Emergency power refers to any source of power that is not tied to the public electrical grid. Car batteries, vehicles, radio batteries, emergency power packs, solar panels, generators of any kind, all constitute emergency power.
For church operations, we strive to operate on emergency power as often as possible while training so that we have experience operating our equipment and are aware of any issues before we need to rely on them. I recently had an experience where I went to use my emergency power and it was dead - I didn't have a backup for my backup and I didn't know what caused my system to go dead and it wasn't there when I needed it. Lessons learned: It's better to learn these things now rather than when we require them.
For those who are just starting out in ham radio, your first two emergency power systems or sources are going to be, the battery in your handheld radio (UV5R?) or your vehicle's charging/power system. You can purchase a cigarette lighter or charging port charger for your UV5R handheld to work in your vehicle for about $8.00 at the time of this writing off Amazon. Vehicle charging systems do not last very long for ham radio operations - i.e., I've killed my car battery in less than a day when I left the radio on in the car. However, your vehicle is probably going to be your primary backup unless/until you start working on other longer-term systems.
CAR BATTERIES:
Meant to provide a lot of power for a short period of time, usually have lead plates with battery acid inside them. They require a long time to charge for the amount of power they give out afterwards. However, if this is where you need to start, then by all means! It is best to have a backup power system rather than none because you couldn't get the exact one you wanted immediately.
MARINE BATTERIES:
Can provide a lot more power for a lot longer than a car battery as they have thicker lead plates inside. Still bulky, and you're still charging a lead-acid battery that requires a considerable time to charge for the power it gives out. Many hams use these for their home backup systems because they are relatively inexpensive compared to lithium ion batteries and will have these under the desk where their ham stations are at ready to flip a switch to emergency power.
LITHIUM ION BATTERIES:
LiFePO4 batteries have become the gold standard in ham radio battery backup systems. The batteries charge the fastest, they last the longest, they are the most stable, they can be recharged several thousands of times before they wear out, their self-discharge rate (losing power sitting on the shelf) is the lowest of any battery, and they maintain a steady discharge current until they are discharged. LiFePO4 batteries are more expensive, however.
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| Lithium Ion will power your radio for longer |
Some math for your emergency power considerations:
Amps - (A) or ampere - the amount of current your radio uses to operate.
Amp-hour
- (Ah) a unit of measurement of how much power a battery has. If a battery is a 10 Ah battery, it will supply one amp for ten hours. Or ten amps for one hour (10x1=10), or five amps for two hours (5x2=10), or two amps for five hours (2x5=10) until it is discharged.
All ham radios come with a specification list including how much power they use in the manual. Radios use more power when transmitting than they do when listening. Here's an example from a Yaesu 991a, a higher-end radio:
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| Yaesu 991a power consumption |
- If there is no radio signal present and it is only turned on and not transmitting, it only consumes 1.8 amps. (Rx = receiving).
- If there is a radio signal and you're only listening, it consumes 2.2 amps.
- If you are transmitting (Tx=transmit), at full power (100 watts) on High Frequency (HF - global communications), it consumes 23 amps. On the 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands at full power (50 watts) which you use for localized operations through the repeaters (144Mhz, VHF, and 430Mhz, or UHF) it only consumes 15 amps.
Obviously you're not going to be keying the mic and transmitting the entire time, so depending on how much you're transmitting and what frequency you are on and whether you are actually picking anyone up all determines how much power you use over time.
So if you have a 10 Ah battery, it would power this radio listening with a signal (2.2 amps) for approximately 4.5 hours (10/2.2=4.5). If you have a 200Ah battery, it would last approximately 90 hours (200/2.2=90.9), which is 3.75 days.
If you get a different radio, like the TYT-TH9800, it only consumes 0.5 amps listening, and 8.5amps transmitting, so the same 200Ah battery would last 400 hours if you're only listening, or approximately 16 days. So, power isn't everything, it is also your radio and what you're doing with it that determines how long your power lasts.
Fancier radios consume more power.
SOLAR CELLS:
They do not work as well when it is cloudy and do not work at night.
They work better when they are directly pointed at the sun, which will require moving them periodically for longer charging periods.
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| Can be carried like a briefcase |
If you run a radio off solar power with no battery, as soon as a cloud appears or the sun goes down, you stop operating.
There are two types solar panels - polycrystalline and monocrystalline. Polycrystalline panels are less efficient and less expensive, they are light blue when you look at them. Monocrystalline panels are dark blue and are the most efficient and produce more power with less space, and are, you guessed it, more expensive.
More powerful solar cells will charge a battery faster than lower power ones, and a larger battery will take longer to charge than a smaller one.
Suffice it to say, get the best you are able to that suits your needs. You will have to experiment before you are able to become proficient at using solar power to maintain ham radio operations.
POWER PACKS:
Just note, the more features and digital displays and such that they have, the more power they consume. As always, the more power they have the longer they last, and, the more expensive they are. It's great if you can learn to charge these from your vehicle, and many come with solar panels as a combo kit.
GAS GENERATORS:
Many people wish to purchase a gas powered generator for emergency power. Lessons learned from other Ham radio operators and other disasters was that getting fuel for generators in a really bad disaster was very difficult. Transporting fuel can also be very difficult. In some places, the noise of the generator attracted unwanted attention from people who were looking to obtain supplies from people who were prepared.
Storing fuel long-term can be difficult, and there are limitations on the amount of fuel that you can store in your house in many places. Additionally, generators themselves are and can be very expensive. However, if you wish to use a generator, I would encourage you to prayerfully do your own research and homework on what's going to be the best fit for you and your family. For emergency communications, we typically do not require the power volume that a gas-powered generator produces.
CONSERVING POWER:
At the end of it all, managing your power is a skill that you will acquire over time. Here's some tips:
1) Turn your transmission power down to the minimum needed.
2) Turn your volume down.
3) Become efficient at communicating - keep messages short - reduces transmit time and power consumption.
4) Turn off backlights on your radio screen (no need to have the backlight on in the daytime, or running continuously at night).
5) Be prepared for an emergency, have your notebooks and message forms ready so you can write them down the first time and aren't making others repeat and use their power as well as your own.
6) Become familiar with your radio and the systems you are going to have to operate on, their frequencies. This makes it easier to troubleshoot problems so you don't waste time and power trying to figure out why people can't hear you or you can't hear them. PRACTICE!
TIPS FROM EXPERIENCE:
Don't go overboard with this - line upon line, precept on precept - don't run faster than you are able. Get one system down and thoroughly practiced and troubleshot and then move on to starting the next one. You don't need the best of everything, having basic equipment and being able to afford all the other necessities is better than having one of the best of something but nothing else. Prepare diligently.
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