Ham Radio Emergency Power
Portable and Emergency Generators Buyer's Guide

 Generators for Ham Radio Emergency Power
 at home and in the field

When it comes to emergency power for the ham radio station there are two types of operation:
generator and battery.

This article assumes there is no commercial power for an unknown period of time.

When that battery runs down, and it will, what is left to charge it?
Enter the generator and a good charger!

The most economical way to supply power to that charger or any other electrical equipment during a power outage for your ham radio station or your home is to use a portable generator of the appropriate wattage for your needs (at least 4000 Watts for starters) and run extension cords into the shack or home to power your equipment. A safer system is to have an electrician install a power transfer switch, connected to the shack's main electrical panel. Just fire up the generator, run a single extension cord into the transfer switch and power the circuits you need through the main circuit breaker. This eliminates the risk of electrical back feed injuring utility workers repairing downed power lines.
 Small portable gasoline-powered electric Generators can provide power for ham radios and station equipment, computers, TVs, small kitchen appliances, lights and other comforts of civilization when you are out roughing it in the woods or in an emergency situation at home. If cell and land line phones are out, you won't be! If power lines are down, odds are the land line telephone is dead also.

Portable Generators can be put to work on sites that have no electrical service, providing clean, reliable power to operate the Amateur Radio station and other desired survival equipment. Most are gasoline-powered, a few run on diesel, and some models have multi-fuel capabilities, running on gasoline, propane or natural gas. These are generally full-featured machines with engine idle control, GFCI receptacles and 120 Volt full power switch.

Residential Standby Systems

Emergency home (shack) standby Generators can automatically restore power to your house in about 20 seconds. When the power goes out, the generator automatically starts if it is auto starting and continues to run until power is restored. You can choose a generator that delivers enough power for the entire house (including air conditioning) or go with a smaller unit and power a few selected circuits, like the ham equipment, refrigerator, sump pump, furnace fan or heat and several lights for basic survival plus your ham equipment under emergency power situations. It all depends on your budget and how well prepared you want to be.

These all-weather Generators are installed outside the home and are wired through an automatic transfer switch uaually sold separately to the main electrical panel. The use of an automatic transfer switch is required when generators are connected to home wiring.

Home standby systems can be fueled by natural gas, LP gas, diesel fuel or gasoline. Most Amateur Radio operators use the gasoline models. Many models can be connected to the home's natural gas line, eliminating the need to fill fuel tanks. Standby emergency power system capacities range from about 6,000 Watts up to 40,000 Watts and more, and start automatically-even if you are not home.
Depending on the fuel supply, size of Generators , and the power generated, you can run for hours, days or even weeks! Your running time all depends on the amount of fuel you have either on hand or access to. If there is a massive power outage over an entire grid due to severe storms, earthquakes, floods, etc you won't be able to get fuel from commercial sources......their power is out too!

Plan on enough fuel to last under worst case emergency situations.

RV Generators

Quiet, powerful gasoline, diesel or LP-powered generators can be installed in your RV, 5th wheel trailer, truck camper, tent trailer or travel trailer to provide electrical power on those camping and field day operations or just bring along a portable generator that fits your power requirements.

Questions You Should Ask Before You Buy a Generator

• What is the generators wattage capacity and will it support your needs, including startup surge power required by some equipment? What are your peak kw hour requirements?
• Does the generator have enough outlets to plug in all of the items you want to power? If not, what can you do about it?
• How noisy is the generator? Are there noise restrictions in your neighborhood?
• What type of fuel does it use?
• How large is the fuel tank and how many hours of operation will it provide? How many hours of operation will you need? How much fuel do you have on hand?
• Is the generator easy to move around? Does it have built-in wheels and handles for portability?
• What accessories will I need to run the generator (fuel, heavy-duty extension cords, transfer switch)?
  
  What do I need to know about batteries?
  
  
  Alternative Emergency power 
  Solar and Wind!

How Many Watts Will Your Generator Need to Produce?

Add up the wattage of your ham equipment, tools, appliances, motors and any other equipment or household items you want to run at the same time. Then select a generator with the RUNNING wattage rating to exceed the total load. Keep in mind that tools and appliances with electric motors require additional tool/appliance SURGE wattage at startup that can be double or triple the normal running wattage requirement. Look at the surge watts required and make sure you choose a generator with enough additional wattage to start them. Keep in mind that you typically are not starting more than half of the items at the same time.

Most home appliances and power tools are 120 Volts; larger appliances like electric stoves and clothes dryers may be 240 Volts. Generator power is measured in Watts: Amps x Volts = Watts

You can use the Wattage Chart below to estimate the wattages of the equipment tools, appliances and motors you will be operating at the same time. Wattage noted below are approximates only; please refer to tool or appliance itself for specific wattage required and pay close attention to the "Surge Wattage" required as a minimum!

