Emergency Solar Generator with Goal Zero Boulder 15 Panels

This is my portable power box 2.0 designed to run a 100 watt HF amateur transceiver (or two) nearly indefinitely! Below are the links I promised and some mor…
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25 replies
  2. Brian A
    Brian A says:

    did you put in any type of MPPT Charge control in your system? I’ve heard
    of people getting much more power out of the Boulders by using one.

    Reply
  4. KF7IJZ
    KF7IJZ says:

    Thanks for the idea. I actually did eventually figure that out after I
    filmed this. THere is a point where too much is too much though as it gets
    top heavy. The GoalZero tripod also works well and gives me full adjustment.

    Reply
  5. keegangm
    keegangm says:

    I have a similar tripod, just a quick tip. Rotate whatever it is you need
    to by 180 degrees with respect to the head. Mounting something backwards
    like this opens up the range of motion of that specific head type. I do
    this all the time when photographing the night sky.

    Reply
  6. scotty562
    scotty562 says:

    If those two batteries alone would run your stuff in receive mode for 30
    hours, why not just get a few large batteries? Seems like a much easier
    route to go.

    Reply
  7. KF7IJZ
    KF7IJZ says:

    With the Sunsaver MPPT, I have discovered a “whine” that affects the 10m
    band. Spacing was 100 or 150khz between appearances. This noise was
    noticeable but not terribly so. I don’t remember hearing anything on VHF. I
    will have to keep an ear out for this!

    Reply
  10. KF7IJZ
    KF7IJZ says:

    I own several of Goal Zero’s other products (including a Yeti 1250),
    however, this is a natively 12v only system and most Goal Zero packs are
    designed for more consumer uses. This system is designed purely to run
    radio equipment, where I am working with currents from 20-30 amps. Also,
    this system is almost 100% free of RFI, and uses a more efficient charge
    controller. I also get 100% performance logging and monitoring of every
    stage in the chain if needed.

    Reply
  11. Joshua Purpora
    Joshua Purpora says:

    Have you tested the PWRgate PG40S with this setup? I am looking to add a
    MPPT controller between my panels and the PG40s. I am using the PG40s for
    battery charging. It is jumpered for AGM batteries and it prefers 14.5v DC
    input. Have you been able to find a MPPT controller that has configurable
    fixed output?

    Reply
  12. KF7IJZ
    KF7IJZ says:

    It depends on many factors. First, when using SSB for voice transmission,
    you are drawing, on average, 10-13Amps, as the 22 amps is peak current and
    sideband is not a full duty cycle mode. Secondly, since the panels are
    constantly recharging, you hope that your rate of replenishment is greater
    than your rate of depletion. A MPPT solar charge controller is going to
    help maximize the rate of charging. I’ll be posting another video soon that
    will address this further.

    Reply
  14. badphobar
    badphobar says:

    great box. The power the dummy load of the charger to run phone chargers,
    extra cell or battery charger. heater, other device that can charge a
    flashlight for future use, etc. it could power things 15 amps or external
    extra power source to keep your handi talky charged on extra solar power. 73

    Reply
  15. jr10
    jr10 says:

    Great video. You did an awesome job putting that generator together. I had
    a quick question. Towards the beginning of the video, you show your watts
    up meter hooked to the array, before attaching the other end to the box. At
    that point your meter is registering both volts and amps. When I hook my
    meter to a panel it only registers volts, with no amp reading. Am I missing
    something or do you think the meter is defective? Thank in advance for any
    help 🙂

    Reply
  17. walkertongdee
    walkertongdee says:

    Hey thought Id help and show you a single panel with 40 more watts for
    for $128. instead of $300. 100W Watts 100 Watt Solar Panel $128 Ebay.

    Reply
  19. walkertongdee
    walkertongdee says:

    If your power usage is 100 w. it is a good idea to double that in solar
    panels so 200w. is a better way to go because panels never put out their
    rated wattage.

    Reply
  22. Clayton Nall
    Clayton Nall says:

    Another great video. You do a great job walking folks through the
    technology and using the video time efficiently. 

    Reply
  24. dwarfcar76
    dwarfcar76 says:

    Volts x Amps = Power. lol. What he was talking about is if you take the
    voltage needed times the max amp draw it will tell you the wattage needed
    to run the unit at max load. For example, If you have a 240v Unit that
    draws max amps of 30, you will need 7200 watts to run the unit under max
    load. So Volts x Amps = Watts. Its a good formula to know when buying our
    building an emergency generator. 

    Reply
  25. Jay Mee
    Jay Mee says:

    i like it you should put an ac inverter in for a couple hundred watts of ac
    output on a switch 😛 i like that box aswell what is it called so i can
    search on amazon for it?

    Reply

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