Ham Radio Camper Caravan Part 2 | Off-Grid Power
A DIY Victron Cerbo touschreen to save some money on monitoring battery storage and solar energy.
charge controller
Smart Edition Bluetooth LiFePO4 battery – Charge Controller | Power Queen
Power Queen Bluetooth Smart Edition LiFePO4 battery and charge controller test.
My Off-Grid & Grid Down Comms Energy strategy
The off-grid ham shack is fully energy self-sufficient, utilizing solar, wind, and other power sources, with a focus on low current devices for sustainable communication.
Keeping the Ham Shack & my Lithium batteries warm in winter
To protect lithium batteries from cold while charging, a video/blog showcases using a Chinese diesel heater in an off-grid ham shack. It’s vital to keep batteries above freezing, a lesson learned from electric cars in winter. The video details the installation and operation of a 3kw Vevor diesel heater, which also powers up using the ham shack’s LiFePO4 batteries, maintaining ideal temperatures for both batteries and equipment.
Charging a LiFePO4 battery with wind power
This video shows charging Power Queen LiFePO4 batteries with a vertical wind generator and discusses off-grid ham shack power storage solutions, including during non-solar conditions.
Building a Solar Powered Ham Radio Station
The Off-Grid Ham Shack series discusses creating a self-sufficient ham radio station or ‘Ham Shack’ capable of operating on solar power during any grid down scenario, emphasizing the importance of an energy strategy for off-grid communications. This system includes solar panels, a charge controller, battery, and power distribution system. Key elements are the use of photovoltaic (PV) panels to harness solar energy, a solar charge controller to regulate energy flow and prevent battery overcharging or damage, and a battery to store energy for later. As well, power distribution ensures the allocation of power to multiple devices simultaneously. A grid-down energy strategy is crucial to any communication-related emergency, be it CB, FRS, GMRS, MURS or PMR radio, UHF CB, DMR, DStar, Meshtastic or LoRa communications.
Power Queen LiFePO4 for Christmas
The blog post highlights the benefits of Power Queen LiFePO4 batteries for off-grid projects over traditional lead-acid batteries, focusing on the better performance and cost-effectiveness in the long run. Additionally, it provides subscribers with information and discounts on Power Queen’s Christmas offers, and illustrates how LiFePO4 batteries function in an off-grid system. It also includes descriptions and respective links of the batteries suited for specific needs in the US, Europe, and Canada.
Radio Friendly MPPT charge controller for Off-Grid Radio Comms
The author discusses choosing a solar charge controller suitable for radio communication. He focuses on three criteria: portability, radio frequency quietness, and Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) functionality. Recommending Genasun due to its compatibility with these requirements, he mentions his dissatisfaction with another brand, Victron, that caused excessive radio frequency noise. For optimal results, he suggests keeping devices DC powered and using no inverters. He provides specific instructions about matching controllers to battery and solar panel specs, and suggests parallel configuration for Genasun controllers.