ANTENNA MOBILE GAIN
Tuned to Railroad Band as reviewed in Railfan & Railroad
• Increased range • 5/8 wave, 3db gain • Tuned for optimum Sensitivity, 160-161 Mhz. • Heavy-duty magnetic
$76
The Nomad 20 is a 20-watt folding solar panel produced by Net Zero company. The panel can be found on Amazon for around $200. It is easily transportable, weighing about three pounds. It will charge USB and 12-volt devices.
current flowing from the solar panel, the device will divert that power to the device to avoid draining the storage battery. All of these accessory electronic devices
benefit from modern technology, which means they are lightweight, compact, and draw little current, all of which is important to keep pack volume down and keep overhead power demands to a minimum; that is, you want as much energy as possible to flow to your devices and not to the accessory electronics. With this in mind, it’s also a good idea to avoid using power inverters whenever possible. Readily available in department stores, these devices convert 12-volt battery power from an auto cigarette lighter into 110-volt a.c. for plugging in line-powered devices. The problem is that inverters are inherently inefficient and will waste a lot of battery power on the way to converting the power from d.c. to a.c. For this reason, when operating from a solar system it’s always better to use the d.c. power input jack on your scanner or device instead of the a.c. power plug whenever you have a choice. Because of the popularity of portable electronic devices and interest in solar energy, many suppliers provide portable solar power systems for laptops and cell phones. Fortunately, these systems can be easily adapted to work with radio scanners either by using the correct adapter with the power cables, using rechargeable batteries with your scanner, or for those who like to tinker, by kitbashing existing equipment such as modifying off-the-shelf power cables. What’s important is to select a solar panel or system that has the correct output voltage for your scanner, which for most is 12 volts d.c. If you plan to use multiple devices with your solar power system, you’ll need multiple, selectable output voltages. For many portable solar power systems, this is not a problem because they are capable of putting out voltages at multiple levels, some simultaneously. You can find out which voltage your scanner requires, the polarity requirements of the input power jack (center pin positive or negative), and the type of jack by consulting the owner’s manual or looking it up online. As for system capacity, most scanners
and batteries can be effectively powered and charged by a system having a 20-watt solar panel. The storage battery should be 12 volts
and rated for at least 18 ampere-hours (Ah). This is a common portable battery, readily available online and from local sources such as Batteries Plus as a type UB12180. Cables to adapt the battery to a variety of devices including laptops are also readily had. As always, pay attention to polarity — devices won’t work if they’re not connected properly and might even be damaged, although most devices feature built-in protection against reverse-polarity connections.
Further Research If you’d like to know more about solar
power for your scanner and other devices, a Google search will yield hours of reading and exploration. Web sites that will be of interest include Voltaic Systems (www.voltaicsystems. com) and Goal Zero (
www.goalzero.com) which describe complete portable/backpackable solar power systems for electronics and related accessories, and Batteries America (
www.batteriesamerica.com) for rechargeable scanner batteries and replacement battery holders for using standard rechargeable batteries in lieu of proprietary battery packs. For those who like to “roll your own,” an excellent web site (
www.w4hh.org) hosted by Joe Schlatter describes in detail how he conceived and set up his solar-powered radio scanner system in his back shed. He also offers a wealth of general information on solar power for radio applications. Click the link at the bottom of his “My Solar/ Battery-Powered Equipment” page for details and photos covering his antenna and solar-powered radio, which could be easily adapted to work with both base and handheld scanners. By using modern solar power and storage
battery technology, we can avoid that sinking feeling of having no power in difficult situations. Even if your batteries are dead, you’re no more than a day away from at least being able take photos and to power up your cell phone. Having a reliable backup solar power system could save that once-in- a-lifetime railfan trip into the wilderness or even a life. It’s worth thinking about.
SEND YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT RAILROAD RADIO to Vincent Reh by email at
scanman@railfan.com.
61 84
mount - other options 20
PLUS $19 SHIPPING Specify scanner type
Box 38881, Germantown, TN 38183
www.railcom.net
E-mail:
railcom@aol.com 901-755-1514
Fax: 901-756-8242
MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. © 2012 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
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