Wattage Chart
Generators	Running Wattage Required	Surge Wattage Required at Startup
Household/RV
Coffee Maker	1750	0
Dishwasher: Cool/Dry	700	1400
Electric Fry Pan	1300	0
Electric Range: 8in. Element (Boiling water)	2100	0
625W Microwave	625	800
Refrigerator or Freezer	700	2200
Automatic Washer	1150	2300
Electric Clothes Dryer	5750	1800
Furnace Fan (Gas or fuel oil): 1/8 HP	300	500
Furnace Fan (Gas or fuel oil): 1/6 HP	500	750
Furnace Fan (Gas or fuel oil): 1/4 HP	600	1000
Furnace Fan (Gas or fuel oil): 1/3 HP	700	1400
Furnace Fan (Gas or fuel oil): 1/2 HP	875	2350
Lights	As indicated on bulb	0
**Ham Radio Transceiver**	50-200	0
Sump Pump: 1/3 HP	800	1300
Sump Pump: 1/2 HP	1050	2150
Color Television	300	0
RV Air Conditioner: 13,500 BTU	1500	2200
Room Air Conditioner: 10,000 BTU	1500	2200
Central Air Conditioner (for 2200 sq. ft. home*)	10,000	11,250
Small Appliance	200	1700
Heating and charging equipment
Portable Heater (Kerosene, Diesel Fuel): 50,000 BTU	400	600
Portable Heater (Kerosene, Diesel Fuel): 90,000 BTU	500	725
Portable Heater (Kerosene, Diesel Fuel): 150,000 BTU	625	1000
Battery Charger: 15 Amp	380	0
Battery Charger: 60 Amp with 250 Amp Boost	1500/5750	0
Battery Charger: 100 Amp with 300 Amp Boost	2400/7800	0
Computers
Desktop	600-800	0
Laptop	200-250	0
Monitor	200-250	0
Fax	600-800	0
Printer	400-600	0

This list is not an all inclusive list and yours may be different!

*Based on average-sized unit. Central air conditioners differ in wattage requirements; consult owners manual for specific wattage requirements.
**A transmitter will usually operate at about 50% efficiency, so double the RF output to obtain the amount of power required. The equipment fuse is usually rated at 150 - to 200% of the actual current draw, so multiply the fuse value by 0.5 to 0.67 to calculate the approximate current consumption.
Since most modern ham transceivers operate from 12 -15 volts DC, you will need either a generator that outputs this DC voltage directly or you will need to have your power supply for the transceiver plugged into the emergency supply to convert the AC to DC for the power supply.

A typical calculation based on using only one HF transceiver:

Transceiver 400 watts

Laptop computer 40 watts

lamp 60 watts

TOTAL 500 WATTS IF YOU RUN NOTHING ELSE
(Source: ARRL)
Suggested generator: 1000 Watt Generator

Now add:  one refrigerator 2200kw

one electric range (8"element) 2100kw

Plus radio gear with one extra 60 watt lamp for total kw = 4,860kw generator
NOTE: It is best NOT to run a generator under it's full rated capacity! Add about 20% capacity to the kw hour total above to the generator rating to be on the safe side. Now add 20% extra = 972kw for a total of 4860 + 972 = 5832kw generator needed.
Recommended Generator: 7.5KW Generator

So by adding together the wattage requirements for all the electrical devices that you want or must run to determine the minimum continuous wattage, or start at the same time, AND BY ADDING YOUR HAM EQUIPMENT TOTAL WATTAGE to that number, you can determine the minimum surge wattage, you will need from emergency power Generators .

Typical Home Standby Power Needs:

Minimum Recommendations for Typical Home Standby Power
(1 kw = 1,000 watts = 10 each 100 watt bulbs for 1 hour)

Situation Type	All Items at once
Situation #1
Lights Color Television Furnace Fan (assuming gas heat) Freezer Refrigerator Sump Pump	6.6kw
Situation #2
Includes Customer #1 and central air	10.5kw
Situation #3
Includes Customer #1 and a well pump	10.5kw
Situation #4
All of the above	13.5kw

Red sections are recommended kw hour generator when using all items at once.

Danger! 
BEWARE OF CARBON MONOXIDE FUMES! 
NEVER RUN A GENERATOR INSIDE ANY INCLOSURE WHERE HUMANS OR PETS CAN BE EXPOSED TO IT. ALWAYS RUN IT OUTSIDE OR A WELL VENTILATED AREA!
BE CAREFUL USING ANY FUEL DUE TO THE FIRE AND EXPLOSION HAZARD AND BE CAREFUL WITH ELECTRICITY!
YOUR SURVIVAL MAY DEPEND ON COMMON SENSE!
DO YOU HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!

So what generator should I buy?
When in doubt, remember that bigger is better!

Northern Tool + Equipment has a generator
 for any size job and are highly recommended!

Northern Tool + Equipment has a generator for any size job. Check them out and be ready for emergency power!

Emergency Generators!

1,000 - 22,000 Watts Plus Larger sizes!

When in doubt, remember that bigger is better!

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