Solar Relay Deployment
Panel sizing, battery calculations, weatherproofing, and seasonal maintenance for solar-powered Station G2 relay nodes at 44.1°N latitude.
Power Budget
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Station G2 power draw | ~0.5 W average | TX bursts up to 1.5 W at 30 dBm |
| Daily energy | ~12 Wh | 0.5 W x 24 hours |
| Winter peak sun hours (44.1°N) | ~3 hours | December/January worst case |
| Summer peak sun hours | ~5.5 hours | June/July |
Recommended Components
| Component | Minimum Spec | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panel | 10 W | 20 W (winter headroom) |
| Battery | 12 Ah LiFePO4 (12V) | 20 Ah LiFePO4 (3+ days autonomy) |
| Charge controller | PWM 5A | MPPT 10A (better low-light performance) |
| Voltage regulator | 12V to 5V USB-C buck converter | Rated 3A continuous |
Station G2 accepts 12V DC input directly -- use this instead of USB when available to avoid buck converter losses.
Panel Mounting
- Tilt angle: Fixed at 44° (equal to latitude) for year-round average
- Winter optimization: Tilt to 59° (latitude + 15°) for December-February
- Summer optimization: Tilt to 29° (latitude - 15°) for June-August
- Orientation: True south (not magnetic south -- ~14° declination in Maine)
- Shading: No shading from 9 AM to 3 PM year-round
Weatherproofing
- IP65+ enclosure for electronics (NEMA 4X rated for outdoor use)
- Cable glands for all wire entry points -- seal with marine silicone
- Drip loop on antenna cable to prevent water ingress at connector
- Dielectric grease on all SMA connections
- Desiccant packets inside enclosure (replace quarterly)
- Mount enclosure on north side of pole/structure (minimize solar heating)
- Ensure drainage holes at bottom of enclosure
Cable Routing
- UV-resistant conduit for all external cable runs
- Minimum bend radius: 5x cable diameter
- Secure cables every 30 cm with UV-rated zip ties
- Ground the antenna coax shield at the enclosure entry point
- Use outdoor-rated LMR-400 coax for antenna runs over 3 m
Maintenance Schedule
| Frequency | Task |
|---|---|
| Monthly | Check MQTT telemetry for battery voltage (should be 12.8-13.2V) |
| Quarterly | Visual inspection: panel, cables, enclosure seal, desiccant |
| Bi-annually | Clean panel surface, check SMA connections, verify antenna SWR |
| Annually | Replace desiccant, re-apply dielectric grease, check battery health |
| After storms | Inspect for physical damage, check antenna alignment |
Provisioning
# Flash and configure before deployment just provision station-g2 /dev/ttyUSB0 # Set fixed GPS position (no GPS module needed for fixed relay) meshtastic --setlat 44.1003 --setlon -70.2148 --setalt 60 # Run bench test suite before deployment just test-integration /dev/ttyUSB0
See Node Deployment Guide for full installation procedures.