[Boatanchors] OT Another Harbor Freight Bargain
Clarke, Tom AIR4.0P NATOPS
frederic.clarke at navy.mil
Fri Feb 25 15:44:51 EST 2011
I bit the bullet (about $40 a pop) and went for LEDs in my kitchen
ceiling cans. They look good, are a bit cooler, albeit still warm, and
draw less power. I have had one failure, which was replaced under
warranty from Lowe's, in the year that they have been installed. Too
short a period to make a conclusion on them at this point.
Tom - W4OKW
-----Original Message-----
From: J. Gordon Beattie, Jr., W2TTT [mailto:gordon.beattie at att.net]
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 2:23 PM
To: 'Radios R. Me'; w8ron at sbcglobal.net; boatanchors at mailman.qth.net;
W4AWM at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] OT Another Harbor Freight Bargain
I don't see/hear any RFI from these CFLs, but I do not think that they
are a good idea for our global society. As the LED technology evolves,
we should use them instead. They create less disposal waste and draw
less power.
Thanks & 73,
Gordon Beattie, W2TTT
201.314.6964
_____
From: Radios R. Me [mailto:radios_r_me at yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 6:37 PM
To: gordon.beattie at att.net; w8ron at sbcglobal.net;
boatanchors at mailman.qth.net; W4AWM at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] OT Another Harbor Freight Bargain
No qrm from mine...
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
_____
From: W4AWM at aol.com <W4AWM at aol.com>;
To: <gordon.beattie at att.net>; <w8ron at sbcglobal.net>;
<boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>;
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] OT Another Harbor Freight Bargain
Sent: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 3:14:30 PM
CFLs are a total crock! Not only do they cause all kinds of QRM on
nearly all frequencies but the guarantee on them is a total scam. The
manufacturers never expect anyone to save all the sales slips along with
dates of purchase and specific manufacturer in order to get warranty
replacement. My
feeling is that Uncle Sam is trying to pull another one on the public
while
giving more money to the Chinese economy.
73,
John, W4AWM
In a message dated 2/25/2011 9:35:33 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
gordon.beattie at att.net <javascript:return> writes:
Ron,
Interesting observation about the CFLs. I just haven't used them
enough to have them actually fail!
Thanks & 73,
Gordon Beattie, W2TTT
201.314.6964
-----Original Message-----
From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net <javascript:return>
[mailto:boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net <javascript:return> ] On
Behalf Of Ron Trepka
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 1:13 PM
To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net <javascript:return>
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] OT Another Harbor Freight Bargain
Comments about the HF solar Panels
The charge controller works well where it gets off the battery when it
has reached it's limit.
The little voltage display is real nice and turning it off is a great
idea too.
The CFLs are junk. They use a instant start ballast with a rapid start
lamp so it eats the filaments away during start and life was very
short.
It would be hard to beat the $50 each price for the three solar panels
so it's a bargan at the $159 price.
---
Ron
--- On Fri, 2/25/11, J. Gordon Beattie, Jr., W2TTT
<gordon.beattie at att.net <javascript:return> >
wrote:
From: J. Gordon Beattie, Jr., W2TTT <gordon.beattie at att.net
<javascript:return> >
Subject: RE: [Boatanchors] OT Another Harbor Freight Bargain
To: "'Ron Trepka'" <w8ron at sbcglobal.net <javascript:return> >, "'John
Flood'"
<kb1fqg at yahoo.com <javascript:return> >, boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
<javascript:return> , r-390 at mailman.qth.net <javascript:return> , "'Bob
Peters'"
<rwpeters at swbell.net <javascript:return> >
Date: Friday, February 25, 2011, 12:08 AM
Ron, John, Bob et al,
I have two of these kits and they work really well! In a fully sunny
day, you get the rated output, but there are times when you won't. This
is to be expected. The charge controller is very good with several
output voltages less than 12V including a USB charger port. It has no
capability to prevent the overcharge of your battery bank, so if you
are not going to be keeping a close eye on the charge level of the
battery bank, you will need to get another charge controller.
What we do is use two sets in parallel to charge a 155AH deep cycle 12V
battery while in camp. This keeps the battery topped up during a
weekend or during a week or two at summer camp. At the National Boy
Scout Jamboree last summer we had to keep a pile of phones, four laptops
and an Amateur Radio Station going. We did have one day when we had to
be wise about our power budget, but it all worked out fine by the next
day, and all essential items received a full charge. We even ran a few
of the included 5W 12V CFL lamps in our gateway entrance area for
safety and site identification. We located the two 4x4 ft mounts on
wooden shelving to keep the supplied metal frames in alignment and
placed them into spots within our gateway where they could get light
and be out of the way.
We are going to redo the frames using aluminum angle stock from a local
home center and eliminate the cheap steel originally provided.
One other improvement that we are working on is to replace the very
light gauge, high-resistance wiring with some number 12 wire and
Anderson PowerPole connectors. Given our use, I'm not sure if we are
going to replace the charge controller, but time will tell.
Thanks & 73,
Gordon Beattie, W2TTT
201.314.6964
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