A Robust Read - Please Help

I really enjoy publishing what I hope are helpful tips, particularly for those travelling on a low income.
It'd be wonderful if I could get a few sheckles back in my pocket in return, through book sales.
The Curse of Rome is a police drama set in contemporary rural NSW.
⚠ Contains: Sex scenes, violence, coarse language, adult themes, drug use and all that other good shit ⚠

https://www.amazon.com.au/Curse-Rome-Scott-Watkins-Sully-ebook/dp/B073X4S2YF

Inverters - Physics Not Juju!

Those of us who live in mobile dwellings are as entitled to all the conveniences of home appliances as anyone who lives in a bricks and mortar home. If I read another example of someone lecturing along the lines of "if you need a (insert appliance), you shouldn't be on the road," I'll hunt them down and demonstrate exactly how one inserts an appliance, namely a stick blender.

In saying that, at the end of the day, we must realise the extent of our limitations in terms of electrical power, when living off grid.

The kettle and toaster question comes up perpetually in groups and forums. It's like a revolving door. The average kettle consumes 1,800W, as much as many air conditioners, yet people are always asking if there are 12v versions available. The same goes for toasters.

Anything designed to generate a lot of heat over a short period of time, is always going to consume a hell of a lot of power. That power needs to come from somewhere. In off grid 12v systems that's always going to be the battery bank.

In every identical online thread, some genius always comes up with the same solution to running powerful appliances off grid! "Get an inverter."

Whilst inverters do indeed convert 12v DC to 240v AC power, they don't pluck power from out of thin air. It still has to come from the battery.

Let's refer back to Ohm's Power Law and do some simple sums.

I (Current in Amps) = P (Power in Watts) / E (Electromotive force in Volts)

In the case of an average kettle: 1,800W / 12v = 150A

Yes! The kettle would draw 150 Amps from your 12v supply.

Now let's throw an inverter into the equation. The general rule of thumb is to substitute the value of 12 representing EMF in volts, with 10, in order to allow for typical inverter inefficiency. This of course varies slightly between inverters, but it gives us a very good estimation.

The equation therefor becomes 1,800W / 10 = 180A

That's huge! That means that a kettle could drain a 180 Amp hour battery in 1 hour. Take into consideration that most deep cycle batteries should only be discharged to 50% depth. it would actually discharge a 180Ah battery to a point of being unusable, in 30 minutes.

The kettle and inverter would in fact be consuming 3Ah per minute. That means it would discharge a 100Ah battery to the recommended safe Depth of Discharge in 17 minutes.

A combined ten minutes of boiling a 1,800W kettle each day, would consume a whopping 30 Amp hours from a battery bank.

Using an electric kettle or toaster would require a significant battery bank, a fair sized solar array and a very powerful inverter. That's one hell of an expense when one considers how easy it is to put a kettle on a gas ring or a couple of slices of bread under a gas grill.

Back to inverters. Inverters supply potentially lethal 240v AC electricity from a 12v system that isn't earthed. In the case of caravans and RVs, inside a metal box. There are a lot of cheap Chinese OEM manufactured inverters for sale on ebay, but would you want trust your life and the lives of your family members to one. An el cheapo 2,000W inverter could cost as little as $300 from ebay, but if you want something that offers trusted safety features and reliable power, you're looking at more like $2,000! Throw in extra solar panels and an extra 100Ah in your battery bank, we're talking about a bloody expensive cup of tea!

It's probably important to note here that good quality inverters in the 600W to 1,000W range, are significantly more affordable than a 2,000W plus inverter. Using appliances that consume under 1,000W is significantly more manageable and affordable. However one must still pay close attention to power consumption and recharging.

But wait there's more!!!! No, there's no steak knives.

The serious current draw takes place between the inverter and the battery. Just yesterday, someone asked in a camping group, how they might power their 1,000W blender, off grid. What was the first suggestion posted as a reply? "Get an inverter and plug it into your cigarette lighter!"

Thankfully, if someone did attempt something so insane, chances are the car cigarette lighter fuse would shit itself instantly and prevent a potential fire. But be aware! I have known blade fuses to melt and fuse 'in contact!' That means there's something very wrong in the circuit, but instead of breaking that circuit, the fuse literally fuses together. It's not common, but it happens.

An inverter that consumes significant power, requires cables with a significant internal surface area between the battery and the inverter, even if the cable run is very short. That connection also requires a breaker that's able to handle the current that the inverter draws. That's quite a breaker and they don't come cheap. Without the correct cable gauge and a breaker, the cable between the battery and the inverter will very quickly melt down and start a fire.

