Andy if you don't mind a little leg power you could try the Freeplay Weza: http://store.sundancesolar.com/frfrwe.html
I bought one a while back and I can run the FT-897 on it for quite sometime before needing to recharge. I limit the power to around 10-15W out on the rig. If you use a CW QRP rig you could probably operate for 24hrs without needing a recharge... Oh, and in order not to look too foolish and save some strain on the leg muscles - get the kids to pedal it! 73, Sholto KE7HPV. Andrew O'Brien wrote: > I am usually attend regional Field Day efforts with serious > operations, I'm often the "digital guy" that gets invited so the > organization can get digital-related bonus points. > > This year, the combination of needing to remain close to home due to > family health issues and my past views that I miss out on all the > operating fun by giving lectures/demos, has caused be to think about > doing Field Day at home. I figure that I really need to find some way > of not depending on my mains power supply for all my amateur radio > operating. So, Field Day looks like a good target date for trying to > find some emergency power. > > I am not going to buy a generator, too much of a hassle and too much > noise for my neighbours. I thought about battery power, still > thinking about it, but recharging a battery has to be thought about > since the ARRL has some limits on how they are recharged. Wind power > and Solar panels are appealing but they looked to expensive to me. > Seems to me that true emergency communications preparation ought to be > simple and cheap so that many stations would be activated , if needed. > > So, assuming a battery powered laptop computer is part of the stations > (and thus is not a problem) what inexpensive options are there to > power a modern HF rig using digital modes at 5 watts or less ? > Perhaps something that can be used to xmit and receive for 2-3 hours > and then be re-charged without mains power in a reasonably quick > manner ? I did think of pedal power , good exercise too, but that > may be too difficult. > > > > > >
