Go Kit Power Supply
After talking to folks at the Hamvention the general opinion seems to be that portable operation can only be achieved with 12V equipment. Nothing could be further from the truth! There are many options for powering a 50V amp from batteries. Here is an example based on 24V batteries. A buck converter is needed for the amp because the fully charged batteries connected in series provide over 60V.
Parts List (Amazon Links):
1 ea. 50V Buck DC-DC Converter
1 ea. 13.8V Buck DC-DC Converter
Here's how to connect it:
I put the two converters in a small box and fed the connections through grommets:
The whole station fits in a waterproof camera bag and weighs 11.5 pounds (5.2 Kg). For comparison an ICOM 7300 with mic and power cable weighs 11 pounds. We ran this all day at the Hamfest, 8 AM to 5 PM, transmitting occasionally and the batteries were still over 75%. In POTA/SOTA operation you should get 3-4 hours of operation.