So the moral of the story is, if you want to power an appliance that consumes a lot of power, you're going to need to have a lot of power available in order to power it. Inverters don't just suck power out of thin air. Quite the contrary. They draw current from your battery. The bigger the appliance, the bigger the inverter you'll require. The bigger the inverter, the more it'll cost and the the bigger the battery bank that you'll require. The bigger the battery bank, the bigger the solar array required to charge it.

Whilst most things are possible; do you really want to spend in excess of $2,500 on a heavy, space inefficient 12v setup, in order to avoid sticking a kettle on a gas stove or some bread under the grill?
Everyone is entitled to have whatever appliances they want, but everyone must also ensure that said appliances comply to the laws of physics and don't burn down their car, caravan or motorhome.

End Of A Good Transitory Community In FNQ

The end of an era. More importantly the end of a well established transitory community, as one of the last of the old school council owned caravan parks goes out to private tender.
What a disaster. What a shame the council doesn't realise what an asset they have.
Leasing out the Mission Beach Caravan Park marks the end of one of the last remaining council run caravan parks on the Australian coast.
With the economy facing an uncertain future, this will become just another overpriced caravan park, the likes of which an increasing number of Australians can't afford to subscribe to. This will be a huge blow to tourism in Mission Beach.
This park costs very little to run and yet has the potential to turnover $300K to $400K per annum as a budget caravan park. The margin, I'm sure, is significant. The current management have done an excellent job of running the park, as did the previous management who were there for several years, building up a great deal of return trade in the process.
If a lessee was going to pay an annual lease equalling or exceeding what the council makes by running the facility, they're going to have to put up site fees considerably. Let's face it; the council won't put it out to tender, if it means recouping less than they currently do.
There's a high end caravan park directly across the road that has significantly lower occupancy rates and a far more transient  customer base. Higher priced parks are far less popular with people who stay in one place extended periods. A privately leased Council Park will struggle to sustain current occupancy levels with higher site fees. As a refurbished private enterprise, it will compete directly with the park across the road.
This will result not only in the park being far less viable, but it will also be a blow to other Mission Beach businesses. Businesses that also pay rates!
Many visitors come to Mission Beach, because of the park and it's reasonable weekly rates. I spend my permitted 3 months at the park each year. I barely move from the park during that time and I put around $8,000 into the local economy per annum.
The park is virtually full for 4 months of the year, with scores of other people doing the same. That constitutes around $400,000 going into the pockets of council rate paying businesses in just 4 months of the year.
If the dynamic of the park changes, the park will attract more transient tourism. Transient visitors do NOT consistently pour money into the local economy, partly because they spend a greater portion of their budget on accommodation, not on groceries, not on fishing charters, not on fuel,  not on sky diving, not on white water rafting. They invariably stay for shorter periods of time and bring supplies with them.
The park is one of the few in FNQ that provides budget accommodation to overseas van hire travellers. Australia's biggest foreign tourism sector. They are the people who keep local adventure activity businesses alive. Especially during the tourism low season. Neither budget accommodation or adventure activities ensures that Mission Beach enjoys a steady flow of tourism. It's a symbiosis between the two.
This is a very short sighted decision by a council that I always thought excelled in taking a fairly unique and open minded approach to tourism.
Not only is it a case of cutting one's nose off to spite one's face, it's also a case of cutting income from businesses that pay rates.
The park is currently very well managed under the existing arrangement and there's no necessity for significant change.
The council simply needs to refurbish existing amenities and put a small portacabin style bock at the northern end of the park. Contract somebody to do a little marketing and develop plans to diversify slightly and this park could remain a public asset for years to come.

Print Media Failing? - That's OK. Scam Them With An App.

