Hi Ron,
My caution is to not confuse watts with watt-hours.? Getting a 300w
unit only tells you the maximum instantaneous AC power that the unit
will deliver, but provides no information on how long that delivery
can be maintained.? So saying "A 300W unit can last a long time"
does
not make sense.? Watts has no concept of time; it's watt-hours
that matters.
There can be a rough correlation between the higher power (higher
watts) with larger batteries (more watt-hours), but that's only
cursory.? When choosing a unit, one needs to understand both the
maximum output needed (watts), and total capacity (watt-hours).?
Marketing-savvy manufacturers may couple a large cheap (modified
sine wave) inverter with the smaller battery, preying on this
confusion, with the ad copy focusing on the former and ignoring the
later.? The general public often doesn't think about the difference,
and because of the lower cost may get a unit that won't meet their
needs.
Interestingly, you will very often find units that offer 88
watt-hours of total capacity or slightly less; I believe that's the
maximum for some international shipping and airline travel reasons.
Greg? KO6TH
Ron Wright via groups.io wrote:
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Greg,
Obviously one would not get
one of these power packs to run like a refrig or heater.? I
got a 300W unit to run my soldering gun for events like
putting together Field Day.? Works great.
Yes, one needs to look at
the capacity for your needs.? And many can power a rig like
a FT817 and also charge for a long time ones cell phone.? A
300W unit can last a long time.
The point is there are
power packs for many portable use that will supply needed
power.? Some of these power packs even have wireless charges
on top.
73, ron, n9ee/r
Ron Wright, N9EE/R
Hernando Co ARES EC
Spring Hill, Florida also
n9ee55@...
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 09:04:48 PM EDT, Greg D
via groups.io
<ko6th.greg@...> wrote:
Mmmm, careful.? At 88 watt-hours, that's barely more
than 7ah at 12v, not counting internal conversion
losses.? The inverter may be able to source 100 or 300
watts, but not for long.? 300 watts from an 88 watt-hour
battery will drain it in something like 15 minutes.? Of
course the FT-817/818 draws considerably less - you'd
likely get 5+ hours of use - but there's no
Tardis-derived magic here.? Start plugging other stuff
in, and the run time can drop very quickly.
When looking at these "Solar generators", the important
spec to look at is the watt-hour rating of the battery.?
The AC output spec is just for the inverter; it's a
limit for how much (peak) power can be drawn, not for
how long.
Greg? KO6TH
Ron Wright via
groups.io wrote:
Martin,
Yes there a lots of power banks that
put out USB power and 12VDC power and also 120VAC
power, all in one battery box.? I have 2 with
120VAC output along with USB and 12VDC outlets.?
They come in a verity of power levels, mine are
100 & 300W.
There are other that can power a
FT817 for hours that put out USB and 12VDC.
Here is one on Amazon.? No tsure if
you need 120 or 240VAC.
73, ron, n9ee/r
Ron Wright, N9EE/R
Hernando Co ARES EC
Spring Hill, Florida also
n9ee55@...
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 08:05:32 PM EDT,
Kevin - K5KTM via groups.io
<ktmullens@...>
wrote:
Nice that it’s multi-use but that thing is
huge.?
On Mar 11, 2025,
at 13:52, Martin HB3YDM via groups.io <hb3ydm@...>
wrote:
?
Hey Guys?
check your YouTube the channel from
Jason KM4ACK
this last Video bring s greatfully
battery pack.
?
?
?
or when you have an Car Start
helper this tool is also very light.
?
?
Vy 73 de Martin HB3YDM
