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Hey Everyone!
I've been in the process of building a Solar/Battery powered Amateur Radio Simplex Repeater for the last year. In the various revisions of my original design, I've been cutting down the weight as much as possible to ensure that the system is backpack capable, as it's designed to be deployed onto remote mountain tops.
Along those lines I decided to spend a little bit more money and go with a Marine Grade thin flexible solar panel that has a 50 watt output and only weighs 2.5 pounds. The 40 Watt glass panel it replaced weighed 18 pounds, so that alone was a vast reduction in weight. To get the weight down even further, I decided to construct a PVC stand for the solar panel that will orient the panel to the 'best all-around' sun angle for the entire year (I split the maximum and minimum angle in half to obtain the best average performance throughout the entire year).
The complete setup weighs under 5 pounds, and provides a base to stack some logs and rocks on to keep the panel from moving in high winds. It also can be backpacked while dissembled, and put together at the deployment site with some PVC Cement, or easily carried pre-assembled on the outside of a backpack with some cordage. The panel can be secured to the stand with industrial strength UV Resistant Zip Ties, Steel Zip Ties, or some other sturdy material to connect the panels eyelets around the PVC Stand.
On the final version of the stand, the front edges of the solar panel, and the entire rear side of the solar panel, will be painted in camouflage for a low profile. The solar panel's cable will be covered with Kevlar jacketing to prevent any critters or Vandals from cutting though the wiring.
This solar panel setup will be connected to my Ammo Can Simplex Repeater, which is also a work still in progress. I plan on finishing all parts of this project by the end of winter (delayed due to myself moving out of NY to Indiana). Each component of the build will have a quick breakdown thread, with the completed Solar Powered Repeater having a dedicated thread meticulously detailing it in all it's glory once final deployment and testing is complete.
My Components List:
1. Renogy 50 Watt Semi-Flexible Solar Panel. This will run a 5-25 Watt Repeater if your battery setup is sized correctly for the intended Duty Cycle of usage.
2. PVC Pipe from local hardware store in the diameter of your choosing.
3. PVC Pipe Cutter for nice and clean cuts.
4. PVC Cement.
The PVC Pipe, PVC Cutter, and PVC Cement cost me $25.00 at Lowes. Your price may vary.
PVC Stand Pic 01:
2
PVC Stand Pic 02:
PVC Stand Pic 03:
Renogy 50 Watt Motocrystaline Semi-Flexible Solar Panel with MC4 Waterproof Connectors:
Renogy 50 Watt Monocrystaline Semi-Flexible Solar Panel Specifications:
PVC Stand Pic 04:
The completed setup weighs under 5 pounds, and has provided 48 watts on a full cloud-free NY Day, and 11 watts with the sun just above the horizon (both measurements with the panel aimed directly at the sun). With the panel set at a stationary optimal position (very few trees), it can collect a solid 10 hours of sunlight to keep my batteries fully charged. So far so good!
I've been in the process of building a Solar/Battery powered Amateur Radio Simplex Repeater for the last year. In the various revisions of my original design, I've been cutting down the weight as much as possible to ensure that the system is backpack capable, as it's designed to be deployed onto remote mountain tops.
Along those lines I decided to spend a little bit more money and go with a Marine Grade thin flexible solar panel that has a 50 watt output and only weighs 2.5 pounds. The 40 Watt glass panel it replaced weighed 18 pounds, so that alone was a vast reduction in weight. To get the weight down even further, I decided to construct a PVC stand for the solar panel that will orient the panel to the 'best all-around' sun angle for the entire year (I split the maximum and minimum angle in half to obtain the best average performance throughout the entire year).
The complete setup weighs under 5 pounds, and provides a base to stack some logs and rocks on to keep the panel from moving in high winds. It also can be backpacked while dissembled, and put together at the deployment site with some PVC Cement, or easily carried pre-assembled on the outside of a backpack with some cordage. The panel can be secured to the stand with industrial strength UV Resistant Zip Ties, Steel Zip Ties, or some other sturdy material to connect the panels eyelets around the PVC Stand.
On the final version of the stand, the front edges of the solar panel, and the entire rear side of the solar panel, will be painted in camouflage for a low profile. The solar panel's cable will be covered with Kevlar jacketing to prevent any critters or Vandals from cutting though the wiring.
This solar panel setup will be connected to my Ammo Can Simplex Repeater, which is also a work still in progress. I plan on finishing all parts of this project by the end of winter (delayed due to myself moving out of NY to Indiana). Each component of the build will have a quick breakdown thread, with the completed Solar Powered Repeater having a dedicated thread meticulously detailing it in all it's glory once final deployment and testing is complete.
My Components List:
1. Renogy 50 Watt Semi-Flexible Solar Panel. This will run a 5-25 Watt Repeater if your battery setup is sized correctly for the intended Duty Cycle of usage.
2. PVC Pipe from local hardware store in the diameter of your choosing.
3. PVC Pipe Cutter for nice and clean cuts.
4. PVC Cement.
The PVC Pipe, PVC Cutter, and PVC Cement cost me $25.00 at Lowes. Your price may vary.
PVC Stand Pic 01:
2PVC Stand Pic 02:
PVC Stand Pic 03:
Renogy 50 Watt Motocrystaline Semi-Flexible Solar Panel with MC4 Waterproof Connectors:
Renogy 50 Watt Monocrystaline Semi-Flexible Solar Panel Specifications:
PVC Stand Pic 04:
The completed setup weighs under 5 pounds, and has provided 48 watts on a full cloud-free NY Day, and 11 watts with the sun just above the horizon (both measurements with the panel aimed directly at the sun). With the panel set at a stationary optimal position (very few trees), it can collect a solid 10 hours of sunlight to keep my batteries fully charged. So far so good!
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