There's often discussion online about the best app for finding campsites.
For $8 you can't go past Wikicamps.
I just noticed that the "Camps" app is now $10. It was previously $50.
I decided to give it a go. So many people bang on about how much they love "The Book." I'm totally aware that it's just an over attachment to media crafted from trees,  but I thought I'd give them the benefit of the doubt.
I was going to praise it's interface and search functions, but fuck 'em.
After paying $10, I discovered that they want another $20 a year for updates! We're talking anything updated beyond what one installs, will cost you money. Not like Wikicamps that you pay for once and is updated constantly. That's unarguably a huge fucking scam. You'd feel less ripped off if you paid the transfer fees to allow an oppressed Nigerian dissident to stick an imaginary 50 mil in your bank account!
The version you get for your 10 bucks, is based on the latest edition of the book. Well I can tell you for free that the book offers a fraction of the information that Wikicamps does. The book is basically only useful if you get caught short in the bush with no shit tickets!
There are hardly any reviews. Funny that. Not many people have been stupid enough to burn 10 bucks on this cyber bollocks. APART FROM ME!!!
Even if the amount of reviews grows, you can't see them unless you pay more money.
The worst thing - A considerable amount of very well known council campsites and showgrounds are missing. Especially those close to caravan parks that are featured. It's bloody obvious that they're getting a kick back from the caravan parks for not featuring them!
Take Mission Beach QLD. Two council camps, a tiny camp with 7 sites at Bingil bay; that's featured. There's also an extremely well known 50 site council caravan park on Mission Beach's main drag. Guess what! It's not on there. Strangely enough, the Big 4 directly opposite, is there.
This is the publisher that for years has claimed to be the great advocate for free camping. They still feature "free camps," provided they're nowhere near a van park that has crossed their palm with silver! This company is literally ripping off people who purchase their products.
I know some people have a thing about hard copy, but seriously, why would you give your money to crooks. Get over this dinosaur and move on. If you can use the internet, you can use Wikicamps. If you're worried about not having mobile coverage, download the maps. If you want to write notes buy a fucking note pad.
I see it as a failing print media company, investing in an app that scams money out of people in order to make up for their rapidly dwindling market share!
Absolute RUBBISH!
Don't go near it. I'm going to demand a refund.
I have no affiliation with Wikicamps. I just want to see an end to scamming by these unscrupulous, out of touch shit weasels.
The moral of the story is; in 2018, information doesn't grow on trees.

All Is Not What It Appears In The Kingdom.

It's evident from online posts that a particular company with a rather regal name, has taken a huge hold on the Australian camping and outdoor market.

They sell some very useful kit at a budget price. In fact they sell absolutely everything camping and outdoor related and some of it isn't so good. I'd go so far as to say that some of it's a pile of shite.

I don't want to name the company in question, but for the sake of convenience, we'll call them "Queens."

I think it's really important to realise what they actually are and to be aware of what monopolising does to any industry.

"Queens" is NOT a brand. They're nothing like a brand. They're probably not even a company. What we're talking about is a big import and trading company that buys a shit load of product very cheaply, prints a name on it, creates the illusion of being a brand, mass markets and sells a shit load of that product through major online retailers. They don't even design or commission products. I'd be very surprised if the people behind "Queens," even know much about camping and outdoor gear at all. They're just very clever business people who've identified a market and are doing their damnedest to get a huge slice of it.

So what's wrong with that, you ask? Well nothing if you want to find all your cheap stuff conveniently on one website. However, take the effort to look around a little and you'll find exactly the same cheap stuff, even cheaper, without a brand printed on it. In reality, it doesn't Actually take much looking around, because the very same cheap stuff is all over ebay.

So why do I have a fly up my arse about this, you wonder. What's the harm? Well you see, when an importer gets so immense that they account for an inordinately large chunk of the overall market, sadly the competition starts to dwindle away. Eventually "Queens" will not only have so much buying power that they'll be able to buy cheap shit cheaper than anyone else, in the absence of competition, they'll be in a position to charge you the consumer, whatever the fuck they want.

Now "Queens" won't go silly as they're all about turnover. However, as they do more and more work to market themselves as a brand, fewer people will grasp the concept that they're not a brand, but a trading company that imports cheap shit,  with barely any product input. These people are not experts in their field.

One of the big problems with brand creation is that they not only knock over the cheaper competition, but they also make things very difficult for genuine manufacturers of quality equipment; the real brands. Some might not survive at all, but those that do will be forced into inflating their prices.

I'm not advocating a boycott of "Queens" products. Some of them do represent a good means to an end in terms of value for money. What I am suggesting is that you start thinking of them as the "Black and Gold" or "Homebrand" of the camping and outdoor equipment world.

If you see something for sale elsewhere that looks the same, there's a good reason for it. It's the same product without the name printed on it. It might very well be cheaper.

Brand names have long been synonymous with quality. Whilst "Queens" probably endeavour to import the best quality for a particular price, they're not a quality brand. They're not a brand.

So, if you want cheap stuff, shop around. If it looks the same as the "Queens" product, you can be certain that it is the same product.

If you want genuine quality, do some research. You might have to look around, do bit of reading, even go out and look at the product in real life. It might cost you a little more, but if it's high end quality you want, at least you would have made the effort to ensure that your money is well spent.