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DX grunt
4th March 2011, 07:43 PM
Hi all.

After my last camping exped, I'm looking at getting a wind turbine to keep batteries charged. Any thoughts?

Does anybody use any other sorts of alternative power? If so, I'd love to hear from you.

Take care out there.

Ross
DX grunt

Maxhead
4th March 2011, 07:53 PM
Mate, just my opinion but wind power is as good as the solar or solar is as good as wind power
If you have the energy you will get power just depends on the environment.

The solar and wind power generators are usually similar price but I think solar will get you further

BillsGU
4th March 2011, 07:55 PM
Wind is not real good unless you are on the coast or up on a high point. You need constant wind. Also they do make some noise so you would want it away from camp. If it is not high enough it may smack you over the ear as you wander around at night looking for a bush to water - or worse it could do damage to one of the kids. Solar is a better idea - or maybe a water turbine if you camp near a creek. Platypus systems in Cairns is a good site to look at for turbines.

growler2058
4th March 2011, 08:24 PM
My wife says my wind power is quite powerful hahaha or was that overpowering

Maxhead
4th March 2011, 08:25 PM
My wife says my wind power is quite powerful hahaha or was that overpowering

......if we could only bottle methane!!!

Woof
4th March 2011, 08:47 PM
Hey Ross saw some wind propellers today heading down your way today on low loaders.............I really think that you may have to get a Mighty GQ to tow them, they are enormous...haha

Sir Roofy
4th March 2011, 08:58 PM
Solar is the way to go,mount it on top of your pod hook up to your batteries bobs your uncle your done,just keep them clean and you shouldnt have any trouble

the evil twin
4th March 2011, 09:14 PM
Hiya Roscoe...

Never a shortage of wind here in WA, Methane or otherwise eh... Biggest advantage is wind tends to be 24/7 whereas peak Solar is only about 4 hours a day stretch to 5 or 6 in middle of Summer at prime angle

Been eyeing off a VAT (Vertical Axis Turbine) setup for a while. Looks just like a roof ventilator if you haven't seen one. They are very very quiet compared to the Propellor jobbies and handle turbulence significantly better so can be setup lower to the ground and near trees etc or on a much smaller mast. Need slightly higher initial wind speeds but that isn't an issue here in WA. Pricing is similar to the traditional propellor style.

The biggest thing in a comparo to Solar is that a 50 Watt wind turbine is equivalent to about a 70 Watt Solar Panel as Solar Panels are rated at peak volts of between 18 to 21 not 12 Volts so to get 4 Amps like in this Jaycar version http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MG4570 you need a higher rated Solar panel.

I can't justify one ATM as I have poo poo loads of electricity from my battery capacity and 100 Watt Solar panels.

For someone who is yet to purchase (and IF you live/camp where there is a reasonable chance of breezes) then I reckon a VAT Wind Turbine is a serious contender.

89GQ
4th March 2011, 09:16 PM
Just what im'e looking into aswell, I do at least one week fishing trips and the 90AH aux. battery wont cut it! Solar 120 w seems popular! more than enough to keep the batt charged! Prices iv'e seen range from $1.000.oo down to $450.00 for the fold ups with the regulator, Might hang out till winter to see if any prices come down.Solar Steve has good quality stuff for round the $750 mark. He's on the Gone Bush Forum.

Maxhead
4th March 2011, 09:17 PM
Hiya Roscoe...

Never a shortage of wind here in WA, Methane or otherwise eh... Biggest advantage is wind tends to be 24/7 whereas peak Solar is only about 4 hours a day stretch to 5 or 6 in middle of Summer at prime angle

Been eyeing off a VAT (Vertical Axis Turbine) setup for a while. Looks just like a roof ventilator if you haven't seen one. They are very very quiet compared to the Propellor jobbies and handle turbulence significantly better so can be setup lower to the ground and near trees etc or on a much smaller mast. Need slightly higher initial wind speeds but that isn't an issue here in WA. Pricing is similar to the traditional propellor style.

The biggest thing in a comparo to Solar is that a 50 Watt wind turbine is equivalent to about a 70 Watt Solar Panel as Solar Panels are rated at peak volts of between 18 to 21 not 12 Volts so to get 4 Amps like in this Jaycar version http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MG4570 you need a higher rated Solar panel.

I can't justify one ATM as I have poo poo loads of electricity from my battery capacity and 100 Watt Solar panels.

For someone who is yet to purchase (and IF you live/camp where there is a reasonable chance of breezes) then I reckon a VAT Wind Turbine is a serious contender.

Excellent info. thanks mate

the evil twin
4th March 2011, 09:22 PM
Solar is the way to go,mount it on top of your pod hook up to your batteries bobs your uncle your done,just keep them clean and you shouldnt have any trouble

Yeah, but then you have to park in the Sun... and that really sucks over here in WA I can tell ya.

At one stage I was looking at the flexible solar panels that I could fix to the Camper roof but the Sun issue soon put that idea to bed.

Conversely the wind over here is really reliable and blows anywhere along the coast. Absolutely not saying Wind Power is suitable for everyone or even everyone in WA but it is a very serious alternative to Solar here.

