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[K1QQQ]

I know not what forum this belongs in but I have been missing another possible operating angel.

If a generator was light enough and quiet could it not be a possible miracle for people unable to operate ?

I have heard HONDA. Quiet ? If one has no options drive somewhere and use a quiet generator. 100 watt transceiver ? I know not the varieties and costs but quiet a must. A camping trip ? I briefly surfed upon a few Honda's but nothing yet to learn anything.


Fuel and longevity ? Quiet ? Weight ? Longevity ? RFI.   Forget powering for electrical failures (for house,etc.) BUT as a power source just for a 100 watt transceiver. Feasible ?  One spends $1000+ for a radio they can't operate so ?

Ii seems somebody could find some place to operate especially in a rural place.

[KD0REQ]

Consu — uh, a leading test magazine that doesn’t want to be linked to brands — rated the Harbor Freight inverter generators right up there with Honda. A titch louder, a titch uglier, but same job for half the price.

[K6BRN]

a leading test magazine that doesn’t want to be linked to brands — rated the Harbor Freight inverter generators right up there with Honda. A titch louder, a titch uglier, but same job for half the price

Ha ha...ha. ho.ho...  ack ... choke....splutter. (there goes my IPA).

Oh...yeah.  I'm sure that's the case.  Right there with you.  (NOT).  Time to get a new subscription.

You know, Yugos were really very good cars!  Just misunderstood.  (Choke!)

[K6BRN]

BTW - The Honda EU1000i is 29 lbs, produces 900 watts continuous (1 KW peak). Runs for many hours on a half-gallon of gas.  Mine is still going strong after more than a decade. 

For dual use (some home backup yet still portable), the EU2200i is hard to beat. But it's weight is up to about 48 lbs.   Note that there are commercial and consumer versions of the EU2200i.  The commercial version adds GFI and deletes 12V battery charging, and I think cross-strapping.

[KD0REQ]

nobody said the cheapo would last 20 years, just that it worked well in their tests.

the usual rules of physics and Murphy still apply... you pay for service availiability and less need for it.

[K6BRN]

Hmmm.  Well... the cost of a generator is really (purchase cost + maintenence cost)/usable srvice life.  If you actually use it, this is what counts, and if you don't use it, perhaps you shouldn't buy it.

Another thought... which would you rather have in the event of, say... a Florida hurricane?  A Harbor Freight special, or a Honda?

Just need to look at the reviews from real users who've actually put the products to work.

On the other hand, if you have a boat and need an anchor, maybe the Harbor freight path is the right one.  Kinda expensive for an anchor, though.  And leaks oil.  OK.  Scratch that idea.

[N8AUC]

Consu — uh, a leading test magazine that doesn’t want to be linked to brands — rated the Harbor Freight inverter generators right up there with Honda. A titch louder, a titch uglier, but same job for half the price.

Indeed, the Harbor Freight generator is cheaper than the Honda.

In my experience, the Harbor Freight inverter generator generates tons of RF noise. The Honda doesn't.
Which is fine, unless you're trying to operate a radio on the HF bands. We tried one at Field Day three years ago. Never again.

I'm usually a fan of Harbor Freight stuff. But in this case, my recommendation is to save your pennies and get the Honda.
In this case, you really do get what you pay for.

Oh, and if you want quiet? Use solar panels and a big battery.

73 de N8AUC
Eric

[K0UA]

A Honda generator on the end of a 50 foot HD cord is so quiet you will not likely be able to hear it.  But the solar panels, a charge controller and a Lithium battery are not a bad idea if you want to take a 100 watt class battery out in the boonies to get away from RFI.  For that matter if you want to operate for a few hours, you could just take a 20 or 30 amp hour lithium battery all by itself and charge it when you get back home on the AC mains. They are much lighter than a comparable Lead Acid battery and would not be a burden to carry to you picnic table or whatever. So your premise of packing up and going out into the fresh air and RF quiet environment has some merit.

[K6BRN]

Note that solar charge controllers are switching and also generate RFI, particularly the very inexpensive plastic cased PWM controllers.

[K1QQQ]

I think my question was partially answered ok.

I have seen the Honda seems to get nice things said by about everybody.


If one sneaks somewhere to run a radio for awhile you sure don't want a bunch of noise..the audible to ears stuff...


I have yet to research the battery options. If you wanted to run 100 watts for a few hours the cost effective way ? (I will be re-reading these threads) Then of coarse how many times you can recharge the battery ? Weight ?


Harbor Freight ? They have some around here now and I think they are good for some small tools without spending a fortune and various gadgets but....

I keep a collection of tools in the trunk of car and all I seem to notice Harbor Freight's seem to like to rust fast/easy.

