Remote Power On

I have been trying to figure out a cheaper alternative to having to pay $369
to purchase a Beeper Box to turn the engine heater on in my hanger from a
remote location an hour or two before I fly. Before I try and re-invent the
wheel, does anyone know of a product on the market that could do the same
thing without the fantastic price tag. If I don't find it anywhere.... my
garage will offer all the inspiration I need to rig one myself.

....Robbie.

("Robbie S." wrote)
I have been trying to figure out a cheaper alternative to having to pay
$369 to purchase a Beeper Box to turn the engine heater on in my hanger
from a remote location an hour or two before I fly. Before I try and
re-invent the wheel, does anyone know of a product on the market that could
do the same thing without the fantastic price tag.


There was a thread over in rec.aviation.homebuilt, maybe a month ago, about
using 2 timers Not sure if this 100% fits your situation?

Feb 18th 2005 Looking for a Timer

(check out Bonomi's Feb 19th post)

http://tinyurl.com/69kox
(same link as below)

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...57fddaa514da90


Montblack

On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 13:09:47 GMT, "Robbie S."
wrote:

I have been trying to figure out a cheaper alternative to having to pay $369
to purchase a Beeper Box to turn the engine heater on in my hanger from a
remote location an hour or two before I fly. Before I try and re-invent the
wheel, does anyone know of a product on the market that could do the same
thing without the fantastic price tag. If I don't find it anywhere.... my
garage will offer all the inspiration I need to rig one myself.

...Robbie.
Is there a telephone out there?

If so you have several options.
You can wire up a small and simple decoder, thee rings, plus two rings
= one and two rings = off or how ever you wish. We used to use that
to remotely control a transmitter.

The other option is to use a tone decoder chip and a few parts.
You can build the whole thing for less than $20 if you don't count a
couple evenings to put it together.

The above assumes you are proficient in electronics.
OTOH we might have someone in the group who has already built one and
has a diagram and parts lies...who might even consider selling one?

Jim, you ever tackle a project like this?

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

If you figure it out, please let me know. I've been wondering about it
too. The guys at the airport will plug me in if I call and ask but
it'd be nice to just dial up.
Dave
68 7ECA

Robbie S. wrote:
I have been trying to figure out a cheaper alternative to having to pay $369
to purchase a Beeper Box to turn the engine heater on in my hanger from a
remote location an hour or two before I fly. Before I try and re-invent the
wheel, does anyone know of a product on the market that could do the same
thing without the fantastic price tag. If I don't find it anywhere.... my
garage will offer all the inspiration I need to rig one myself.

...Robbie.

I decided to compromise for the time being..... I have selected a digital
timer that allows 98 ON/OFF customized selections of time-spans per week.
This allows me to set the timer to start the heater at 5:00 AM on Saturday
or Sunday morning and stay on for about 3 hours and then shut down by
itself. The only drawback is that if I don't fly that day, it continues on
its cycle. But the cost was well worth it.... at $29 it wasn't bad.....
until I get a pager hooked up to it.

Here is a link to find this product......
http://www.rewci.com/in15ampoueld.html

If and when I can get the pager gizmo ready, I will post the results
here.....

....Robbie.


"dave" wrote in message
...
If you figure it out, please let me know. I've been wondering about it
too. The guys at the airport will plug me in if I call and ask but it'd
be nice to just dial up.
Dave
68 7ECA

Robbie S. wrote:
I have been trying to figure out a cheaper alternative to having to pay
$369 to purchase a Beeper Box to turn the engine heater on in my hanger
from a remote location an hour or two before I fly. Before I try and
re-invent the wheel, does anyone know of a product on the market that
could do the same thing without the fantastic price tag. If I don't find
it anywhere.... my garage will offer all the inspiration I need to rig
one myself.

...Robbie.

("Robbie S." wrote)
I decided to compromise for the time being..... I have selected a digital
timer that allows 98 ON/OFF customized selections of time-spans per week.
This allows me to set the timer to start the heater at 5:00 AM on Saturday
or Sunday morning and stay on for about 3 hours and then shut down by
itself. The only drawback is that if I don't fly that day, it continues on
its cycle. But the cost was well worth it.... at $29 it wasn't bad.....
until I get a pager hooked up to it.

Here is a link to find this product......
http://www.rewci.com/in15ampoueld.html


This is where the second timer comes into play, it shuts down the the first
timer's cycle. I haven't done this personally ...but it sound workable.

http://tinyurl.com/69kox
(Google timer thread)


Montblack

Robbie,
There seems to be several thoughts on this subject. My mechanic
recommeded either turning the heater on for several hours before flying
or simply leaving the heater on all winter. Cycling the heater on/off
on days that you don't fly will cause the moisture in the oil to
condense on the cold internal engine parts. By not running the engine
that day, the moisture isn't blown out of the crankcase. This process,
over time, may cause corrosion. Leaving the heater on all the time
helps to heat the internal components so that condensation isn't a
problem. Some say this is all nonsense. I don't know who to believe
so I'm trying to turn my heater on at least 3 hours before flying.
Sometimes that means stopping at the airport the night before or just
calling and asking the line guys to do it for me. I agree that the
pager setup would be best.
Dave
68 7ECA

Robbie S. wrote:
I decided to compromise for the time being..... I have selected a digital
timer that allows 98 ON/OFF customized selections of time-spans per week.
This allows me to set the timer to start the heater at 5:00 AM on Saturday
or Sunday morning and stay on for about 3 hours and then shut down by
itself. The only drawback is that if I don't fly that day, it continues on
its cycle. But the cost was well worth it.... at $29 it wasn't bad.....
until I get a pager hooked up to it.

Here is a link to find this product......
http://www.rewci.com/in15ampoueld.html

If and when I can get the pager gizmo ready, I will post the results
here.....

...Robbie.


"dave" wrote in message
...

If you figure it out, please let me know. I've been wondering about it
too. The guys at the airport will plug me in if I call and ask but it'd
be nice to just dial up.
Dave
68 7ECA

Robbie S. wrote:

I have been trying to figure out a cheaper alternative to having to pay
$369 to purchase a Beeper Box to turn the engine heater on in my hanger
from a remote location an hour or two before I fly. Before I try and
re-invent the wheel, does anyone know of a product on the market that
could do the same thing without the fantastic price tag. If I don't find
it anywhere.... my garage will offer all the inspiration I need to rig
one myself.

...Robbie.

Robbie,
Depending on where you live and hour or two will not be enough time to
heat the engine oil and what ever else it is hooked to.
I have mine on a temp switch. it turns on whenever the temp goes below
50F. Work well, I always have a warm engine when it is cold.
Michelle

Robbie S. wrote:

I have been trying to figure out a cheaper alternative to having to pay $369
to purchase a Beeper Box to turn the engine heater on in my hanger from a
remote location an hour or two before I fly. Before I try and re-invent the
wheel, does anyone know of a product on the market that could do the same
thing without the fantastic price tag. If I don't find it anywhere.... my
garage will offer all the inspiration I need to rig one myself.

...Robbie.