The best of times. Battery technology has made huge advances in a relatively short amount of time. When batteries started being commercially produced in the early 1900s, lead acid or “wet cell” batteries were the only option. “Dry cell” batteries were made too, but they were for small applications such... Read more »

The post Lithium Batteries: Where We Came From, Where We’re Going. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Didn’t see it coming. I’m sure I’m not the only one who felt completely blindsided to hear that MFJ Enterprises, a name that is surely known by every ham radio operator, is going out of business. The end of MFJ will also result in the sunset of its subsidiary brands,... Read more »

The post Everyone is an “MFJ Guy”: COMMENTARY appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

You didn’t know you needed one. Off grid amateurs often forego having an inverter as part of their power capability, most likely because DC powered radio gear doesn’t need one. An inverter also adds expense, and in the case of portable operations, adds weight and space. But inverters bring a... Read more »

The post Inverter Talk. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Nothing is sacred, including batteries. Do you have concerns about technology intruding on your life and privacy? We have reached a point where even batteries —yes, batteries— are documented and recorded. What am I talking about? You may have never heard of a digital battery passport (DBP), but pay attention... Read more »

The post Digital Battery Passport: Be Aware, Not Afraid. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

A classic never goes out of style. Way back in 2016 I posted the Off Grid Ham 100 Watts for $300 Solar Plant. Even today, that article is still hugely popular and one of the most viewed posts on this website. In a 2020 update, the $300 threshold not only... Read more »

The post The Off Grid Ham 100 Watts For $300 Solar Project -2023 Update appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

The unloved child. Lots of hams are very successful with solar. It seems to be the “go to” off grid power source. I don’t have firm numbers, but anecdotally it appears solar is more popular than even gas generators. Of course, solar is not the only game in town. Wind... Read more »

The post Wind Turbines For Off Grid Radio: Pros and Cons. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Exponential market growth! Lithium battery technology has made exponential market penetration in the last decade or so. Once an exotic and expensive platform, today nearly every battery-powered device uses lithium. Along with increased market acceptance comes attention, both good and bad. Most of the bad news circulating about lithium batteries... Read more »

The post Lithium Battery Fire Risks: Sorting It Out. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

The “holy grail” of solar energy? It’s been over six years since Off Grid Ham first covered perovskite solar. For the unfamiliar, perovskite solar is a new type of photovoltaic technology that is based on perovskite-structure crystals. There are several advantages. First, is efficiency. Perovskite solar is far more efficient... Read more »

The post Perovskite Solar Update. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

When you want to expand your battery capacity. Off grid ham radio has an addictive quality about it. You tell yourself, “I’ll get a modest battery and solar panel and just fool around a little bit. I’m not too serious about this,” thinking that’s as far as you’ll ever go.... Read more »

The post Battery Isolators, Separators, and Combiners. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Wish list. Most off grid hams are off grid only for portable operations. Many of them would like a larger, permanent home system but don’t know where to start or what such a project involves. If having an off grid home solar power system has been a longtime wish, this... Read more »

The post Planning For Off Grid Home Solar. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Graduation time. A lot of if not most off grid hams have only one battery in their system. Connecting a single battery is more or less self-explanatory. What should you do when you expand your system to include multiple batteries? Should they be in series? In parallel? Is one way... Read more »

The post Series and Parallel Battery Connection Techniques. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

It cannot be avoided… Batteries are arguably the weakest link in the off grid radio chain. Solar panels, controllers, connecting cables, and almost everything else can last years, even decades. But batteries are a consumable product and no matter how good yours are, it’s almost certain they will not last... Read more »

The post Batteries: Your Weakest Link. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Randall from Wisconsin, a longtime good friend of this blog and probably Off Grid Ham’s most loyal reader, has a blog of his own. It’s not exclusively a radio-related blog, but he does have a lot of solid content that any ham radio nut would enjoy. He recently posted a review of... Read more »

The post Bluetti AC200MAX Portable Power Station: GUEST CONTRIBUTOR appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Mother Nature flips the switch. Where I live in the upper Midwest USA, we were unusually lucky to have an extended warm Fall season. In early November we were still seeing highs over 70F (21C). I was raking leaves wearing shorts and a t-shirt! But ahhh yes, everyone knew the... Read more »

The post Lithium Batteries In The Cold: A Guide. appeared first on Off Grid Ham.