Solar, Field Day, or Emergency Response: Emergency Power Options

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Solar, Field Day, or Emergency ResponseEmergency
Power Options

• George Ure
• AC7X

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Agenda

• Outage Scenarios When could the power fail?
• Power demands are band and mode dependent
• On-the-fly power
• Introduction to Generators
• Battery Basics Charge and Discharge Parameters
• Battery-powered Options
• Inverters
• Inverter/Chargers
• Grid-Interactive Systems
• Wind Machines

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Whered I Learn About Batteries?
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Power-Outage Scenarios

• Drunk driver hits a power pole
• (1-12 hours)
• Earthquake (New Madrid?)
• 1 Day 1 month
• Terrible weather event (Sandy-class)
• 1-day to 2-months
• EMP/Regional Nuclear Event/Bio war
• ???
• Field Day Till the beer runs out?

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Emergency? What to Plan Power For

• Crisis Lite 1-4 Days
• Almost ALL hams with a handheld are set!
• Regular Crisis 5 Days to 5 weeks
• 30 of hams are ready? 1-5 recharge periods
• Major Crisis 5 Weeks
• 5 or less are ready Ongoing recharge
  requirement is harder to meet

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KEY PLANNING POINTS

• Emergency Power requirements depend on
• Expected duration of emergency
• Bands which will be used in response
• Role of ham using equipment
• Net control talks more, needs more energy
• Traffic handlers need more, too!
• Antennas, transmitter power, various losses

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Example Emergencies

• Semi/Local (Ike passing through, Joplin)
• Mostly VHF/UHF scattered HF
• Quick recovery period external aid coming quick
• Regional (64 Alaska quake, supply lines
  disrupted, regional coms down)
• V/UHF for impact areas
• HF Health, Welfare, and News from outside
  Phone patch?
• EMP/Nuke War/Massive Solar Flares (still
  ahead?)
• Mainly HF most repeaters/grid would be down
  long-term due to the grid impacts, most repeaters
  gone in a week.

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Reacting to the Disaster
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On the Fly Power

• Alligator Clips are your friend
• Some open 1 wide
• http//www.caltestelectronics.com/ctitem/143-fully
  -insulated/CT3251

Dont forget the cable to connect to the radio!
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Language of Power

• A Cell is a single chemical reaction device.
• C cells, D cells
• AA cells, etc.
• A Battery is a collection of cells
• Cells are measured in volts/per cell
• Batteries are measured by terminal voltage

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A Cell vs. Battery

• A single cell is just like a polarized capacitor
• EXCEPT instead of a dielectric there is a
  chemical reaction which delivers or absorbs
  energy!

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Batteries (Collections of Cells)

• Key Terminology to be aware of
• Energy Density The work to weight ratio.
• Cycle Life How many discharge/charge cycles
  will a given battery deliver?
• Discharge Rate How many hours will a battery
  deliver how many amp? Typically 20 min., 1-hour,
  and 20-hour rates are cited.
• Depth of Discharge What is the recommended
  level of discharge beyond which cycle life
  rapidly declines?
• Peukert Exponent Effective shrink rate of a
  battery at high rates of discharge.

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Dry Cell Basics

• Dry Cells
• Metal cap
• Plastic Seal
• Expansion Space
• Porous Cardboard
• Zinc Can
• Carbon Rod (center)
• Chemical Goo
• Major difference between cells is the chemistry
  of the goo and whether the chemical reaction is
  reversible!

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Where Lead-Acid Battery Electricity comes from
during Discharge
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What a Completely Discharged Battery Looks Like
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Batteries Dont Die They Are Murdered!
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EQUALIZING Restores Capacity
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How to EQUALIZE

• Never attempt to equalized SLA sealed lead/acid
  batteries!!!!!! They tend to blow up.
• Use plenty of ventilation (outside!) because
  Browns Gas is HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE
• Usually Charging Voltage is increased to drive
  2-5 of the batterys 20-hour rate (in amps) into
  the battery. So a 100 AMP-Hour battery would
  equalize at the 2-5 AMP rate for 1 hour.
• Monitor closely to prevent thermal runaway!
• Safety timer! Safety Glasses! Do NOT overfill
  batteries (with distilled water only) if
  Equalizing!

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Deep Cycle VS Starting Batteries

• Plate depth versus toal plate area determines it

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Battery Spec Sheet Example

• Typical good quality deep cycle battery is a
  Trojan T-105 which is a 6-volt standard.

