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Good remote controlled engine preheat?

airguy

airguy

Unrepentant fanboy
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With winter here I'm looking for a remote-controlled switch to turn on/off engine preheaters, ideally for 2 airplanes so two separately controllable outputs. I have good ATTWS service at the hangar which is GSM network, and also Verizon which I believe is CDMA.

What are you cold-weather folks using that actually works decent?
 
In Texas use the sun

Hot air solar flat panels are easy as it gets to fabricate. In Texas it should work better than most states. Black painted eavestrough down spout square or rectangle under a glass or lexan sheet will make enough hot air to warm your Lycoming or entire hangar in short order any time the sun is shining.

watch
 
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Greg - while it's not likely what you're wanting, I likewise was looking for a purely-cellular solution and ended up with something else. I purchased a cellular/wifi hotspot modem. This device provides a connection to the cellular data network for its built-in WIFI hotspot.

With a device like this you can control any number of different WIFI-enabled devices. 115V power switches, lighting controllers, video cameras etc. In short, this solution provides a lot more flexibility than a dedicated cellular power switch. For me this equated to much better "bang for the buck". I love being able to turn on the aircraft pre-heater via my smart phone.

Good luck in finding a solution that fits your needs.
 
I bought a 4G cell phone switch on eBay for $149. Vendor is Relay-Supply in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Delivery is three days. Unit has two independent output relays so it can control two airplanes if needed. My regular cell phone service is ATT but for this application I have a $3/month T-Mobile SIM card that allows 30 text messages/month. The switch has ability to monitor quality of connection to the cell tower. At the hanger, with external antenna, the cell connection is 24/30. Cell phone switch rejects all robo-calls and only responds to my cell phone with my code.

I use an extension cord with LED lights built into the plug-ends so I can see at a glance if power is on. I also run an old analog electric alarm clock in parallel with the engine heater. I set the alarm clock for noon and when I arrive at the hanger I can “see” how long the heater has been on. Good visual confirmation that everything is hunky-dory.

I sit in my living room, send text message to turn on the engine pre-heater, and the cell phone switch reports back that the relay is on for 150 minutes. When I get to the hanger I flip on the EMS and usually read 80F oil temp when OAT is below freezing. Analog alarm clock verifies engine heater has been on for 2-1/2 hours. Text message can be copy/paste on the cell phone so you don't have to type each time. Easy-peasy like my triplet granddaughters say...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4G-GSM-Hig...m=192083520963&_trksid=p2509164.c100903.m5276

Cell phone switch mounted on column inside hanger
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Remote antenna mounted outside metal hanger building
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Cell phone text message to turn on engine pre-heater
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Thanks for this. I just ordered one to use on my RV-14A, which should be going to the airport soon . . . :D
 
airguy said:
With winter here I'm looking for a remote-controlled switch to turn on/off engine preheaters, ideally for 2 airplanes so two separately controllable outputs. I have good ATTWS service at the hangar which is GSM network, and also Verizon which I believe is CDMA.

What are you cold-weather folks using that actually works decent?
Click to expand...

Tanis preheat and a wifi switch. Cheap, simple, and works like a champ. One switch for preheat and one for a charger.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y2XD9X...ab5d-8af8eb52e5eb&ie=UTF8&qid=1541119815&sr=1
 
ENGINE PREHEAT

I have a SwitchBox with a T-Mobil service and it is working great even here in Canada with the aircraft parked on a farm strip away from everything...

Nice to have the engine already warm by the time I get to the hangar..

Bought it here on VAF..

Bruno
 
I am using Switchbox to turn on a preheater for my engine by cell phone. The current version costs $380 and will work with 5G. A bit pricey, but better than driving 40 miles to flip a switch. The Switchbox app is pretty easy to use and their customer service is good. A T-Mobile SIM card is supplied; first month is free, and thereafter $25 every 3 months and 10 cents per use. You can cancel after the winter and get a new SIM card when you need it again. They give you $50 to start with. They include an antenna with a 10' coax, which was a bit too short for me, so I had a local shop make up a coax extension. The antenna has a magnetic base and I put it outside the hangar under the roof extension.
 
iPad mini with cellular and a wifi outlet

I use an older iPad mini, leave it in the hangar over the winter, with cellular, then use an app to control a smart outlet ($17) to turn it on/off from my phone or iPad or other wifi device.
 
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