Upgrading the Backup Battery in the Shack

[@N5XHIworkshop]

I just purchased an epic PWRgate and I love it. ❤ I am running a winlink VHF gateway and my FT-857D with it. The power supply that I use is a 12v 10a turned up to 14.4v. The lifepo4 battery I use is only 50ah and the solar panel is 100w. You can only use a 12v (30 voc Max) solar panel with the epic PWRgate so that limits you to around an 195w panel.

[@Krispin291]

You nailed this on the head. I was in the Caribbean when hurricane Hugo went through. Everybody was scared of the wind and damage it could cause. What we were least prepared for was the big issue. The flooding was devastating. Leaving an immense amount of devastation and big death. No power and potable water for months. It was a struggle. If we were better prepared with an all inclusive plan, it could have been less stressful. Lesson learned! Thank you for this video. 👍👍

[@bwillan]

As soon as you know are in the midst of a longer power outage, it would be best to immediately hookup the solar panels to the 200AH battery. Best to keep the battery topped off as it is being used and don't let it discharge too far. This will extend your backup operational time significantly. Don't wait to start charging the battery until it is depleted.

[@taz9075]

Great video and thank you. Sorry if this is a stupid question or suggestion but can you do a video sometime showing the power gate and how you did everything for those of us that aren’t that familiar with them? I know you mentioned it in the video briefly and I appreciate that. Thank you very much

[@johnk23705]

Very good plan. I've taken it a step further. I have a dedicated cable from the shack to the outside where I can quickly lay out and hook up solar panels. This connects to a charge controller and pure sine wave inverter (with my battery bank) also in the shack. This allows charging when the sun is out as I use my radio gear. I have found the EP Ever charge controller to be reasonably quiet as far as RF induced noise. The inverter can produce RF when in use. Keeps me from lugging around a heavy battery and helps keep the battery level up in use. It also allows me to protect my panels from bad weather. 73 !

[@NeilWaybright]

Good video! There was a second 200Ah LiFerPO4 battery that has the low temp charging cutout for ten dollars more on that same Amazon link in case you missed it (or they changed it after you made your video).

[@Scout75PortableRadio]

Great setup, Jason. You definitely have your bases covered nicely. I'm going to look into getting on of those power gates for my shack! Currently I keep a 100Ah battery under my shack desk and manually switch to it, if I need. I really like the idea of using that device. Especially as my shack grows. I plan to add an APRS Igate and GMRS repeater to my home setup in the next year. So something like this would pretty much be a must for emergency preparedness.

[@KM4ACK]

You won’t regret adding a power gate.

[@tomsmall6220]

I just bought a 100 amp hour battery and a 20 amp charger. I noticed some of the chargers will shut off once charged and don't come back on. Make sure you get one that floats or maintains. Thanks for the video - good stuff as always 👍

[@californiakayaker]

Once I saw how cool these batteries were and how safe they were inside, I expanded mine. Its about 1.75 Tesla walls, about 23,000 watt hours, close to 2000 amp hurs at 14v. SO, what I began to think about was, since I'm in one of the most expensive power area's in the US, and also one of the areas where power is literally shut off if there is a high wind and fire danger, I decided to begin to sever myself from the Grid. It stars with changing to a 12v fridge and 12v lighting, and little by little everything will become solar powered. I've already cut my power bill in half and have no tricky agreements with the power company. MIne are DIY batteries with BMS circuits I've added. So, the cost was far less. Its a pain to deal with China , at least when it comes to batteries because they are shipped with ocean freight, takes two months. Definitely worth doing though. The BMS boards were very inexpensive, $12 from ebay. Really happy with this system.

[@robertmeyer4744]

Nice upgrade. If that was 200AH AGM then the weight on the floor may be a problem. Love the LiFePO4 tech ! remember the math for backup systems is N=N + 1 . That power gate has solar input you can use with portable panels . You can DC to DC charge from a car if need to. Even wind gens for 12V systems . so many ways to charge 12V systems now. 73

[@KM4ACK]

I wouldn’t have been able to carry a 200Ah AGM up the stairs 😂

[@KevinW8BRY]

Have the same battery and you can’t beat it for the price! It’s running my shack with solar and the 40 amp charger to keep it topped off. Considering adding a second one.

[@tshirley05015]

You're off to a great start. The next phase to consider would be a small solar panel system permanently mounted somewhere to feed your battery so you can run indefinitely. Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. Deal with what you get.

[@kevinshumaker3753]

One issue with permanently mounted solar arrays: Weather. A good hail storm, or strong winds can destroy them. A good portable solar array, safely stored, can be a life saver addition, too.

[@tshirley05015]

@@kevinshumaker3753 Why does it have to be one or the other?

[@kevinshumaker3753]

@@tshirley05015 It doesn't. It's part of the overall consideration. Jason is a fan of the portable solar panels, too. I have 3 levels, now. Genny (dual power), Perm solar (Harbor Freight), and portable solar. I use mine both for backup and camping. I believe in my comfort at my age.

[@johnk23705]

@@kevinshumaker3753 Just run a cable from your shack to the yard and when needed, set up your panels. It only takes a few minutes and this way, the panels are safe and only out when needed and the weather allows. This has been the system I use and it works great.

[@kevinshumaker3753]

@@johnk23705 (a) the OP said "permanently", hence my original reply. (b) This is already how I deal with it...

[@neubert500]

Very good video Sir!

[@KM4ACK]

Thank you very much!