Probably to the point that at least 1 in 3 of the semi permanent Campers have switched to Wind now.

89GQ
4th March 2011, 09:33 PM
Hiya Roscoe...

Never a shortage of wind here in WA, Methane or otherwise eh... Biggest advantage is wind tends to be 24/7 whereas peak Solar is only about 4 hours a day stretch to 5 or 6 in middle of Summer at prime angle

Been eyeing off a VAT (Vertical Axis Turbine) setup for a while. Looks just like a roof ventilator if you haven't seen one. They are very very quiet compared to the Propellor jobbies and handle turbulence significantly better so can be setup lower to the ground and near trees etc or on a much smaller mast. Need slightly higher initial wind speeds but that isn't an issue here in WA. Pricing is similar to the traditional propellor style.

The biggest thing in a comparo to Solar is that a 50 Watt wind turbine is equivalent to about a 70 Watt Solar Panel as Solar Panels are rated at peak volts of between 18 to 21 not 12 Volts so to get 4 Amps like in this Jaycar version http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MG4570 you need a higher rated Solar panel.

I can't justify one ATM as I have poo poo loads of electricity from my battery capacity and 100 Watt Solar panels.

For someone who is yet to purchase (and IF you live/camp where there is a reasonable chance of breezes) then I reckon a VAT Wind Turbine is a serious contender.WOW Never seen these, Would two of them do the job and would they run through a regulator like solars do. The good thing with these is you can be getting power 24hrs a day when winds up as it allways is where i fish, Now more lost sleep thinking which way to go.

Sir Roofy
4th March 2011, 09:41 PM
That sounds like the go as well,being portable and your traveling about you would have to pack it up and stow it,as you would panels,(can see the issue with the sun)would there be a problem with vibration thruogh a pole mounted to the vehicle can u off set them to slow them down plus you would have to have them high enough not to walk in to it and the wieght would it be a couple kgs ?

Sir Roofy
4th March 2011, 09:48 PM
wow never seen these, would two of them do the job and would they run through a regulator like solars do. The good thing with these is you can be getting power 24hrs a day when winds up as it allways is where i fish, now more lost sleep thinking which way to go.

well that answered my queiry thanks et

the evil twin
4th March 2011, 10:01 PM
WOW Never seen these, Would two of them do the job and would they run through a regulator like solars do. The good thing with these is you can be getting power 24hrs a day when winds up as it allways is where i fish, Now more lost sleep thinking which way to go.

Hmmm lot of variables to consider but IMHO... and, what I do when I am 'touring' is I tend to home base the Camper and explore everywhere I can in all directions for several days rather than camp and move.

Sooo, if you Camp each night when there is no sun but theoretically your batteries are at full SOC then wind does really come into it's own.

If you home base it like I do then a 4 (50 Watt) Amp Wind generator only needs to produce for 10 hours in 24 to equal a 120 Watt Solar Array which is rated as 6.7 Amp peak current (call it 7 amongst friends). Just rough figures means you will get about 50 to 60 Watts from the Solar... if you are babysitting it to get max output thne maybe a little more... but in my case the array gets pointed North and then I am outa there.

DX grunt
4th March 2011, 10:06 PM
Been eyeing off a VAT (Vertical Axis Turbine) setup for a while. Jaycar version http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MG4570 you need a higher rated Solar panel.

For someone who is yet to purchase (and IF you live/camp where there is a reasonable chance of breezes) then I reckon a VAT Wind Turbine is a serious contender.

Hey ET.

Thanks. I saw them and wondered if it would be strong enough to power my fridge. They reckon you need a 120w solar panel to run my 95lt Evakool fridge. So I guess I'll need 2 VATs. Don't know if that's possible, so I'll email the manufacturer. This evolution might be cheaper than I originally thought. lol. Fingers crossed.

With 9 of my last 12 days on holidays down south wet and windy, I recon a couple of them could have been enough to power half of Perth. lol

Rossco

Maxhead
4th March 2011, 10:15 PM
As I said, it all depending on the environment

Looks like you guys have the best of both worlds...


Good luck choosing mate

YNOT
4th March 2011, 10:20 PM
Of course if you were to camp with Bigrig and Dhuck you would have enough methane to power a reasonable size gas fired power station.

Tony

DX grunt
4th March 2011, 10:23 PM
Of course if you were to camp with Bigrig and Dhuck you would have enough methane to power a reasonable size gas fired power station.

Tony

Do they inhale all the oxygen and exhale the carbon dioxide when they snore? lol

the evil twin
4th March 2011, 10:27 PM
Hey ET.

Thanks. I saw them and wondered if it would be strong enough to power my fridge. They reckon you need a 120w solar panel to run my 95lt Evakool fridge. So I guess I'll need 2 VATs. Don't know if that's possible, so I'll email the manufacturer. This evolution might be cheaper than I originally thought. lol. Fingers crossed.

With 9 of my last 12 days on holidays down south wet and windy, I recon a couple of them could have been enough to power half of Perth. lol

Rossco

I would be looking for a higher wattage single rather than running two... and as they are rated differently to Solar Panels I would suggest one about 75 Watts would be oodles for you.


