Solar Powered Repeater

[Code3Response]

Has anyone used a repeater that it's power source was ONLY solar power? How did it work out? Pros, cons, etc? Toying with the idea for the trip this summer. Thanks

[Monty]

Hi:

10-15 Watt UHF Solar Power Repeaters Work great !!

Only problem, areas that require Solar Power Are tough
to access, Solar Power panels are horribly expensive, and
alot of thought should be in place concerning Batteires ( for
Service at night ) and protection against the elememts and
thieves.

MS

[Znarx]

I have done Many Many solar-only rptrs.. what app? Ham? Commercial? RSS? expected duty-cycle is extremely important in the design.

[Code3Response]

It would be a temporary repeater that is two mobiles RICK'ed together, deployed in areas where no power availible... for short periods of time (during Search and rescues, etc) Also used for a trip this summer for building sites in MExico to communicate with each other [I KNOW, I KNOW, dont tell me about licensing crap, etc ])

Thanks!

[Znarx]

for recent SAR temp rptr - 2 M1225 (no R.I.C.K., just pin to pin) - program radio then disable front panel lights by removing connector strip
TX radio set for 5-7 W ( most SAR's use portables anyway)
the local SAR uses 2 charged SLA batteries, no actual solar... the battery will last approx 6-10 hrs on a search.. they charge and exchange batteries.

for true solar.. the above repeater draws approx. 160 Mah or about 2 Watts on standby.
solar panels are rated in Watts in full direct sunlight, so a 10W panel, will run the repeater and charge the battery during daylight hours (must be sunny of course) The larger panel you can afford will mean more solar charge available during partly cloudy days i.e. a 50 W panel may provide 10W capability during overcast days

for pricing on panels, the last pricing i have is approx $300.00 CDN for a 20 W - you may want to check the local RV dealers too

[Znarx]

further to last... if you are expecting heavy traffic.. find, design and build a rock repeater (Xtal), the savings in standby current is significant pair of ht90, mt's evn P50's (gack!) will reduce current comsumption on standby and TX

also, a good solar regulator is a MUST! don't just tie the panel output to the battery..solar panels output approx 18-24V depending on sunlight available, load current.. you may find that the battery has been boiled by the solar panel after a full sunny day otherwise

[DavidJ]

Solar panels are now getting quite cheap in the 50+ watt range. Most
of the big ones are around $5 a peak watt, try http://www.partsonsale.com

I second the advice about crystal controlled radios. MT500s or MX300s are great for this service.

Be careful in your frequency choices, if you get too close, the duplexer cost (and size) goes up dramatically. 5 MHz on UHF or 3 MHz on VHF is usually plenty to use cheap mobile duplexers.

[RFdude]

Have a look at this web site for complete details of equipment used and technical parameters. http://www.qsl.net/va3pla

Another site with lots of great mountain top sites running on solar or wind power is http://www.yara.yk.ca/

Enjoy.

RFDude

[dlederhos]

We have about 15 mountain top repeater sites. several sites have small 4 watt transmitters, several use Motorola CDM mobiles with a CDR controller, several have three repeaters, and we have one with 18 repeaters on site. We have given up on wind for the time being and are using stricly solar at most of our sites. Noise is a definite issue with VHF repeaters with most of the controllers out there. we have found an MPPT controller that works great though with most frequencies. Grounding and shielding is a must, and having a low ground impedance is also very helpful. Also, running all wiring in magnetic raceways and wisting the power cables at 6-10 twists per foot also helps. We have also added caps and ferro resonant beads to alleviate noise. All in all it is very expensive, but not as expensive as replacing windmills with the icing conditions and high winds we have in Alaska or running generators.

Don
ARCTiCOM