Reddit reviews MinnKota Trolling Motor Power Center

Deep cycle boat battery yo.



And a battery box with external hookups.


amazon.com/MinnKota-Trolling-Motor-Power-Center/dp/B001PTHKMG?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B001PTHKMG





Lasted me all Electric Forest 2016 and only lost 50% charge between 6 people.

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PTHKMG/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?qid=1425953252&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=deep+cycle+battery

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

Sure.
Lots of people use this one which is nice because it's got all you need built in plus some fancier features out of the box.

What I use and was talking about previous is something like this and this

It didn't post the link. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001PTHKMG/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?qid=1425953252&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=deep+cycle+battery

I have a Marine deep cycle battery, battery case and an inverter to work from my laptop if I have to while camping or remote with no electricity. If that ends up being it’s only use I could see it lasting a few weeks or more.

Not so handy to lug around as they are heavy but still an option I guess.

Edit: This is the exact case I have. It’s got cigarette lighter inlet, a few USB inputs and the +/- posts.

Sure thing.

I am running this battery
Optima Batteries 8027-127 D27M BlueTop Starting and Deep Cycle Marine Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UFXHQI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3lL4yb7C6Z6P6

Which I installed in this box
MinnKota Trolling Motor Power Center https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PTHKMG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_coL4ybRZADD52

I use this charger to keep it ready to go
Stanley BC1509 15 Amp Automatic Battery Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U04MSU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xnL4yb0GFAMKG

I like the MinnKota Trolling Motor Power Center as it has a carry handle, terminals to hook up my charger, and two 12v cigarette lighter outlets. I use one outlet for my 12v adapter for my CPAP machine and the other to keep my cell phone charge. It also has a simple meter to show the battery charge.

Using this setup I can get 6 night for summer camp and still have at least 75% charge on the battery.

Are you really set on solar? Depends on how much you drive but you maybe better off with an alternator connection. What type of fan are you using? You maybe able to go a little smaller than 100 amp hrs. That is a lot for just a laptop/phone/electronics lights.

A good example of how simple 12V can be is this box
https://www.amazon.com/MinnKota-Trolling-Motor-Power-Center/dp/B001PTHKMG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1496277131&sr=8-8&keywords=battery+box+27
It has a few inline breakers (10 amp and 60 amp) in the box for the 12V outlets.

My list would look something like this...

Kenwood TS-480SAT - $849.95

Satisfies the portable requirement without the QRP-ness. Easily connects to your computer for digital modes, negating the need to purchase a Signalink.

Antennas are a tricky subject. I'd steer clear of the 40m hamstick, it's going to be quite inefficient and 40m isn't a particularly great daytime band, I'd be looking at 20m if you plan on doing most of your hamming during the daylit hours. Maybe get something like an end fed matchbox wire or OCF dipole, easy to deploy, transport, and tune across multiple bands with a built in rig tuner. A full size MFJ 20m vertical telescoping whip is also a good choice and is going to be a great deal more efficient than a 40m hamstick. Don't skimp here, buy the most antenna you can afford within your setup limitations.

Cost - Variable ~$40 - $100+.

What size of battery are you looking for? A small SLA type to transport in a backpack for hiking for maybe an hour or two of operation, or a big automotive type battery to transport to an operation site in a vehicle and last all day? Every single car type battery sold in this country is made by 1 of 3 companies -Delphi, Exide and Johnson Controls, just with a different retailers label slapped on it, so buy the cheapest deep cycle battery you can find that meets your size and amp hour requirements. Costco is a great choice if you have a membership or Wal-Mart because they cycle through their inventory quickly and you won't be buying a battery that's been sitting on a shelf for a year.

A nice big group 31 battery will run you ~ $100. Cheaper if you go smaller.

I'd recommend a nice battery box like this to put it in. - $50

A decent battery charger will set you back about $40. Maybe a bit cheaper if you shop around a bit. If you have a Harbor Freight nearby, they actually have a pretty good battery charger that they put on sale frequently for 25 bucks or so.

We're up to $1040 without antenna. That leaves you $250 to play with for an antenna and any other incidentals like coax cable, connectors, antenna mounts and the like.

Also, unless you plan on running off the battery all the time, you haven't budgeted for a power supply for fixed station operation. A 100W rig will need a 20A power supply and that will set you back about $100 for something that isn't trash.

Do you already have a power supply for fixed operation? If no, you'll be running off the battery all the time. A 20A power supply that isn't garbage will set you back about $100.

The yeti is nice, i have never used one. Some say it is overpriced, but you have to admit that it is a nice simple all in one thing - battery, usb,300 watt pure sine wave inverter, and can charge from 120 vac,12vdc,or solar.

It is what it is, 33Ah battery so if that is not enough then what? If you are going to charge from 12 (like your car) you will need hours and hours. Now if you are willing to put an isolator on you van/car? you could charge faster than a cigarette lighter socket but then you are adding complexity for just using occasionally. So if you can live with the capacity then it's a neat package.

The prices for the big yeti are over $1.4K ? I think that is 100Ah of battery. I think that would get you through a weekend with enough spare energy as to not have to ration. idk And this would just be charged at home or if you find 120vac while you are away.

I will think it over more as it is late for me. But what I have done before is to use a battery box and a separate inverter. The box and battery(battery is bad now) I owned from the trolling motor set up for my canoe. It is not a clean set up but can be used in pieces as you like. So if you have separate pieces and your battery runs low you just hook up the inverter to the van, and don't run out of fun times.

here are some amazon links - non referrals so take a look and seeif you get what I mean.

https://www.amazon.com/MinnKota-Trolling-Motor-Power-Center/dp/B001PTHKMG Nice thing here is it will hold any battery up to group 24 or 27

https://www.amazon.com/VMAXMB127-Battery-Replacement-Caddy-Golf/dp/B00BDV7OO0 I just picked a 100Ah battery at random

https://www.amazon.com/Wagan-EL2601-Elite-400W-Inverter/dp/B007Y4BL1C

https://www.amazon.com/VMAXTANKS-Maintainer-Automobile-Batteries-maintain/dp/B00IZV91Q0/ref=pd_sim_263_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00IZV91Q0&pd_rd_r=2VBEJM4WJG5N3CAX8905&pd_rd_w=uLdL1&pd_rd_wg=0Vigf&psc=1&refRID=2VBEJM4WJG5N3CAX8905 Any GOOD battery charger will do.

So like $500, but you now own a nice box, battery, charger, and inverter. So play with the idea and see if it would fit your style. Just an option.

Here is what some guy did with $1000 and you could scale this to your needs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=offgcMwuTGw

Sorry for the mess of a post.

Good luck and have fun. Be sure to let the sub know what you come up with.