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1000 results for “Flip_Switch”
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8 Reasons You Should Always Turn Off Your Porch Light at Night
Flip the switch.
By Louise Parks
Published on August 20, 2025Number 8: Harms #Wildlife and Reduces #StarVisibility
"We share this planet with our animal friends, and our actions have consequences. 'Leaving exterior lights on overnight can confuse animals, like birds and insects, and disrupt their natural behaviors,' says Harshbarger. For example, porch lights left on in abundance can disrupt natural migratory paths for birds, wreaking havoc on wildlife. 'It also causes light pollution, making it harder to see stars and harming the environment,' according to Harshbarger.
" 'Constant night lighting creates ‘light clutter’ that breaks up natural dark cycles in the neighborhood,' adds Nimela. “This messes with everyone’s sense of time, throws off wildlife, and reduces the chance of stargazing entirely.' No chance of seeing the Milky Way? No way.' "
Source:
https://www.marthastewart.com/why-to-turn-off-porch-lights-11792915?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us#LightPollution #DarkSkies #Nature #Stargazing #NatureIsLife
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Manhattan's having an identity crisis: trading its iconic neon glow for LED efficiency. From 75,000 signs to just 130, the city's vintage sparkle is dimming faster than a failing fluorescent tube. Even Rockefeller Center's ready to flip the switch! Guess the future's bright... just less nostalgic. 💡 #UrbanHeritage #NYCHistory
https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/12/17/1622233/the-slow-death-of-neon
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Manhattan's having an identity crisis: trading its iconic neon glow for LED efficiency. From 75,000 signs to just 130, the city's vintage sparkle is dimming faster than a failing fluorescent tube. Even Rockefeller Center's ready to flip the switch! Guess the future's bright... just less nostalgic. 💡 #UrbanHeritage #NYCHistory
https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/12/17/1622233/the-slow-death-of-neon
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Manhattan's having an identity crisis: trading its iconic neon glow for LED efficiency. From 75,000 signs to just 130, the city's vintage sparkle is dimming faster than a failing fluorescent tube. Even Rockefeller Center's ready to flip the switch! Guess the future's bright... just less nostalgic. 💡 #UrbanHeritage #NYCHistory
https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/12/17/1622233/the-slow-death-of-neon
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During our #GaggiaClassic Pro Evo testing I'm confirming how to REALLY, SIMPLY achieve good temperature surfing results with minimum interaction.
It's coming back to what I did on a Gaggia Classic back in 2003:
- Preheat machine 10min.
- Grind your coffee dose
- Flush the machine until the ready light goes off.
- load, wdt, tamp coffee in PF
- Watch for lamp to come on, flip steam switch for 5 sec, turn off, brew the shot.Scace shows 200F in groupehead, every time, doing this.
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Prompt: Could I please get a drabble about Magnemite, my favourite Pokemon? Any canon is fine with me. Feel free to get spooky too if you like. My prompts are: rust, candle, and flashlight.
creepycute #magnemite drabble for peasina 🧲 :pokeball:
#pokemon
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Steel scraping against rusty metal, audibly puncturing the walls, was the first sign of life you noticed in the abandoned power plant. You pull out a flashlight, hesitating to shine light on what lurks in the shadows. But before you can flip the switch, the batteries burn—overcharged—stinging the palm of your hand. The metalic screeching inches closer, and you wish you would have brought a candle as backup to see just enough to size up the approaching threat.Reaching desperately into the darkness straight ahead, you feel cold metal nuzzling your palm, sparking happily. It's a lost Magnemite!
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#TristenNewton, how the hell did that shot go in?? 🤯
Somehow this does not feel like a 13 point lead for UConn. Purdue could still flip a switch and make a big run.
#FinalFour #PURvsUCONN
#MarchMadness @marchmadness
@cbb #CBB
#NCAAM #NCAAMBB -
#TristenNewton, how the hell did that shot go in?? 🤯
Somehow this does not feel like a 13 point lead for UConn. Purdue could still flip a switch and make a big run.
#FinalFour #PURvsUCONN
#MarchMadness @marchmadness
@cbb #CBB
#NCAAM #NCAAMBB -
#TristenNewton, how the hell did that shot go in?? 🤯
Somehow this does not feel like a 13 point lead for UConn. Purdue could still flip a switch and make a big run.
#FinalFour #PURvsUCONN
#MarchMadness @marchmadness
@cbb #CBB
#NCAAM #NCAAMBB -
#TristenNewton, how the hell did that shot go in?? 🤯
Somehow this does not feel like a 13 point lead for UConn. Purdue could still flip a switch and make a big run.
#FinalFour #PURvsUCONN
#MarchMadness @marchmadness
@cbb #CBB
#NCAAM #NCAAMBB -
Short Story Review: Izumi Suzuki’s “Terminal Boredom” (1984, trans. by Daniel Joseph 2021)
Today I’m joined again by Rachel S. Cordasco, the creator of the indispensable website and resource Speculative Fiction in Translation, for the sixth installment of our series exploring non-English language SF worlds. Last time we covered Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s ruminative “Wanderers and Travellers” in International Science Fiction, ed. Frederik Pohl (November 1967).
Please note that Rachel and I are interested in learning about a large range of authors and works vs. only tracking down the best. That means we’ll encounter some stinkers. Thankfully, not this time! We got a powerful one.
Unfortunately, Izumi Suzuki’s “Terminal Boredom” (1984, trans. by Daniel Joseph 2021) does not exist online. Thankfully, a large range of her SF stories were translated and published in two volumes by Verso books with various translators. You can acquire Terminal Boredom (2021) and Hit Parade of Tears (2023) at relatively inexpensive prices online. Recommended.
“Terminal Boredom” dose double-duty as the 35th installment of my review series on media landscapes of the future.
Previously: George H. Smith’s “In the Imagicon” (1966).
Up Next: TBD
Enjoy!
Rachel S. Cordasco’s Review
In an article on the “iconoclast” Japanese sf writer Izumi Suzuki, Andrew Ridker distills her stories down to three words: “Ambivalence, disappointment, resignation: Suzuki’s stories speak so eloquently to our burnt-out moment that it’s easy to forget the importance of her cultural context” (LitHub, 5/7/21). We are indeed burnt out, more burnt out even than when Ridker was writing just four years ago. It’s now 2025 and time to face the fact that Facebook and YouTube have been around for over twenty years. The iPhone has been around for nearly that long, and for an entire year, the world was turned upside down during a pandemic, during which time we were even more closely connected to our devices. We’re burnt out by phones, by the rapidly-developing world of AI, by the streaming services that offer us so many choices that it’s nearly impossible to pick something to watch.
It’s almost as if Suzuki foresaw this moment, for her story “Terminal Boredom” is about this addiction to technology, though since her piece was written in the 1980s, it’s television—not the smartphone—that has snared everyone. The protagonist/narrator, a nameless young woman (everyone is nameless in this story) leads a dreary life, with very few job prospects and only television to keep her company. In fact, everyone is very connected to their tvs—so connected, that they’ve started having devices wired into their brains to make the watching experience more immersive. As the narrator’s mother explains, “When the monitor is turned on, it begins to stimulate the brain. The subject no longer has to flip the switch each time; instead, a weak electrical current is transmitted automatically at appropriate intervals” (204).
Despite the ubiquity of tv, real conversations do happen. Three of these conversations make up the bulk of “Terminal Boredom”–two are with the narrator’s sometime “boyfriend,” while the other is the aforementioned talk with her mother. Only referred to as “HE” and “HIM,” the boyfriend talks to the narrator about another girlfriend he has who actually wants to have a baby the “old fashioned way.” The narrator marvels at this and both think about how the people of their parents’ generation seem to have so much energy and drive, while their generation has none of that—the tv has taken over everything. Now, with these devices connected to their brains, people can feel as if they are participating in the story they’re watching, which is more interesting than their boring, real lives.
During this conversation, the two witness a man beat a woman to death on the street. Capturing it on film, the boyfriend later tells the narrator that he finds it thrilling and plays it over and over again in his room. As he explains “I end up putting a frame around everything I see…It makes it seem fresh, helps me relax as a viewer” (200). This eruption of violence into a tv-addicted, tightly-constrained society, where one isn’t allowed to linger in a public place for more than twenty minutes, is what makes this story so unnerving. The narrator finds herself thinking about her parents’ divorce and her father’s remarriage, only to then find out from that second wife that her father committed suicide. At the end of the story, her boyfriend asks her to help him kill his pregnant girlfriend because he doesn’t want the responsibility—he just wants to “slip quietly into oblivion, all by myself.” He tries to convince the narrator with “[t]hink of it as a TV show. Pretend you’re an actor” (216). Only violence ultimately gets a reaction out of the narrator, since she winds up crying for the first time in her life.
The constant stimulation from the TV has wound up dulling the narrator’s mind (as it has everyone else’s), such that the tendency toward a sedentary lifestyle has made them all weak and tired. And yet, the fact that the narrator has extended conversations with the two main people in her life (despite her brief, dull answers), offers a spark of hope—that she, as someone who hasn’t yet adopted the brain device, might still be able to think for herself and do something—anything—that might make life have meaning again. One gets the sense that what has happened to the larger society wasn’t an accident—the brief glimpses of an oppressive police state suggest that a passive society is an easily-patrolled one. Breaking out of her boredom would require the narrator to rebel against more than just her tendency to sit and watch tv.
Suzuki’s story is part of a larger collection that offers us a window into unusual worlds. Her work fits into the larger, complex, and wonderfully varied universe of Japanese science fiction, which blossomed after World War II, energized by the American sf that flooded it during the US occupation. Some of the best translated science/speculative fiction to come to American readers over the past 60 years, in my opinion, has been Japanese, including that by Yoshiki Tanaka, Yoko Ogawa, Mariko Ohara, Hoshi Shinichi, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Kobo Abe, Koji Suzuki, Taiyo Fujii, and so many more. Here one can find everything from space opera and body horror to har science fiction and surrealism. For Anglophone readers, Izumi Suzuki can take her place alongside these writers, with two collections now out in English.
A work of simmering horror and technological dystopia, “Terminal Boredom” will make you want to read more Izumi Suzuki and explore her grim, dark worlds.
- Cover photo by Nobuyoshi Araki for the 1st edition of Terminal Boredom (2021)
Joachim Boaz’s Review
4.5/5 (Very Good)
A Preliminary Note about the Verso edition that I wish I didn’t have to make: It’s a shame that the editors of Terminal Boredom (2021) did not commission an introduction about Izumi Suzuki and her place in the larger Japanese literary/SF world or even include the original Japanese publication dates for seven stories included. I identified the date for “Terminal Boredom” (1984) and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1979) from a Japanese-language website and “Women and Women” (1977, rev. 1978) from SF Encyclopedia. It’s embarrassing/lazy that this information isn’t included in the edition. If you know of the rest of the publication dates for “You May Dream”, “Night Picnic”, “That Old Seaside Club”, and “Forgotten” in the collection let me know. As the organization appears to be chronological, I assume they were published between 1977-1984.
I imagine you’ve heard of the Japanese hikikomori, reclusive individuals withdrawn from social life, seeking “extreme degrees of isolation and confinement” often due to the pressures of modern Japanese society. Izumi Suzuki, more than a decade before psychiatrist Tamaki Saitō researched and popularized the term, imagines a similar phenomenon facilitated by new patterns of media consumption on an epic, and destructive, scale. There are a lot of angles to approach “Terminal Boredom” (1984), and its place within Suzuki’s work (both fiction and film). I imagine someone far more immersed in Japanese society and culture could tackle her take on gender and society in a more adept manner than myself! With that in mind, I will, as always, engage with an element that particular spoke to me: Sukuzi’s rendering of the media landscape of the future.
First a few words about the basic plot. A nameless young female main character recounts her interactions with “HE,” her one-time boyfriend. HE wants to reconnect with his mother, who abandoned his family. HE joins a staged show called The Psychoanalysis Room (“or something”) in an attempt to convince his mother to take “pity and come and find” him (193). She also has a dysfunctional family. Her mother, a TV executive, struggles/refuses to connect to her daughter. Like some manifestation of the modern hikikomori, they often refuse to communicate with others, eat as a group or eat at all for days on end, or leave their dwellings for the sun and vista of the “aboveground” (191). Both youth find solace and escape in the vacuities and artifice of television.
One of the recurrent patterns illustrating societal change Suzuki deploys is the TV frame (“ultravision”) as the new way of engagement with the world. Elections, if you can call them that, seem to be conducted via TV celebrities–people vote for a celebrity who then somehow chooses from a slate of candidates (195). Restaurants brag about their TV programs instead of their food. She confesses “it’s hard to relax without something to look at” (193). HE mixes up the real and the unreal. In one instance he watches a woman being beaten: he poses, in front of the bloody woman, as if an actor in a scene from a TV show (199). He purchases an illegal copy of the beating, recorded by an observer, to relive the experience. And, as the horrifying finality of the tale sets in the appearance of a futuristic tech to connect with a program, ultravision becomes the only way seeing and feeling.
It’s punchy yet quiet. And like a Michael Haneke film, I found it possessed an unnerving ability to get under the skin.1 Suzuki has an adept ability to render the conversation, mentalities, and actions of the disaffected and deeply depressed: “Come on, how often do you think I can do something like that? It’s exhausting” (192) (a conversation about sex). Highly recommended.
Notes
- I’m thinking The Lost Continent (1989) and Benny’s Video (1992). Both rank amongst my most disquieting filmic experiences. ↩︎
For book reviews consult the INDEX
For cover art posts consult the INDEX
For TV and film reviews consult the INDEX
#1980s #avantGarde #bookReviews #IzumiSuzuki #Japan #sciFi #scienceFiction #technology
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Electricity for #Massachusetts! Why not run it through the #Berkshires?! Too many rich white folks, I guess!
#CMP parent company ready to energize controversial corridor by end of year
by Brad Rogers,WGME
Thu, November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Updated Fri, November 21, 2025PORTLAND (WGME) -- "CMP's parent company, Avangrid, is about to flip the switch and turn on a controversial power corridor through western Maine.
"After years of legal battles and regulatory hurdles, Avangrid now has its final permit for the New England Clean Energy Connect, linking Canadian hydropower to Massachusetts and going right through Maine."
#AvanGrid #HydroQuebec #CMPCorridor #PeterMills #JanetMills #Corruption #NorthWoods #SaveTheNorthWoods #SaveTheForests #BigElectricity #MainePol #ProtectTheNorthWoods #QuebecHydro
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Electricity for #Massachusetts! Why not run it through the #Berkshires?! Too many rich white folks, I guess!
#CMP parent company ready to energize controversial corridor by end of year
by Brad Rogers,WGME
Thu, November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Updated Fri, November 21, 2025PORTLAND (WGME) -- "CMP's parent company, Avangrid, is about to flip the switch and turn on a controversial power corridor through western Maine.
"After years of legal battles and regulatory hurdles, Avangrid now has its final permit for the New England Clean Energy Connect, linking Canadian hydropower to Massachusetts and going right through Maine."
#AvanGrid #HydroQuebec #CMPCorridor #PeterMills #JanetMills #Corruption #NorthWoods #SaveTheNorthWoods #SaveTheForests #BigElectricity #MainePol #ProtectTheNorthWoods #QuebecHydro
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Electricity for #Massachusetts! Why not run it through the #Berkshires?! Too many rich white folks, I guess!
#CMP parent company ready to energize controversial corridor by end of year
by Brad Rogers,WGME
Thu, November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Updated Fri, November 21, 2025PORTLAND (WGME) -- "CMP's parent company, Avangrid, is about to flip the switch and turn on a controversial power corridor through western Maine.
"After years of legal battles and regulatory hurdles, Avangrid now has its final permit for the New England Clean Energy Connect, linking Canadian hydropower to Massachusetts and going right through Maine."
#AvanGrid #HydroQuebec #CMPCorridor #PeterMills #JanetMills #Corruption #NorthWoods #SaveTheNorthWoods #SaveTheForests #BigElectricity #MainePol #ProtectTheNorthWoods #QuebecHydro
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Electricity for #Massachusetts! Why not run it through the #Berkshires?! Too many rich white folks, I guess!
#CMP parent company ready to energize controversial corridor by end of year
by Brad Rogers,WGME
Thu, November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Updated Fri, November 21, 2025PORTLAND (WGME) -- "CMP's parent company, Avangrid, is about to flip the switch and turn on a controversial power corridor through western Maine.
"After years of legal battles and regulatory hurdles, Avangrid now has its final permit for the New England Clean Energy Connect, linking Canadian hydropower to Massachusetts and going right through Maine."
#AvanGrid #HydroQuebec #CMPCorridor #PeterMills #JanetMills #Corruption #NorthWoods #SaveTheNorthWoods #SaveTheForests #BigElectricity #MainePol #ProtectTheNorthWoods #QuebecHydro
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Flip the Switch on this I2C Controlled USB Hub - You’ve probably seen USB hubs with physical switches for each port, they provide a... - https://hackaday.com/2023/09/11/flip-the-switch-on-this-i2c-controlled-usb-hub/ #peripheralshacks #digitalswitch #usbhub #i2c
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Flip the Switch on this I2C Controlled USB Hub - You’ve probably seen USB hubs with physical switches for each port, they provide a... - https://hackaday.com/2023/09/11/flip-the-switch-on-this-i2c-controlled-usb-hub/ #peripheralshacks #digitalswitch #usbhub #i2c
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Flip the Switch on this I2C Controlled USB Hub - You’ve probably seen USB hubs with physical switches for each port, they provide a... - https://hackaday.com/2023/09/11/flip-the-switch-on-this-i2c-controlled-usb-hub/ #peripheralshacks #digitalswitch #usbhub #i2c
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Flip the Switch on this I2C Controlled USB Hub - You’ve probably seen USB hubs with physical switches for each port, they provide a... - https://hackaday.com/2023/09/11/flip-the-switch-on-this-i2c-controlled-usb-hub/ #peripheralshacks #digitalswitch #usbhub #i2c
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Flip the Switch on this I2C Controlled USB Hub - You’ve probably seen USB hubs with physical switches for each port, they provide a... - https://hackaday.com/2023/09/11/flip-the-switch-on-this-i2c-controlled-usb-hub/ #peripheralshacks #digitalswitch #usbhub #i2c
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The Tyee: ‘It Could Flip Like a Switch.’ Will BC Move from Fires to Floods? https://thetyee.ca/News/2023/09/07/BC-Unprecedented-Drought-Warning-Fires-Floods-Switch-Flip/ #bcnews #TheTyee - via @[email protected] #EmergencyManagementandClimateReadinessMinisterBowinnMa #CliffChapmanBCWildfireService #JonathanBoydHydrologist #BCRiverForecastCentre #2021atmosphericriver #DonnieCreekwildfire #BCWildfireService #2021heatdome #2023drought #FortSt.John #Okanagan #Shuswap #ElNiño #Lytton
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Start with a spark of gratitude to flip the switch in your mind. Embrace forgiveness for your peace, not theirs. Everyone has a story, and you never know what battle they're fighting.
