Category: Portable Power
-
DIY PowerFilm Cables & Connectors for Extreme Conditions
Now that I have the 20 watt PowerFilm F15-1200 for casual radcomms, qrp hiking, …, and FM16-7200 for the solar powered field station, I thought it’s time to start building cables, which can survive the harsh conditions of winter radio expeditions at 65° North. The PowerFilm panels already come with an excellent connector and connection…
-
Getting started with Amateur Field Communications EP01
Hello operators. After a couple of angry emails, I decided to publish the episode notes for: Getting started in Amateur Field Communications. ☺ Honestly I was starting to wonder if anyone cared about the episode notes, so thanks for the feedback. I’m constantly receiving excellent questions about getting a start in Amateur Radio field communications.…
-
Lead Acid & AGM Batteries are a No Go!
Today while sitting here working on a video about portable Comms, I received a question from the operator asking me about AGM batteries for hiking. First of all, I never thought I’d see these words in the same sentence “AGM batteries and hiking”. The operator disagreed with my choice to build my own lithium iron…
-
DIY LIFEPO4 Power for Ham Radio Update
Hello operators. I thought I’d share a couple of updates with you on the 10Ah version of the DIY lithium iron phosphate power project. Heatshrink I finally found an adequate heat shrink from suppliers in Germany (shop.lipopower.de) and 300mm wide, transparent film from an ebay seller. Both shops have various sizes. You remember I specifically wanted a…
-
Amateur Comms & Off-Grid Power Post Disaster
The loss of grid-tied power and communications in places like Puerto Rico & Dominique, shows us the importance of unconvintional strategies for amateur field comms and grid-down energy generation. Although governments seem to throw lots of money at cleanup, most of us still need to come up with our own strategy for getting word to…
-
Portable 5Ah LiFePO4 battery pack for ham radio
Once again, I put out the question about another battery build. The votes point to a smaller, lighter pack. Well, on October 04 2017, parts for the second build in the Portable LiFePO4 Power for ham radio series started arriving.. This time we are building an ultra-lightweight 5Ah 4S2P LiFePO4 pack, based on A123 ANR26650…
-
QRP/p With an FT-817 20w PowerFilm & 10Ah LiFePO4 pack
Quite often I sit out here at a nice spot along the sea enjoying the final moments of the summer/autumn. Even with the sun quite low in the sky, I’m still getting a good amount of amperage out of the PowerFilm. I’m also thinking about how nice it is, not actually being time limited by…
-