[K4PIH]

a leading test magazine that doesn’t want to be linked to brands — rated the Harbor Freight inverter generators right up there with Honda. A titch louder, a titch uglier, but same job for half the price

Ha ha...ha. ho.ho...  ack ... choke....splutter. (there goes my IPA).

Oh...yeah.  I'm sure that's the case.  Right there with you.  (NOT).  Time to get a new subscription.

You know, Yugos were really very good cars!  Just misunderstood.  (Choke!)

I arrived at a new duty station and had to buy a cheap car. I bought a Yugo from a fellow squadron member. I was either the third or fourth owner, it was one of those cars that hangs around a squadron and gets passed on to new members. Kind of like a pet. I drove that Yugo the entire year I was posted there and it did what it was designed to do. Got me and my family around. Several years before that I bought a brand new ford Mustang and wound up evoking lemon law forcing Ford had to take it back, refund my down payment, and track down my trade in and buy it back from the owner and return it to me.

I also have a Harbor Freight 45k portable generator. It was half the price of a small Honda. The Harbor Freight generator has worked just fine for 5 years now. No issues. 

[K6BRN]

Hi Jacquet (K4PIH):

I arrived at a new duty station and had to buy a cheap car. I bought a Yugo from a fellow squadron member. I was either the third or fourth owner, it was one of those cars that hangs around a squadron and gets passed on to new members. Kind of like a pet. I drove that Yugo the entire year I was posted

I, too had some experience with a Yugo.  It didn't make it out of the driveway very often (I had an uncle who made my dad look rich and thought he was being generous).  Learned a lot about how NOT to build cars from it.  Drove a Chevelle with a 3-speed until the rear axel rusted off.  The fixed it.  Still better than the Yugo.

If you have to make due with Yugos and Harbor Freight junk, I understand.  I grew up as poor as dirt, made a few good decisions, worked hard and have been able to afford quality for quite some time now.

Believe me, it's a MUCH better place to be.

Brian - K6BRN

[N8AUC]

Hi Jacquet (K4PIH):

I arrived at a new duty station and had to buy a cheap car. I bought a Yugo from a fellow squadron member. I was either the third or fourth owner, it was one of those cars that hangs around a squadron and gets passed on to new members. Kind of like a pet. I drove that Yugo the entire year I was posted

I, too had some experience with a Yugo.  It didn't make it out of the driveway very often (I had an uncle who made my dad look rich and thought he was being generous).  Learned a lot about how NOT to build cars from it.  Drove a Chevelle with a 3-speed until the rear axel rusted off.  The fixed it.  Still better than the Yugo.

If you have to make due with Yugos and Harbor Freight junk, I understand.  I grew up as poor as dirt, made a few good decisions, worked hard and have been able to afford quality for quite some time now.

Believe me, it's a MUCH better place to be.

Brian - K6BRN

We didn't have a whole lot of money when I was growing up, either.
We never went hungry, and always had a roof over our heads. But there wasn't a lot left over.

The first car I could afford, was an old Chevy Nova. It was two tone. Green, and rust. Had a leak above the windshield, right over the drivers seat.
If you weren't careful, you could end up with rust stains on your pants if it rained. Ran best on Valvoline. Added a quart every other fill-up.

Do you know why a Yugo has a rear window defroster? So you could keep your hands warm in the winter while you were pushing it.

I appreciate Harbor Freight for what it is.
I also am grateful that the Yugo didn't exist when I got that old Nova. Because if it had, I'd have been trying to drive one.

[K6BRN]

John (N8AUC):

Do you know why a Yugo has a rear window defroster? So you could keep your hands warm in the winter while you were pushing it.

Still laughing over THAT one.  Thanks.  BTW, after a few rounds with the Yugo, you would have gone back to the Nova.  One of my chores was keeping my aunts '65 Chevy II (entry level Nova, sort of) running.  Easy to do.  Lots of room to work (except when the heater core failed) and the straight six was pretty bulletproof.

The old '65 Chevelle (283/2bbl) burned a gallon of oil a week, toward the end.  Probably would go to jail for driving it, today.

I appreciate Harbor Freight for what it is.

Yes, so do I.  Generally buy tarps, tape measures, vises and misc. non-critical tools.  But have had some bad luck with (for instance) wrenches, which were NOT QUITE the size marked.  So... only quality wrenches in my toolbox, now.  The damage bad wrenches can do to bolts is far more costly than the cost of good wrenches.  Kind of like the damage cheap generators can do to electronics.

Brian - K6BRN

[KD0REQ]

Harbor Freight is good for one-offs, but no professional mechanic will stake his salary potential on them.  I totally get it.  still, if you need a 2-ton hoist once, you save good money

however, if you need a knock-around DVM, the red 6-buck job is hard to beat, especially if you have a free coupon with any other purchase. you don't have the bad feeling you get if you put a fine pro Fluke in ohms position across the power line. and I've found them pretty accurate.