#Gratitude #Forgiveness #FindYourPeace #gratitudeattitude #mindovermatter
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Start with a spark of gratitude to flip the switch in your mind. Embrace forgiveness for your peace, not theirs. Everyone has a story, and you never know what battle they're fighting.
#Gratitude #Forgiveness #FindYourPeace #gratitudeattitude #mindovermatter
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Article SpeedsterGallery Speedster Espresso Machine Orman Dial Speedster and GS3 Shot Pull Speedster Badging User Angles Speedster Drip Tray First Peek Speedster Crate Speedster, Day One Shot Pull Early Shot Pulls on the Speedster Speedster Service Speedster Shifter Preinfusion Piston Chopped Portafilter PID Control Whereto Buy Manufacturer Website Buy from Supplier coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
advertise with us and reach a global audience. advertisers make this website possible. a coffeegeek advertiser and supporter.
want to reach a global specialty coffee audience? advertise with us.A First Look atKvdW Speester
Back in 2001, a fellow by the name of Kees van der Westen had already made a big name for himself as an artist with metalwork and someone who loved espresso and the technology behind it. He’d designed one-off machines for some of the top echelon of the espresso world for almost two decades by that point, including machines showcased at La Marzocco, used at Espresso Vivace, and dreamed of by a yet to be started up roastery in Portland known as Stumptown. He was well into the run of building his fabled Mistral lineup of machines, using La Marzocco parts; mainly from Lineas.
van der Westen had spare machine parts in ample supply because he was the distributor and service agent for La Marzocco in Holland at the time. Lineas were La Marzocco’s sole machine during that period, but van der Westen also had a collection of old GS/2 machines – single and double groups – at a time when La Marzocco had long ceased production of the machine. As he puts it himself on his website,
“Through the years we acquired some of the old type paddle-groups from the GS machines. As we could not bring ourselves to dump these we eventually decided to use these in a fun-project: building a small series of one-group machines, especially designed to use these groups for their proper purpose. This machine was called Speedster.”
The Speedster of that era was about as old school inside as you could get. It featured the original GS’s same-size boilers used for both brewing and steaming. It was almost entirely mechanical, with no temperature stability or state of the art electronics. It did however feature three key things – the iconic and revolutionary La Marzocco paddle group; the aforementioned dual boiler setup; and the complete uniqueness of van der Westen’s design skills.
Original Speedster
One of the six original Speedsters built in 2001; features La Marzocco boilers, paddle group.
Only six were built. I first saw the Speedster back in 2002 when I was at La Marzocco’s Seattle office for a meeting about developing the machine that would eventually become the GS/3. Kent Bakke was one of the purchasers of those Speedsters and had it proudly on display in his showroom at La Marzocco. I still remember my first glimpse of the machine, and this was after I’d been wow’ed by another van der Westen artwork piece Bakke owned and had on display: the Zizi lever group machine. As impressive (and big) as the Zizi was, the Speedster almost seemed on a different plane. Where the Zizi was huge and a lever and a complete work of art (definitely forsaking a certain amount of usability for the art), the Speedster encompassed art, design, style, and usability. It was small. It had dual boilers. It had a GS/2 paddle group. It was completely unique. I’d never seen a machine like it before.I even got a chance to pull shots on it, and immediately felt this was a singular moment in my coffee and espresso career (and to put that into perspective, I was at a meeting for the development of the GS/3!). Everything “clicked” – the machine felt comfortable. It steamed exceptionally well. The paddle group put you, as a barista, in direct connection with the machine. It was tight, light, solid, beautiful, industrial, exceptional all at the same time. From that very moment onward, I had it in my mind that, if I ever won a million dollars, I’d make an offer on this machine so I could own my own – and the offer wouldn’t be cheap. After all, van der Westen built only six of these and by 2002, was already saying that was that – there were six and there would be no more.I finally met van der Westen in 2004 at a trade show and we immediately hit it off. He’s a dynamic, energetic fellow (who ironically enough does not like to be photographed); and there’s a clear passion for espresso, espresso technology and art within the man. My first questions to him were “so when are you going to build the Speedster again?” and I got a surprise answer: “find me the guts to a well working GS/2 and I’d be happy to build one!”. I’m not sure if he was joking or not, but I do know two things – I did in fact search for a reasonably priced GS/2 I could salvage and send to van der Westen (hint: I never found one), and secondly, he never did build another paddle group Speedster as far as I know.Over the years, I stayed in contact with van der Westen, and the subject of the Speedster would always come up – are you building them again? Send me a GS/2 and I will. How about a lever Speedster? Oh, you’re a crazy man, Prince.Then in early 2008, during an email conversation with him, van der Westen dropped a bomb: he decided he needed a one group machine to complement and supplement his current line up of state-of-the-art and exceptionally beautiful Mirages and (licensed to La Marzocco) Mistrals, and that one group machine would be a next generation Speedster.It was right at that moment I started socking away $200 a month into a special savings account. And some 18 months later, I became the proud owner of a next-generation Speedster espresso machine from Kees van der Westen.AboutThe Machine
There’s not much I could write about the technological innards of the Speedster that van der Westen hasn’t already fully detailed himself on his website – but I’ll give it a go, at least from a third party perspective. It’s also important to note that the machine has already seen upgrades and will continue to do so.
The Speedster ships quite complete. In the crate you’ll find:
- all necessary tubing, pressure tubes, connections, etc.
- water softener machine.
- the pump.
- single spout and double spout portafilter (or a chopped portafilter if you ordered one), teflon lined (chopped PFs are not teflon lined).
- Kees van der Westen custom tamper, height adjustable. Heavy, beautiful, mirror polish finish.
- custom Speedster espresso cups – two. These are ltd edition though.
- a cleaning brush (a clone of the Pallo design) in aluminum.
- spare gaskets, filter baskets, blind filter.
- aluminum tamping stand.
- Speedster t-shirt (again ltd item, once gone, no more).
- Speedster instruction manual including setup instructions.
- cleaner.
Little things like the brush, cups, t-shirt, and bigger things like the way-cool tamper make a big difference to the overall package. Seems complete. About the only thing missing is the grinder. By comparison a La Marzocco GS/3 comes with a plastic tamper, bottle of cleaner, two PFs and little else. And no grinder either.
The Speedster Espresso Machine is about as state of the art inside as you can get in today’s espresso world, and is quite different from the 2001 era Speedster, at least inside. The machine is built around a dual boiler, dual PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controller setup to deliver brewing water, heating water and steam.
The boilers feature the latest go-to technology in espresso: the 3.5 litre steam boiler is fitted with a heat exchanger to provide pre-heated water for the smaller 2.3 litre brew boiler. This technology was initially developed for the GS/3 to help with power consumption but it was also found to increase temperature stability, especially shot-to-shot-to-shot performance in all machines, Along with the Speedster, some of the most technologically advanced machines in the world feature this design, including the La Marzocco FB80 and GB/5 series, and the Synesso machines.
Both boilers are controlled via solid state relays, a much more reliable and efficient way to control the heating elements over the old mechanical relays. They are also virtually silent, and much less prone to break down (or wearing down) compared to the older style of relays most machines have.
Taking a peek inside the Speedster takes all of two minutes: four side bolts and three hex bolts in the back and both the side panels and top panel slide off easily. If you’ve seen earlier interior photos of the Speedster (2008 version), things have changed a bit. There are no less than four electronic Parker solenoid valves controlling everything from steam boiler refill to water mix, to injecting the preinfusion chamber unique to the Speedster (and Mirage line from van der Westen). Initially, the Speedster had the steam boiler PID on the right side of the machine, accessible through a maze of copper tubing, but that has since moved to the more clean left side. Also gone from the initial 2008 version is the internal adjustable mix valve the Speedster offered for hot water dispensing; instead there’s a very unique dual mode hot water option available via a front panel rocker switch.
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There is so much to the design of this machine that is unique and ground breaking.
Let me focus on that one bit for a second. The Speedster’s two ginormous dial handles up front were traditionally for steam (the left side) and hot water (the right side). But on the 2009 edition of the Speedster, the right side dial handle is for show and aesthetics only because accessing hot water on this machine is accomplished via a rocker switch on the right front panel.
Why a rocker switch? van der Westen heard feedback from many professional baristas regarding hot water from a machine. Some wanted a mix valve, pulling both water from a steam boiler (above boiling, usually 275F) and line water (72F) so the resulting water pulled into a cup could be below boiling or usually around 200F. Others wanted steam boiler only water (275F but “flashes” to 212F as it comes out of the tap) for the heat.
van der Westen devised a system in 2009 that provided both, via microswitches, solenoids and computer control and the result was the rocker switch activation for hot water. Flip the switch upward and the hot water tap feeds steam boiler-only water. Flip it down, and you get mixed water – steam boiler and line water – for approximately 200F water at the tap head. Quite ingenious.
Here’s a few more visual features.
An elongated "acorn" tip, this is easily one of the best tips we've ever used in the CoffeeGeek Lab. The tip has four small holes; the other included tip (the "Mistral Tip") is the same design with bigger holes. The Speedster uses top-of-the-line Fuji PID controllers for both boilers; the one up front is for the brew boiler, but the K1/K2 are indicators for both PIDs (K1 is front boiler PID). Programming the temperatures is as easy as pressing P for a second and adjusting up or down. Offset can be programmed in (as it is here). The maze of tubing you see is primarily the heat exchanger tubing, running outside the boilers to cool down HX water before it gets to the brew boiler. This is the drip tray mount (there's one on each leg up front). It can be slid up or down to give an extra inch in tray height. This is the up / down rocker switch for delivering two temperatures of hot water. The screwless dispersion screen; note the centre doesn't have the hole-perforations - that is to further disperse water (which can drain in the middle from the dispersion block) Flipped up for photographing, the hot water tap's wide articulation of motion and well engineered flow dispersion is top of the line.I focused on the hot water delivery to prove a point about this machine and about the person who builds it: Kees van der Westen is a details man. Pretty much every aspect of this machine, from the aesthetics, to the usability, to the technology inside shows a supreme attention to detail by an artist and engineer who “gets” modern day espresso.
This isn’t a machine designed by someone who’s building for 10,000 units sold in Spain, or 25,000 units sold in China, where niceties such as temperature stability, steaming ability or manual controls are not valued much. This is machine designed by someone who gets what the modern day professional barista demands from a state of the art espresso brewer. It shows in every single aspect of the machine’s design and function.
SpeedsterPreinfusion System
This is where the Speedster really starts to stand out. When it was first announced that the machine was going to be built again in limited numbers, the prototype machines that van der Westen showed at the Copenhagen World Barista Championships in 2008 were missing something obvious – it was no longer a paddle group machine. Instead, brewing was done via a three-position shift lever on the right side of the front panel.
Preinfusion Piston
Piston is fully engaged (sticking out of the machine) showing full preinfusion.
Here is another example of van der Westen’s brilliance in engineering design – two areas actually. He fully understands the allure and hands-on control that La Marzocco’s 20+ year technology known as the paddle group offered to a professional barista for crafting a shot of espresso. So do Synesso and Slayer – their machines feature paddles for hands on control of preinfusion. van der Westen also believes that the lever group design (for spring piston lever espresso machines) offers the best form of preinfusion and coffee saturation today, which is why his Mirage machine line up includes the Idrocompresso variant.
van der Westen found a way to marry three key desired methodologies in espresso machines – dual boilers, manual preinfusion, piston lever enabled preinfusion – into one machine controlled by solid state relays and PIDs – and this is what makes the Speedster entirely unique. The Mirage lineup are heat exchanger machines (single boilers with heat exchangers for the groupheads); the Speedster is a dual boiler machine that still encompasses all the best from two other machine technologies.
How it works is a bit difficult to explain but we’ll try here. When water for brewing first comes into the machine it actually goes through a heat exchanger in the steam boiler. It gets heated up quite a bit – hotter than what is adequate for brewing in fact – but the machine’s design takes that into account. The brewing water exits the steam boiler heat exchanger and goes through over 50cms (almost 2 feet) of copper tubing that snakes around the back-right side of the machine. The tubing eventually makes it into the brew boiler, where the water is now just slightly below usual boiler water temperature settings.
The brew boiler’s PID is constantly turning on and off the heating element to manage the temperature to 0.1F / 0.1C ranges. At this point the water is approximately 3-4F hotter than your customised brewing temperature (if you’ve programmed the front PID to have a pre-programmed offset).
When you move the shift lever away from its off position, a microswitch is disengaged and one of the machine’s two brewing water solenoids is re-engaged (the one right behind the groupcap) to keep the pressure-release path closed, and the other brewing water solenoid on the right front of the machine is disengaged, allowing water flow from the line pressure (3bar usually) to start flowing into a preinfusion chamber which sits just behind the right front panel.
While this small chamber (not unlike the size and shape of a lever piston’s water chamber) starts filling up with water, the water also flows at normal atmospheric pressure to the grouphead where your coffee is sitting. For approximately 5 to 6 seconds, if you don’t engage the machine’s pump, the coffee is saturated with water being pushed by nothing more than gravity. You also get a visual indication of this via the preinfusion chamber’s most notable design feature – there is a spring-loaded piston that starts to jut out from the front panel of the Speedster as the chamber fills up. As it fully extends, pressure in the grouphead ramps up from normal pressure to 3bar (about 60psi). It will hold steady at this point as long as you don’t move the brewing shift lever to its third position – the pump position.
Shifting the machine into ‘second gear’ means ratcheting the shift lever down to the lowest position and slotting it left into the locked position. At this point, a second microswitch is engaged and the pump starts, delivering 9bar through both the preinfusion chamber and solenoid to start the true espresso brewing process.
Shifting off the second gear lock position does one thing, and one thing only – it disengages the pump. If you don’t put the shift lever back up into the neutral or starting position, the machine keeps the group cap solenoid engaged (ie back pressure is not released) and the preinfusion chamber solenoid disengaged (ie, open flow to grouphead from boiler water); what this means is you can do a preinfusion, brewing via pump, and a post brew using line pressure, if you want. Whether this is a boon or not for espresso brewing quality is not for deciding here – instead, I mention it to show the possibilities a hands-on barista has for fully manipulating water flow and pressure during the entire shot process.
Putting the shift lever back into the neutral position does two things – it closes the brew boiler / preinfusion chamber solenoid, and opens up the back pressure solenoid to instantly relieve the pressure in the brewing group.
On last thing about this preinfusion system. There’s actually two ways it works. If you ratchet the brewing shift lever into the first position (first gear we call it here), you as the barista control the preinfusion and the preinfusion is quite slow since it is entirely based on line water pressure (60psi, 3bar), and not pump pressure (135psi, 9bar). But you can use the van der Westen-designed “programmed” preinfusion by simply ratcheting the shift lever directly into position two (second gear) and letting the preinfusion chamber fill up via pump pressure. It is a faster preinfusion, but a neutral pressure preinfusion none-the-less.
Let’s have a visual look at some of these features.
One of the things that makes the Speedster so special - it's shift lever brewing activation system. The shift lever arm is perforated, and can ratchet into the first position, right onto that metal bracket sticking out midway - ratcheting below that moves it into pump position. A lot of people ask what this is. You show them by brewing a shot. The interior of the shift lever system. Here, at the neutral or off position, it is depressing the top metal microswitch (with a roller-wheel ending for smooth control) Here, in "1st Gear", the arm is not pressing any microswitch - at this stage, the pressure relief solenoid is closed, but the line water solenoid is open, preinfusing the bed of coffee. Here, in the "2nd gear" position, the second microswitch is pressed, which engages the machine's pump. It also does other things, like tell the machine's brains to not auto-fill the steam boiler at this time (to make sure 100% of the attention and power of the machine goes to shot brewing) Here, before starting a shot, the preinfusion piston is flush with the rest of the mounting. As the preinfusion commences, the chamber behind this piston is filling up, and the piston itself starts to extend out. Preinfusion continues; if the machine is in 1st gear, it is fairly slow as line pressure slowly builds up. If it were in 2nd gear, this would come out approximately 40% faster. At this stage (about 6-7 seconds in on line preinfusion, or 3-4 seconds in on pump preinfusion), the chamber is almost full. Water on the bed of coffee is still below 3bar pressure. Once the piston stops moving, the puck is then saturated with a full 3bar of pressure (or will ramp up to 9bar if you're direct into second gear). I ordered the machine with an optional chopped portafilter. The finish on it is quite nice - not re-chromed, but polished, buff and smooth at the chop. Connect with us on Social Media MastodonFacebook-fInstagramYoutube SearchSearch coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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The Speedster features three 900 watt heating elements – two in the steam boiler (left and right) and one in the brewing boiler. It runs on 220V, 20amp service, and requires special electrical hookup in N. America in a home environment – you cannot plug this machine into a standard 110V 15amp (or 20amp) plug.
The Speedster also requires plumbing in. You could run it off a water bottle setup with a Flo-jet handling the preinfusion, but to get the full benefits of the multi-preinfusion systems, running a cold water line from a T-valve off your kitchen’s sink is a requirement, not an option.
