Electric Power

[pkveazey]

If my generator fails, I plan to use my automobile to recharge my battery backup. You can use the automobile to power your radio system if you don't mind the car setting there idling while you talk on the radio. Keep in mind that you might have a long power line run so use big wire. The car puts out a ton of amps so you can recharge batteries while using the radios. I've got small digital voltmeters that I picked up on Amazon for about $2 each and I can monitor the voltages while charging and using he radios. This a little off subject but I bought a tri-band 25 watt QYT radio that works really good and that is what I plan to use when I don't need 60 or 70 watts. Yeah I know I could just put my 2 meter regular radio on mid power but then I wouldn't have TRI-BAND. I just ordered a second 25 watt Tri-Band for a backup. If all else fails I have 14 BaoFengs and about 20 extra battery packs. I can recharge the Bao Fengs either from house power or in the car. My wife thinks I should buy a second generator as a backup. She's right but I'm not going to do it. I've also got a 500 watt inverter and a 1000 watt inverter that I can use in pinch. So far I haven't been able to bring myself to spend the big bucks to get a couple of deep cycle batteries to run things if the generator goes out. I have a used automobile alternator out in the shed that I'm considering hooking up to a windmill as a battery charger. If things go bad, you can bet I'll get my butt in gear and get it built.

[Kbop]

quick question?  Pkveazey;
i've operated out of vehicles enough that i keep a couple of toyota alternators to make 'impromptu' generators at my home, they have regulators built in - rig it to wind or water, you get the idea.  i have some old gears (from garage sale bicycles) to get the right RPM's out of them.
that said - do you plan to set the throttle up?  most efficient charging is around 2K RPM from a car engine.  do you have a way (using gears or throttle settings, etc.) to get the right RPMs?  You maximize fuel consumption, engine wear and cooling and battery charging amps that way.

[JohnyMac]

Some good comments pkveazey.

Here are some additional comments:

> As I have mentioned in the past our water cold/hot water system runs off our bank of marine deep cycle batteries
   charged with solar. We also run off this system, some lights, Sirius radio, and when needed the great room ceiling fan.
> We also have a generator but we only use it for the freezers when the electric goes out.
> I just bought an additional marine deep cycle, Group 27, 90 amp battery. This battery lives is in my ham shack kept at
   full voltage using with one of those smart trickle chargers to keep it at full power. I also installed an Anderson Power
   Pole Power Strip. Hooked all of my radios up to it and my 120 volt/ 12 Volt power source. Last I made up a wire
   harness that can reach from the battery - About 4 feet, to the Anderson Power Pole power strip. If the electric goes
   out I unplug the 120/12 volt power supply and plug in my battery. Once the battery goes down to 12.5 volts (~50%
   discharge) I will swap it out with one of the battery bank in my house battery bank. Or as pkveazey wrote, "If my
   generator fails, I plan to use my automobile to recharge my battery backup."

Yeah, yeah, yeah we have other ways of generating electricity, batteries, solar battery chargers, inverters, etc but now, a commercial...

Even if you are not a prepper you need a handfull of those inexpensive BaoFeng HT (Handie Talkie) radios and a couple extra batteries. In an emergency, our local NOAA office monitors and uses one repeater to accept and report emergency information.

Case in point: Two weeks ago a front passed through the area that resulted in two tornadoes touching down. They announced this line of storms coming and requested trained SKYWARN spotters to report in as the front passed their AO. While this drama was happening around us we had the idiot box on. NOT ONCE was their an announcement on the TV.

I reported during the drama to NOAA what was happening at my AO, e.g. pea sized hail, 2" of water an hour, strong wind out of the east seady at 20 Mph with occasional gusts to 40 Mph. Not only did we listen to official NOAA announcements but hear reports from other spotters in the area. Again nothing was reported on the TV untill the war had passed with a banner on the bottom of the screen.

In closing, buy a BaoFeng, find out what repeater (s) your NOAA team uses for communication in a emergency and dial it into your HT for future use in an emergency. And as pkveazey suggested, have a couple of Baofeng battery's on hand.       

[pkveazey]

If I have heavy electrical loads, I'll have to run the RPM's up a bit but just to handle light loads and battery charging, I'll just let it idle. I've looked at the voltage at idle and its 13.8 to 14. So, I guess the answer to your question about will I run the RPM's up, its No, but its not a firm No.

[Jackalope]

For a plan B, you could use a lawnmower type motor connected to an alternator.  There's a couple of websites dedicated to the concept, and at least one of them sells a bracket to make it easier.  It's one way to reduce fuel usage, yet still produce useable power.