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Facebook Mapping Group Now Has Over 17,000 members

Very happy with our supporting Facebook group, we have now cleared 17K members, the group is now in its second year.

I try to keep it up to date with any news about the maps, and answer any questions as quickly as I can, it also the best place to contact me.

This year we are continuing to add lots of new map locations as well as a major update to the rings maps

Looking forward to getting back out on the canal, but at the moment I am recovering from an Op on my left hand, I am was told a 12 week recovery process.

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StarLink Mini has arrived – What did we get in the box.

Ordered for our Canal Boat from Currys a couple of days ago for delivery to our local store for collection, the process could not have been simpler.

Once home, it was time to open the box, inside we find on the inside of the lid some simple getting started instructions, it the base are all the bits you need to get started (Well almost – more on that later).

On the image above we can see the back of the StarLink Mini, the UK power supply and the Pipe mount.

The StarLink Mini is approx 29cm X 26cm and comes with the kick stand installed, as can be seen above.

Included in the box is the Pipe mount, this replaces the kick stand and can be mounted on pipes 31 mm (1.25 inches) to 50 mm (2 inches).

There are lots of mounting system that use this adapter, I have also seen Tripod adapters that fit in the mount providing a standard camera tripod socket.
The power supply for the UK is the standard 3 Pin plug, it can take input from 100-240v 1.6 Amps at 50/60Hz.

Output is 30v 2 Amps (60W).

It is unlikely we will use this onboard as we try to minimise the use of our 240v supply as our inverter so ineffiecent for such a small load. (Our inverter was installed so we could use a Washing Machine and power tools when needed and can output 3000W.
The 15m (approx 50ft) power lead supplied is nice and long and is designed for use with the mains adapter, it has a special water tight connector at each end.

It is again unlikely we will use this on the boat, as I hope to run the system on 48V using a power over Ethernet solution (More on that later)

As well as a power plug on the back of the StarLink Mini there is also a Ethernet RJ45 which we will use to get the network inside to our boat WIFI. The StarLink has it own built in WIFI, but this is probably not be very effective on our all steel narrow boat (we will test this once we have it all installed on the boat.

We have a few more bits on order including a POE (Power Over Ethernet) adapter and power supply and some external high quality ethernet cable.

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Starlink Mini only £189 for our Narrow boat

We have just purchased a StarLink Mini from Curry’s for £189, they were £399 just a short while ago so once we are back on the boat at the end of August for our next trip, we will do a series on how to install this on the roof of our Canal Boat, what options are available and how to power successfully from 12v.

Starlink Mini from Currys £189

There are a number of options we are looking at for the roof mounting, we don’t want it to be a permanent fixture as this will also be used in other locations, but magnetic and suction mounts are a possibility. We also expect to remove the panel when we are not on the boat if needed.

The monthly running costs of a StarLink system are not cheap, but the ability to connect in remote locations is a big plus point for us when we travel.

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Maps for Mobile and Tablet users

Something for mobile and tablet users, we have a page with links to the maps we are testing, please let us know if this helps.

I would recommend closing the map page after use, as they can contain large amounts of data that can slow down your phone if left open

You can use the links below or see https://floydtilla.co.uk/phone-and-tablet-links/ which is on the maps menu above

General UK Maps

Canal & River Maps

Canal Rings

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Part 2 – Fixing low voltage problems with our Heatmiser neo Stat 12V V2 Thermostat install

So we had a problem with our installation of the new Heatmiser thermostat. The thermostat is now positioned half way along the boat, before the old thermostat has been in probably the coldest part of the boa, much nearer the original heater controls. Now when the batteries are not fully charged the voltage drop on the 1 mm2 cable can to great to make the Eberspacher Diesel heater fire up reliably.

Problem solved by adding a remote relay

To fix this problem we needed to fit a relay where the old thermostat was positioned and use the Heatmiser thermostat ‘Call for heat’ signal to switch the relay, which would intern switch on the diesel heater.

Heatmiser with Relay
Heatmiser with Relay

The new wiring looks like the diagram above, with the relay much nearer to the heater there is minimal voltage drop from the relay to the heater, while the Heatmiser thermostat is still happy.

The relays I purchased at 12v automotive spec with a way over the top 30A switch capability. They come with a 30A fuse, this is replaced with a 1A fuse for this installation.

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