Little niceties about the machine include the use of POM plastic for the dispersion block inside the grouphead – something I don’t think any other espresso machine uses (at least that I know of). POM is extremely durable, temperature neutral, and very resistant to any kind of oils contamination from the coffee. The dispersion screens are a screwless design (similar to E61 machines) and the grouphead itself is a fully saturated design – the grouphead is in effect part of the brewing boiler – its volume of water is part of the brewing boiler’s overall volume.
There are so many more technological things to talk about with regards to the Speedster but the last we’ll discuss is something that is both elegantly simple and painfully obvious but you have to wonder why something like this is rarely done by other machine builders. The Speedster has a very simple and accessible boiler draining system. If you take the left panel off the machine, you can see two beefy pipes extending out from the two boilers at the bottom of each. These pipes come to the right border of the machine’s frame and have caps on the front and shiny red levers on top. When the machine is cooled down all you need to do to completely drain the boilers is remove the caps, attach hoses to the pipes and open the valves. No bendy-twisty actions to get to a bottom-capped boiler drain. No flipping the machine this way and that to access them. Simple. Elegant. Efficient.
You'll find the dual-ball design of this gear lever for activating brewing to be very comfortable once you use the machine for a few shots. The Speedster next to a La Marzocco GS3 The switch is huge, and easy to access. I never turn this thing off though. The drains on the right side of the machine. Clear. Big. Accessible. And very bright candy-red turning dials.These water drains are a perfect example of what this machine is all about – a complete, state of the art espresso machine designed by a company that pays attention to the smallest most minute details.
SpeedsterAesthetics
It was evident the moment this machine was taken out of its crate – the Speedster is something special, and part of that special-ness comes from the absolute attention to details this machine has been given by the manufacturer.
From the business side of the machine (the operational front), you feel like you’re operating a 1950s roadster, or perhaps even a racer-airplane and facing the dash or control panel. The portafilter evokes feelings of a joystick in a retro plane. The shifter on the right side is super slick and tends to catch most new users by surprise.
Speedster First Day
The Speedster (before offset was programmed in) from the user angle.
From the side, the roadster and retro-aeronautic feelings continue, but as you get around to the back of the machine, it feels like a 1950s flying wing or slight-steam-punk alien bug ship. All very cool.
The side panels. What really can I say, except to say photos don’t even do them justice. In person, they are a major wow factor. The high gloss polish on the aluminum panels is broken up by the carved out powder-coated yellow stripes and red lettering. Just stunning. Polish is inside as well as out.The plating on the machine, known commercially as “perlage” or engine tuned plating is first rate, and blemish free.
I own a a fair bit of hand built products. I had a locally hand built mountain bike for some time. I have a variety of hand built coffee and espresso machine products. I feel I can safely say this: There is no product I’ve seen that is hand built, one a time that has the level of fit and finish the Speedster has. Heck, even where there are metal and plastic washers (like on the drip tray frame bar mounts), the plastic washers are lined up perfectly with the metal washers – I know because when I went to go adjust the height of the drip tray and re-tightened the bolts, I put the plastic washers slightly out of alignment (easy to do).
There is not a single dirty /scorched weld on this machine. There are no gaps. Every single seam, angle, joinery, weld, curve and physical part on the outside of the machine is flawless. I noticed it right away in the drip tray’s design and build: given the angular, “floating on air” nature of the drip tray and drip tray cover, I half expected to see weld scorch marks in hidden areas or where metal has been joined with metal, but there are none. All the bends are precise. All the welds are flawless and polish-finished. All the pieces align perfectly.
You can see it from every angle on the machine – for as much attention that has been given to the internal construction of the Speedster, at least as much (if not more) has been given to the fit and finish. In preparation for this first look I scoured the machine front to back, side to side and top to bottom to find one flaw, no matter how small, in the build quality.
I found none.
Compare this to the GS/3. We have a paddle group model in the CoffeeGeek Lab and it is an amazing machine technologically, but the aesthetics are very meh, and the fit and finish is questionable at times. You can see weld scorch marks on the upper cup tray of the GS/3 for example. You can wiggle around the cup tray and drip tray because the fit isn’t terribly precise. The side panels on my original GS/3 paddle group had misaligned mounting bolts making it quite difficult to remove the left side panel.
The Speedster has none of these issues. It is in a completely different league when it comes to aesthetics, quality of build and fit and finish. I cannot say it enough: I have never seen an espresso machine with such a complete attention to every minute detail as I have with the Speedster. It sets a completely new standard.
SpeedsterUsability
Usually aesthetics and usability in an industrial product are mutually exclusive – or at the very least, a case of 60% one way, 40% the other way. Usually something has to give. On the Speedster, there’s very little give in the usability department when compared to the aesthetics. Let’s get the usability quirks out of the way first.
The drip tray is a gorgeous piece of the artwork puzzle on the Speedster. From the user viewpoint, it hangs in mid air with seemingly no supports. It cuts a wide arrow shape out from the body towards one of the Four “M”s (that’d be you), and is wide and spacious. But the top tray, the perforated part, is only held in place by gravity, a small “lip”overhanging the back end of the tray, and by virtue of the sides sitting on the angled basin of the tray. In short, it kind of slides around, mainly when you’re cleaning the tray. It is not an issue when brewing shots. This is an entirely minor thing and to show you how good this machine is, probably my biggest gripe.
The gauges are also a bit hard to read from the user’s standpoint. They are on the front panels of the machine but seem angled downward somewhat and you have to drop lower to fully read them.
The rocker switch for the multi-choice hot water gives the appearance of being flimsy (it actually isn’t – its more of a perception) and very minutely out of place on the machine. Most other elements are beefy (the steam and hot water handle dials, the shift lever), so the long narrow rocker switch seems different.
The grouphead and portafilter position is quite low – at the factory-setting, the drip tray is in its uppermost position (it is height adjustable by about an inch) and the spouts on the double portafilter barely clear an illy espresso cup by 3cm; cappuccino cups clear it by maybe 1cm. For my use this is perfect – I rarely brew into anything larger than a latte wide-bowl cup, but for some it may be an inconvenience – you won’t be fitting your 16oz mug under a spouted portafilter.
Probably the last thing to mention in the negative column isn’t really a negative at all – it is the result of something very positive about the machine. The steam boiler’s intake is fed by a 0.6mm gicleur valve to slow down the boiler refill and keep the temperatures rock steady solid in the steam boiler. This is by design. It makes the machine even more temperature stable than even the best from Synesso and La Marzocco (at least those without a 0.6mm gicleur on the steam boiler). The downside is when you first fill the machine it takes quite a bit longer than other similar sized boilers and when you access steam boiler hot water, the refill via the pump runs a bit longer. A very minor thing and an excellent tradeoff for amazing temperature ability.
The drip tray with portafilter in place. From the user perspective it appears the drip tray floats in air without any visible support. Also note the angled back plate - it's a "poor man's" mirror, showing an exposed portafilter pour without needing to bend underneath. The fit and finish is very visible here - special bends, polishing rough edges, intricate cuts. Nothing is missed on the build of this machine. bends, polishing rough edges, intricate cuts. Nothing is missed on the build of this machine.There's a weld in there!In the drip tray basin, there are welds, but you'd be hard pressed to find some of them. They are polished, finished off, and no scorch marks. Here, the top trip tray sits on the drip tray basin. You're dealing with angles, bent metal, slopes and such, but it all fits perfectly. The machine's batching details, including serial number. Kees' has a super sweet logo The dials are very retro, black, white lettering, fire engine red dials. the machine plating is first rate. Note no gaps at all between the front plate and side aluminum panels - though they are not attached at all to each other. This is the pump pressure dial. It shows status of preinfusion and pump pressure.Onto the positives in usability. Well, just about everything! The grouphead’s gasket accessibility is literally the best I’ve ever worked with. Accessing the PID for the brew boiler is a breeze – it is right up front, dead centre on the machines lower front panel. Use the shift lever for a week and it feels like the most natural way to control brewing espresso that has ever existed. The machine is quiet, rattle free, and extremely solid on the counter.
The hot water wand articulates into the middle of the machine – a very good design which at first may seem to go against the machine’s aesthetic look. But trust me, you want the hot water over the drip tray, not over the side of the tray. Articulation is quite extensive too – you can rotate it on a near 180-360 degree plane on both vertical and horizontal axis (and other axis too, I guess). What I’m trying to say is you can point the water wand almost anywhere on the right side of the drip tray. It is hot touch, but has a rubber grabber on it that is nice and big but not ugly (nothing on this machine is ugly).
Using the three position shift lever for brewing is something that at first seems weird, but quickly becomes natural for brewing espresso and as you fine tune your preinfusion and brewing technique, you’ll wonder why this kind of brewing system isn’t on every machine. It actually works quite similar to the way a paddle group operates – move to one position and the line valves to the grouphead open up. Move to another position and you engage the pump. After one week, the Speedster’s brewing control seemed incredibly natural.
Viewing a shot as it develops is extremely easy on this machine – there are no blocked ‘sight lines’. Because of the nature of the exposed grouphead and groupcap, the portafilter spouts sit out in the open, not obscured in any way by other parts of the machine. People sitting to the side of the machine can see a shot develop just as well as the operator or people standing in front.
Let me focus on one particular aspect of usability – steaming. This machine is of course a manual steamer, meaning you control the steam through a variable control dial handle, and there are no gizmos or froth aiders to help impede things. The steam boiler is rated to handle 3.0+ bar of pressure (most commercial machines top out at 1.8 or 2.2bar) meaning that it is a complete steam monster in terms of power – it comes factory preset to run at around 2.3bar, and you can easily modify the steam boiler’s PID up or down by removing the left side panel and accessing it.
The machine ships with two steaming tips – the stock one (the “Speedster tip”) is a bit of a limiter in that the four holes are small and restrict the full steaming pressure somewhat, making it easy to steam 12oz pitchers. The other included tip (the “Mirage tip”) has four bigger holes and will fully utilize the steam boiler’s ample steam production.
I definitely do not need the bigger-hole tip. With the slightly restricted tip, I was steaming and frothing in 24oz pitchers (starting with about 12oz of milk) in under 15 seconds. Doing 5oz of milk in a 12oz pitcher takes less than 10 seconds (I haven’t timed it yet, but it is closer to 7 seconds than 10). What amazed me was that, even for all that power (the GS/3 takes twice as long), I was creating beautiful microfoam and had great control over the steaming from the very first pitcher. Part of it is the valve system the Speedster uses – there’s actually quite a bit of control over the amount of steam you use via the dial. Where most steam knob dials go from nothing to full power with very little turn, you have a radius of at least 2 hours (ie from noon to 2pm on a clock face) adjustment possible on the Speedster to fine tune how much steam you’re releasing down the pipe. I have not found another machine with more fine tuning control over the volume of steam.
The machine is also extremely serviceable. As mentioned previously, 4 side bolts (twist off by hand) and three hex bolts at the back of the machine are all that are needed to remove before you can take off the side panels and top plate. I’ve done it in under 1 minute. Almost everything is accessible at this point, save for the water line connections. For me this is a huge usability gain.
Ordering aSpeedster
If you want a Speedster you can order it direct from Kees van der Westen, or order one through a local distributor.
Two things to factor in. This machine costs 4,975 Euros (approximately $7,800 Canadian dollars, or $7,200 US dollars as of this writing), and you will have to pay shipping ($350 sea, $620 air), duties and taxes (9% duty in Canada plus your local PST and GST), bringing the cost close to $10,000 Canadian dollars, or around $9,000 US once it is set up in your home, office, cafe or roastery.
EDIT 2024: Things sure have changed. This machine now costs between $12,900 and $15,000USD in the United States. It is close to $20,000 in Canada.
The second thing to factor in is a waiting list – a long one. You may have to wait up to six months to get a Speedster. van der Westen only builds a few each month and the waiting list last time I checked was over 4 months long.
Some distributors may charge a premium over van der Westen’s 4,975 Euro price + shipping + taxes, some may not, but it is best to go through a distributor because they usually include installation as part of the price, and local servicing and warranty is included.
If you order direct, they will take your name and put you into the queue. You may have to put a deposit down at that time. Once the machine is being built, they will ask for the full amount paid via wire transfer. The machines are shipped COD for delivery costs, so expect to pay the full delivery charge when it arrives. Machines are well crated (82kg incl. crate) and will ship to your nearest Intl’ airport, or if coming by sea, to a major shipping destination (again usually an airport).
There are plenty of variants you can order when getting the Speedster. They include, but are not limited to the following:
- Black powder-coated side plates (black where you see red and yellow on our model)(
- Chopped portafilter instead of spouted model
- Wide cup rail instead of narrow one
- Mirror finish body work instead of perlage style
- All black body panels, powder coated finish matching the legs
In addition, van der Westen debuted a lever version (yes!!!) at the Cologne World of Coffee Expo during the Summer of 2009. It is a prototype, but may go into production for 2010.
EDIT 2024: The Lever Speedster was never realised. But they did make an Idromatic version. See it here.
Here’s what a shot looks like with the Speedster, including preinfusion time.
This video shows a HD rendition of an espresso shot on a Speedster espresso machine, using a factory-modified chopped portafilter.
This particular shot was done using manual preinfusion, which does tend to muck up the shot timing overall – with pump pressure, it was around 22 seconds, but I’d call it about 30 seconds total including the preinfusion time. One thing I’d love to see on the Speedster in the future is one or two speedometer style gauges that show shot times for both full shot (including manual or pump driven preinfusion) and pump “on” time.
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I don’t know if I’ll ever post a full detailed review on the Speedster or not – hence this super long “first look”. It’s quite an exclusive machine and a major expense – possibly the biggest expense someone would make for their home outside of actually buying the home or buying a car.
At the start of this First Look I hinted this may be the best espresso machine in the world. Of course that is a subjective opinion and not rooted in any fact, but here are some real world things about the machine: The Speedster has been installed and operating for five weeks now and has been viewed, used and experienced by at least 30 people, including many professional baristas, restaurant owners, sommeliers, bartenders and cafe owners.
One thing all had in common – to a one they all felt it was the most beautiful and intriguing espresso machine they’d ever seen. At times I had them observe and use both the Speedster and GS/3 Paddle Group and while the more technologically savvy baristas recognized the GS/3’s ground breaking design and electronics, the Speedster was the constant first pick.
Usability is first rate. It’s obviously a hands on machine allowing a certain amount of latitude in how shots are brewed, but where you want automated control (in temperatures and pressures and stability), the machine has very few equals.
What could be better? At this point, only the addition of a few niceties might improve the machine, but they’d be minor things. I’d like to see a shot timer incorporated into the machine – perhaps, keeping with the retro feel, an analog stopwatch / speedometer kind of dial that engages as soon as the pump does, perhaps even two such devices – one on the left for overall shot time, and one on the right showing just the pump activation time. It would keep with the automobile / racing plane theme of the front and sides of the machine.Other than that, the machine is just about perfect. For us at least, it is the best espresso machine in the world. Nothing else, save for perhaps other Kees van der Westen machines, come close.
The Speedster Espresso Machine CoffeeGeek buys coffee from Social Coffee at a reduced subscription rate to use exclusively in our product reviews, first looks and guides. We require a high quality, consistent coffees to fairly test coffee and espresso equipment month to month, and Social provides that. Highly recommended. coffeegeek advertisers make this website possible.
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Powering Your Station When the Grid Goes Down — The Ham Operator’s Ultimate Backup Playbook
2,890 words, 15 minutes read time.
Let me ask you something.
What if, tomorrow, everything went dark?
No lights. No cell service. No internet. No sirens. Just silence — broken only by the wind, your own breathing, and maybe the distant sound of someone yelling for help.
Now imagine this: You flip a switch. A red LED glows to life. You key your mic. And within seconds, you’re talking to another human being 50 miles away — no grid, no infrastructure, just raw skill and gear that you made work.
That’s not fantasy. That’s amateur radio.
And the secret weapon? Power. Not just any power — your power. Controlled. Portable. Reliable. Independent.
This isn’t about getting licensed. Not yet. This is about building the mindset, the muscle memory, and the gear stack that will make you unstoppable when the world goes quiet. Because when you understand how to keep your station alive off-grid, you’re not just preparing for emergencies — you’re laying the foundation to pass your Technician exam without breaking a sweat.
I’ve been in this game for over two decades — from hurricanes on the Gulf Coast to blizzards in the Rockies. I’ve run stations off car batteries in ditches, solar panels strapped to pickup hoods, and generators humming through 3 a.m. ice storms. I’m not here to impress you with jargon. I’m here to show you how to be the guy who doesn’t panic — the guy who gets on air while everyone else is staring at dead phones.
So let’s get into it. Deep. Practical. No fluff.
Why Power Matters More Than You Think
You don’t need me to tell you the grid is fragile. One transformer blows in the wrong place, one cyberattack hits the wrong substation, one hurricane slams the wrong coastline — and suddenly, millions are cut off. Emergency services overwhelmed. Hospitals running on fumes. Families stranded without word.
In those moments, amateur radio operators become lifelines. We’re not heroes. We’re just guys with radios and the know-how to keep them running. But that know-how starts — and ends — with power.
Think about it: Your shiny new Yaesu or Icom is useless without juice. Doesn’t matter how good your antenna is. Doesn’t matter how clear your voice. Dead battery? Dead station.
The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t require you to have backup power to get licensed. But real-world experience screams otherwise. In Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico lost 95% of its cell towers. Hams running low-power HF rigs off solar-charged batteries became the only link between isolated towns and relief agencies. Same story during the Texas deep freeze of 2021 — operators running QRP stations out of sheds and garages kept critical info flowing when nothing else could.
As KB6NU puts it in his no-nonsense guide: “If you can’t power your radio, you’re not an operator — you’re a spectator.”
This isn’t about hoarding gear or prepping for doomsday. It’s about self-reliance. About being the guy who shows up with solutions instead of questions. About knowing that when the lights go out, you’ve still got a voice — and the power to use it.
