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Camping Power

ljenna

3-Jul-2012
4:53:10 PM

I could recommend an exercise bike connected to a generator - that is what I've used for a couple of months until my generator broke. You definitely should buy a relatively good generator - which doesn't necessarily imply an expensive one. Maybe the Honda 2000i. On the other hand you might as well consider generator rental - that is what I did for a couple of months after my own generator broke.

duglash

4-Jul-2012
8:16:06 PM

At araps 3G is very usable on Telstra (others may work too, not sure) Gramps is a bit more limited, there's a tower N of Stapylton which gives good reception there but drops off south..

dalai

1-Dec-2012
11:03:37 AM

Any recommendations for a light weight 12VDC to AC inverter? I am planning a trip OS next year and will be looking at car camping for a lot of it. Would like to be able to recharge the netbook and other electronics.

From the previous posts, it looks like the inverters will drain the battery pretty quickly? I will be doing alot of driving, so is it best only to plug in the devices whilst driving to not kill the hire cars battery? Is it safe to have the electronics plugged into the inverter whilst the car is running?

GusR

1-Dec-2012
11:45:50 AM

I'd just like to make a comment discouraging the use of campsite fuel powered generators such as the Honda EU series.

In WA their usage is widespread. Frankly I can't stand them. In WA parks they even have designated generator and non generator areas - which don't work by the way as you can still hear the generators from the non generator areas.

I agree that the quiet ones are a lot quieter than they may have been in the past, however this is only making their usage more widespread, and in my opinion they are still a long way from being quiet enough.

There is nothing more frustrating than lying in your tent / swag / bivy and having to listen to the low hum of a generator.

Please let's not let the usage of portable generators creep into mainstream usage in parks in Victoria. Solar panels or batteries charged by a vehicle are a far better alternative.

Gus.

james

1-Dec-2012
2:55:40 PM

On 1/12/2012 dalai wrote:
>Any recommendations for a light weight 12VDC to AC inverter? I am planning
>a trip OS next year and will be looking at car camping for a lot of it.
>Would like to be able to recharge the netbook and other electronics.
>
>From the previous posts, it looks like the inverters will drain the battery
>pretty quickly? I will be doing alot of driving, so is it best only to
>plug in the devices whilst driving to not kill the hire cars battery? Is
>it safe to have the electronics plugged into the inverter whilst the car
>is running?

Can you get 12v chargers for your stuff? I charged my laptop on a sail boat last year, & the battery is now kinda fkd, very short life. I think the inverter on the boat was old &/or cheap & the power was 'dirty' (uneven voltage or current I think?). It definitely messed with the battery, relatively new battery that had a noticeably reduced life right after the trip...

Justcameron

1-Dec-2012
7:20:14 PM

Telstra next g works ok at the pines, better at the gums. I think the tower is on top of araps and you can't see it from the pines because of the bluffs.

Consider a 12v charger for your laptop. I think this will be more efficient than using an inverter since your laptop power input is DC so it doesn't make sense to invert the 12v DC from your car battery to 240V AC just to plug in your laptop power cable which then transforms the power back to 10-15v DC. I'm not 100% sure how much more efficient this will be but maybe some peeps who know about power will be able to help.

dalai

1-Dec-2012
11:39:18 PM

I should be able to get a 12V charger for the netbook and mobile. I have found a Belkin USB cigarette lighter adapter which will work with my Garmin watch but unfortunately my SRM head unit (bike computer) definitely doesn't.


nmonteith

3-Dec-2012
9:41:43 AM

I can confirm that Telstra 3G data does NOT work to a usable level at Stapylton and Bunadik campgrounds in the Grampians. Drive a few kilometers out from these campgrounds and reception improves dramatically.

kieranl

3-Dec-2012
10:37:13 AM

On 1/12/2012 GusR wrote:
>I'd just like to make a comment discouraging the use of campsite fuel powered
>generators such as the Honda EU series.
>
>In WA their usage is widespread. Frankly I can't stand them. In WA parks
>they even have designated generator and non generator areas - which don't
>work by the way as you can still hear the generators from the non generator
>areas.
>
>I agree that the quiet ones are a lot quieter than they may have been
>in the past, however this is only making their usage more widespread, and
>in my opinion they are still a long way from being quiet enough.
>
>There is nothing more frustrating than lying in your tent / swag / bivy
>and having to listen to the low hum of a generator.
>
>Please let's not let the usage of portable generators creep into mainstream
>usage in parks in Victoria. Solar panels or batteries charged by a vehicle
>are a far better alternative.
>
>Gus.
++1

bones

3-Dec-2012
11:04:41 AM

On 3/12/2012 kieranl wrote:
>On 1/12/2012 GusR wrote:
>>I'd just like to make a comment discouraging the use of campsite fuel
>powered
>>generators such as the Honda EU series.
>>
>>In WA their usage is widespread. Frankly I can't stand them. In WA
>parks
>>they even have designated generator and non generator areas - which don't
>>work by the way as you can still hear the generators from the non generator
>>areas.
>>
>>I agree that the quiet ones are a lot quieter than they may have been
>>in the past, however this is only making their usage more widespread,
>and
>>in my opinion they are still a long way from being quiet enough.
>>
>>There is nothing more frustrating than lying in your tent / swag / bivy
>>and having to listen to the low hum of a generator.
>>
>>Please let's not let the usage of portable generators creep into mainstream
>>usage in parks in Victoria. Solar panels or batteries charged by a vehicle
>>are a far better alternative.
>>
>>Gus.
>++1

+++++++++1


Nayda

3-Dec-2012
4:01:49 PM

On 3/12/2012 bones wrote:
>On 3/12/2012 kieranl wrote:
>>On 1/12/2012 GusR wrote:
>>>I'd just like to make a comment discouraging the use of campsite fuel
>>powered
>>>generators such as the Honda EU series.
>>>
>>>In WA their usage is widespread. Frankly I can't stand them. In WA
>>parks
>>>they even have designated generator and non generator areas - which
>don't
>>>work by the way as you can still hear the generators from the non generator
>>>areas.
>>>
>>>I agree that the quiet ones are a lot quieter than they may have been
>>>in the past, however this is only making their usage more widespread,
>>and
>>>in my opinion they are still a long way from being quiet enough.
>>>
>>>There is nothing more frustrating than lying in your tent / swag / bivy
>>>and having to listen to the low hum of a generator.
>>>
>>>Please let's not let the usage of portable generators creep into mainstream
>>>usage in parks in Victoria. Solar panels or batteries charged by a
>vehicle
>>>are a far better alternative.
>>>
>>>Gus.
>>++1
>
>+++++++++1

'kenoath. times a million.

4-Dec-2012
11:02:01 AM

The other thing with an in-car inverter purchased in Oz is that it has an Oz plug on it and there is no need for an adapter to plug all your chargers into.

dalai

5-Dec-2012
12:19:44 PM

Still planning on taking adapters for those nights I stay in a cheap hotel.

Only one item I want to take doesn't have the option for a direct DC charger...


Climboholic

5-Dec-2012
3:23:08 PM

On 9/02/2012 nmonteith wrote:
>"working from home" hey?
>
>Small generators are actually surprisingly silent. Just dig a foxhole
>or put them in a gully and you could hardly hear them once you walk away
>by 20m. My dad has a small Honda one he uses for biology scientific work
>and it has never effected campfire conversation.

The problem is that people put them 20m away, right next to their neighbour's tent!

There are 34 messages in this topic.