[Elecraft] Using the KX1 on Solar Power

[Michael Babineau]

"Michael & Donna Heit" <rmrlpfm at centurytel.net> wrote :

 > Has anyone used the KX1 in the field with solar power ? If so, was 
any info
 > sent on this list?
 > I am building a KX1 and was interested in using solar , or solar back 
up
 > power for extended field use.
 > Thank you very much.

I do this all the time with my KX1.

I use a 2ah Gel cell, a Micro M+ Portable charge controller from 
Sunlight Energy
Systems and a 5W flexible Coleman PV panel that folds up to about the 
size of
a hardcover book. This adds very little bulk or weight to my portable 
setup.

You could easily get by with a lower wattage panel as the average 
current draw of the
rig is probably just a bit over 100 milliamps, depending on how you 
choose to do the
math (ie what figure you use for %TX time). The current draw figures 
for the Rig are about
40ma for RX and 650 ma for TX.

As long as you are putting about 100 ma, or a little more, back into 
the battery via the PV panel you
should  break even. With a smaller panel you probably don't even need 
to bother with a
charge controller.

One advantage of doing this is that the rig sees a fairly constant 13+ 
V DC  in and will run
at full power, at least while the sun is shining.

Michael VE3WMB

P.S. The Volkswagen panels should be idea for this application and they 
are cheap
(often free from VW dealers, if you ask nicely, or inexpensive from 
Ebay).

BTW there is a QRP Solar Power Yahoo! Group if you are looking for more 
detailed answers.
(qrpsolarPower at yahoogroups.com).