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Amp-Hours VS Kilowatt-Hours

• Amperes of current for X number of hours
• BUT Battery voltage declines over time
• SO Ending energy is different than starting
  energy
• 13 V times 10 AMPS 130 WATTS
• 11 V times 10 AMPS 110 WATTS
• A Watt-Hour integrating meter is what measured
  actual ENERGY (work done)
• 1,000 Watt-Hours 1 Kilowatt-Hour

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Battery Rules for Hams

• Terms like cold cranking AMPs is only
  marginally useful as comparison information.
• Most ham gear will operate to 10.5 Volts
• Operating to 10.5 V was required for marine SSB
  type acceptance
• 10.5 V is when a 12V battery is dead

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Peukert Shrinking Battery Effect

• Batteries deliver less total energy on their way
  to 10.5V dead if discharged FAST
• Where Cp is Peukert Capacity and both i and t are
  time and currents of two different discharges
  such as 10 amps for 20 hours (20-hour rate) vs.
  20 amps for 1 hour (1-hour rate). The n is the
  exponent value.

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Typical Exponent Values for 100 AHr
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Ideal Charge Curve (Proctor et al)
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Battery Temp Compensation
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Sample Cycle Life T-105
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Percent of Capacity Drops When Cold!
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One More Rule

• Heres what a T-105 weighs
• If you are down to two batteries in your
  shopping, pick the heavier battery if youre
  after long cycle life heavier means more plate
  material is being used!

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Feed Battery Banks Correctly!
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How to Charge Batteries

• Multiple Choices
• From a gen-set Simplest is a chain saw motor on
  a piece of plywood connected via a drive belt to
  an alternator. Add voltmeter and whatever if
  more control is needed.
• From Solar
• From Wind

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Why Wind is a POOR Choice In Texas!

• Works good on a sailboat such as the one we
  lived on.
• BUT no significant power below 10 Knots/ 12 MPH
• Generates some noise, besides PWR
• Depends on swept area bigger is better on wind
  gens.

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Main Problem with Wind is?
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Solar is GREAT HERE!
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4.5-6.5 kWHrs / M2 Per Day

• Solar is not initially cheap, but over the long
  term is does have good payback breakeven at
  between 10-18 years depending on how much you do
  yourself.

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Solar Has Many Pieces

• The Panels
• Charge Controller
• Battery bank
• Grid-Interactive inverter

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Kinds of Mounts

• Simple (fixed)
• Single-Axis (panels are mounted on hinges so from
  March 21 to Sept 21 they are at 20 tilt
  otherwise (wintertime) they are at 45
• Highest priced
• Full tracking systems
• Which track E/W
• I chose T-Post and
• Rebar for ours

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Small Scale Solar Example

• Components are Panel, Battery, Charge
  Controller. This plus an old ATV winch raises
  and lowers my tower.
• Low NO maintenance!

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Projects You Can Bury Solar In

• HOW TO SELL SOLAR TO A SKEPTICAL XYL
• Solar-power driveway and outdoor lighting!
• Battery topper-upper for RV or other battery
  use which gets infrequent use
• Tractor, ATV, Go Karts, Motorcycles, Lawn
  tractor
• Helping the environment! Global Warming!

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Generators

• Basic choices
• Gas (get avgas?) or Diesel (works in tractor)
• Ham favorite is the Honda 2 kW with inverter mode
  which varies engine speed to load
• Conventional generators are much cheaper.
• In gas generators, consider a good oil additive
  like AvBlend which is FAA Approved
• AvBlend.com or AircraftSpruce.com

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Operating Highlights

• Pop for electric start if over 2 kW!
• If using for your home, have electrician put in a
  transfer switch
• Best quality choices
• 2 kW Under Honda
• 2-6 kW Onan or other RV type are good
• 6 kW up Tractor PTO Type -?
• 6 kW Isuzu diesel

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Basic Rules Axioms for Gens

• RUN-TIME EQUALS FUEL AVAILABLE
• Natural gas gens require lots of fuel but are a
  very long-life option.
• Bad choice though if concerned about earthquakes
  or infrastructure damaged.