The Reality of Grid Failure (And Why You Should Care)
We like to think modern infrastructure is bulletproof. It’s not.
In 2003, a single software bug in Ohio triggered a cascade failure that blacked out 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and Canada. In 2021, a ransomware attack crippled the Colonial Pipeline, causing gas shortages and panic buying across the Southeast. And in 2023, a geomagnetic storm knocked out HF propagation for hours — but also reminded us that nature doesn’t care about our schedules.
Grid failures aren’t rare. They’re inevitable.
And when they happen, three things die fast: cell towers, internet routers, and landlines. All three rely on commercial power — and most have only a few hours of battery backup. After that? Silence.
Amateur radio doesn’t play by those rules. Our frequencies don’t need corporate infrastructure. Our signals don’t route through data centers. All we need is a radio, an antenna, and — you guessed it — power.
I’ve spent more than a few long nights sitting beside snapped power lines after violent storms rolled through, rain drumming on my hood, boots sunk in mud, part of a CERT team trying to hold things together while the grid stayed dead. What sticks with me isn’t the wind or the wreckage — it’s how many people had nothing. No working flashlight. No spare batteries. Phones bricked by noon. Families huddled in basements with candles, hoping someone would tell them what was happening. Meanwhile, I had my Yaesu FT-1802 keyed up on 2 meters, fed by a homemade “Go Kit” I built myself — a 12v battery, fused leads, clean connectors, all packed in a small metal case that fit . That radio kept me locked in with storm spotters calling out weather conditions, and patched me straight through to the National Weather Service when sirens fell silent. No cell towers. No Wi-Fi. Just clear, calm comms cutting through the noise. While others waited for help, I stayed in the loop — not because I’m some hero, but because I bothered to build something that works when nothing else does.
That’s the difference between waiting for help and being part of the solution.
You don’t need to predict the next blackout. You just need to be ready for it. And that starts with understanding what your gear needs — and how to feed it when the plug’s been pulled.
Understanding Your Radio’s Appetite: Power Requirements 101
Let’s cut through the confusion. Radios don’t eat watts. They drink amps.
Volts? That’s the pressure. Amps? That’s the flow. Watts? That’s the total energy consumed — volts times amps. Simple math, but critical to get right.
Most mobile and handheld VHF/UHF rigs run on 12-14 volts DC — same as your car. Base stations? Often 13.8V regulated. HF rigs? Some draw 20 amps or more when transmitting at full power. QRP (low-power) rigs? As little as half an amp.
Here’s the rule of thumb I teach new guys:
If you’re running 100 watts output on HF, assume you’re pulling about 20-25 amps at 13.8V. That’s roughly 275-345 watts of DC input power. Efficiency losses, folks.
But don’t panic. You don’t need 100 watts to be effective. In fact, during emergencies, low power is often better — less drain, less heat, less attention from interference.
A 5-watt QRP rig? Might pull only 2 amps on transmit. That means a 20Ah battery could give you 10 hours of continuous TX time — and weeks of standby. Add receive-only listening? You’re golden.
Know your radio’s specs. Dig into the manual. Look for “current drain” under transmit and receive modes. Write it down. Tape it to your shack wall.
My Yaesu FT-7250D? Rock-solid workhorse. On receive, it sips just 0.8 amps — barely a whisper off the battery. Flip to transmit at full 50 watts, and it pulls about 11 amps at 13.8 volts. Not bad for a rig that’ll punch through storm static and reach repeaters 50 miles out. Now, if I’m running a heavy op — say, 50% of the time transmitting, 50% listening — my average current draw settles around 5.9 amps. Do the math: a 50Ah deep-cycle battery, respecting the 50% discharge rule to keep it healthy, gives me 25 usable amp-hours. Divide that by 5.9? Roughly 4.2 hours of hard, mixed-use operation. Stretch that to a more realistic 20% TX / 80% RX duty cycle — typical during spotter nets or NWS check-ins — and you’re looking at over 9 hours on a single charge. That’s not theory. That’s what kept me live through an all-night derecho event, calling in damage reports while everyone else’s phones went dark. Good to know before the sky breaks open.
Start small. Start simple. But start with numbers. Guesswork kills batteries — and missions.
Battery Basics: Your First Line of Defense
If you learn nothing else from this guide, learn this: Not all batteries are created equal. And no, you can’t just yank the one out of your ’98 Camry and call it good.
Car batteries? Designed for short, high-current bursts to turn over an engine. Not for slow, steady discharge over hours. Drain one below 50% a few times, and it’ll sulfate up and die. Fast.
What you want is a deep cycle battery. Built to be drained and recharged — repeatedly. Two main flavors: Flooded Lead-Acid (FLA) and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM). Later, we’ll talk lithium — but for now, stick with lead.
FLA batteries are cheap. Heavy. Require maintenance — checking water levels, cleaning terminals, venting hydrogen gas. But they last. I’ve got one from 2008 still kicking.
AGM? Sealed. Maintenance-free. Can be mounted sideways. More expensive, but worth it for portable ops. Less risk of acid spills. Faster recharge. Better for cold weather.
Then there’s LiFePO4 — lithium iron phosphate. Lighter than lead. Holds charge longer. Handles deeper discharges. No memory effect. But costs 2-3x more. And requires a special charger. For serious operators? Absolutely worth it. For starters? Maybe overkill.
Capacity is measured in Amp-hours (Ah). A 20Ah battery can theoretically deliver 1 amp for 20 hours — or 20 amps for 1 hour. Reality? You’ll get less due to Peukert’s Law (the faster you drain, the less total capacity you get). So derate by 20% for safety.
Rule: Never drain a lead-acid below 50%. Lithium? You can go to 20% or lower — check manufacturer specs.
Maintenance tip: Always recharge immediately after use. Store fully charged. Keep terminals clean and tight. Use dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. Ventilate FLAs — hydrogen is no joke.
One more thing: Fuses. Put a fuse within 12 inches of your battery’s positive terminal. Seriously. A shorted cable can melt insulation, start fires, or weld tools to chassis. Seen it happen. Not pretty.
Solar Power: Silent, Renewable, and Manly Reliable
Solar isn’t magic. It’s physics. And it’s perfect for radio ops.
Panels convert sunlight to DC voltage. A charge controller regulates that voltage so you don’t fry your battery. And your battery stores the juice for when the sun dips below the trees.
Start small. A 20-watt panel costs less than $50. On a sunny day, it’ll push about 1.2 amps into a 12V system. That’s enough to trickle-charge a 20Ah battery in half a day — or keep a QRP station running indefinitely if you’re smart with usage.
Myth: “You need a roof covered in panels.” Nope. For emergency comms, you’re not powering a fridge or AC unit. You’re keeping a radio alive. Even 10 watts of solar can sustain a low-draw station if managed well.
Charge controllers matter. Don’t skip this. A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller is fine for small setups. MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)? More efficient — especially in low light or cold temps — but pricier. For under 100W, PWM works.
Mounting? Magnetic mounts for vehicles. Tripods for field ops. Roof brackets for permanent installs. Angle matters — face true south (in the Northern Hemisphere), tilt equal to your latitude for year-round average.
Pro tip: Pair your panel with a foldable briefcase-style unit. Toss it in your truck. Unfold it at camp. Angle it toward the sun. Done.
Solar won’t save you in a week-long blizzard. But for 90% of grid-down scenarios — storms, quakes, regional outages — it’s silent, reliable, and endlessly renewable. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about harvesting sunlight to send your voice across continents.
As Backwoods Home Magazine notes: “Solar-powered ham radio isn’t just practical — it’s poetic. You’re turning photons into phonemes.”
Generators, Inverters, and Other Options
Sometimes, batteries and solar aren’t enough. Maybe you’re running high power for hours. Maybe clouds won’t break. Maybe you’re supporting a group op with multiple stations.
Enter the generator.
Gasoline generators are loud, smelly, and thirsty — but they deliver. A 2000-watt inverter generator can run a 100W HF rig, a laptop, a small fridge, and charge batteries simultaneously. Honda EU2200i is the gold standard — quiet, fuel-efficient, reliable. Costs about $1,000 new. Worth every penny if you’re serious.
Diesel? More torque, better fuel economy, longer lifespan — but heavier and pricier. Propane? Cleaner burn, easier storage — but less energy per gallon.
Biggest mistake new guys make? Running a generator 24/7. Don’t. Charge your batteries during daylight, then shut it down. Run your station off batteries at night. Quieter. Safer. More fuel-efficient.
Inverters? These convert 12V DC to 120V AC. Useful if your radio or accessories need wall power. Pure sine wave inverters are best — modified sine can fry sensitive electronics. Size appropriately: Add up wattage of all devices, multiply by 1.5 for surge, pick an inverter that exceeds that.
Alternative ideas? Wind turbines — niche, noisy, inconsistent. Pedal generators — great for fitness, terrible for sustained power. Vehicle alternators — yes, you can charge a battery while driving, but don’t drain your starter battery. Use an isolator.
Bottom line: Generators are force multipliers. But they’re tools — not crutches. Master batteries and solar first. Then add gas when you need brute force.
Building Your Own Emergency Power Kit (Step-by-Step)
Let’s build something real.
Starter Kit (150–150–250):
- 20Ah AGM battery (e.g., Mighty Max or Renogy)
- 20W folding solar panel with built-in PWM controller
- 10A inline fuse holder + 10A fuse
- 12V cigarette lighter socket (for charging phones/lights)
- Anderson Powerpole connectors (standard in ham radio)
- 10ft 12AWG red/black cables with ring terminals
- Battery box or rugged plastic case
Total weight: Under 20 lbs. Fits in a backpack. Deploy time: 5 minutes.
Mid-Tier Kit (400–400–700):
- 50Ah LiFePO4 battery (e.g., EcoFlow River 2 or Dakota Lithium)
- 100W briefcase solar panel with MPPT controller
- 300W pure sine wave inverter
- Digital voltmeter / battery monitor
- Fuse block with 4 circuits
- Heavy-duty case with wheels
Adds runtime, efficiency, and versatility. Can run laptops, LED lights, small CPAP machines. Still portable.
Pro Tier ($1,000+):
- Dual 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries with automatic parallel switching
- 400W solar array (portable or roof-mounted)
- 2000W inverter generator (Honda or Champion)
- Automatic transfer switch (grid → battery → generator)
- Bluetooth battery monitor with smartphone app
- EMP-shielded enclosure (optional, for extreme preppers)
This setup can run a full shack — transceiver, tuner, computer, lighting — for days. Redundant. Remote-monitored. Battle-ready.
Budget hacks? Hit hamfests. eBay. Craigslist. Old UPS batteries? Often still 80% capacity. Car jump starters with USB/12V outputs? Surprisingly useful for HTs and flashlights. Salvage solar garden lights? Wire ten together, and you’ve got a 5V charging bank.
Build it yourself. Learn every connection. Label everything. Practice assembly blindfolded. You’ll thank yourself later.
Safety First: Don’t Fry Yourself or Your Gear
Power is respect. Not fear — respect.
One slip with a wrench across battery terminals? Boom — 500 amps of arc flash. Seen a guy lose eyebrows that way. Not fun.
Always disconnect negative first. Reconnect negative last. Wear eye protection. Keep metal tools away from live terminals.
Fuses aren’t optional. They’re mandatory. Size them for your wire gauge and load. 10A fuse for 16AWG wire. 20A for 12AWG. 30A for 10AWG. Don’t guess.
Lithium batteries? Treat them like loaded guns. Puncture = fire. Overcharge = fire. Short circuit = fire. Use only matched cells, proper BMS (Battery Management System), and certified chargers.
Ventilation. Lead-acid batteries off-gas hydrogen when charging — explosive in confined spaces. Keep them in garages, sheds, or vented boxes. Never indoors unless sealed AGM.
Grounding. Even off-grid, ground your station. Lightning doesn’t care if you’re plugged into the wall. Drive an 8-ft copper rod. Bond your radio chassis, power supply, and antenna mast to it. Saves gear. Saves lives.
Quick pre-op checklist:
- Terminals clean and tight?
- Fuse installed and correct rating?
- Polarity confirmed? (Red = positive. Always.)
- Ventilation clear?
- Fire extinguisher nearby? (Class C for electrical.)
Safety isn’t sexy. But neither is third-degree burns or melted transceivers.
Practice Like You Play: Drills and Dry Runs
Knowledge rusts without use.
Schedule a monthly “Blackout Saturday.” Unplug everything. Run your station off battery only. Time how long it takes to get on air. Track your battery voltage every 30 minutes. Note when performance drops.
Try different modes: SSB voice. CW. Digital FT8. See which gives you longest runtime.
Test range. Can you hit a repeater 30 miles away on 5 watts? Can you bounce an NVIS signal off the ionosphere to someone 200 miles north? Document it.
Involve your family. Make it a competition. Who can assemble the kit fastest? Who can copy the most morse code characters? Reward with steak dinner. Builds buy-in — and skills.
Field Day? Join it. Every June, thousands of hams set up temporary stations in parks, fields, rooftops — running entirely off-grid. Best training you’ll ever get. Find your local club. Show up. Ask questions. Bring beer.
Dry runs expose flaws. Maybe your solar panel doesn’t angle right. Maybe your cables are too short. Maybe your battery monitor lies. Fix it now — not at 2 a.m. during a flood.
As the Northwest Radio Association says: “The best emergency plan is the one you’ve practiced until it’s boring.”
Looking Ahead: This Prep Helps You Pass Your License Too
Here’s the beautiful part: Everything you’re learning now — batteries, solar, fuses, voltage, current — is straight out of the Technician exam pool.
Question T5C08: “What is the formula used to calculate electrical power in a DC circuit?”
Answer: Power (P) equals voltage (E) times current (I). P = E × I.Question T6D06: “What component is commonly used to change 120V AC house current to a lower AC voltage for other uses?”
Answer: Transformer — but you’re using an inverter to go the other way. Same principles.Question T0A07: “What is the safest way to recharge a lead-acid battery?”
Answer: Slow charge with a regulated charger — which you now know how to set up.Studying power systems now means less memorization later. You’re not cramming facts — you’re building intuition. When you see “Ohm’s Law” on the test, you’ll picture your multimeter reading 13.8V across a 10A load. Real. Tangible. Yours.
Download KB6NU’s free Technician study guide. Take practice exams at HamRadioLicenseExam.com. You’ll fly through the power and safety sections — because you’ve lived them.
The license? It’s just paperwork. What you’re building now — competence, confidence, capability — that’s what makes a real ham.
D. Bryan King
Sources
- ARRL – Power Sources for Emergency Communications
- KB6NU’s No-Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide – Off-Grid Power Section
- Ham Radio Academy – Off-Grid Power for Ham Radio
- RigPix – Battery Power Solutions for Amateur Radio
- Solar-Electric.com – Off-Grid Solar Power Basics
- YouTube: “Portable Power for Field Day and Emergencies” by K0PIR
- Northwest Radio Association – Power Systems for Field Operations
- eHam.net – Choosing the Right Battery for Portable Operation
- QRZ.com – Battery Power for Amateur Radio Operators
- Backwoods Home Magazine – Using Solar to Power Your Ham Radio Station
- Instructables – How to Power a Ham Radio Station Off-Grid
- HamRadioLicenseExam.com – Emergency Power for Ham Radio
- AmateurRadio.com – Power Supplies and Backup Power
- PrepperWebsite – How to Power Your Ham Radio in an Emergency
- OffGridLife.com – Ham Radio Off-Grid: Powering Your Station Without Utility Grid
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.
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Powering Your Station When the Grid Goes Down — The Ham Operator’s Ultimate Backup Playbook
2,890 words, 15 minutes read time.
Let me ask you something.
What if, tomorrow, everything went dark?
No lights. No cell service. No internet. No sirens. Just silence — broken only by the wind, your own breathing, and maybe the distant sound of someone yelling for help.
Now imagine this: You flip a switch. A red LED glows to life. You key your mic. And within seconds, you’re talking to another human being 50 miles away — no grid, no infrastructure, just raw skill and gear that you made work.
That’s not fantasy. That’s amateur radio.
And the secret weapon? Power. Not just any power — your power. Controlled. Portable. Reliable. Independent.
This isn’t about getting licensed. Not yet. This is about building the mindset, the muscle memory, and the gear stack that will make you unstoppable when the world goes quiet. Because when you understand how to keep your station alive off-grid, you’re not just preparing for emergencies — you’re laying the foundation to pass your Technician exam without breaking a sweat.
I’ve been in this game for over two decades — from hurricanes on the Gulf Coast to blizzards in the Rockies. I’ve run stations off car batteries in ditches, solar panels strapped to pickup hoods, and generators humming through 3 a.m. ice storms. I’m not here to impress you with jargon. I’m here to show you how to be the guy who doesn’t panic — the guy who gets on air while everyone else is staring at dead phones.
So let’s get into it. Deep. Practical. No fluff.
Why Power Matters More Than You Think
You don’t need me to tell you the grid is fragile. One transformer blows in the wrong place, one cyberattack hits the wrong substation, one hurricane slams the wrong coastline — and suddenly, millions are cut off. Emergency services overwhelmed. Hospitals running on fumes. Families stranded without word.
In those moments, amateur radio operators become lifelines. We’re not heroes. We’re just guys with radios and the know-how to keep them running. But that know-how starts — and ends — with power.
Think about it: Your shiny new Yaesu or Icom is useless without juice. Doesn’t matter how good your antenna is. Doesn’t matter how clear your voice. Dead battery? Dead station.
The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t require you to have backup power to get licensed. But real-world experience screams otherwise. In Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico lost 95% of its cell towers. Hams running low-power HF rigs off solar-charged batteries became the only link between isolated towns and relief agencies. Same story during the Texas deep freeze of 2021 — operators running QRP stations out of sheds and garages kept critical info flowing when nothing else could.
As KB6NU puts it in his no-nonsense guide: “If you can’t power your radio, you’re not an operator — you’re a spectator.”
This isn’t about hoarding gear or prepping for doomsday. It’s about self-reliance. About being the guy who shows up with solutions instead of questions. About knowing that when the lights go out, you’ve still got a voice — and the power to use it.
