there’. If that works out, then I’ll stage some simple gear at the start point and halfway point to facilitate things under a ‘worst case’ scenario.
This winter will be a lot of planning, spreadsheeting, purchasing, and staging. I’ve already started purchasing the various tools and implements I think I’ll be needing in the spring and staging them at the storage unit. First thing in the spring will be to head up there, build a deck for the tent (yet to be purchased), and get that going so I have a little base of operations for the subsequent activities. Although it’s entirely possible that I’ll be able to get up there with minimal difficulty before June 1, I am using that date as the ‘launch date’ for things.
So, for now, lotsa theory awaiting practical experimenting.
consider this little adventure done, done, done.
— not done my friend, just getting started…
Consider building most of the platform/deck at home and stacking it in the truck. The less you do on site the better. Also, there are new plastic pads you can use under the deck supports that are much lighter than concrete pads or blocks. And don’t forget a weed barrier and some landscape spikes to go under the whole thing.
IDK if you have wildlife there, but all my sheds have critters burrowing under them. They are too close to the ground, and provide easy shelter. The design of your deck height might be able to mitigate that if you have similar animals… higher off the ground isn’t as welcoming to burrows?
Or maybe lay some old chain link fence on top of the weed barrier to stop digging.
I will definitely be addressing it when I rebuild my sheds, and I’d give it some thought if I was living above them!
nick
Starlink mini is the best choice for sure, but worth noting that “12V native” is not exactly accurate.
Starlink mini will work with anything from 12V to 48V BUT when you dip below actually 12 volts (11 and change) it will start having lots of problems and not work correctly. 12+ real volts is the floor.
If you start with a 12V battery or solar system and run a long-ish line (more than 10 ft or so) to the Mini, the lines voltage drop will be enough to cause it not to work.
The factory wall wart supplies 30V, presumably that is where it is most efficient.
Either way, plan for 12V AFTER voltage drop from lines.
back up solar is a great idea, but if you build a permanent structure, I.E. “not on wheels”. then the power Co’s have to run a line to your home, it’s the law.. there are ranches in the southwest that are 20 miles from anything and they have power lines running to them. check the laws on that. put up a power pole and see if they won’t hook you up.
i’m 2 miles off of the main run here and they set 9 poles to my house for nothing. in hind sight i wish i had paid the extra 1000 bucks then in 85 to have it buried. the lines are an arrow to our home but they are shooting lanes.
best of luck to ya and don’t get in to big of a hurry and make mistakes.. it takes time and a lot of money to get there. we have been at this for 40 yrs now and are still working on it. it never ends but it’s our lifestyle. we sleep good at night knowing that we can make it at our home as long as our health holds out.
food water and shelter. we have lived a sustainable lifestyle for years, its just what people in the deep south do. it’s tradition. an 11 month growing season, sheeeit
They may ‘have to hook you up’ but they sure as hell will send you the bill for it. At least that’s how it worked for my off-grid place in Idaho…
IPL would be happy to wire me up: For around $25,000 1985 dollars. And a permanent easement 20′ wide, which they could spray any kind of poison they chose.
I chose a China Diesel generator. Much better deal.
Hi Zero
Check the local rules but pulling up some old memories I think you should record the deed with who ever you do that with in your county
If it’s not recorded it is not yours
George
Hey Zero
Be sure to record the deed with your county recorders office if it’s not recorded in your name it’s not yours
In addition to recording your deed, my county clerk offers a free email notification service alerting me if there are any documents filed referencing my property, my name, etc. – similar to the monitoring that “title lock” companies provide for a fee. It’d be a shame to find out one day that someone has surreptitiously encumbered your property and now YOU’RE responsible for paying back the loans they took out on your land.
Commander, your thread about stopping when your road was icy and sloped to a drop-off turned my stomach. We wife and I, in our side by side slid off a trail and rolled several times and ended up lodged in a tree (thank the lord) for we still had 400 feet below us.
4 wheel drive, Side by side, whatever is only as good as the tread between you and the road. Once that is lost your done. If that road is your future, think studded tires or chains. Sometimes those type of vehicles will break traction by there design, I know my RZR has a locked rear axle.
Just wasnt worth the risk. Going forward, I need to investigate some uber reliable means to get past these shaded roads where the ice doesnt melt.
Skip the UTV, and just get an early Jeep, like a CJ2A or similar. Costs me 195 dollars a year to completely insure one. The old Jeeps are much more fun to drive, much cheaper to service, and extremely easy to work on. No computers, and really no fuses to speak of.
If road would allow I have seen several old (800-900 series) military surplus 5tons. Very capable but slow. For moving materials and equipment it would be hard to beat and very little is more able with chained up tires and a 20 ton winch on front with a PTO to run other equipment off of. Might require B CDL or A if heavy enough trailer. Might even be cheaper than a top of line quad or side by side.
Whatever tools you buy, no matter how well you plan, you will need something else … usually to be discovered at the time you need them. Good luck – remote living has its own joys and troubles.
I’d be very very careful about a road you might fall off of. May take the rescuers – if any – a long time to find the bodies at the bottom. I was once one of the rescuers in such a place. Think of broken leg after falling off and no way to let anyone know. See you – maybe – in the spring.
Wife & I moved back to not-so-remote as we got older and less capable of DIY.
If you haven’t already bought one, for tents check out some of the better canvas wall tents. Can even order them stove ready. No affiliation other than a customer.
https://montanacanvas.com/
https://kodiakcanvas.com/
We have been very happy with the Kubota RTB side by side with diesel motor. Good traction and low end power. Hydraulic tilt bed. Differential lock, etc. it is essentially a tractor with a convertible sxs body on top. Does well in snow. Ice warrants chains.
Awaiting your tent decision with great interest… we’ve been exploring a similar solution to the issue of short term stays at a semi-remote location.
My heart says big canvas wall tent, my brain says the smallest backpacking tent I think I can get away with.
Any vehicle needs chains for ice. 4wd or UTV doesn’t matter, use chains. In addition to Big John’s adventure above, my agency had a 4wd Bronco slide off the road and down a bank on ice.
Off grid/remote living is great until we get older and need more amenities, especially medical care. Don’t forget, most of the good stuff we need is in the larger cities. But if it’s not a year-round proposition, no big deal.
Its more of a lifeboat, rather than a lifestyle.
You might want to see if your state allows JDM Kei vehicles to run on public roads. If so, a nice 4×4 mini dump bed pickup would be useful for your property. They have to be 25 years old to bring them into the US. Some states won’t allow them to be registered for road use, some do. Having it parked at the bottom of the hill, and switching vehicles to get to the BOL may be feasible. If legal, driving it to the property might be the way to go. They are right hand drive, but that is not usually a problem for most people.
I have a buddy that guides in the Selway Bitterroot. He uses a starlink mini. I’ve used it when I got left in the back country for a week. It was very nice
a SXS or 4 wheeler would be great but a 4WD tractor with a front end loader will go anywhere and be a godsend in labor. i don’t know what i would without mine i can do so much with it from moving material to planting gardens to clearing land it has been worth every penny i paid for it in spades. the wife and I have been doing this for over 40 yrs now and are pretty much self sufficient and have learned from our mistakes.
PS: get a diesel with a mechanical fuel system. it will last forever with proper maintenance. best of luck to ya !