Power solution for mobile scanner at beach

[KB4REA]

Hey all...

I'm looking for a very short-term (2 days) and budget-friendly power solution for my 996P2 + external speaker.

I'm going to a beach airshow and want the greater volume of the 996 versus my portables. Last year, the show was at a navy base and I was able to tailgate at an adjacent retailer. Awesome experience hearing the Blue Angels out of the 996 and Midland speaker.

Possible(?) solution #1:
I have 2 - 20,000mah power banks with USB-A outlets.
Would purchasing a USB to cigarette lighter adapter do the trick? Provide enough power for maybe 3 hrs?



Possible solution #2:
A $30 power supply with cigarette lighter outlet. It's a pretty small capacity but will it give me 3 hours worth of juice?


Appreciate any other recommendations. TIA...Josh

 

[IC-R20]

I do this with my BCT15x a bit too. I use 12v lantern batteries. They have decent shelf life so I also kept one in the closet for backup scanning power during monsoon blackouts.

 

[jeepsandradios]

Jackery and mobile power cord. Mine ran for an entire weekend on the Jackery 300

 

[KB4REA]

I do this with my BCT15x a bit too. I use 12v lantern batteries. They have decent shelf life so I also kept one in the closet for backup scanning power during monsoon blackouts.

Thanks for the suggestion! So this is a one and done kinda thing, non-rechargeable. I like the size and the price is good too. How much scanning do you get from one battery? Can I get 10 hrs out of it, maybe even power 2 radios at the same time?

 

[KB4REA]

Jackery and mobile power cord. Mine ran for an entire weekend on the Jackery 300

Yeah I saw that Jackery 300 and it would definitely do the job and be more of an investment. Amazon has a similar product (Grecell T300) on a lightning deal for $115 that caught my eye too. Both more than I wanted to spend for a weekend but I'm sure I'd make use of them beyond that. I could run 2 radios on that right, one with the cig lighter cord and one AC? I want to use my 996 for its speed and ease of use but also maybe my 536 or 200 for recording the Blue Angels.

 

[prcguy]

I use one of these for most of my portable radio adventures. It charges easily with a power supply since it has internal battery management which prevents overcharging and it has low voltage cutoff to protect the cells. This should run a 996 for a good 12hrs or more.

https://www.amazon.com/Lithium-LiFePO4-Rechargeable-Maintenance-Free-Lighting/dp/B097BRKCQP/?th=1

 

[KevinC]

Yeah I saw that Jackery 300 and it would definitely do the job and be more of an investment. Amazon has a similar product (Grecell T300) on a lightning deal for $115 that caught my eye too. Both more than I wanted to spend for a weekend but I'm sure I'd make use of them beyond that. I could run 2 radios on that right, one with the cig lighter cord and one AC? I want to use my 996 for its speed and ease of use but also maybe my 536 or 200 for recording the Blue Angels.

One thing to keep in mind on any Portable Power Station is the AC inverter efficiency. Most are around 75-85%, so your 230Wh could end up being around 180Wh.

If you go this route I'd probably run the two scanners off on the lighter (via a splitter) and keep the AC turned off to extend the usage. But at that point it's not much different than just a battery like @prcguy mentioned, except it has a built-in charger and the inverter if you need it.

I don't have any GRECELL units as I'm all EcoFlow, but I have numerous ones and they all perform exactly as expected.

 

[CollinsURG]

Thanks for the suggestion! So this is a one and done kinda thing, non-rechargeable. I like the size and the price is good too. How much scanning do you get from one battery? Can I get 10 hrs out of it, maybe even power 2 radios at the same time?

I have measured the current draw of my BCD996P2 at medium volume and it draws about 250 mA receiving a transmission.

I would suggest a 12 V LifePo4 battery and charger. Several options on Amazon. You only need an inexpensive 2 amp charger designed for the LifePO4 at 14.6 volt charging voltage if the battery is 20 Ah or less. These batteries hold a pretty steady voltage and current until dead, so you can do the math and get the size you want for how long you want to operate between charges. With most other battery technology you cannot divide battery current rating by radio current draw and get much more than half to 3/4 that value in run time. I use a 7 Ah Miady on mine and get about 2 days continuous operation. Battery and charger depending on brand and size would start at about $50.

 

[vagrant]

@KB4REA - Go with your option #2.
- Easy to charge using included AC transformer.
- It claims to have a 4000 mAh LiFePO4 battery.
- It will easily give you three hours if the scanner draws 250 mA.
- It has USB ports to charge other devices as well.
- There won’t be anything additional to buy/build for it to charge and work with your scanner 12v power plug.

It’s on Amazon. Buy it and charge it 100%. Disconnect the AC cord. Connect your scanner and set a timer to see how many hours it lasts on a constant signal like your local NOAA weather station around 162 MHz. If it fails, return it.

* As volume is a concern, turn it up to the level you would use it for the air show while testing. This will more closely represent your power draw. (Just cover the speaker if too loud while testing)

 

[KB4REA]

@KB4REA - Go with your option #2.
- Easy to charge using included AC transformer.
- It claims to have a 4000 mAh LiFePO4 battery.
- It will easily give you three hours if the scanner draws 250 mA.
- It has USB ports to charge other devices as well.
- There won’t be anything additional to buy/build for it to charge and work with your scanner 12v power plug.

It’s on Amazon. Buy it and charge it 100%. Disconnect the AC cord. Connect your scanner and set a timer to see how many hours it lasts on a constant signal like your local NOAA weather station around 162 MHz. If it fails, return it.

* As volume is a concern, turn it up to the level you would use it for the air show while testing. This will more closely represent your power draw. (Just cover the speaker if too loud while testing)

Thanks for all those points. I'm leaning towards that lantern battery suggested earlier as it will easily last me the 2 days. I like your idea of testing the equipment beforehand. I can't really do that with the alkaline without using up some of the juice. Hopefully I don't get a dud. Anyway it's Amazon's deal day so I'm gonna look at all my options again as far as pricing goes.