As I said, it all depending on the environment

Looks like you guys have the best of both worlds...


ROFL... absolutely agree, Cobber... on both counts. Wind wouldn't be any good in my old stamping grounds in the NT tho so you are dead right about the environment

AB
4th March 2011, 11:12 PM
I would be looking for a higher wattage single rather than running two... and as they are rated differently to Solar Panels I would suggest one about 75 Watts would be oodles for you.



ROFL... absolutely agree, Cobber... on both counts. Wind wouldn't be any good in my old stamping grounds in the NT tho so you are dead right about the environment


Don't you guys hold the world record for the fastest quater mile due to the Freemantle doctor???

TheFlyingBadger
5th March 2011, 12:05 AM
Ross, did you see i'm selling 125W panels for a mate? advertised at home....

DX grunt
5th March 2011, 08:26 AM
Ross, did you see i'm selling 125W panels for a mate? advertised at home....

G'day Jon

I didn't see your add. I'll check it out.

Thanks.

Ross

Aquarian51
22nd April 2011, 03:49 PM
G'day Ross

Have you got one of those wind turbines yet? Jaycar sell them cheaper in quantity and I'm interested in one so maybe we could 'bulk buy'. Alternatively I found a place in the UK online that sells them for UK150 quid, which is only $240 Oz, which is a mega saving, as long as the freight isn't too much.

If you have one already I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts about it. Ta

cheers

Len

89GQ
22nd April 2011, 05:58 PM
G'day Ross

Have you got one of those wind turbines yet? Jaycar sell them cheaper in quantity and I'm interested in one so maybe we could 'bulk buy'. Alternatively I found a place in the UK online that sells them for UK150 quid, which is only $240 Oz, which is a mega saving, as long as the freight isn't too much.

If you have one already I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts about it. Ta

cheers

Len Dont wanta put you off! but went into jaycar and one of the salesmen said they get them all (or most ) returned! Said there not that good and salt affects the bearings etc.

NissanGQ4.2
22nd April 2011, 06:25 PM
i use candles Rosscoe, and on occasions fire crackers..... cheap power source and if you get a bushfire going u get lots of light source *LMAO* or are u talking about fridge / freezers????

patch697
30th June 2011, 08:01 PM
Here's a home made water wheel for you Rossco! Strap this to your roof and make sure you're camping next to a river/creek! Creates 50W continuously and peaks at about 500W.

http://makingyourown.ludlowsurvivors.com/WWPG.html

That was a real interesting article & watch Plassy.

DX grunt
30th June 2011, 08:06 PM
Here's a home made water wheel for you Rossco! Strap this to your roof and make sure you're camping next to a river/creek! Creates 50W continuously and peaks at about 500W.

http://makingyourown.ludlowsurvivors.com/WWPG.html

I'll cheat and buy a used Telstra cable holder!

Hahahahahaha

DX grunt
30th June 2011, 08:07 PM
Hi I'm John I used Solar Panels Cairns (http://solarpanelscairns.com.au), I installed it to the roof of my Prado Car. This one I've used for alternative powers. This if much better to use as alternative power because it exerts high capacity of power because I put a solar stick in the panel to generate more power. I hope you like it.

Thanks John.

The only problem is that I'm about 4,000k's from Cairns. Not to worry. I'll keep looking. Thanks for your input.

Take care out there.

Rossco

AB
30th June 2011, 08:34 PM
Here's a home made water wheel for you Rossco! Strap this to your roof and make sure you're camping next to a river/creek! Creates 50W continuously and peaks at about 500W.

http://makingyourown.ludlowsurvivors.com/WWPG.html

That was a good read Plassy!

Finly Owner
30th June 2011, 08:52 PM
What a great use of old technology on a small scale. He's definately put some thought into it.


Tim

Tymeup
26th April 2012, 11:36 PM
Just an idea..............................I saw this once.

A 4 stroke whipper snipper motor attached directly to an alternator. This guy had it tucked away in a separate part of his engine bay, hard mounted and wired. When the batteries where a bit low he would simply start his whipper snipper and walk away.

Obviously 4 stroke to keep the noise down. It was geared to only idle, so the alternator turned at the right speed, so it was fairly quiet, especially with the bonnet down.

I thought it was a great idea. A great back up if there is no wind, and no sun.

Cheers,

Ty.

paulasandmark
28th April 2012, 12:43 PM
Some interesting ideas we have solar panels and bond batteries as back up

BillsGU
1st May 2012, 01:56 PM
Just camp under power lines, get a very long bit of cable and form it into a loop, lay it on the ground under the power lines and plug your camp in to that !!! Simple !!!!

taslucas
1st May 2012, 02:20 PM
Just camp under power lines, get a very long bit of cable and form it into a loop, lay it on the ground under the power lines and plug your camp in to that !!! Simple !!!!

Induction technology:)

Tap, crackle, pop

89GQ
1st May 2012, 02:55 PM
Whats your thoughts to this, 12v Panels in series to 24V, Watch the vid, ime doing it! Didn't work. Go to Battery Value home page.