Thread: Generator

The good thing about forums is you don't just get answers you also get options.

I paid less than $400 for 2nd hand BP solar panels including a new regulator. 120 watts worth.

Having used a generator when we camped years ago (a good quality Kubota 400w unit which we still have) I love my solar panels!

Unless you have serious power needs or camp somewhere there is not much sun, then solar wins.

Unless you have serious power needs or camp somewhere there is not much sun, then solar wins.

A big caveat!! It can be dull for days in the tropics.

I just bought a second hand Yamaha 750watt 4 stroke continuous and a 20 amp 240Volt smartcharger (total cost $400) to charge my second battery on the occasions that the nights are very hot and the Engel works hard.
I reckon I will be able to charge the second 95AH battery 90% in 2-3 hours during the day when most are away. My plan is secure it to the front axle of the car.

I may also get one of the cheap solar setups but I gather many are stolen if left out by the big chains I have seen attached.LOL.

Also in my experience /observation, most sites have partial shade from tall trees and often it is impossible to have more than a couple of hours of full sun without shifting the panels. Not good if you want to go away from the site, which for me is almost every day.

Also my experience in several tropical caravan parks/camping grounds was for unpowered sites I would be asked did I want a shady site or one in full sun. When I asked why would anyone want a full sun site in the tropics I was told, Oh the solar panel people need full sun.

Many National Park sites have quiet and genny areas, so in this case I will drive a couple of minutes to the genny area and run it up.

I think that you can have a good compromise either way but a generator does not necessarily have to be a damn nuisance to others. maybe its the character of the people who need their microwaves etc , that they have no consideration for others.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I think that you can have a good compromise either way but a generator does not necessarily have to be a damn nuisance to others. maybe its the character of the people who need their microwaves etc , that they have no consideration for others.
Regards Philip A

There are people who own generators who are fully aware of the need to be considerate of other campers.

A few years back, I was camped in the little bit of Gregory National Park that is between a creek and the main highway. The only other person there was in a quite large mobile home about 100 metres away. Late in the afternoon, he approached me to ask me if I would mind if he ran his generator for an hour or so to charge up a battery.

I think he took the generator around to the other side of his mobile home, but I don't know how long he ran it because I couldn't hear it above the sound of the birds, the breeze in the trees and the crackle of our cooking fire and the occasional passing vehicle. If he hadn't come and asked me, I don't think I would have noticed it was running at all.

Perhaps if all generator owners were as considerate as he was, there would not be such an instinctively hostile reaction to the mere mention of the word "generator". Maybe he is a member of a small minority.

I have a 1Kv generator it's a Kirpor, bought off a mob called Novasmic on eBay for $375 delivered. It is an exact copy of the eq. EU Honda, side by side the only external difference was the name and instruction transfers. When I take this genny away I site it at the end of a 15amp H/D lead 35 metres long in the scrub. This genny emits 35db of sound, same as the Honda, which is the equivalent of 2 people speaking normally. I find that the nearby river makes more noise as does the wind in the trees and birds, I actually have to keep an ear out to make sure it hasn't run out of fuel, so noise is Not a problem. Yet a lot of people think it is sacrilege to take a genny bush, so I only take it now if everyone agrees, I have solar panels to recharge the batteries, but you need sunshine and you need it all day long, so there are Pro's and Cons to both methods, happy camping, Regards Frank.

Originally Posted by spook

there no good unless you spend big bucks for the amps to charge my batteries if you no anything about solar

I disagree.

I have one 125watt panel, it can run all my lights, music, Charge my laptop and run my 70litre fridge, and have my second battery fully charged by around midday.
I can camp as long as I want with no generator.
the panel was $1200, regulator was $200.
so $1400 and a little effort to set it up, and I never have to hear a generator (or anyone else for that matter)

Fraser

Originally Posted by vnx205

There are people who own generators who are fully aware of the need to be considerate of other campers.

A few years back, I was camped in the little bit of Gregory National Park that is between a creek and the main highway. The only other person there was in a quite large mobile home about 100 metres away. Late in the afternoon, he approached me to ask me if I would mind if he ran his generator for an hour or so to charge up a battery.

I think he took the generator around to the other side of his mobile home, but I don't know how long he ran it because I couldn't hear it above the sound of the birds, the breeze in the trees and the crackle of our cooking fire and the occasional passing vehicle. If he hadn't come and asked me, I don't think I would have noticed it was running at all.

Perhaps if all generator owners were as considerate as he was, there would not be such an instinctively hostile reaction to the mere mention of the word "generator". Maybe he is a member of a small minority.

cheers mate thanks

Originally Posted by fraser130

I disagree.

I have one 125watt panel, it can run all my lights, music, Charge my laptop and run my 70litre fridge, and have my second battery fully charged by around midday.
I can camp as long as I want with no generator.
the panel was $1200, regulator was $200.
so $1400 and a little effort to set it up, and I never have to hear a generator (or anyone else for that matter)

Fraser

seems like a lot of money to spend on solar and if it rains for days then what no sun no power or very little.

Originally Posted by spook

seems like a lot of money to spend on solar and if it rains for days then what no sun no power or very little.

You save in the long run, you could always set it up so a drive in your car for an hour or 2 will replenish things, that's how we have set up our system, just another option for you to look at.

Baz.