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Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

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mjpilgrim

Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

I've employed a small solar power system to supply my ham shack which
includes K3-100/P3, two PCs with flat screen monitors, and 20" flat screen
TV. This began as a basic test bed to understand Solar Power, so i know i
have lots to learn, and perhaps I have answers to help others with the same
interests.

I'd like to hear of your trials, errors, and decided solutions for best
results. I'm now researching best price performers for a pure sine wave
inverter so i can merge my ATT u-Verse gateway/wi-fi and associated devices.
Also, when running CW on the K3 i occasionally encounter LOW BATTERY error,
requiring a few seconds of UP-Key to allow the batteries to recover. I'd
like to discuss that symptom relative to my sizing considerations in the
Solar Power system. On paper it appears sufficient. Sometimes i
wonder............
Drop me a note via email so we might continue this conversation at length.
Thanks. Mike, K5MP

--
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Barry K3NDM

Re: Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

Mike,
One of my ham friends has his next door neighbor using solar power. It
is causing a lot of RFI across most of HF. I suggest that you require your
supplier supplier to use RF quiet solutions.

73,
Barry
K3NDM

On Wed, Feb 13, 2019, 12:58 PM mjpilgrim <[hidden email] wrote:

> I've employed a small solar power system to supply my ham shack which
> includes K3-100/P3, two PCs with flat screen monitors, and 20" flat screen
> TV. This began as a basic test bed to understand Solar Power, so i know i
> have lots to learn, and perhaps I have answers to help others with the same
> interests.
>
> I'd like to hear of your trials, errors, and decided solutions for best
> results. I'm now researching best price performers for a pure sine wave
> inverter so i can merge my ATT u-Verse gateway/wi-fi and associated
> devices.
> Also, when running CW on the K3 i occasionally encounter LOW BATTERY error,
> requiring a few seconds of UP-Key to allow the batteries to recover. I'd
> like to discuss that symptom relative to my sizing considerations in the
> Solar Power system. On paper it appears sufficient. Sometimes i
> wonder............
> Drop me a note via email so we might continue this conversation at length.
> Thanks. Mike, K5MP
>
>
>
> --
> Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
> ______________________________________________________________
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>

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Bob McGraw - K4TAX

Re: Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

I installed a solar panel and required charge controller in our RV.
While it works quite well for its purpose, when I use the HF radio the
thing must be turned off. Seems those switching charge controllers in
their plastic boxes and with multiple wires running everywhere do
generate noise "from DC to light". Even after switching it off, the
100 watt transceiver and the nearby antenna drove the charge controller
nuts. It turned on, it turned off, it gave out beeps and became a total
annoyance. It did make a good CW monitor however as it beeped with
every CW element.

I'm sure there are other ones which are quite good. But I bet they are
expensive. Mine is a Windy Nation 100 watt system.

73

Bob, K4TAX

On 2/13/2019 1:14 PM, Barry LaZar wrote:

> Mike,
> One of my ham friends has his next door neighbor using solar power. It
> is causing a lot of RFI across most of HF. I suggest that you require your
> supplier supplier to use RF quiet solutions.
>
> 73,
> Barry
> K3NDM
>
> On Wed, Feb 13, 2019, 12:58 PM mjpilgrim <[hidden email] wrote:
>
>> I've employed a small solar power system to supply my ham shack which
>> includes K3-100/P3, two PCs with flat screen monitors, and 20" flat screen
>> TV. This began as a basic test bed to understand Solar Power, so i know i
>> have lots to learn, and perhaps I have answers to help others with the same
>> interests.
>>
>> I'd like to hear of your trials, errors, and decided solutions for best
>> results. I'm now researching best price performers for a pure sine wave
>> inverter so i can merge my ATT u-Verse gateway/wi-fi and associated
>> devices.
>> Also, when running CW on the K3 i occasionally encounter LOW BATTERY error,
>> requiring a few seconds of UP-Key to allow the batteries to recover. I'd
>> like to discuss that symptom relative to my sizing considerations in the
>> Solar Power system. On paper it appears sufficient. Sometimes i
>> wonder............
>> Drop me a note via email so we might continue this conversation at length.
>> Thanks. Mike, K5MP
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>

Michael Chowning

Re: Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

There is an informative article in the April, 2016 issue of QST on Solar Power and RFI. “Can Amateur Radio and Solar Power Co-exist?"
Mike, N8TTR

