Grumpy old buggers thread

[Tins]

Well now that the Starlink mini is down to $80 a month for 50gb it is less than what a lot of providers are offering on the NBN and isn't subject to the problems of overloaded phone networks it might just be a goer for home use. We don't stream and the 50gb would suit us.
We're currently wandering around SE Qld having wandered up through NSW from the Hunter Valley and have noticed that in most places the phone network is unusable with often only one bar and of a morning and afternoon/evening as people are using it more. So I now just fire the Starlink (G2 on the post) up at every stop instead of when the phone signal is poor and it has proven to be very robust even when camped in rainforest with virtually no clear view of the sky. Two other vehicles with us also hook in as there is no restriction on data use.
Mobile phone calls are generally clearer on wifi than a normal mobile call plus it works everywhere and heavy rain as we've been experiencing makes absolutely no difference.
I haven't bothered leaving it on while travelling yet as i don't have a suitable place to mount it at the moment. Most times i just use either a mount on the front sunvisor or one on the rear corner of the Oka and have only once had to use the supplied pedestal and place it on the ground, much better to mount it up high where it can't get damaged.

I haven't seen that deal, Peter. Do you have a link? That's better than my NBN plan, except perhaps for the data limits..

[gavinwibrow]

Well now that the Starlink mini is down to $80 a month for 50gb it is less than what a lot of providers are offering on the NBN and isn't subject to the problems of overloaded phone networks it might just be a goer for home use. We don't stream and the 50gb would suit us.
We're currently wandering around SE Qld having wandered up through NSW from the Hunter Valley and have noticed that in most places the phone network is unusable with often only one bar and of a morning and afternoon/evening as people are using it more. So I now just fire the Starlink (G2 on the post) up at every stop instead of when the phone signal is poor and it has proven to be very robust even when camped in rainforest with virtually no clear view of the sky. Two other vehicles with us also hook in as there is no restriction on data use.
Mobile phone calls are generally clearer on wifi than a normal mobile call plus it works everywhere and heavy rain as we've been experiencing makes absolutely no difference.
I haven't bothered leaving it on while travelling yet as i don't have a suitable place to mount it at the moment. Most times i just use either a mount on the front sunvisor or one on the rear corner of the Oka and have only once had to use the supplied pedestal and place it on the ground, much better to mount it up high where it can't get damaged.

I wonder if this Starlink mini might be a viable cost effective option for our daughter and family who will be doing the caravan big lap for most of next year?
They have two young primary school daughters who both have iPads and use them extensively while traveling, plus will have their obligatory diary reports back to their school from time to time. Mum & Dad have their mobiles of course.

[ChookD2]

50Gb is no good to me. Did 63Gb download on Saturday alone. 107Gb over the last 6 days and 24 days to go on this billing cycle. Thankfully unlimited data.

[Saitch]

50Gb is no good to me. Did 63Gb download on Saturday alone. 107Gb over the last 6 days and 24 days to go on this billing cycle. Thankfully unlimited data.

Lucky you, Ray.
Elder Scrolls 6 is in the offing.

[ChookD2]

Lucky you, Ray.
Elder Scrolls 6 is in the offing.

Elder Scrolls VI not due for release until 2026. I'll stick with Elder Scrolls Online, it has a new expansion that I haven't got yet. As I play it through Steam I'll wait until it comes on sale.

52Gb of the 63 was updating Halo Infinite on Xbox. So many games to play......

[Saitch]

I had a bit of a 'Cultural Experience' today. Something I could best describe as a 'Welcome to Cabin' ceremony.

The Light of My Life and myself jumped in the Tojo 'tilly and headed off to town. Being a tad chilly, I moved the slide button on the dash air controls to Red. That didn't seem to do much, so I decided to turn the air vent fan on.

Now, bearing in mind that neither heater, nor fan had been used for probably five to six years, the commencement of fan inducted air was accompanied by copious amounts of grey smoke and the aroma of burning Eucalypt leaves. This prompted the LOML to utter an expletive into her phone, whilst talking to my sister.
I quickly turned the fan off, ordered all windows wound up (to reduce air flow) and hoped for the best. Lo and behold, the smoke and aroma stopped.

I pretty sure that meeces have been nesting in behind the dash and it will require a dismantle and good cleanout. I'm getting too old to be crawling around in the front footwells of a vehicle.

I'm also pretty sure I was bloody lucky that we didn't add to ICE vehicle, spontaneous combustion data.

Now I am a 'Grumpy Old Bugger'!

I knew I had to remove the heater blower from the passenger footwell, to try and clear out the rubbish in the ventilation system in the Tojo 'tilly.

I had a pretty fair idea on how to proceed with the operation and readied the tools I would require.

On trying to get myself into a suitable position in the passenger footwell, I realised that my body has reached its 'Use By' date, for this type of activity. Perhaps I shouldn't be grumpy/angry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but I am very ****ing grumpy/angry, at the moment.

[V8Ian]

Now I am a 'Grumpy Old Bugger'!

I knew I had to remove the heater blower from the passenger footwell, to try and clear out the rubbish in the ventilation system in the Tojo 'tilly.

I had a pretty fair idea on how to proceed with the operation and readied the tools I would require.

On trying to get myself into a suitable position in the passenger footwell, I realised that my body has reached its 'Use By' date, for this type of activity. Perhaps I shouldn't be grumpy/angry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but I am very ****ing grumpy/angry, at the moment.

Overdosed on the grumpy pills, mate?

[cuppabillytea]

I hear you Saitch. I have a long list of jobs that await the moment when a new, more distant ,Use By Date is stuck on my bum. In the mean time, I've been given a mini stroke to remind me that I too am subject to the second law of thermodynamics.

[JDNSW]

This seems to be an appropriate place to air one of the complaints I have had for some time, but the reason it is so upsetting is only just sinking in.

I have only recently acquired a modern smartphone, and am gradually working out how to use it. Last weekend, I had a question about doing something on it (to do with email, but exactly what the question was is irrelevant).

I mentioned this to my niece, whom I was with at the time.

"Show me your phone!" "Unlock it!!" She takes the phone, faces it away from me, moves her fingers too fast to see what is being done - "There you are!"

So I have no more knowledge as to how to do something on my phone, but I now know one more person not to bother asking! (Added to all the others I have asked for help previously!)

Is it any wonder I am a grumpy old bugger with an antipathy to modern technology?

[TonyC]

This seems to be an appropriate place to air one of the complaints I have had for some time, but the reason it is so upsetting is only just sinking in.

I have only recently acquired a modern smartphone, and am gradually working out how to use it. Last weekend, I had a question about doing something on it (to do with email, but exactly what the question was is irrelevant).

I mentioned this to my niece, whom I was with at the time.

"Show me your phone!" "Unlock it!!" She takes the phone, faces it away from me, moves her fingers too fast to see what is being done - "There you are!"

So I have no more knowledge as to how to do something on my phone, but I now know one more person not to bother asking! (Added to all the others I have asked for help previously!)

Is it any wonder I am a grumpy old bugger with an antipathy to modern technology?

Having just upgraded Mum to a 4G phone, I'm on the other end of this, not that I'm any IT expert.

If it's something Mum will need to do, then it's sit with her and get her to do it several times, sometimes over several days.
If it something that just needs to be set then I just do it, as she won't remember how to do it, and she's not interested in knowing how.

Interestingly she can't get her head around touch screens, so the new phone is a button phone, but is clearly Android that doesn't like been driven from buttons!

Tony