Repairing a Wireless Monitoring Unit in the Outback 

I personally found this episode very interesting! I’m a private pilot (fixed wing) myself, which drew my to this channel in the first place. I’m a techo for a major Australian communications company, but have never seen anything like your private network before. You’ve done a fantastic job setting it all up and keeping it running. I never thought it would be possible to live stream from the middle of nowhere back to your home. But we’ll done Jack, a fantastic outcome for Prenti Downs.

Building runs in your dna. Seen machinery built by your grandad and dad and you keep it going. Impressive! Beautiful countryside!

very interesting microwave transceivers coupled into one starlink satellite communications unit at home using commonly accessible separate units combining them for your own use brilliant good to see you have the technological savvy to get it all working together.

Great to see Jack not giving into people telling it can't be done, life long learning and experimentation will always win, you have a great technology setup on Prenti, real time data allowing you to see issues as they occur rather than travelling constantly to check on stuff. Far more productive use of your time!

This was extremely interesting. It answered many questions I've wondered about. Like in the horse days it would take weeks to check on all the windmills but the water tanks were much bigger to make it work. Must have been a long dusty trail for pack horses. The modern technology is amazing. You can check all your water systems before going to bed and sleep well knowing they are all OK. For sure keep your efforts confidential, you did the research, and the effort to set it up. Would be pissed if some company used your work to profit. Like your sense of humour. Well done from BC Canada

Another feather in your cap Jack - well done.

And they (Townies) say ,the outback is flat and boring! What a magnificent place you live in. If I was younger I would swap in a heartbeat. So much to learn, so much to see, amazing.

Some really good content here, I actually watched your Starlink Mount review video.. then started watching a bunch of your other content this is great, thanks for the time to upload this stuff, its a real eye opener to some things as simple as what you've had to do here.

Fantastic video. 👍🇦🇺🍻 36:33

very cool set up. Nice vid Cheers Jim

wow wow wow how good and informative is this vlog thank you so much from the uneducated cheers to you

Nice work Jack.

Pretty sure I could tell you exactly what you're running in the box, and up on the pole. well done!

thats good to see the tec out there good on seeing it

Wow very interesting mate great work 👍👍

Great video

Hi all. Dom records were alternative so we were told just resent. So much to keeping our history weather records.

impressive tech,!

It surprises me that there are so many doubters, since point to point and point to multipoint over long distances can be achieved with Ubiquiti gear at modest hardware cost. Not sure if the Ubiquiti gear would survive the outback conditions, but I have set up point to multipoint on a friend's 25 acre property so he has internet anywhere on the block, using the lower end Ubiquiti gear. It's been running faultlessly for about 7 years now. No doubt other manufacturers have similar gear which is even more powerful (and expensive).

Why not helicopter 🚁 Jack , glad Ant is enjoying your plan

Hi Jack, thanks for the video! I originally started watching it to see how the Savannah went...I want to build one one day, but also enjoyed seeing your network. We cobbled together a similar solar powered remote camera over 20 years ago on our (small) farm. It had a solar panel and deep cycle battery powering a small (for the time) 12V computer running Linux, usb camera, web server and various open source software and shell scripts (my brother's in IT) grabbing pics at water troughs etc. The link was via 200mW PCMCIA WiFi cards and modified Pay TV microwave dishes. Range was a few km and we thought it was pretty cool at the time 🙂 Now that we have Starlink I'm gradually expanding our wifi footprint with Ubiquiti gear and want to set up cameras again. I'll be interested to see how you did it. Like you I avoid subscription based software and equipment like the plague!

Hello Jack, Loving your video's as a Retired Chippy who grew up in NZ and did a bit of shooting etc. Now living in the Great Southern. Just wondering why your plane 19-8308 doesn't have a VH- registration. I guess it's classed as an experimental but if you could clear that up it would be great. I'm catching up on the back log of your videos too. Cheers

Well done for challenging the “experts”.. I read somewhere that the Wi-Fi distance record is circa 137 miles achieved by a Venezuelan amateur, using mainly off the shelf tech. 😊.

So I'm watching Jack live steaming in the middle of nowhere and my NBN in Brisbane starts buffering. Ironic!

Like riding horses. Your not a horseman till you've had a 100 Buster's. So I was tolded by my Dad. Bless his sol

Texan here, automated wx stations are out there and they are connected to the net. motives no no i will not go further

Fake news so funny Jack. Good to see your part of the world thank you .