[@DrivinwithJoe]

Great information. I have a 230ah battery that I would like to use to power some equipment and would like to find a smart charger that would keep the battery topped off with shore power and when the power goes out, there would be a need for a switch. But just haven't found the right setup as of yet. Thanks for the video.

[@johnwesterman]

If you really want to expand, thinking about being off-grid is likely the way to go. But it is much more expensive and involved. Solar arrays with a big(er) battery bank, grid-tie inverter, etc. Then everything is on "standby" automatically and it is just a matter of how much reserve power do you want. Like you, I'm not there yet but that is where I'm headed. Our power is relatively cheap but it has also been less reliable in the past few years. I have an always ready 36kW generator feeding all my existing backup systems which works well. But eventually (15 or so days) you run out of propane and have to get more fossil fuel. Solar arrays with LifePO4 array is the way to get around that. Then you have a full blown engineering and science project on your hands which is a whole other problem you have to deal with.

[@LifeAtTerminalVelocity]

The PowerGate has been on my list for at least two years. Every time I try to buy one at a hamfest they are out of stock on them.

[@KM4ACK]

This might be an alternative www.novexcomm.com/FlintHillsRadioProducts.php

[@N5XHIworkshop]

West Mountain has reconditioned ones in stock. I understand that they should be in stock in January 2025. I found one in stock at an old mom & pop ham store in Kansas a month ago.

[@kb6lcw99]

More ammo, I mean more batteries is required!

[@Sylvan_dB]

You can parallel your 100ah with the new 200ah for 300ah. Treat them as one larger battery unless you would rather have separate run time instead of longer run time,

[@dougdaniels]

Thanks Jason. In place of the PWRgate, can you recommend a basic trickle charger for LiFePo4 batteries?

[@kaboom4679]

Look at something like the EG4 Chargeverter , which can charge the bank from grid , or , generator . The thing is specifically designed to be able to handle " dirty " power from traditional generators and cheap inverter gens pushed to their rated load or beyond . Lots of solar charge controllers / off grid and hybrid inverters will come with provisions for a generator input , but , will shut down if they sense the type of high THD and noise on the generator input . Even if you have a back feed into a panel , the dirty power will usually trigger a shutdown of the inverter and / or charge functions . The beauty of one or more of those chragevertera is if your electric company does demand based billing , charging significantly higher rates for use during peak demand times versus off peak hours , you can set them to charge a bank during off peak hours at the cheapest rate , and , run on your bank during peak high rate hours . Of course this assumes you have enough capacity to carry you through the entire peak demand period . It's called peak shaving and can save you big money on your electric bill . For large systems , 48 volt batteries are the way to go in most cases . Higher voltage means lower amperage draw , and , smaller gauge , cheaper wiring that is easier to work on and manage . If you need 12 volts it's easy to use a DC to DC converter .

[@rickgilbrt]

I found that a pair of 100 Ah Cyclenblatt minis on Amazon would be $53 cheaper than a Redodo 200 Ah unit and would include low temp protection. It's a little more cabling to put 2 in parallel, but it seems like that would be easier to manage than the "big unit". Any thoughts?

[@MarkSpohr]

You might consider solar panels to keep the batteries charged during prolonged outages.

[@LeeMcc_KI5YPR]

EPIC-H Pwrgate out of stock. No surprise. I was planning to add one and a battery to the shack even before Helene. I will try other outlets and/or just be patient.

[@timgarrity3985]

Seems like it's been out of stock for thr last year

[@KM4ACK]

I don’t have experience with these but they might be an alternative www.novexcomm.com/FlintHillsRadioProducts.php

[@ka2aubsworld]

Great minds think alike. I have a 200 amp LiFePo battery in my EmComm skoolie. After this, I'm considering a 50 amp battery for portable stuff. Question - Would the Evolve PC run off these kinds of batteries?

[@KM4ACK]

Yes. The Evolve will work with LiFePO4 batteries.

[@ZL2SEA]

With all the Lithium battery fires happening are you not concerned about having that battery in the house? I am considering having my Lithium batteries stored outside in metal tool box. what are your thoughts? regards Nigel ZL2SEA

[@rickgilbrt]

Lithium iron phosphate is much safer chemistry in that regard than lithium ion. It's slightly less energy dense, so you will still see Li-ion in devices where size/weight matters, such as cell phones and tablets and laptops.

[@thedoobie1]

So, you keep your powersupply turned on 24/7?

[@KM4ACK]

Yes. The power gate is designed to work that way

[@billryland6199]

You need enough solar capacity to keep the 200 AH battery charged and supply loads at the same time.

[@AD6DMDennis]

I can't imagine more than a couple days without commercial power.

[@kevinshumaker3753]

I live in the midwest US in tornado alley, and have to deal with them, and winter ice storms/blizzards, too. I've sat through several 1 week plus episodes, both summer and winter. I feel for those in W NC and central FL that still have no power...

[@rickgilbrt]

All it took for us to lose commercial power for over 4 days in Federal Way, WA, was a cold snap into the mid-teens with ice and snow. Only once in 13+ yrs, but it happened. I learned that a gas grill on the deck makes a decent small refrigerator when daytime temps barely get up to freezing. I'm still in western WA, and when the "big one" hits the Cascadia Subduction Zone, our power outage may be measured in months, especially since our little town of 17,000 is on an island and not that close to Seattle. Solar + batteries seems the best choice. That's great for the summer, but we get very short days, often overcast or raining from November through February.

[@solaris8592]

Not 300 amps, 300 Ah.

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

Car batteries prices have gone crazy , to much price in other than lead and plastic 🤷‍♂️