The Reality of Grid Failure (And Why You Should Care)
We like to think modern infrastructure is bulletproof. It’s not.
In 2003, a single software bug in Ohio triggered a cascade failure that blacked out 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and Canada. In 2021, a ransomware attack crippled the Colonial Pipeline, causing gas shortages and panic buying across the Southeast. And in 2023, a geomagnetic storm knocked out HF propagation for hours — but also reminded us that nature doesn’t care about our schedules.
Grid failures aren’t rare. They’re inevitable.
And when they happen, three things die fast: cell towers, internet routers, and landlines. All three rely on commercial power — and most have only a few hours of battery backup. After that? Silence.
Amateur radio doesn’t play by those rules. Our frequencies don’t need corporate infrastructure. Our signals don’t route through data centers. All we need is a radio, an antenna, and — you guessed it — power.
I’ve spent more than a few long nights sitting beside snapped power lines after violent storms rolled through, rain drumming on my hood, boots sunk in mud, part of a CERT team trying to hold things together while the grid stayed dead. What sticks with me isn’t the wind or the wreckage — it’s how many people had nothing. No working flashlight. No spare batteries. Phones bricked by noon. Families huddled in basements with candles, hoping someone would tell them what was happening. Meanwhile, I had my Yaesu FT-1802 keyed up on 2 meters, fed by a homemade “Go Kit” I built myself — a 12v battery, fused leads, clean connectors, all packed in a small metal case that fit . That radio kept me locked in with storm spotters calling out weather conditions, and patched me straight through to the National Weather Service when sirens fell silent. No cell towers. No Wi-Fi. Just clear, calm comms cutting through the noise. While others waited for help, I stayed in the loop — not because I’m some hero, but because I bothered to build something that works when nothing else does.
That’s the difference between waiting for help and being part of the solution.
You don’t need to predict the next blackout. You just need to be ready for it. And that starts with understanding what your gear needs — and how to feed it when the plug’s been pulled.
Understanding Your Radio’s Appetite: Power Requirements 101
Let’s cut through the confusion. Radios don’t eat watts. They drink amps.
Volts? That’s the pressure. Amps? That’s the flow. Watts? That’s the total energy consumed — volts times amps. Simple math, but critical to get right.
Most mobile and handheld VHF/UHF rigs run on 12-14 volts DC — same as your car. Base stations? Often 13.8V regulated. HF rigs? Some draw 20 amps or more when transmitting at full power. QRP (low-power) rigs? As little as half an amp.
Here’s the rule of thumb I teach new guys:
If you’re running 100 watts output on HF, assume you’re pulling about 20-25 amps at 13.8V. That’s roughly 275-345 watts of DC input power. Efficiency losses, folks.
But don’t panic. You don’t need 100 watts to be effective. In fact, during emergencies, low power is often better — less drain, less heat, less attention from interference.
A 5-watt QRP rig? Might pull only 2 amps on transmit. That means a 20Ah battery could give you 10 hours of continuous TX time — and weeks of standby. Add receive-only listening? You’re golden.
Know your radio’s specs. Dig into the manual. Look for “current drain” under transmit and receive modes. Write it down. Tape it to your shack wall.
My Yaesu FT-7250D? Rock-solid workhorse. On receive, it sips just 0.8 amps — barely a whisper off the battery. Flip to transmit at full 50 watts, and it pulls about 11 amps at 13.8 volts. Not bad for a rig that’ll punch through storm static and reach repeaters 50 miles out. Now, if I’m running a heavy op — say, 50% of the time transmitting, 50% listening — my average current draw settles around 5.9 amps. Do the math: a 50Ah deep-cycle battery, respecting the 50% discharge rule to keep it healthy, gives me 25 usable amp-hours. Divide that by 5.9? Roughly 4.2 hours of hard, mixed-use operation. Stretch that to a more realistic 20% TX / 80% RX duty cycle — typical during spotter nets or NWS check-ins — and you’re looking at over 9 hours on a single charge. That’s not theory. That’s what kept me live through an all-night derecho event, calling in damage reports while everyone else’s phones went dark. Good to know before the sky breaks open.
Start small. Start simple. But start with numbers. Guesswork kills batteries — and missions.
Battery Basics: Your First Line of Defense
If you learn nothing else from this guide, learn this: Not all batteries are created equal. And no, you can’t just yank the one out of your ’98 Camry and call it good.
Car batteries? Designed for short, high-current bursts to turn over an engine. Not for slow, steady discharge over hours. Drain one below 50% a few times, and it’ll sulfate up and die. Fast.
What you want is a deep cycle battery. Built to be drained and recharged — repeatedly. Two main flavors: Flooded Lead-Acid (FLA) and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM). Later, we’ll talk lithium — but for now, stick with lead.
FLA batteries are cheap. Heavy. Require maintenance — checking water levels, cleaning terminals, venting hydrogen gas. But they last. I’ve got one from 2008 still kicking.
AGM? Sealed. Maintenance-free. Can be mounted sideways. More expensive, but worth it for portable ops. Less risk of acid spills. Faster recharge. Better for cold weather.
Then there’s LiFePO4 — lithium iron phosphate. Lighter than lead. Holds charge longer. Handles deeper discharges. No memory effect. But costs 2-3x more. And requires a special charger. For serious operators? Absolutely worth it. For starters? Maybe overkill.
Capacity is measured in Amp-hours (Ah). A 20Ah battery can theoretically deliver 1 amp for 20 hours — or 20 amps for 1 hour. Reality? You’ll get less due to Peukert’s Law (the faster you drain, the less total capacity you get). So derate by 20% for safety.
Rule: Never drain a lead-acid below 50%. Lithium? You can go to 20% or lower — check manufacturer specs.
Maintenance tip: Always recharge immediately after use. Store fully charged. Keep terminals clean and tight. Use dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. Ventilate FLAs — hydrogen is no joke.
One more thing: Fuses. Put a fuse within 12 inches of your battery’s positive terminal. Seriously. A shorted cable can melt insulation, start fires, or weld tools to chassis. Seen it happen. Not pretty.
Solar Power: Silent, Renewable, and Manly Reliable
Solar isn’t magic. It’s physics. And it’s perfect for radio ops.
Panels convert sunlight to DC voltage. A charge controller regulates that voltage so you don’t fry your battery. And your battery stores the juice for when the sun dips below the trees.
Start small. A 20-watt panel costs less than $50. On a sunny day, it’ll push about 1.2 amps into a 12V system. That’s enough to trickle-charge a 20Ah battery in half a day — or keep a QRP station running indefinitely if you’re smart with usage.
Myth: “You need a roof covered in panels.” Nope. For emergency comms, you’re not powering a fridge or AC unit. You’re keeping a radio alive. Even 10 watts of solar can sustain a low-draw station if managed well.
Charge controllers matter. Don’t skip this. A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller is fine for small setups. MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)? More efficient — especially in low light or cold temps — but pricier. For under 100W, PWM works.
Mounting? Magnetic mounts for vehicles. Tripods for field ops. Roof brackets for permanent installs. Angle matters — face true south (in the Northern Hemisphere), tilt equal to your latitude for year-round average.
Pro tip: Pair your panel with a foldable briefcase-style unit. Toss it in your truck. Unfold it at camp. Angle it toward the sun. Done.
Solar won’t save you in a week-long blizzard. But for 90% of grid-down scenarios — storms, quakes, regional outages — it’s silent, reliable, and endlessly renewable. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about harvesting sunlight to send your voice across continents.
As Backwoods Home Magazine notes: “Solar-powered ham radio isn’t just practical — it’s poetic. You’re turning photons into phonemes.”
Generators, Inverters, and Other Options
Sometimes, batteries and solar aren’t enough. Maybe you’re running high power for hours. Maybe clouds won’t break. Maybe you’re supporting a group op with multiple stations.
Enter the generator.
Gasoline generators are loud, smelly, and thirsty — but they deliver. A 2000-watt inverter generator can run a 100W HF rig, a laptop, a small fridge, and charge batteries simultaneously. Honda EU2200i is the gold standard — quiet, fuel-efficient, reliable. Costs about $1,000 new. Worth every penny if you’re serious.
Diesel? More torque, better fuel economy, longer lifespan — but heavier and pricier. Propane? Cleaner burn, easier storage — but less energy per gallon.
Biggest mistake new guys make? Running a generator 24/7. Don’t. Charge your batteries during daylight, then shut it down. Run your station off batteries at night. Quieter. Safer. More fuel-efficient.
Inverters? These convert 12V DC to 120V AC. Useful if your radio or accessories need wall power. Pure sine wave inverters are best — modified sine can fry sensitive electronics. Size appropriately: Add up wattage of all devices, multiply by 1.5 for surge, pick an inverter that exceeds that.
Alternative ideas? Wind turbines — niche, noisy, inconsistent. Pedal generators — great for fitness, terrible for sustained power. Vehicle alternators — yes, you can charge a battery while driving, but don’t drain your starter battery. Use an isolator.
Bottom line: Generators are force multipliers. But they’re tools — not crutches. Master batteries and solar first. Then add gas when you need brute force.
Building Your Own Emergency Power Kit (Step-by-Step)
Let’s build something real.
Starter Kit (150–150–250):
- 20Ah AGM battery (e.g., Mighty Max or Renogy)
- 20W folding solar panel with built-in PWM controller
- 10A inline fuse holder + 10A fuse
- 12V cigarette lighter socket (for charging phones/lights)
- Anderson Powerpole connectors (standard in ham radio)
- 10ft 12AWG red/black cables with ring terminals
- Battery box or rugged plastic case
Total weight: Under 20 lbs. Fits in a backpack. Deploy time: 5 minutes.
Mid-Tier Kit (400–400–700):
- 50Ah LiFePO4 battery (e.g., EcoFlow River 2 or Dakota Lithium)
- 100W briefcase solar panel with MPPT controller
- 300W pure sine wave inverter
- Digital voltmeter / battery monitor
- Fuse block with 4 circuits
- Heavy-duty case with wheels
Adds runtime, efficiency, and versatility. Can run laptops, LED lights, small CPAP machines. Still portable.
Pro Tier ($1,000+):
- Dual 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries with automatic parallel switching
- 400W solar array (portable or roof-mounted)
- 2000W inverter generator (Honda or Champion)
- Automatic transfer switch (grid → battery → generator)
- Bluetooth battery monitor with smartphone app
- EMP-shielded enclosure (optional, for extreme preppers)
This setup can run a full shack — transceiver, tuner, computer, lighting — for days. Redundant. Remote-monitored. Battle-ready.
Budget hacks? Hit hamfests. eBay. Craigslist. Old UPS batteries? Often still 80% capacity. Car jump starters with USB/12V outputs? Surprisingly useful for HTs and flashlights. Salvage solar garden lights? Wire ten together, and you’ve got a 5V charging bank.
Build it yourself. Learn every connection. Label everything. Practice assembly blindfolded. You’ll thank yourself later.
Safety First: Don’t Fry Yourself or Your Gear
Power is respect. Not fear — respect.
One slip with a wrench across battery terminals? Boom — 500 amps of arc flash. Seen a guy lose eyebrows that way. Not fun.
Always disconnect negative first. Reconnect negative last. Wear eye protection. Keep metal tools away from live terminals.
Fuses aren’t optional. They’re mandatory. Size them for your wire gauge and load. 10A fuse for 16AWG wire. 20A for 12AWG. 30A for 10AWG. Don’t guess.
Lithium batteries? Treat them like loaded guns. Puncture = fire. Overcharge = fire. Short circuit = fire. Use only matched cells, proper BMS (Battery Management System), and certified chargers.
Ventilation. Lead-acid batteries off-gas hydrogen when charging — explosive in confined spaces. Keep them in garages, sheds, or vented boxes. Never indoors unless sealed AGM.
Grounding. Even off-grid, ground your station. Lightning doesn’t care if you’re plugged into the wall. Drive an 8-ft copper rod. Bond your radio chassis, power supply, and antenna mast to it. Saves gear. Saves lives.
Quick pre-op checklist:
- Terminals clean and tight?
- Fuse installed and correct rating?
- Polarity confirmed? (Red = positive. Always.)
- Ventilation clear?
- Fire extinguisher nearby? (Class C for electrical.)
Safety isn’t sexy. But neither is third-degree burns or melted transceivers.
Practice Like You Play: Drills and Dry Runs
Knowledge rusts without use.
Schedule a monthly “Blackout Saturday.” Unplug everything. Run your station off battery only. Time how long it takes to get on air. Track your battery voltage every 30 minutes. Note when performance drops.
Try different modes: SSB voice. CW. Digital FT8. See which gives you longest runtime.
Test range. Can you hit a repeater 30 miles away on 5 watts? Can you bounce an NVIS signal off the ionosphere to someone 200 miles north? Document it.
Involve your family. Make it a competition. Who can assemble the kit fastest? Who can copy the most morse code characters? Reward with steak dinner. Builds buy-in — and skills.
Field Day? Join it. Every June, thousands of hams set up temporary stations in parks, fields, rooftops — running entirely off-grid. Best training you’ll ever get. Find your local club. Show up. Ask questions. Bring beer.
Dry runs expose flaws. Maybe your solar panel doesn’t angle right. Maybe your cables are too short. Maybe your battery monitor lies. Fix it now — not at 2 a.m. during a flood.
As the Northwest Radio Association says: “The best emergency plan is the one you’ve practiced until it’s boring.”
Looking Ahead: This Prep Helps You Pass Your License Too
Here’s the beautiful part: Everything you’re learning now — batteries, solar, fuses, voltage, current — is straight out of the Technician exam pool.
Question T5C08: “What is the formula used to calculate electrical power in a DC circuit?”
Answer: Power (P) equals voltage (E) times current (I). P = E × I.Question T6D06: “What component is commonly used to change 120V AC house current to a lower AC voltage for other uses?”
Answer: Transformer — but you’re using an inverter to go the other way. Same principles.Question T0A07: “What is the safest way to recharge a lead-acid battery?”
Answer: Slow charge with a regulated charger — which you now know how to set up.Studying power systems now means less memorization later. You’re not cramming facts — you’re building intuition. When you see “Ohm’s Law” on the test, you’ll picture your multimeter reading 13.8V across a 10A load. Real. Tangible. Yours.
Download KB6NU’s free Technician study guide. Take practice exams at HamRadioLicenseExam.com. You’ll fly through the power and safety sections — because you’ve lived them.
The license? It’s just paperwork. What you’re building now — competence, confidence, capability — that’s what makes a real ham.
D. Bryan King
Sources
- ARRL – Power Sources for Emergency Communications
- KB6NU’s No-Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide – Off-Grid Power Section
- Ham Radio Academy – Off-Grid Power for Ham Radio
- RigPix – Battery Power Solutions for Amateur Radio
- Solar-Electric.com – Off-Grid Solar Power Basics
- YouTube: “Portable Power for Field Day and Emergencies” by K0PIR
- Northwest Radio Association – Power Systems for Field Operations
- eHam.net – Choosing the Right Battery for Portable Operation
- QRZ.com – Battery Power for Amateur Radio Operators
- Backwoods Home Magazine – Using Solar to Power Your Ham Radio Station
- Instructables – How to Power a Ham Radio Station Off-Grid
- HamRadioLicenseExam.com – Emergency Power for Ham Radio
- AmateurRadio.com – Power Supplies and Backup Power
- PrepperWebsite – How to Power Your Ham Radio in an Emergency
- OffGridLife.com – Ham Radio Off-Grid: Powering Your Station Without Utility Grid
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.
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Powering Your Station When the Grid Goes Down — The Ham Operator’s Ultimate Backup Playbook
2,890 words, 15 minutes read time.
Let me ask you something.
What if, tomorrow, everything went dark?
No lights. No cell service. No internet. No sirens. Just silence — broken only by the wind, your own breathing, and maybe the distant sound of someone yelling for help.
Now imagine this: You flip a switch. A red LED glows to life. You key your mic. And within seconds, you’re talking to another human being 50 miles away — no grid, no infrastructure, just raw skill and gear that you made work.
That’s not fantasy. That’s amateur radio.
And the secret weapon? Power. Not just any power — your power. Controlled. Portable. Reliable. Independent.
This isn’t about getting licensed. Not yet. This is about building the mindset, the muscle memory, and the gear stack that will make you unstoppable when the world goes quiet. Because when you understand how to keep your station alive off-grid, you’re not just preparing for emergencies — you’re laying the foundation to pass your Technician exam without breaking a sweat.
I’ve been in this game for over two decades — from hurricanes on the Gulf Coast to blizzards in the Rockies. I’ve run stations off car batteries in ditches, solar panels strapped to pickup hoods, and generators humming through 3 a.m. ice storms. I’m not here to impress you with jargon. I’m here to show you how to be the guy who doesn’t panic — the guy who gets on air while everyone else is staring at dead phones.
So let’s get into it. Deep. Practical. No fluff.
Why Power Matters More Than You Think
You don’t need me to tell you the grid is fragile. One transformer blows in the wrong place, one cyberattack hits the wrong substation, one hurricane slams the wrong coastline — and suddenly, millions are cut off. Emergency services overwhelmed. Hospitals running on fumes. Families stranded without word.
In those moments, amateur radio operators become lifelines. We’re not heroes. We’re just guys with radios and the know-how to keep them running. But that know-how starts — and ends — with power.
Think about it: Your shiny new Yaesu or Icom is useless without juice. Doesn’t matter how good your antenna is. Doesn’t matter how clear your voice. Dead battery? Dead station.
The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t require you to have backup power to get licensed. But real-world experience screams otherwise. In Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico lost 95% of its cell towers. Hams running low-power HF rigs off solar-charged batteries became the only link between isolated towns and relief agencies. Same story during the Texas deep freeze of 2021 — operators running QRP stations out of sheds and garages kept critical info flowing when nothing else could.
As KB6NU puts it in his no-nonsense guide: “If you can’t power your radio, you’re not an operator — you’re a spectator.”
