[aprssig] Backup Remote Power cord ops - to 3200'

Thu Dec 2 15:28:48 EST 2021

On Thu, Dec 2, 2021 at 9:19 AM Robert Bruninga <bruninga at usna.edu> wrote:

> P.S. I have also distributed power over 3200 feet of a single wire #22
> Earth-return that also fits on an under-seat sized spool (though at higher
> voltage.  See: http://aprs.org/aprs-swer.html
>

The running joke about this floating around at TAPR DCC was asking what
your club's acceptable casualty rate is for field day.

Seriously people. Don't do this.

--
Kenneth Finnegan
http://blog.thelifeofkenneth.com/

On Thu, Dec 2, 2021 at 9:19 AM Robert Bruninga <bruninga at usna.edu> wrote:

> Stephen, Great info!
> P.S. I have also distributed power over 3200 feet of a single wire #22
> Earth-return that also fits on an under-seat sized spool (though at higher
> voltage.  See: http://aprs.org/aprs-swer.html
>
> Bob
>
> On Wed, Dec 1, 2021 at 6:54 PM Stephen H Smith <WA8LMF2 at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > On 12/1/2021 4:59 PM, Robert Bruninga wrote:
> >
> > When preparing for winter APRS (and other) backup power I found it
> > possible to fit up to 175' of power cord on the  Home Depot power cord
> reel.
> >
> > Just pull off the 20' of #14 power cord  and rewind with up to 175' of
> #18
> > Zip cord..  Rated at 10 Amps the reel can still carry plenty of power the
> > distance if precautions are followed and it can still fit under the car
> seat if
> > needed.
> >
> > I did this about a decade ago!   Used a generic orange cord reel from
> Harbor Freight that had 30 feet of 16-3 cord on it.  Took it apart, removed
> the cable, and replaced it with 200 feet of Monoprice premium "oxygen-free"
> (an affectation in the audiophile community) speaker cable.  This stuff is
> two-conductor 14-2 zip cord in a clear PVC jacket. One conductor is
> stranded natural copper color; the other is silver (tinned copper) (so you
> can tell the polarity for stereo speaker hook ups.  If you are really
> serious about polarizing 2-conductor AC cords, the two colors are a lot
> easier to see than the almost invisible ridges on one side of AC zip cord.
>
> >
> > At swap meets, Field Day, etc, the safety-enforcers always freak out
> when they think they are seeing bare wires on the ground!
> >
> > ___________________________________________
> >
> > *** COOL NEW GADGET! ***
> >
> > For power in the field, I just took the plunge and invested in a Jackery
> "portable power station".,   This is a 25-lb 10x10x12 inch box with a 1
> kilowatt-hour lithium battery inside. The battery is surrounded by TWO
> DC-DC converters and ONE DC-AC inverter:  One outputs 5 VDC to two USB-A
> jacks and two USB-C jacks.   One outputs to a 10 AMP 12 VDC car lighter
> jack,  The inverter outputs 110 VAC pure sinewave to  THREE 110 VAC
> three-prong AC outlets.  The AC inverter can output up to 1 KILOWATT!
>  I've tried it - it really can power a 3/4-horse table saw or a small
> microwave oven, a coffee maker, or my 800-watt electric weed whacker..
> >
> > On the input end, it has charging jacks for a normal 12-VDC car power
> jack (a.k.a "cigarette lighte jacr"). It CAN ACCEPT 10 TO 30 volts input,
> so the power station can be charged on large trucks or military vehicles
> with 28 VDC systems.  It can also be connected to  a provided 250-watt
>  100-250 VAC-input power brick.    Finally, it has a built-in solar charge
> controller that can be connected to "bare" solar panels - no external
> charge controller needed.    The device comes with a Y-shaped cable with an
> mystery junction box in the center that allows you to connect two similar
> 12-18 volt solar panels in parallel to the single port.
> >
> > The front panel has a nice LCD display that shows:
> >
> >    A bar-graph battery level "gas gauge"
> >
> >    The number of watts coming in from all charge sources
> >
> >    The number of watts going out to loads on all ports.
> >
> > I have used this device several times now at ham events including swap
> meets, and a presentation on APRS that I gave to the Traverse City,
> Michigan ham club last week.  I call the Jackery my "cordless extension
> cord".  Sure beats chasing around unfamiliar venues looking for AC outlets
> and stringing vast lengths of extension cords!
> >
> > Now that the winter season has arrived, the swap meets around here
> (Michigan) are all indoors at auditoriums, union halls, high school gyms,
> etc. There is always a mad scramble at these events for sellers' spaces
> near the wall,  to get access to the scarce AC outlets.  Now, with the
> Jackery, I can take any table in the middle of the room, and  plunk the
> power station down under the table.    I then plug in everything  AC or DC
> into the one power supply:  Phone and tablet chargers, 12 VDC transceivers,
> AC supplies for 100-watt class HF transceivers, laptops, desktop PCs,
> computer monitors, my drone charger, and even my Acer 1080-HD video
> projector.   The Jackery has had no problems powering all this stuff for
> the typical 5 hours of the average swap meet.
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
> > Skype:        WA8LMF
> > EchoLink:  Node #  14400  [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
> > Home Page:          http://wa8lmf.net
> >
> > -- APRS over FLdigi Modes  --
> >    <http://wa8lmf.net//FLdigiAPRS/index.htm>
> >
> > 60-Meter APRS!   HF NVIS APRS Igate Now Operating
> >    <http://wa8lmf.ddns.net:14447/>
> >
> > Flying Digipeater!
> >    <http://WA8LMF.net/FlyingDigi>
> >
> > 12 Copies of UIview in Action on One Acer "NetbooK" Computer!
> > Live Off-The-Air APRS Activity Maps
> >    <http://wa8lmf.net/map>
> >
> >
> >
> >
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