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Percival P. Cassidy

On 09/16/2015 11:11 PM, wrote:

CB radio too, batteries, solar charging. Amateur repeaters will not
work on
battery for long without solar backup.

*Legal* CB radio equipment is by design a low-power short-range
communication facility.

Which opens the question. Suppose the ham radio repeaters
have batteries. How do those batteries get recharged?

They get charged from house current or from a generator. Of course the
batteries last only a while, depending on their capacity. I have two 6V
golf-cart batteries in series that are float-charged from house current.
I also have a generator, and I usually have two 6-gallon cans of gas for
it on hand.

I don't have solar charging capabilities, but some amateur radio
operators do.

"Field Day" is a nationwide exercise held each June, in which amateur
radio operators communicate from temporary installations in parks,
schools, etc., so there should be a pool of experienced communicators
available in emergencies.

If you have a Rural King near you, it seems to be the best place to
get cheap golf cart batteries. ($60 on sale plus all of the bullspit
fees).
That is $20 less than Costco/Sam etc
They are nice deep cycle batteries for various backup projects.
I have an old cart here I use for driving around the neighborhood and
as a tractor for dragging stuff around the yard.
It also gives me a good source of DC volts in an emergency. I am still
looking for a deal on a 36v 120 inverter.

I'd never heard of Rural King, and now I see that the closest one is 70
miles away. Costco will suit me better when I need replacements.

Perce