This isn’t about hoarding gear or prepping for doomsday. It’s about self-reliance. About being the guy who shows up with solutions instead of questions. About knowing that when the lights go out, you’ve still got a voice — and the power to use it.
The Reality of Grid Failure (And Why You Should Care)
We like to think modern infrastructure is bulletproof. It’s not.
In 2003, a single software bug in Ohio triggered a cascade failure that blacked out 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and Canada. In 2021, a ransomware attack crippled the Colonial Pipeline, causing gas shortages and panic buying across the Southeast. And in 2023, a geomagnetic storm knocked out HF propagation for hours — but also reminded us that nature doesn’t care about our schedules.
Grid failures aren’t rare. They’re inevitable.
And when they happen, three things die fast: cell towers, internet routers, and landlines. All three rely on commercial power — and most have only a few hours of battery backup. After that? Silence.
Amateur radio doesn’t play by those rules. Our frequencies don’t need corporate infrastructure. Our signals don’t route through data centers. All we need is a radio, an antenna, and — you guessed it — power.
I’ve spent more than a few long nights sitting beside snapped power lines after violent storms rolled through, rain drumming on my hood, boots sunk in mud, part of a CERT team trying to hold things together while the grid stayed dead. What sticks with me isn’t the wind or the wreckage — it’s how many people had nothing. No working flashlight. No spare batteries. Phones bricked by noon. Families huddled in basements with candles, hoping someone would tell them what was happening. Meanwhile, I had my Yaesu FT-1802 keyed up on 2 meters, fed by a homemade “Go Kit” I built myself — a 12v battery, fused leads, clean connectors, all packed in a small metal case that fit . That radio kept me locked in with storm spotters calling out weather conditions, and patched me straight through to the National Weather Service when sirens fell silent. No cell towers. No Wi-Fi. Just clear, calm comms cutting through the noise. While others waited for help, I stayed in the loop — not because I’m some hero, but because I bothered to build something that works when nothing else does.
That’s the difference between waiting for help and being part of the solution.
You don’t need to predict the next blackout. You just need to be ready for it. And that starts with understanding what your gear needs — and how to feed it when the plug’s been pulled.
Understanding Your Radio’s Appetite: Power Requirements 101
Let’s cut through the confusion. Radios don’t eat watts. They drink amps.
Volts? That’s the pressure. Amps? That’s the flow. Watts? That’s the total energy consumed — volts times amps. Simple math, but critical to get right.
Most mobile and handheld VHF/UHF rigs run on 12-14 volts DC — same as your car. Base stations? Often 13.8V regulated. HF rigs? Some draw 20 amps or more when transmitting at full power. QRP (low-power) rigs? As little as half an amp.
Here’s the rule of thumb I teach new guys:
If you’re running 100 watts output on HF, assume you’re pulling about 20-25 amps at 13.8V. That’s roughly 275-345 watts of DC input power. Efficiency losses, folks.
But don’t panic. You don’t need 100 watts to be effective. In fact, during emergencies, low power is often better — less drain, less heat, less attention from interference.
A 5-watt QRP rig? Might pull only 2 amps on transmit. That means a 20Ah battery could give you 10 hours of continuous TX time — and weeks of standby. Add receive-only listening? You’re golden.
Know your radio’s specs. Dig into the manual. Look for “current drain” under transmit and receive modes. Write it down. Tape it to your shack wall.
My Yaesu FT-7250D? Rock-solid workhorse. On receive, it sips just 0.8 amps — barely a whisper off the battery. Flip to transmit at full 50 watts, and it pulls about 11 amps at 13.8 volts. Not bad for a rig that’ll punch through storm static and reach repeaters 50 miles out. Now, if I’m running a heavy op — say, 50% of the time transmitting, 50% listening — my average current draw settles around 5.9 amps. Do the math: a 50Ah deep-cycle battery, respecting the 50% discharge rule to keep it healthy, gives me 25 usable amp-hours. Divide that by 5.9? Roughly 4.2 hours of hard, mixed-use operation. Stretch that to a more realistic 20% TX / 80% RX duty cycle — typical during spotter nets or NWS check-ins — and you’re looking at over 9 hours on a single charge. That’s not theory. That’s what kept me live through an all-night derecho event, calling in damage reports while everyone else’s phones went dark. Good to know before the sky breaks open.
Start small. Start simple. But start with numbers. Guesswork kills batteries — and missions.
Battery Basics: Your First Line of Defense
If you learn nothing else from this guide, learn this: Not all batteries are created equal. And no, you can’t just yank the one out of your ’98 Camry and call it good.
Car batteries? Designed for short, high-current bursts to turn over an engine. Not for slow, steady discharge over hours. Drain one below 50% a few times, and it’ll sulfate up and die. Fast.
What you want is a deep cycle battery. Built to be drained and recharged — repeatedly. Two main flavors: Flooded Lead-Acid (FLA) and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM). Later, we’ll talk lithium — but for now, stick with lead.
FLA batteries are cheap. Heavy. Require maintenance — checking water levels, cleaning terminals, venting hydrogen gas. But they last. I’ve got one from 2008 still kicking.
AGM? Sealed. Maintenance-free. Can be mounted sideways. More expensive, but worth it for portable ops. Less risk of acid spills. Faster recharge. Better for cold weather.
Then there’s LiFePO4 — lithium iron phosphate. Lighter than lead. Holds charge longer. Handles deeper discharges. No memory effect. But costs 2-3x more. And requires a special charger. For serious operators? Absolutely worth it. For starters? Maybe overkill.
Capacity is measured in Amp-hours (Ah). A 20Ah battery can theoretically deliver 1 amp for 20 hours — or 20 amps for 1 hour. Reality? You’ll get less due to Peukert’s Law (the faster you drain, the less total capacity you get). So derate by 20% for safety.
Rule: Never drain a lead-acid below 50%. Lithium? You can go to 20% or lower — check manufacturer specs.
Maintenance tip: Always recharge immediately after use. Store fully charged. Keep terminals clean and tight. Use dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. Ventilate FLAs — hydrogen is no joke.
One more thing: Fuses. Put a fuse within 12 inches of your battery’s positive terminal. Seriously. A shorted cable can melt insulation, start fires, or weld tools to chassis. Seen it happen. Not pretty.
Solar Power: Silent, Renewable, and Manly Reliable
Solar isn’t magic. It’s physics. And it’s perfect for radio ops.
Panels convert sunlight to DC voltage. A charge controller regulates that voltage so you don’t fry your battery. And your battery stores the juice for when the sun dips below the trees.
Start small. A 20-watt panel costs less than $50. On a sunny day, it’ll push about 1.2 amps into a 12V system. That’s enough to trickle-charge a 20Ah battery in half a day — or keep a QRP station running indefinitely if you’re smart with usage.
Myth: “You need a roof covered in panels.” Nope. For emergency comms, you’re not powering a fridge or AC unit. You’re keeping a radio alive. Even 10 watts of solar can sustain a low-draw station if managed well.
Charge controllers matter. Don’t skip this. A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller is fine for small setups. MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)? More efficient — especially in low light or cold temps — but pricier. For under 100W, PWM works.
Mounting? Magnetic mounts for vehicles. Tripods for field ops. Roof brackets for permanent installs. Angle matters — face true south (in the Northern Hemisphere), tilt equal to your latitude for year-round average.
Pro tip: Pair your panel with a foldable briefcase-style unit. Toss it in your truck. Unfold it at camp. Angle it toward the sun. Done.
Solar won’t save you in a week-long blizzard. But for 90% of grid-down scenarios — storms, quakes, regional outages — it’s silent, reliable, and endlessly renewable. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about harvesting sunlight to send your voice across continents.
As Backwoods Home Magazine notes: “Solar-powered ham radio isn’t just practical — it’s poetic. You’re turning photons into phonemes.”
Generators, Inverters, and Other Options
Sometimes, batteries and solar aren’t enough. Maybe you’re running high power for hours. Maybe clouds won’t break. Maybe you’re supporting a group op with multiple stations.
Enter the generator.
Gasoline generators are loud, smelly, and thirsty — but they deliver. A 2000-watt inverter generator can run a 100W HF rig, a laptop, a small fridge, and charge batteries simultaneously. Honda EU2200i is the gold standard — quiet, fuel-efficient, reliable. Costs about $1,000 new. Worth every penny if you’re serious.
Diesel? More torque, better fuel economy, longer lifespan — but heavier and pricier. Propane? Cleaner burn, easier storage — but less energy per gallon.
Biggest mistake new guys make? Running a generator 24/7. Don’t. Charge your batteries during daylight, then shut it down. Run your station off batteries at night. Quieter. Safer. More fuel-efficient.
Inverters? These convert 12V DC to 120V AC. Useful if your radio or accessories need wall power. Pure sine wave inverters are best — modified sine can fry sensitive electronics. Size appropriately: Add up wattage of all devices, multiply by 1.5 for surge, pick an inverter that exceeds that.
Alternative ideas? Wind turbines — niche, noisy, inconsistent. Pedal generators — great for fitness, terrible for sustained power. Vehicle alternators — yes, you can charge a battery while driving, but don’t drain your starter battery. Use an isolator.
Bottom line: Generators are force multipliers. But they’re tools — not crutches. Master batteries and solar first. Then add gas when you need brute force.
Building Your Own Emergency Power Kit (Step-by-Step)
Let’s build something real.
Starter Kit (150–150–250):
- 20Ah AGM battery (e.g., Mighty Max or Renogy)
- 20W folding solar panel with built-in PWM controller
- 10A inline fuse holder + 10A fuse
- 12V cigarette lighter socket (for charging phones/lights)
- Anderson Powerpole connectors (standard in ham radio)
- 10ft 12AWG red/black cables with ring terminals
- Battery box or rugged plastic case
Total weight: Under 20 lbs. Fits in a backpack. Deploy time: 5 minutes.
Mid-Tier Kit (400–400–700):
- 50Ah LiFePO4 battery (e.g., EcoFlow River 2 or Dakota Lithium)
- 100W briefcase solar panel with MPPT controller
- 300W pure sine wave inverter
- Digital voltmeter / battery monitor
- Fuse block with 4 circuits
- Heavy-duty case with wheels
Adds runtime, efficiency, and versatility. Can run laptops, LED lights, small CPAP machines. Still portable.
Pro Tier ($1,000+):
- Dual 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries with automatic parallel switching
- 400W solar array (portable or roof-mounted)
- 2000W inverter generator (Honda or Champion)
- Automatic transfer switch (grid → battery → generator)
- Bluetooth battery monitor with smartphone app
- EMP-shielded enclosure (optional, for extreme preppers)
This setup can run a full shack — transceiver, tuner, computer, lighting — for days. Redundant. Remote-monitored. Battle-ready.
Budget hacks? Hit hamfests. eBay. Craigslist. Old UPS batteries? Often still 80% capacity. Car jump starters with USB/12V outputs? Surprisingly useful for HTs and flashlights. Salvage solar garden lights? Wire ten together, and you’ve got a 5V charging bank.
Build it yourself. Learn every connection. Label everything. Practice assembly blindfolded. You’ll thank yourself later.
Safety First: Don’t Fry Yourself or Your Gear
Power is respect. Not fear — respect.
One slip with a wrench across battery terminals? Boom — 500 amps of arc flash. Seen a guy lose eyebrows that way. Not fun.
Always disconnect negative first. Reconnect negative last. Wear eye protection. Keep metal tools away from live terminals.
Fuses aren’t optional. They’re mandatory. Size them for your wire gauge and load. 10A fuse for 16AWG wire. 20A for 12AWG. 30A for 10AWG. Don’t guess.
Lithium batteries? Treat them like loaded guns. Puncture = fire. Overcharge = fire. Short circuit = fire. Use only matched cells, proper BMS (Battery Management System), and certified chargers.
Ventilation. Lead-acid batteries off-gas hydrogen when charging — explosive in confined spaces. Keep them in garages, sheds, or vented boxes. Never indoors unless sealed AGM.
Grounding. Even off-grid, ground your station. Lightning doesn’t care if you’re plugged into the wall. Drive an 8-ft copper rod. Bond your radio chassis, power supply, and antenna mast to it. Saves gear. Saves lives.
Quick pre-op checklist:
- Terminals clean and tight?
- Fuse installed and correct rating?
- Polarity confirmed? (Red = positive. Always.)
- Ventilation clear?
- Fire extinguisher nearby? (Class C for electrical.)
Safety isn’t sexy. But neither is third-degree burns or melted transceivers.
Practice Like You Play: Drills and Dry Runs
Knowledge rusts without use.
Schedule a monthly “Blackout Saturday.” Unplug everything. Run your station off battery only. Time how long it takes to get on air. Track your battery voltage every 30 minutes. Note when performance drops.
Try different modes: SSB voice. CW. Digital FT8. See which gives you longest runtime.
Test range. Can you hit a repeater 30 miles away on 5 watts? Can you bounce an NVIS signal off the ionosphere to someone 200 miles north? Document it.
Involve your family. Make it a competition. Who can assemble the kit fastest? Who can copy the most morse code characters? Reward with steak dinner. Builds buy-in — and skills.
Field Day? Join it. Every June, thousands of hams set up temporary stations in parks, fields, rooftops — running entirely off-grid. Best training you’ll ever get. Find your local club. Show up. Ask questions. Bring beer.
Dry runs expose flaws. Maybe your solar panel doesn’t angle right. Maybe your cables are too short. Maybe your battery monitor lies. Fix it now — not at 2 a.m. during a flood.
As the Northwest Radio Association says: “The best emergency plan is the one you’ve practiced until it’s boring.”
Looking Ahead: This Prep Helps You Pass Your License Too
Here’s the beautiful part: Everything you’re learning now — batteries, solar, fuses, voltage, current — is straight out of the Technician exam pool.
Question T5C08: “What is the formula used to calculate electrical power in a DC circuit?”
Answer: Power (P) equals voltage (E) times current (I). P = E × I.Question T6D06: “What component is commonly used to change 120V AC house current to a lower AC voltage for other uses?”
Answer: Transformer — but you’re using an inverter to go the other way. Same principles.Question T0A07: “What is the safest way to recharge a lead-acid battery?”
Answer: Slow charge with a regulated charger — which you now know how to set up.Studying power systems now means less memorization later. You’re not cramming facts — you’re building intuition. When you see “Ohm’s Law” on the test, you’ll picture your multimeter reading 13.8V across a 10A load. Real. Tangible. Yours.
Download KB6NU’s free Technician study guide. Take practice exams at HamRadioLicenseExam.com. You’ll fly through the power and safety sections — because you’ve lived them.
The license? It’s just paperwork. What you’re building now — competence, confidence, capability — that’s what makes a real ham.
D. Bryan King
Sources
- ARRL – Power Sources for Emergency Communications
- KB6NU’s No-Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide – Off-Grid Power Section
- Ham Radio Academy – Off-Grid Power for Ham Radio
- RigPix – Battery Power Solutions for Amateur Radio
- Solar-Electric.com – Off-Grid Solar Power Basics
- YouTube: “Portable Power for Field Day and Emergencies” by K0PIR
- Northwest Radio Association – Power Systems for Field Operations
- eHam.net – Choosing the Right Battery for Portable Operation
- QRZ.com – Battery Power for Amateur Radio Operators
- Backwoods Home Magazine – Using Solar to Power Your Ham Radio Station
- Instructables – How to Power a Ham Radio Station Off-Grid
- HamRadioLicenseExam.com – Emergency Power for Ham Radio
- AmateurRadio.com – Power Supplies and Backup Power
- PrepperWebsite – How to Power Your Ham Radio in an Emergency
- OffGridLife.com – Ham Radio Off-Grid: Powering Your Station Without Utility Grid
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.
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Powering Your Station When the Grid Goes Down — The Ham Operator’s Ultimate Backup Playbook
2,890 words, 15 minutes read time.
Let me ask you something.
What if, tomorrow, everything went dark?
No lights. No cell service. No internet. No sirens. Just silence — broken only by the wind, your own breathing, and maybe the distant sound of someone yelling for help.
Now imagine this: You flip a switch. A red LED glows to life. You key your mic. And within seconds, you’re talking to another human being 50 miles away — no grid, no infrastructure, just raw skill and gear that you made work.
That’s not fantasy. That’s amateur radio.
And the secret weapon? Power. Not just any power — your power. Controlled. Portable. Reliable. Independent.
This isn’t about getting licensed. Not yet. This is about building the mindset, the muscle memory, and the gear stack that will make you unstoppable when the world goes quiet. Because when you understand how to keep your station alive off-grid, you’re not just preparing for emergencies — you’re laying the foundation to pass your Technician exam without breaking a sweat.
I’ve been in this game for over two decades — from hurricanes on the Gulf Coast to blizzards in the Rockies. I’ve run stations off car batteries in ditches, solar panels strapped to pickup hoods, and generators humming through 3 a.m. ice storms. I’m not here to impress you with jargon. I’m here to show you how to be the guy who doesn’t panic — the guy who gets on air while everyone else is staring at dead phones.
So let’s get into it. Deep. Practical. No fluff.
Why Power Matters More Than You Think
You don’t need me to tell you the grid is fragile. One transformer blows in the wrong place, one cyberattack hits the wrong substation, one hurricane slams the wrong coastline — and suddenly, millions are cut off. Emergency services overwhelmed. Hospitals running on fumes. Families stranded without word.
In those moments, amateur radio operators become lifelines. We’re not heroes. We’re just guys with radios and the know-how to keep them running. But that know-how starts — and ends — with power.
Think about it: Your shiny new Yaesu or Icom is useless without juice. Doesn’t matter how good your antenna is. Doesn’t matter how clear your voice. Dead battery? Dead station.
The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t require you to have backup power to get licensed. But real-world experience screams otherwise. In Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico lost 95% of its cell towers. Hams running low-power HF rigs off solar-charged batteries became the only link between isolated towns and relief agencies. Same story during the Texas deep freeze of 2021 — operators running QRP stations out of sheds and garages kept critical info flowing when nothing else could.
