solar panels

[cjay]

Fairly simple to calculate the current.

1 amp at 12 volts is 12 watts, 1.2 watts is therefore a tenth of an amp or 100 milliamps.

The 19v you measured is the open circuit voltage, it will drop as you saw when you try to pull current from it, if you'd measured the current with the fan attached you'd have been able to work out how much power the panel was making.

All you need to do is multiply the voltage by the current and bingo, there's your available power.

The current will be limited by the size of the panel and the available sunlight, the brighter the sun the more current will be available up to the maximum the panel can produce which in your case is a tenth of an amp.

Most rigs will draw two or three times that on receive, on transmit they'll draw much more.

Your panel will help keep the battery topped up but it won't keep up with the power that's being drawn from the battery by the rig.

For free, definitely nothing to grumble about. Just don't expect miracles from it.

[handyguy2002]

thank you Cjay that was a great help..

[JayGonzales]

hi guys

heres an idea I came across while searching for solar panels,,,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfUxDfKlbfE
now I know this guy has done this has done this radio in a case, but so have some of you guys,, but have any one of you guys used solar panels to power your radios,
now i think this is a great idea using solar panels,,,

problem I have is, could you use a smaller backpack and smaller panel to power your radio,,,,

It is not new concept.. You will find more good options available in the market..

[Windy_Miller]

Extremely old hat. Radios have been powered by solar panels since somewhere approximating the dawn of satellite communications.

Up here, all the radios are powered by wind turbines!

[JayGonzales]

hi guys

heres an idea I came across while searching for solar kits,,,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfUxDfKlbfE
now I know this guy has done this has done this radio in a case, but so have some of you guys,, but have any one of you guys used solar panels to power your radios,
now i think this is a great idea using solar panels,,,

problem I have is, could you use a smaller backpack and smaller panel to power your radio,,,,

It is not new concept.. You will find more good options available in the market..