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Author Topic: Emergency power source idea  (Read 5771 times)

KB1HJW

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Emergency power source idea
« on: November 21, 2001, 01:37:39 PM »

I can remember back in the 1970s when we were going through the energy crunch, researching a way to generate DC power by means of a stationary bike. Being new to the Ham arena, this thought cropped up again for me (no long term memory problems here!). In a true emergency, even batteries and generators will run out of power, but we'll always have good old fashioned elbow grease. Is there information/plans out there for this type of set up?
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INITZERO

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Emergency power source idea
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2001, 03:42:48 PM »

> generate DC power by means of a stationary bike.
> Is there information/plans out there for this
> type of set up?

Hams aren't know for being in great shape. Maybe
this could improve our waist line. HIHI!

That aside, here's a pretty good page on the subject...

http://www.altogetherenergy.com/article1003.html

Briefly, it says human output is typically 175-200
watts for short periods of time. Realistically, we
can produce 50-100 watts for several hours at a time.
Not bad for a QRP setup but not enough to run any
sort of high-power application or multiple radios.

Further, in order to produce a steady voltage, you're
either going to need a regulator or to pedal at the
same speed all day. Catching your second wind could
drive the voltage from 12V to 18V fairly easily. (Of
course if you're trying to bust through a pileup, a
bottle of Gatoraide may be just what you need.)

As someone who does a bit of bicycle touring, let
me say that folks wanting to generate power this way
should try it first and make sure to keep in good
shape. Just about everyone knows how to ride a bike.
Few people really know what it takes to make a bike
go more than 10 or 20 miles in an afternoon. An
afternoon's worth of operating could be like riding
a hundred or more miles.

Unless you're Lance Armstrong, a generator or a few
solar cells and some batteries look really good.

That said, it sounds like a pretty good project to
try. Maybe you could make some sort of dual-mount so
that your generator could either be powered by a bike
or a law mower motor. That way when you need a rest,
you can fire up the lawn mower engine and continue to
operate while resting.

Matt (k4mls)
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KC0LPV

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Emergency power source idea
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2002, 07:04:00 PM »

What about what I've seen in the Baygen radio/CCrane scene.  Crank up generators?

If what you're looking for is emergency power, there are essentially two options:  Solar, and Muscle.

As another poster has said, human output is only so much.  However, if we can *store* our output, as is done with the crank-up clockwork generators in simple recievers, then we can use the energy in bursts.  For instance, maybe a reciever is powered 24/7 by Solar power, rechargeable batteries, and a low-amperage clockwork generator.  Transmitting takes a lot more power, but you don't do it as often.  So, a higher amperage clockwork generator, which would be harder to wind up but provide more electrical power out, would be useful.
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