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01-13-2018, 07:34 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 745
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Turning on cold weather Eng. heat w/smart phone.
I;ve been reading with great interest about you guys turning on your engine warmer uppers in your hangars, miles away, using your smart phones. Would like to do same. How are y'all doing that? Are you buying something that you plug the heater in one end, the power cord to the power end, and that "something" inbetween gets the on/off signal from your phone? Where would I get it. Really be nice to have my engine all toasty by the time I got there. 
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01-13-2018, 07:57 AM
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: KBVY Massachusetts
Posts: 1,100
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donaziza
I;ve been reading with great interest about you guys turning on your engine warmer uppers in your hangars, miles away, using your smart phones. Would like to do same. How are y'all doing that? Are you buying something that you plug the heater in one end, the power cord to the power end, and that "something" inbetween gets the on/off signal from your phone? Where would I get it. Really be nice to have my engine all toasty by the time I got there. 
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I have that setup and I LOVE it. I bought the SwitchBox from these guys:
www.switchboxcontrol.com
Pricey - yes. But saves me from having to go to the hanger, plug the heaters in and then spend many hours doing something else.
__________________
Flying RV-8 N880BC
2019 Dues - happily paid.
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01-13-2018, 08:02 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 1,039
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A lot of people use "The Switchbox" for $300:
http://switchboxcontrol.com/the-switch-box/
I am too cheap to to shell out these kinds of bucks, so I built one for less than half using the KiaoTime GSM-RELAY-US4G:
https://www.amazon.com/KiaoTime-GSM-...itch+GSM+relay
They both work nearly identically - you purchase a T-Mobile SIM card for $10 (lasts 3 months or 30 texts), and send a specially crafted text message to the # associated with the SIM card and voila! Switchbox turns on and you get a confirmation text in return.
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01-13-2018, 08:35 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Asheville, NC
Posts: 2,104
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The deal breaker for me is that I would have to pay F'n Verizon $20 per month for an extra "line". No Wi-Fi at my hangar.
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(2020 dues paid)
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01-13-2018, 08:51 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 957
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Engine heater
I have an engine heater I turn on with the identical Switchbox discussed above. I got it used here on the Forum for $200. Yes you have to get a T-mobile account but it only costs $3/mo to use it. When it gets low you can just add some money with a credit card- Easy.
There's two outputs, outlet one works directly from the phone number and you can call as many times as you want for that $3/mo. Outlet 2 sends a text message to the other line and costs .10 cents each time. So you could put the heater on the phone line for unlimited use and the other on a hooked up battery charger for a ten cent charge each time you use it (on or off). Or you could hook both of them on the phone line and have unlimited use.
No worries about having wifi in the hangar. I don't have any and with the small included antenna it picks up the signal in my hangar from my IPhone at home just fine. You'll just have to set up the "phone number" of the Switchbox unit with T-mobile. No additional line required, kind of like the pagers from the old days.
You can buy a new one at the website in the post above but I bet someone here on the forum might have a used one to sell. I contacted the Switchbox guys and they stepped me through the process to get mine set up.
Get one, they work great and when you get to the hangar the engine is warmed up. Pull it out, crank up and go fly!
__________________
RV-8, Flying
Previous airplanes: Corby Starlet, Citabria, Cessna 140, Vari-Viggen, RV-3, RV-4
RV grin every flight
"Sure is nice to have smart friends"
2018 dues paid
Last edited by olyolson : 01-13-2018 at 08:58 AM.
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01-13-2018, 09:00 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NC25
Posts: 3,507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Saville
I have that setup and I LOVE it. I bought the SwitchBox from these guys:
www.switchboxcontrol.com
Pricey - yes. But saves me from having to go to the hanger, plug the heaters in and then spend many hours doing something else.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bullojm1
A lot of people use "The Switchbox" for $300:
http://switchboxcontrol.com/the-switch-box/
I am too cheap to to shell out these kinds of bucks, so I built one for less than half using the KiaoTime GSM-RELAY-US4G:
https://www.amazon.com/KiaoTime-GSM-...itch+GSM+relay
They both work nearly identically - you purchase a T-Mobile SIM card for $10 (lasts 3 months or 30 texts), and send a specially crafted text message to the # associated with the SIM card and voila! Switchbox turns on and you get a confirmation text in return.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by olyolson
I have an engine heater I turn on with the identical Switchbox discussed above. I got it used here on the Forum for $200. Yes you have to get a T-mobile account but it only costs $3/mo to use it. When it gets low you can just add some money with a credit card- Easy.
There's two outputs, outlet one works directly from the phone number and you can call as many times as you want for that $3/mo. Outlet 2 sends a text message to the other line and costs .10 cents each time. So you could put the heater on the phone line for unlimited use and the other on a hooked up battery charger for a ten cent charge each time you use it (on or off). Or you could hook both of them on the phone line and have unlimited use.
No worries about having wifi in the hangar. I don't have any and with the small included antenna it picks up the signal in my hangar from my IPhone at home just fine. You'll just have to set up the "phone number" of the Switchbox unit with T-mobile. No additional line required, kind of like the pagers from the old days.
Get one, they work great and when you get to the hangar the engine is warmed up. Pull it out, crank up and go fly!
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I used an early version of the above with great results. T-Mobile is the lowest cost option. Using a 200-Watt EZ Heater from Aircraft Spruce, I would have 80-degree oil temp after 2-hours of preheat in 32 degree weather when I got to the runup area.
Now that my hangar is 18 steps outside the house and on the same WiFi network, I just use a Lowe's Iris smart WiFi switch. Not sure it gets cold enough here to need it but I can still turn the heater on if I want to fly when it is cold.
__________________
Gary A. Sobek
NC25 RV-6 Flying
3,400+ hours
Where is N157GS
Building RV-8 S/N: 80012
To most people, the sky is the limit.
To those who love aviation, the sky is home.
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01-13-2018, 09:23 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 1,039
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snopercod
The deal breaker for me is that I would have to pay F'n Verizon $20 per month for an extra "line". No Wi-Fi at my hangar.
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Get a T-Mobile SIM. $10 or so, gives you the following: - You get a combined total of 30 minutes of calls or text messages per month.
- Additional outgoing/incoming calls or texts are $0.10 each.
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-4826
Once the $10 is gone, you can simply refill the card online via CC, or let it expire and get a new SIM.
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01-13-2018, 11:43 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Harwinton, CT
Posts: 68
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If you have wifi in your hangar, you can use a "Wemo Smart Plug" Very simple and inexpensive. I think the one I have is called the Wemo mini, cost about $29 at Homer Depot. I've only been using it a couple of months, but seems to be working fine. I can turn it on and off remotely via cell phone.
__________________
Charlie Luke
Connecticut, EAA Chapter 324
RV-7A
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01-13-2018, 01:31 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Covid Country-SoCal
Posts: 1,081
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Those Chinese GSM switches are just junk. I had lots of problems with them. As we know the times we'll be flying I ordered a digital timer that I'll program to start the heater when we expect to fly. WiFi would be a better choice and I may go to that later, but for now this seems like a better alternative.
-Marc
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RV-10
N814RV
2020 Donation Made
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01-13-2018, 03:02 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Asheville, NC
Posts: 2,104
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bullojm1
Get a T-Mobile SIM...
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So the SIM card would just plug into the Switchbox device as if it were a cell phone?
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(2020 dues paid)
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