As KB6NU puts it in his no-nonsense guide: “If you can’t power your radio, you’re not an operator — you’re a spectator.”
This isn’t about hoarding gear or prepping for doomsday. It’s about self-reliance. About being the guy who shows up with solutions instead of questions. About knowing that when the lights go out, you’ve still got a voice — and the power to use it.
The Reality of Grid Failure (And Why You Should Care)
We like to think modern infrastructure is bulletproof. It’s not.
In 2003, a single software bug in Ohio triggered a cascade failure that blacked out 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and Canada. In 2021, a ransomware attack crippled the Colonial Pipeline, causing gas shortages and panic buying across the Southeast. And in 2023, a geomagnetic storm knocked out HF propagation for hours — but also reminded us that nature doesn’t care about our schedules.
Grid failures aren’t rare. They’re inevitable.
And when they happen, three things die fast: cell towers, internet routers, and landlines. All three rely on commercial power — and most have only a few hours of battery backup. After that? Silence.
Amateur radio doesn’t play by those rules. Our frequencies don’t need corporate infrastructure. Our signals don’t route through data centers. All we need is a radio, an antenna, and — you guessed it — power.
I’ve spent more than a few long nights sitting beside snapped power lines after violent storms rolled through, rain drumming on my hood, boots sunk in mud, part of a CERT team trying to hold things together while the grid stayed dead. What sticks with me isn’t the wind or the wreckage — it’s how many people had nothing. No working flashlight. No spare batteries. Phones bricked by noon. Families huddled in basements with candles, hoping someone would tell them what was happening. Meanwhile, I had my Yaesu FT-1802 keyed up on 2 meters, fed by a homemade “Go Kit” I built myself — a 12v battery, fused leads, clean connectors, all packed in a small metal case that fit . That radio kept me locked in with storm spotters calling out weather conditions, and patched me straight through to the National Weather Service when sirens fell silent. No cell towers. No Wi-Fi. Just clear, calm comms cutting through the noise. While others waited for help, I stayed in the loop — not because I’m some hero, but because I bothered to build something that works when nothing else does.
That’s the difference between waiting for help and being part of the solution.
You don’t need to predict the next blackout. You just need to be ready for it. And that starts with understanding what your gear needs — and how to feed it when the plug’s been pulled.
Understanding Your Radio’s Appetite: Power Requirements 101
Let’s cut through the confusion. Radios don’t eat watts. They drink amps.
Volts? That’s the pressure. Amps? That’s the flow. Watts? That’s the total energy consumed — volts times amps. Simple math, but critical to get right.
Most mobile and handheld VHF/UHF rigs run on 12-14 volts DC — same as your car. Base stations? Often 13.8V regulated. HF rigs? Some draw 20 amps or more when transmitting at full power. QRP (low-power) rigs? As little as half an amp.
Here’s the rule of thumb I teach new guys:
If you’re running 100 watts output on HF, assume you’re pulling about 20-25 amps at 13.8V. That’s roughly 275-345 watts of DC input power. Efficiency losses, folks.
But don’t panic. You don’t need 100 watts to be effective. In fact, during emergencies, low power is often better — less drain, less heat, less attention from interference.
A 5-watt QRP rig? Might pull only 2 amps on transmit. That means a 20Ah battery could give you 10 hours of continuous TX time — and weeks of standby. Add receive-only listening? You’re golden.
Know your radio’s specs. Dig into the manual. Look for “current drain” under transmit and receive modes. Write it down. Tape it to your shack wall.
My Yaesu FT-7250D? Rock-solid workhorse. On receive, it sips just 0.8 amps — barely a whisper off the battery. Flip to transmit at full 50 watts, and it pulls about 11 amps at 13.8 volts. Not bad for a rig that’ll punch through storm static and reach repeaters 50 miles out. Now, if I’m running a heavy op — say, 50% of the time transmitting, 50% listening — my average current draw settles around 5.9 amps. Do the math: a 50Ah deep-cycle battery, respecting the 50% discharge rule to keep it healthy, gives me 25 usable amp-hours. Divide that by 5.9? Roughly 4.2 hours of hard, mixed-use operation. Stretch that to a more realistic 20% TX / 80% RX duty cycle — typical during spotter nets or NWS check-ins — and you’re looking at over 9 hours on a single charge. That’s not theory. That’s what kept me live through an all-night derecho event, calling in damage reports while everyone else’s phones went dark. Good to know before the sky breaks open.
Start small. Start simple. But start with numbers. Guesswork kills batteries — and missions.
Battery Basics: Your First Line of Defense
If you learn nothing else from this guide, learn this: Not all batteries are created equal. And no, you can’t just yank the one out of your ’98 Camry and call it good.
Car batteries? Designed for short, high-current bursts to turn over an engine. Not for slow, steady discharge over hours. Drain one below 50% a few times, and it’ll sulfate up and die. Fast.
What you want is a deep cycle battery. Built to be drained and recharged — repeatedly. Two main flavors: Flooded Lead-Acid (FLA) and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM). Later, we’ll talk lithium — but for now, stick with lead.
FLA batteries are cheap. Heavy. Require maintenance — checking water levels, cleaning terminals, venting hydrogen gas. But they last. I’ve got one from 2008 still kicking.
AGM? Sealed. Maintenance-free. Can be mounted sideways. More expensive, but worth it for portable ops. Less risk of acid spills. Faster recharge. Better for cold weather.
Then there’s LiFePO4 — lithium iron phosphate. Lighter than lead. Holds charge longer. Handles deeper discharges. No memory effect. But costs 2-3x more. And requires a special charger. For serious operators? Absolutely worth it. For starters? Maybe overkill.
Capacity is measured in Amp-hours (Ah). A 20Ah battery can theoretically deliver 1 amp for 20 hours — or 20 amps for 1 hour. Reality? You’ll get less due to Peukert’s Law (the faster you drain, the less total capacity you get). So derate by 20% for safety.
Rule: Never drain a lead-acid below 50%. Lithium? You can go to 20% or lower — check manufacturer specs.
Maintenance tip: Always recharge immediately after use. Store fully charged. Keep terminals clean and tight. Use dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. Ventilate FLAs — hydrogen is no joke.
One more thing: Fuses. Put a fuse within 12 inches of your battery’s positive terminal. Seriously. A shorted cable can melt insulation, start fires, or weld tools to chassis. Seen it happen. Not pretty.
Solar Power: Silent, Renewable, and Manly Reliable
Solar isn’t magic. It’s physics. And it’s perfect for radio ops.
Panels convert sunlight to DC voltage. A charge controller regulates that voltage so you don’t fry your battery. And your battery stores the juice for when the sun dips below the trees.
Start small. A 20-watt panel costs less than $50. On a sunny day, it’ll push about 1.2 amps into a 12V system. That’s enough to trickle-charge a 20Ah battery in half a day — or keep a QRP station running indefinitely if you’re smart with usage.
Myth: “You need a roof covered in panels.” Nope. For emergency comms, you’re not powering a fridge or AC unit. You’re keeping a radio alive. Even 10 watts of solar can sustain a low-draw station if managed well.
Charge controllers matter. Don’t skip this. A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller is fine for small setups. MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)? More efficient — especially in low light or cold temps — but pricier. For under 100W, PWM works.
Mounting? Magnetic mounts for vehicles. Tripods for field ops. Roof brackets for permanent installs. Angle matters — face true south (in the Northern Hemisphere), tilt equal to your latitude for year-round average.
Pro tip: Pair your panel with a foldable briefcase-style unit. Toss it in your truck. Unfold it at camp. Angle it toward the sun. Done.
Solar won’t save you in a week-long blizzard. But for 90% of grid-down scenarios — storms, quakes, regional outages — it’s silent, reliable, and endlessly renewable. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about harvesting sunlight to send your voice across continents.
As Backwoods Home Magazine notes: “Solar-powered ham radio isn’t just practical — it’s poetic. You’re turning photons into phonemes.”
Generators, Inverters, and Other Options
Sometimes, batteries and solar aren’t enough. Maybe you’re running high power for hours. Maybe clouds won’t break. Maybe you’re supporting a group op with multiple stations.
Enter the generator.
Gasoline generators are loud, smelly, and thirsty — but they deliver. A 2000-watt inverter generator can run a 100W HF rig, a laptop, a small fridge, and charge batteries simultaneously. Honda EU2200i is the gold standard — quiet, fuel-efficient, reliable. Costs about $1,000 new. Worth every penny if you’re serious.
Diesel? More torque, better fuel economy, longer lifespan — but heavier and pricier. Propane? Cleaner burn, easier storage — but less energy per gallon.
Biggest mistake new guys make? Running a generator 24/7. Don’t. Charge your batteries during daylight, then shut it down. Run your station off batteries at night. Quieter. Safer. More fuel-efficient.
Inverters? These convert 12V DC to 120V AC. Useful if your radio or accessories need wall power. Pure sine wave inverters are best — modified sine can fry sensitive electronics. Size appropriately: Add up wattage of all devices, multiply by 1.5 for surge, pick an inverter that exceeds that.
Alternative ideas? Wind turbines — niche, noisy, inconsistent. Pedal generators — great for fitness, terrible for sustained power. Vehicle alternators — yes, you can charge a battery while driving, but don’t drain your starter battery. Use an isolator.
Bottom line: Generators are force multipliers. But they’re tools — not crutches. Master batteries and solar first. Then add gas when you need brute force.
Building Your Own Emergency Power Kit (Step-by-Step)
Let’s build something real.
Starter Kit (150–150–250):
- 20Ah AGM battery (e.g., Mighty Max or Renogy)
- 20W folding solar panel with built-in PWM controller
- 10A inline fuse holder + 10A fuse
- 12V cigarette lighter socket (for charging phones/lights)
- Anderson Powerpole connectors (standard in ham radio)
- 10ft 12AWG red/black cables with ring terminals
- Battery box or rugged plastic case
Total weight: Under 20 lbs. Fits in a backpack. Deploy time: 5 minutes.
Mid-Tier Kit (400–400–700):
- 50Ah LiFePO4 battery (e.g., EcoFlow River 2 or Dakota Lithium)
- 100W briefcase solar panel with MPPT controller
- 300W pure sine wave inverter
- Digital voltmeter / battery monitor
- Fuse block with 4 circuits
- Heavy-duty case with wheels
Adds runtime, efficiency, and versatility. Can run laptops, LED lights, small CPAP machines. Still portable.
Pro Tier ($1,000+):
- Dual 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries with automatic parallel switching
- 400W solar array (portable or roof-mounted)
- 2000W inverter generator (Honda or Champion)
- Automatic transfer switch (grid → battery → generator)
- Bluetooth battery monitor with smartphone app
- EMP-shielded enclosure (optional, for extreme preppers)
This setup can run a full shack — transceiver, tuner, computer, lighting — for days. Redundant. Remote-monitored. Battle-ready.
Budget hacks? Hit hamfests. eBay. Craigslist. Old UPS batteries? Often still 80% capacity. Car jump starters with USB/12V outputs? Surprisingly useful for HTs and flashlights. Salvage solar garden lights? Wire ten together, and you’ve got a 5V charging bank.
Build it yourself. Learn every connection. Label everything. Practice assembly blindfolded. You’ll thank yourself later.
Safety First: Don’t Fry Yourself or Your Gear
Power is respect. Not fear — respect.
One slip with a wrench across battery terminals? Boom — 500 amps of arc flash. Seen a guy lose eyebrows that way. Not fun.
Always disconnect negative first. Reconnect negative last. Wear eye protection. Keep metal tools away from live terminals.
Fuses aren’t optional. They’re mandatory. Size them for your wire gauge and load. 10A fuse for 16AWG wire. 20A for 12AWG. 30A for 10AWG. Don’t guess.
Lithium batteries? Treat them like loaded guns. Puncture = fire. Overcharge = fire. Short circuit = fire. Use only matched cells, proper BMS (Battery Management System), and certified chargers.
Ventilation. Lead-acid batteries off-gas hydrogen when charging — explosive in confined spaces. Keep them in garages, sheds, or vented boxes. Never indoors unless sealed AGM.
Grounding. Even off-grid, ground your station. Lightning doesn’t care if you’re plugged into the wall. Drive an 8-ft copper rod. Bond your radio chassis, power supply, and antenna mast to it. Saves gear. Saves lives.
Quick pre-op checklist:
- Terminals clean and tight?
- Fuse installed and correct rating?
- Polarity confirmed? (Red = positive. Always.)
- Ventilation clear?
- Fire extinguisher nearby? (Class C for electrical.)
Safety isn’t sexy. But neither is third-degree burns or melted transceivers.
Practice Like You Play: Drills and Dry Runs
Knowledge rusts without use.
Schedule a monthly “Blackout Saturday.” Unplug everything. Run your station off battery only. Time how long it takes to get on air. Track your battery voltage every 30 minutes. Note when performance drops.
Try different modes: SSB voice. CW. Digital FT8. See which gives you longest runtime.
Test range. Can you hit a repeater 30 miles away on 5 watts? Can you bounce an NVIS signal off the ionosphere to someone 200 miles north? Document it.
Involve your family. Make it a competition. Who can assemble the kit fastest? Who can copy the most morse code characters? Reward with steak dinner. Builds buy-in — and skills.
Field Day? Join it. Every June, thousands of hams set up temporary stations in parks, fields, rooftops — running entirely off-grid. Best training you’ll ever get. Find your local club. Show up. Ask questions. Bring beer.
Dry runs expose flaws. Maybe your solar panel doesn’t angle right. Maybe your cables are too short. Maybe your battery monitor lies. Fix it now — not at 2 a.m. during a flood.
As the Northwest Radio Association says: “The best emergency plan is the one you’ve practiced until it’s boring.”
Looking Ahead: This Prep Helps You Pass Your License Too
Here’s the beautiful part: Everything you’re learning now — batteries, solar, fuses, voltage, current — is straight out of the Technician exam pool.
Question T5C08: “What is the formula used to calculate electrical power in a DC circuit?”
Answer: Power (P) equals voltage (E) times current (I). P = E × I.Question T6D06: “What component is commonly used to change 120V AC house current to a lower AC voltage for other uses?”
Answer: Transformer — but you’re using an inverter to go the other way. Same principles.Question T0A07: “What is the safest way to recharge a lead-acid battery?”
Answer: Slow charge with a regulated charger — which you now know how to set up.Studying power systems now means less memorization later. You’re not cramming facts — you’re building intuition. When you see “Ohm’s Law” on the test, you’ll picture your multimeter reading 13.8V across a 10A load. Real. Tangible. Yours.
Download KB6NU’s free Technician study guide. Take practice exams at HamRadioLicenseExam.com. You’ll fly through the power and safety sections — because you’ve lived them.
The license? It’s just paperwork. What you’re building now — competence, confidence, capability — that’s what makes a real ham.
D. Bryan King
Sources
- ARRL – Power Sources for Emergency Communications
- KB6NU’s No-Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide – Off-Grid Power Section
- Ham Radio Academy – Off-Grid Power for Ham Radio
- RigPix – Battery Power Solutions for Amateur Radio
- Solar-Electric.com – Off-Grid Solar Power Basics
- YouTube: “Portable Power for Field Day and Emergencies” by K0PIR
- Northwest Radio Association – Power Systems for Field Operations
- eHam.net – Choosing the Right Battery for Portable Operation
- QRZ.com – Battery Power for Amateur Radio Operators
- Backwoods Home Magazine – Using Solar to Power Your Ham Radio Station
- Instructables – How to Power a Ham Radio Station Off-Grid
- HamRadioLicenseExam.com – Emergency Power for Ham Radio
- AmateurRadio.com – Power Supplies and Backup Power
- PrepperWebsite – How to Power Your Ham Radio in an Emergency
- OffGridLife.com – Ham Radio Off-Grid: Powering Your Station Without Utility Grid
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.
Related Posts
Rate this:
#12VRadioSystem #50WattMobileRig #50AhBatteryUse #AGMVsLithium #amateurRadioBatterySetup #AndersonPowerpole #antennaGrounding #ARESRACESTraining #ARRLPowerGuide #backupPowerForRadio #BackwoodsHomeSolar #batterySafetyHam #blackoutComms #BluetoothBatteryMonitor #CERTDeploymentRadio #CERTRadioCommunications #chargeControllerSetup #competenceBeforeLicense #deepCycleBatteryHam #DIYPowerKit #dryRunDrill #dutyCycleRadio #eHamBatteryTips #emergencyCommsPrep #emergencyDrillRadio #EMPShieldingRadio #familyHamPractice #fieldDayPower #FieldDayPrep #foldableSolarBriefcase #fuseBlockHam #fuseSizingWireGauge #generatorForHamRadio #groundingOffGridStation #HamRadioAcademy #hamRadioEmergencyPower #hamRadioGoKit #hamRadioRuntime #hamRadioRuntimeCalculator #hamRadioSolarPanel #hamRadioStarterPower #hamRadioWithoutLicense #hamfestsGear #hydrogenVentingBattery #inverterForRadio #K0PIRYouTube #KB6NUStudy #leadAcidMaintenance #LiFePO4RadioPower #lithiumBMS #lowPowerQRP #maleHamRadioAudience #menGettingHamLicense #NWRAPowerSystems #NWSRadioLink #offGridHamRadio #OffGridLifeHam #OhmSLawHamRadio #pedalPowerRadio #PeukertSLaw #polarityProtection #portableHamStation #powerCalculationHamRadio #powerMonitorHam #practicalHamSkills #prepperHamRadio #PrepperWebsiteRadio #pureSineWaveInverter #QRZPower #realWorldHamOps #receiveCurrentDraw #RigPixBatteries #selfReliantRadio #solarPowerHamRadio #stormResponseRadio #stormSpotterRadio #survivalComms #TechnicianExamPowerQuestions #transmitCurrentDraw #vehicleAlternatorCharging #VHFUHFEmergency #voltmeterShack #windTurbineHam #YaesuFT7250DPowerDraw
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Powering Your Station When the Grid Goes Down — The Ham Operator’s Ultimate Backup Playbook
2,890 words, 15 minutes read time.