> On Feb 13, 2019, at 3:46 PM, Bob McGraw K4TAX <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> I installed a solar panel and required charge controller in our RV. While it works quite well for its purpose, when I use the HF radio the thing must be turned off. Seems those switching charge controllers in their plastic boxes and with multiple wires running everywhere do generate noise "from DC to light". Even after switching it off, the 100 watt transceiver and the nearby antenna drove the charge controller nuts. It turned on, it turned off, it gave out beeps and became a total annoyance. It did make a good CW monitor however as it beeped with every CW element.
>
> I'm sure there are other ones which are quite good. But I bet they are expensive. Mine is a Windy Nation 100 watt system.
>
> 73
>
> Bob, K4TAX
>
>
> On 2/13/2019 1:14 PM, Barry LaZar wrote:
>> Mike,
>> One of my ham friends has his next door neighbor using solar power. It
>> is causing a lot of RFI across most of HF. I suggest that you require your
>> supplier supplier to use RF quiet solutions.
>>
>> 73,
>> Barry
>> K3NDM
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 13, 2019, 12:58 PM mjpilgrim <[hidden email] wrote:
>>
>>> I've employed a small solar power system to supply my ham shack which
>>> includes K3-100/P3, two PCs with flat screen monitors, and 20" flat screen
>>> TV. This began as a basic test bed to understand Solar Power, so i know i
>>> have lots to learn, and perhaps I have answers to help others with the same
>>> interests.
>>>
>>> I'd like to hear of your trials, errors, and decided solutions for best
>>> results. I'm now researching best price performers for a pure sine wave
>>> inverter so i can merge my ATT u-Verse gateway/wi-fi and associated
>>> devices.
>>> Also, when running CW on the K3 i occasionally encounter LOW BATTERY error,
>>> requiring a few seconds of UP-Key to allow the batteries to recover. I'd
>>> like to discuss that symptom relative to my sizing considerations in the
>>> Solar Power system. On paper it appears sufficient. Sometimes i
>>> wonder............
>>> Drop me a note via email so we might continue this conversation at length.
>>> Thanks. Mike, K5MP
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> Elecraft mailing list
>>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>>
>>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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Jim Brown-10

Re: Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

In reply to this post by Bob McGraw - K4TAX

A US company called Genasun makes several models of MPPT charge
controllers that are RF quiet. I use two in my shack, and W6GJB has two
in his contesting trailer that we use for CQP, 7QP, and Field Day. They
make different models for lead-acid, lithium, and lithium-ferrous
phosphate batteries, and with several different current and voltage
ratings.

73, Jim K9YC

On 2/13/2019 12:46 PM, Bob McGraw K4TAX wrote:
> I installed a solar panel and required charge controller in our RV.
> While it works quite well for its purpose, when I use the HF radio
> the thing must be turned off. Seems those switching charge
> controllers in their plastic boxes and with multiple wires running
> everywhere do generate noise "from DC to light".

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Bill Frantz

Re: Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

In reply to this post by mjpilgrim

On 2/13/19 at 9:56 AM, [hidden email] (mjpilgrim) wrote:

>I've employed a small solar power system to supply my ham shack which
>includes K3-100/P3, two PCs with flat screen monitors, and 20" flat screen
>TV. This began as a basic test bed to understand Solar Power, so i know i
>have lots to learn, and perhaps I have answers to help others with the same
>interests.

I have been using a solar system with my station for 5+ years. I
use a charge controller from CirKits
<http://www.cirkits.com/scc3/> for my lead-acid AGM batteries. I
have about 135 AH of battery and about 10-15 A of "12V" panels.
(Note that the capacity of lead-acid batteries is much less than
what is advertised. Ditto for the current from solar panels. The
LiFeSO4 batteries seem to deliver closer to their specification.)

I power the K3, P3, antenna switch and various other things from
the solar system. My laptop and the SVGA screen for the P3 run
off mains power. I am in the process of setting up a 10"
HDMI/VGA monitor that will run on 12V at 700-800 mA from
Adafruit as a second monitor for my computer. It may also work
as a SVGA monitor for the P3, but hasn't been tried yet.

If the batteries are fully charged I can operate a weekend SSB
contest, assuming normal sleep and contact with the family.
Operating QRP will go for a long time.

The charge controller can handle up to 20A of charge current,
with modifications for 40A and 60A. The fact that the
modifications include changes to minimize RFI gives me a warm fuzzy.

I also use a boost regulator to give my K3 about 13.5 volts.
Mine is a TGE N8XJK Boost Regulator, which mostly works. It is a
"20A" unit and tends to overheat and pop its 30A breaker when
running with low battery voltage in high demand modes like FT8.
Also, all the chip numbers have been scratched off and there is
no circuit schematic. I would look for a different boost
regulator if I were buying again.