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Some Notes on the Honda EU2000i

• Very good unit reports WA7BRI he uses the Econo
  Mode with Icom 7000 and now voltage sag problems
  from key down to listening.
• BRI meticulously runs every month and uses
  STABIL in his gas, however! Runs 8-12 hours on a
  single fill in contest setting, 100 watt xmt
  class, no RFI issues

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How Big a Genset?

• From Onan manual good list of watts.
• Applies whether your are planning an inverter off
  batteries (sep. charger), solar (big or small) or
  buying a genset.
• Add up peak loads and thats your sizing.
• More loads More

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Other Goodies from the Onan Manual
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2.8 kW Onan Generator Fuel Consumption

• Typical 24-hour contest time 6.7 gallons at 50
  load.
• Full Power 24-hours 11 Gallons per day
• Full load uses almost 3 times fuel of no load.

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Generalized Fuel Consumption

• Ballpark 50 load is 60 of max fuel use

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Generator Time to Charge Batteries

• 85 of charge in Battery size divided by
  generator/alternator output.
• Example 100 AHr battery will be 85 full in one
  hour on 100 Amp alternator or generator-run
  source such as charger.
• Last 15 of charge takes about 2 ½ Hrs.
  regardless of size absorption charge rate
  also called finishing charge.

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If on PURE Battery Source

• Operate initially from 100 full to 60 depth of
  discharge.
• Recharge to 85 of charge level
• Resume ops to 60 depth of discharge
• The 85 down to 40 of capacity is the sweet
  spot where batteries give up and accept charge
  most readily.

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Dont Get Fooled by an Ammeter

• When charging begins, battery may not begin
  charging right away.
• Reason Takes time for the battery chemistry to
  change directions
• Delay in discharge to charging reaction is called
  Coup de Fouet by battery gurus. (crack of the
  whip)
• Read current after 5-minutes of charging, or so
• Coup de Fouet is why active (charging braking) on
  electric vehicles is so problematic energy
  cant just reverse and save takes time!

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Real Example of Coup de Fouet
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Operating Style

• Plan on 10 transmit and 90 receive unless you
  are net control.
• Turns off dial lights is available.
• Use power output at minimum level to get the job
  done. V/UHF 1 watt often sufficient. HF use 100
  to establish coms, then reduce to path
  requirements.
• Keep mental picture of fluid situations, make
  notes if possible.
• Keep Radiogram pads on hand if regional emergency
  doing public service traffic be sure to get
  delivery phone number and confirm them.

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Power and S-Units

• One S-unit is a change of 6dB in signal strength,
  which corresponds to double the VOLTAGE or four
  times the POWER at the receiver input.

Example If a 100-watt station is S-9 and drops
to 25 watts the result is S-8. From 25 watts down
to 6 Watts is about S-6 2W about S-4 etc.
100 W increased to 2 kW 1½ S-Units
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On HF Horizontal Antennas are Quieter

• With S-6 Signals, Antenna Noise becomes a major
  factor in good communications

Max Signal Is 6 DB over Noise Floor
Max Signal Is 18 DB over Noise Floor
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For HF Emergency Use

• Easiest to Install Quickly
• Buddy-Pole
• Mobile Whip
• Vertical into a tree

• Best Performance
• Random Long Wire (Horizontal or L)
• Inverted VEE
• Flat-Top Dipole
• Delta Loop
• Horizontal Loop, 1? overall length and at least
  1/2? high

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My Dream Emergency Antennato Minimize Power
Requirements

• 160 Meter 1 ? Loop at 25 or higher Used on 20
  Meters where it has some gain

NVIS low bands, 160/80 some gain on 40- 20
Meters. Quiet (its a loop!). Only problem is
size and height and needs a tuner and open wire!
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For Antennas that are Ground-Dependent

• Verticals, Mobile Whips, and Long-wires need
  grounds
• Signals Depend on Grounds
• IMPROVISE!
• Metal Roofs
• Metal gutters
• Chain link fences (noisy in certain wind
  conditions)
• Sprinkler Systems (copper), fire stand pipes,
  hydrants
• (My favorite!).

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RAILROAD TRACKS!
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Lifesavers

• Keep all generators 50 -100 feet or more and
  preferably downwind - from humans. Carbon
  monoxide is carried as easily as oxygen in the
  bloodstream.
• Never work circuits hot even if they are 12V -12
  V is enough to kill! Its the current (less than
  5 ma.) that kills!
• When wiring wear rubber-soled shoes and trust no
  one.

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Thank You!

• Questions?