Let me ask you something.
What if, tomorrow, everything went dark?
No lights. No cell service. No internet. No sirens. Just silence — broken only by the wind, your own breathing, and maybe the distant sound of someone yelling for help.
Now imagine this: You flip a switch. A red LED glows to life. You key your mic. And within seconds, you’re talking to another human being 50 miles away — no grid, no infrastructure, just raw skill and gear that you made work.
That’s not fantasy. That’s amateur radio.
And the secret weapon? Power. Not just any power — your power. Controlled. Portable. Reliable. Independent.
This isn’t about getting licensed. Not yet. This is about building the mindset, the muscle memory, and the gear stack that will make you unstoppable when the world goes quiet. Because when you understand how to keep your station alive off-grid, you’re not just preparing for emergencies — you’re laying the foundation to pass your Technician exam without breaking a sweat.
I’ve been in this game for over two decades — from hurricanes on the Gulf Coast to blizzards in the Rockies. I’ve run stations off car batteries in ditches, solar panels strapped to pickup hoods, and generators humming through 3 a.m. ice storms. I’m not here to impress you with jargon. I’m here to show you how to be the guy who doesn’t panic — the guy who gets on air while everyone else is staring at dead phones.
So let’s get into it. Deep. Practical. No fluff.
Why Power Matters More Than You Think
You don’t need me to tell you the grid is fragile. One transformer blows in the wrong place, one cyberattack hits the wrong substation, one hurricane slams the wrong coastline — and suddenly, millions are cut off. Emergency services overwhelmed. Hospitals running on fumes. Families stranded without word.
In those moments, amateur radio operators become lifelines. We’re not heroes. We’re just guys with radios and the know-how to keep them running. But that know-how starts — and ends — with power.
Think about it: Your shiny new Yaesu or Icom is useless without juice. Doesn’t matter how good your antenna is. Doesn’t matter how clear your voice. Dead battery? Dead station.
The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t require you to have backup power to get licensed. But real-world experience screams otherwise. In Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico lost 95% of its cell towers. Hams running low-power HF rigs off solar-charged batteries became the only link between isolated towns and relief agencies. Same story during the Texas deep freeze of 2021 — operators running QRP stations out of sheds and garages kept critical info flowing when nothing else could.
As KB6NU puts it in his no-nonsense guide: “If you can’t power your radio, you’re not an operator — you’re a spectator.”
This isn’t about hoarding gear or prepping for doomsday. It’s about self-reliance. About being the guy who shows up with solutions instead of questions. About knowing that when the lights go out, you’ve still got a voice — and the power to use it.
The Reality of Grid Failure (And Why You Should Care)
We like to think modern infrastructure is bulletproof. It’s not.
In 2003, a single software bug in Ohio triggered a cascade failure that blacked out 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and Canada. In 2021, a ransomware attack crippled the Colonial Pipeline, causing gas shortages and panic buying across the Southeast. And in 2023, a geomagnetic storm knocked out HF propagation for hours — but also reminded us that nature doesn’t care about our schedules.
Grid failures aren’t rare. They’re inevitable.
And when they happen, three things die fast: cell towers, internet routers, and landlines. All three rely on commercial power — and most have only a few hours of battery backup. After that? Silence.
Amateur radio doesn’t play by those rules. Our frequencies don’t need corporate infrastructure. Our signals don’t route through data centers. All we need is a radio, an antenna, and — you guessed it — power.
I’ve spent more than a few long nights sitting beside snapped power lines after violent storms rolled through, rain drumming on my hood, boots sunk in mud, part of a CERT team trying to hold things together while the grid stayed dead. What sticks with me isn’t the wind or the wreckage — it’s how many people had nothing. No working flashlight. No spare batteries. Phones bricked by noon. Families huddled in basements with candles, hoping someone would tell them what was happening. Meanwhile, I had my Yaesu FT-1802 keyed up on 2 meters, fed by a homemade “Go Kit” I built myself — a 12v battery, fused leads, clean connectors, all packed in a small metal case that fit . That radio kept me locked in with storm spotters calling out weather conditions, and patched me straight through to the National Weather Service when sirens fell silent. No cell towers. No Wi-Fi. Just clear, calm comms cutting through the noise. While others waited for help, I stayed in the loop — not because I’m some hero, but because I bothered to build something that works when nothing else does.
That’s the difference between waiting for help and being part of the solution.
You don’t need to predict the next blackout. You just need to be ready for it. And that starts with understanding what your gear needs — and how to feed it when the plug’s been pulled.
Understanding Your Radio’s Appetite: Power Requirements 101
Let’s cut through the confusion. Radios don’t eat watts. They drink amps.
Volts? That’s the pressure. Amps? That’s the flow. Watts? That’s the total energy consumed — volts times amps. Simple math, but critical to get right.
Most mobile and handheld VHF/UHF rigs run on 12-14 volts DC — same as your car. Base stations? Often 13.8V regulated. HF rigs? Some draw 20 amps or more when transmitting at full power. QRP (low-power) rigs? As little as half an amp.
Here’s the rule of thumb I teach new guys:
If you’re running 100 watts output on HF, assume you’re pulling about 20-25 amps at 13.8V. That’s roughly 275-345 watts of DC input power. Efficiency losses, folks.
But don’t panic. You don’t need 100 watts to be effective. In fact, during emergencies, low power is often better — less drain, less heat, less attention from interference.
A 5-watt QRP rig? Might pull only 2 amps on transmit. That means a 20Ah battery could give you 10 hours of continuous TX time — and weeks of standby. Add receive-only listening? You’re golden.
Know your radio’s specs. Dig into the manual. Look for “current drain” under transmit and receive modes. Write it down. Tape it to your shack wall.
My Yaesu FT-7250D? Rock-solid workhorse. On receive, it sips just 0.8 amps — barely a whisper off the battery. Flip to transmit at full 50 watts, and it pulls about 11 amps at 13.8 volts. Not bad for a rig that’ll punch through storm static and reach repeaters 50 miles out. Now, if I’m running a heavy op — say, 50% of the time transmitting, 50% listening — my average current draw settles around 5.9 amps. Do the math: a 50Ah deep-cycle battery, respecting the 50% discharge rule to keep it healthy, gives me 25 usable amp-hours. Divide that by 5.9? Roughly 4.2 hours of hard, mixed-use operation. Stretch that to a more realistic 20% TX / 80% RX duty cycle — typical during spotter nets or NWS check-ins — and you’re looking at over 9 hours on a single charge. That’s not theory. That’s what kept me live through an all-night derecho event, calling in damage reports while everyone else’s phones went dark. Good to know before the sky breaks open.
Start small. Start simple. But start with numbers. Guesswork kills batteries — and missions.
Battery Basics: Your First Line of Defense
If you learn nothing else from this guide, learn this: Not all batteries are created equal. And no, you can’t just yank the one out of your ’98 Camry and call it good.
Car batteries? Designed for short, high-current bursts to turn over an engine. Not for slow, steady discharge over hours. Drain one below 50% a few times, and it’ll sulfate up and die. Fast.
What you want is a deep cycle battery. Built to be drained and recharged — repeatedly. Two main flavors: Flooded Lead-Acid (FLA) and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM). Later, we’ll talk lithium — but for now, stick with lead.
FLA batteries are cheap. Heavy. Require maintenance — checking water levels, cleaning terminals, venting hydrogen gas. But they last. I’ve got one from 2008 still kicking.
AGM? Sealed. Maintenance-free. Can be mounted sideways. More expensive, but worth it for portable ops. Less risk of acid spills. Faster recharge. Better for cold weather.
Then there’s LiFePO4 — lithium iron phosphate. Lighter than lead. Holds charge longer. Handles deeper discharges. No memory effect. But costs 2-3x more. And requires a special charger. For serious operators? Absolutely worth it. For starters? Maybe overkill.
Capacity is measured in Amp-hours (Ah). A 20Ah battery can theoretically deliver 1 amp for 20 hours — or 20 amps for 1 hour. Reality? You’ll get less due to Peukert’s Law (the faster you drain, the less total capacity you get). So derate by 20% for safety.
Rule: Never drain a lead-acid below 50%. Lithium? You can go to 20% or lower — check manufacturer specs.
Maintenance tip: Always recharge immediately after use. Store fully charged. Keep terminals clean and tight. Use dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. Ventilate FLAs — hydrogen is no joke.
One more thing: Fuses. Put a fuse within 12 inches of your battery’s positive terminal. Seriously. A shorted cable can melt insulation, start fires, or weld tools to chassis. Seen it happen. Not pretty.
Solar Power: Silent, Renewable, and Manly Reliable
Solar isn’t magic. It’s physics. And it’s perfect for radio ops.
Panels convert sunlight to DC voltage. A charge controller regulates that voltage so you don’t fry your battery. And your battery stores the juice for when the sun dips below the trees.
Start small. A 20-watt panel costs less than $50. On a sunny day, it’ll push about 1.2 amps into a 12V system. That’s enough to trickle-charge a 20Ah battery in half a day — or keep a QRP station running indefinitely if you’re smart with usage.
Myth: “You need a roof covered in panels.” Nope. For emergency comms, you’re not powering a fridge or AC unit. You’re keeping a radio alive. Even 10 watts of solar can sustain a low-draw station if managed well.
Charge controllers matter. Don’t skip this. A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller is fine for small setups. MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking)? More efficient — especially in low light or cold temps — but pricier. For under 100W, PWM works.
Mounting? Magnetic mounts for vehicles. Tripods for field ops. Roof brackets for permanent installs. Angle matters — face true south (in the Northern Hemisphere), tilt equal to your latitude for year-round average.
Pro tip: Pair your panel with a foldable briefcase-style unit. Toss it in your truck. Unfold it at camp. Angle it toward the sun. Done.
Solar won’t save you in a week-long blizzard. But for 90% of grid-down scenarios — storms, quakes, regional outages — it’s silent, reliable, and endlessly renewable. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about harvesting sunlight to send your voice across continents.
As Backwoods Home Magazine notes: “Solar-powered ham radio isn’t just practical — it’s poetic. You’re turning photons into phonemes.”
Generators, Inverters, and Other Options
Sometimes, batteries and solar aren’t enough. Maybe you’re running high power for hours. Maybe clouds won’t break. Maybe you’re supporting a group op with multiple stations.
Enter the generator.
Gasoline generators are loud, smelly, and thirsty — but they deliver. A 2000-watt inverter generator can run a 100W HF rig, a laptop, a small fridge, and charge batteries simultaneously. Honda EU2200i is the gold standard — quiet, fuel-efficient, reliable. Costs about $1,000 new. Worth every penny if you’re serious.
Diesel? More torque, better fuel economy, longer lifespan — but heavier and pricier. Propane? Cleaner burn, easier storage — but less energy per gallon.
Biggest mistake new guys make? Running a generator 24/7. Don’t. Charge your batteries during daylight, then shut it down. Run your station off batteries at night. Quieter. Safer. More fuel-efficient.
Inverters? These convert 12V DC to 120V AC. Useful if your radio or accessories need wall power. Pure sine wave inverters are best — modified sine can fry sensitive electronics. Size appropriately: Add up wattage of all devices, multiply by 1.5 for surge, pick an inverter that exceeds that.
Alternative ideas? Wind turbines — niche, noisy, inconsistent. Pedal generators — great for fitness, terrible for sustained power. Vehicle alternators — yes, you can charge a battery while driving, but don’t drain your starter battery. Use an isolator.
Bottom line: Generators are force multipliers. But they’re tools — not crutches. Master batteries and solar first. Then add gas when you need brute force.
Building Your Own Emergency Power Kit (Step-by-Step)
Let’s build something real.
Starter Kit (150–150–250):
- 20Ah AGM battery (e.g., Mighty Max or Renogy)
- 20W folding solar panel with built-in PWM controller
- 10A inline fuse holder + 10A fuse
- 12V cigarette lighter socket (for charging phones/lights)
- Anderson Powerpole connectors (standard in ham radio)
- 10ft 12AWG red/black cables with ring terminals
- Battery box or rugged plastic case
Total weight: Under 20 lbs. Fits in a backpack. Deploy time: 5 minutes.
Mid-Tier Kit (400–400–700):
- 50Ah LiFePO4 battery (e.g., EcoFlow River 2 or Dakota Lithium)
- 100W briefcase solar panel with MPPT controller
- 300W pure sine wave inverter
- Digital voltmeter / battery monitor
- Fuse block with 4 circuits
- Heavy-duty case with wheels
Adds runtime, efficiency, and versatility. Can run laptops, LED lights, small CPAP machines. Still portable.
Pro Tier ($1,000+):
- Dual 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries with automatic parallel switching
- 400W solar array (portable or roof-mounted)
- 2000W inverter generator (Honda or Champion)
- Automatic transfer switch (grid → battery → generator)
- Bluetooth battery monitor with smartphone app
- EMP-shielded enclosure (optional, for extreme preppers)
This setup can run a full shack — transceiver, tuner, computer, lighting — for days. Redundant. Remote-monitored. Battle-ready.
Budget hacks? Hit hamfests. eBay. Craigslist. Old UPS batteries? Often still 80% capacity. Car jump starters with USB/12V outputs? Surprisingly useful for HTs and flashlights. Salvage solar garden lights? Wire ten together, and you’ve got a 5V charging bank.
Build it yourself. Learn every connection. Label everything. Practice assembly blindfolded. You’ll thank yourself later.
Safety First: Don’t Fry Yourself or Your Gear
Power is respect. Not fear — respect.
One slip with a wrench across battery terminals? Boom — 500 amps of arc flash. Seen a guy lose eyebrows that way. Not fun.
Always disconnect negative first. Reconnect negative last. Wear eye protection. Keep metal tools away from live terminals.
Fuses aren’t optional. They’re mandatory. Size them for your wire gauge and load. 10A fuse for 16AWG wire. 20A for 12AWG. 30A for 10AWG. Don’t guess.
Lithium batteries? Treat them like loaded guns. Puncture = fire. Overcharge = fire. Short circuit = fire. Use only matched cells, proper BMS (Battery Management System), and certified chargers.
Ventilation. Lead-acid batteries off-gas hydrogen when charging — explosive in confined spaces. Keep them in garages, sheds, or vented boxes. Never indoors unless sealed AGM.
Grounding. Even off-grid, ground your station. Lightning doesn’t care if you’re plugged into the wall. Drive an 8-ft copper rod. Bond your radio chassis, power supply, and antenna mast to it. Saves gear. Saves lives.
Quick pre-op checklist:
- Terminals clean and tight?
- Fuse installed and correct rating?
- Polarity confirmed? (Red = positive. Always.)
- Ventilation clear?
- Fire extinguisher nearby? (Class C for electrical.)
Safety isn’t sexy. But neither is third-degree burns or melted transceivers.
Practice Like You Play: Drills and Dry Runs
Knowledge rusts without use.
Schedule a monthly “Blackout Saturday.” Unplug everything. Run your station off battery only. Time how long it takes to get on air. Track your battery voltage every 30 minutes. Note when performance drops.
Try different modes: SSB voice. CW. Digital FT8. See which gives you longest runtime.
Test range. Can you hit a repeater 30 miles away on 5 watts? Can you bounce an NVIS signal off the ionosphere to someone 200 miles north? Document it.
Involve your family. Make it a competition. Who can assemble the kit fastest? Who can copy the most morse code characters? Reward with steak dinner. Builds buy-in — and skills.
Field Day? Join it. Every June, thousands of hams set up temporary stations in parks, fields, rooftops — running entirely off-grid. Best training you’ll ever get. Find your local club. Show up. Ask questions. Bring beer.
Dry runs expose flaws. Maybe your solar panel doesn’t angle right. Maybe your cables are too short. Maybe your battery monitor lies. Fix it now — not at 2 a.m. during a flood.
As the Northwest Radio Association says: “The best emergency plan is the one you’ve practiced until it’s boring.”
Looking Ahead: This Prep Helps You Pass Your License Too
Here’s the beautiful part: Everything you’re learning now — batteries, solar, fuses, voltage, current — is straight out of the Technician exam pool.
Question T5C08: “What is the formula used to calculate electrical power in a DC circuit?”
Answer: Power (P) equals voltage (E) times current (I). P = E × I.Question T6D06: “What component is commonly used to change 120V AC house current to a lower AC voltage for other uses?”
Answer: Transformer — but you’re using an inverter to go the other way. Same principles.Question T0A07: “What is the safest way to recharge a lead-acid battery?”
Answer: Slow charge with a regulated charger — which you now know how to set up.Studying power systems now means less memorization later. You’re not cramming facts — you’re building intuition. When you see “Ohm’s Law” on the test, you’ll picture your multimeter reading 13.8V across a 10A load. Real. Tangible. Yours.
Download KB6NU’s free Technician study guide. Take practice exams at HamRadioLicenseExam.com. You’ll fly through the power and safety sections — because you’ve lived them.
The license? It’s just paperwork. What you’re building now — competence, confidence, capability — that’s what makes a real ham.
D. Bryan King
Sources
- ARRL – Power Sources for Emergency Communications
- KB6NU’s No-Nonsense Technician Class License Study Guide – Off-Grid Power Section
- Ham Radio Academy – Off-Grid Power for Ham Radio
- RigPix – Battery Power Solutions for Amateur Radio
- Solar-Electric.com – Off-Grid Solar Power Basics
- YouTube: “Portable Power for Field Day and Emergencies” by K0PIR
- Northwest Radio Association – Power Systems for Field Operations
- eHam.net – Choosing the Right Battery for Portable Operation
- QRZ.com – Battery Power for Amateur Radio Operators
- Backwoods Home Magazine – Using Solar to Power Your Ham Radio Station
- Instructables – How to Power a Ham Radio Station Off-Grid
- HamRadioLicenseExam.com – Emergency Power for Ham Radio
- AmateurRadio.com – Power Supplies and Backup Power
- PrepperWebsite – How to Power Your Ham Radio in an Emergency
- OffGridLife.com – Ham Radio Off-Grid: Powering Your Station Without Utility Grid
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.
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