A big deal everywhere is voltage drop. If you have 0.01 ohms
between the charge controller and the batteries, and they are
charging at 10A, them you will get a 0.1 volt drop in that line.
If the charge controller is sensing battery voltage at its end
of that circuit it will be off by 0.1V. Since the float voltage
for my AGM batteries is between 13.4 and 13.6 volts, small
values of resistance can lengthen charge times. (The charge
controller thinks the battery voltage is higher than it really
is, and cuts charge current. With less voltage drop, it raises
the charge current. etc. etc.)

I'm thinking of trying a modification to the CirKits charge
controller to use a separate wire between the battery and the
voltage sense circuit, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

73 Bill AE6JV

>I'd like to hear of your trials, errors, and decided solutions for best
>results. I'm now researching best price performers for a pure sine wave
>inverter so i can merge my ATT u-Verse gateway/wi-fi and
>associated devices. Also, when running CW on the K3 i
>occasionally encounter LOW BATTERY error,
>requiring a few seconds of UP-Key to allow the batteries to recover. I'd
>like to discuss that symptom relative to my sizing considerations in the
>Solar Power system. On paper it appears sufficient. Sometimes i
>wonder............
>Drop me a note via email so we might continue this conversation
>at length. Thanks. Mike, K5MP

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz | "The only thing we have to | Periwinkle
(408)356-8506 | fear is fear itself." - FDR | 16345
Englewood Ave
www.pwpconsult.com | Inaugural address, 3/4/1933 | Los Gatos,
CA 95032

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Tom Azlin W7SUA-2

Re: Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

In reply to this post by mjpilgrim

Hi Mike,

I am working on taking my station completely off the grid. Have three 12
volt 100 watt panels and looking for radio compatible charge
controllers. I have a 1200 amp-hr station battery I made from 6 1200
amp-hr cells that I plan to charge with just these panels. The station
battery also runs a 45 quart Whynter AC/DC fridge just incase our AC
grid goes away since we are out in rural Yavapai County with just a
single phase power line coming in to the area. I like the ideas in the
other emails on quiet charge controllers.

I would add that our house here in central Arizona has forty 250 watt
panels on the roof with two Sunny Boy SMA-5000TL-US inverters each with
the 1500 watt off-grid feature. I specified to EV Solar here in AZ ( out
of business now unfortunately) that the installation should be RF quiet.
The EV Solar owner said that then I needed these particular inverters as
they were the quietest he had installed. With my K3 and my 160m OCF inv
V and 40/30/20 yagi 200 ft away up the hill behind our house I can not
tell the different between the inverters up and running and when I open
the solar inverter DC and AC breakers. Or for that matter when I switch
one of the inverters to off-grid and feed that 1500 watts to my station
( when garage/shack built the electricians wired that circuit in to the
shack with the other inverter off-grid circuit going to the kitchen). I
charge my station battery with a 9AM to 3PM timer now so that I have a
good backup. Just run my station on house AC other that when we have a
power outage. Our 40 panels produce more w-hrs over a year than we use
but we use the local power company as a "battery" and only get paid
whole sale price for the excess power we generate so have to pay for
electricity 3 months out of the year. Of course connect charges of about
$15 each month even if we do not pull power. Long term goal is restoring
this house to its original off grid condition. I have another south
facing 15 ft x 30 ft roof area without panels but also will need to add
batteries for the house and upgrade the inverters.

One other ham friend who did not pick these SunnyBoy inverters, rather
has panels with individual grid tied inverters had to turn them off for
noise free operation. Another friend with one of these SunnyBoy
inverters has zero HF noise.

73, tom w7sua

On 2/13/2019 10:56 AM, mjpilgrim wrote:

> I've employed a small solar power system to supply my ham shack which
> includes K3-100/P3, two PCs with flat screen monitors, and 20" flat screen
> TV. This began as a basic test bed to understand Solar Power, so i know i
> have lots to learn, and perhaps I have answers to help others with the same
> interests.
>
> I'd like to hear of your trials, errors, and decided solutions for best
> results. I'm now researching best price performers for a pure sine wave
> inverter so i can merge my ATT u-Verse gateway/wi-fi and associated devices.
> Also, when running CW on the K3 i occasionally encounter LOW BATTERY error,
> requiring a few seconds of UP-Key to allow the batteries to recover. I'd
> like to discuss that symptom relative to my sizing considerations in the
> Solar Power system. On paper it appears sufficient. Sometimes i
> wonder............
> Drop me a note via email so we might continue this conversation at length.
> Thanks. Mike, K5MP
>
>
>
> --
> Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>

Jim Brown-10

Re: Anyone use Solar Power for your ham shack?

On 6/21/2019 1:37 PM, Tom Azlin W7SUA wrote:
> radio compatible charge controllers

Genasun is the only quiet MPPT controller I know about, and they're only
made for small systems. Make certain that you buy the one for your
battery chemistry. They make for lead-acid, LiFePO4, and Li.

73, Jim K9YC

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