KC5TGT-10 Solar Powered APRS iGate

[@One-Eyed-Willly]

Nice setup. The only two changes i would do is one, have the intake Stright up and down, second i would use an LiFePO4 battery. Just for others to know , you would need a LiFePO4 charge controller for that. For extra cred, I would add a Meshtastic node. I thank that little add on is good because everyone can join in the fun. Thanks for sharing.

[@jermlac]

Awesome build, thank you for sharing with the community.

[@jaysmith8684]

looks great, bobby! can't wait to get over there and see it in the real world.

[@mikemcdonald5147]

really neat build and I like its solar powered.

[@DonzLockz]

very nice setup you got there. All nice and neat too.✌️🤓

[@KC5TGTRadiosNMore]

Been working great too. Passing a lot of data on the APRS system!

[@markphillips8019]

Those Harbor Freight panels and PWM charge controller ought to be outlawed! They are sooo expensive considering that they are only 100W. This kit currently retails for $169.99. You could have got a "proper" solar panel and a MPPT controller and a few beers for less than that. I'd be interested to see how well all that plastic surrounding the panels fairs in the UV. And the electrical wiring is a bit limp too. They supply the panels with inadequate gauge cabling and so there's a huge voltage drop over short distances. Kudos for your MacGyvering skills though!!

[@KC5TGTRadiosNMore]

I do not disagree that Harbor Freight is charging way too much for these panels today. I did mention @ 1:21 in the video that these were old panels that I had in storage. So I decided to put them to use for this project. That said, I did not pay _current prices_ for these and when I did purchase them of course I used a coupon. LOL I think I got them years ago for around $89.00 if memory serves me right. I would still recommend using better panels and charge controllers if you have the money to do so. But sometimes to control cost you got to use what you already have on hand. For this project I already had the Solar Panel Kit, Plastic Box, Computer Fan & Car Battery. The Rohn Tower, Coax and Antenna had been abandon in place due to the owner relocating. And the Motorola Radio was donated to assist with getting this project "on the air". The wood and tin used is old and were left overs from odd projects. To complete it I had to purchase the WX3in1 (not cheap), Argent Data Audio Adapter (cheap), Vonets Wi-Fi Adapter (cheap) and the Powerwerx distribution block (cheap). Kinda had to laugh when you mentioned MacGyver because it's not the first time I've been accused of making things work from scraps.... Several of my friends call me MacGyver as a nickname. Thanks for watching and take care!

[@pacorrodelgadillo8429]

Nice build. Kudos XE2B

[@alvarogaitan2529]

fantastic job 73 from kb2uew

[@W4TRI_Ronny]

I bought the Moto adaptor board as well but I have an older 16 pin Moto radio. Did you have to enable/disable/change anything in programming to make the board work with the TNC? Scott builds great stuff but sometimes is not big on details/docs. Very nice setup!

[@KC5TGTRadiosNMore]

Wish I could provide a better answer but I had a friend that works with commercial radios tweak the radio settings and adjust the gain pot on the audio adapter board to get it working. He has access to professional testing equipment and was able to test and adjust everything.

[@alvarogaitan2529]

great video 73 from kb2uew

[@KC5TGTRadiosNMore]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@223aztec]

May i ask why you chose to pull the operating power directly from the battery rather than from the load port on the solar controller? Also I noted you have a custom Map Icon for this station, Black diamond with overlay, how did you do that? This is quite similar to one I am putting together here in NM, I hope I have as good a result as you have here.

[@One-Eyed-Willly]

If my memory serves me right, the docs have recommend to pull power from the battery. You can pull more current from the battery and not over load the controller.

[@kg5nub]

Can you send me the setup on the wx3in1 I got one but not sure the programming on it