Great video Jack, mate what do you think of the E prop your running on your plane, and what size prop are you running.

Another good update Jack and Ant, was wondering what the rubber skirt things are around some of your 44 gallon drums in the hanger shed? Also looks like your loosing a bit of solar at Packshorse from the small shadow overshadowing your other big panel. Good to hear if you can’t find Ant he will be out at Packhorse watching the footy😂. Or maybe not given the Mozzies. 🦟 Good on you for looking after your IP.

I want to put wifi to my shed for a camera and internet access. Some of the quotes I’ve had are insane! The shed is 500 meters away. 2 cameras and a recorder 8k 😮

Hi Jack. I'm really enjoying your home grown videos. May I hazard mentioning something I noticed whilst watching this video? At around 17:42 (min:sec) it looks like a solar panel for the pump (are the panels wired in parallel or series) is in shadow from the box/solar panel for the radio network. Might it be more expeditious to move them (at least to the other side of the windmill) to help reduce the shadow they throw onto the pump's solar panels?

So back at the homestead you have a fixed wireless nbn antenna hooking to a modem which then the modem is hooked up to your dishes that send singles around the station? And what brand are all your cameras around the station? Anyway, amazing what you have done Jack👍

jack, can you start a live stream/cam channel on this or a new channel of different locations on the station. I’ve seen many on you tube from everything like zoo/animal farms to wild life to beaches etc. just thought it may add another level to what you want to achieve and possibly income as well? i don’t believe it an expensive or difficult exercise but it would give us viewers and the public more insight. anyway. just a thought love your work.

I'm in Jack

Like a Rolls Royce they ever break down , just cease to function for a while 😊

What’s your cruising altitude and when does the stewardess serve the inflight meal? 🛩️🍱👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

How many water points do you have ??

Jack , Jesus was told it could not be done , I dislike it when your not required to do that !

Funny how anyone can doubt the network can work. Hell, I make a living out of doing exactely this.

Well I was going to ask what equipment your using for your solar panels, solar reg, charge controller, inverter, wifi transceiver.. The only thing you gave away is that your using 5GHz.. I guess there's no point asking that question now is there.. :) "Humour" I'm doing something similar. The solar system is built and operational with 700 AH of battery storage at 48volts, 5Kw of 230volt 50Hz supply to the shed with lighting and GPO's etc, all safe and approved. 4gx internet service via a 10m tall tower which is also distributed via WIFI to the shed and house.. I've guess I have a little advantage over many farmers in some ways.. I've a trade background and have worked in tech for the past 30 years.. Although on the other hand I take my hat off to you old school and new school farmer.. bugger you know some stuff, soil, fertilizers, grass, animals, fences etc. etc. Me I'm a textbook farmer but we'll give it a go.. The next "Tech agriculture" centric project is Solar in the paddock which will charge a couple of batteries and supply a diaphragm pump pulling water from the creek pumping to a header tank. The WIFI piece and camera are something I still need to investigate, test, fail, test and hopefully succeed on.. Like you Jack. I have not bought any off the shelf solutions, it's all been plenty of reading, asking advice, forum chats, you tube. Then design, purchase components and implementation. (and some arduino action and code cutting in the works) Saying that I'm not a gluten for punishment, where I could purchase a piece of equipment rather than invent it I did.. eg.. don't buy cheap internet solar regulators, inverters etc.. they don't last.. For example In my case I chose the Chineesium combined unit for a solar regulator, charge controller and inverter in one box of the Growatt SPF 5000ES with WIFI. It works beautifully with some limitations. Yes I would like Victron but the Growatt was 25% of the cost of the Victron equivalent.. Anyway I'm just banging on.. Bloody great video Jack and Ant.. Since Ant's appearance on the scene your video's have improved.. more comical, more interactive.. Ant your worth more money.. Maybe you could have a RU-vid income % share deal with Ant.. That will get the old bloke even more reved up.. ru-vid.comgaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f600.png If you want to talk tech Jack. Let me know. Thank you guys..

I note the warning. Persons fly in this aircraft at their own risk. This airccraft is not required to comply with safety regulations for standard aircraft. That would fill you with confidence. I think Ant's description of a morotised kite is close to the truth? BTW are you running a 5GHz WiFi network over a large area with focused antennas or is there more to it.

I am confused is Ant a relative, guest or worker

The fuel will get you to the landing site whereever that is.