Does anybody have any experience with using solar powered re-chargeable batteries? Trying to keep the depth finder up and running pretty much all the time (8 double "AA"s) without having to tow a supply boat behind me.

Curious if this would keep a GPS up and running or the depth finder and for how long. I wonder if they (batteries) would charge in a day of sunny weather fully or would it take two or maybe even three days. New thinking for me, just kicking it around.

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I use eight alkaline AA batteries for my fishfinder. A set lasts 5-6 days. I carry a backup set and simply change batteries for remainder of trip. If you want to use rechargables, just recharge them at home. Don't overthink this. ;)

8 batteries for the depth finder per week... probably for me will be every 5 days. Plus the GPS and if I break camp in the dark which is not uncommon for me plus a little reading at night...........I could easily be looking at 50+. I would like to get that number in 1/2 with some help from the sun.

I wonder if this might help?
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M  y response was to your original post. Your second post about GPS was unknown to me while I was responding.

Anyway, my experience has been that if you need for the sun to shine, it will rain.

I would just plan on hooking both to a fully charged deep cycle marine battery, that way you only need one.

;D ;D ;D

As I was contemplating supplies a mind picture of a camel caravan plodding along the shore behind me sprang into my head. My mantra though is "double portage, double portage"...............

When I get something stuck in my head sometimes it's hard to let go......

I wonder if this would help power a GPS? Or re-charge an ipod? (of which I currently own neither  ;D )

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It would be fun to be able to keep the GPS on as it eats batteries.....2 "AA" every 18 hours (garmin 60csx is what Martin uses and seems to the standard by how others are measured). How far you went, how fast you went and where you are. The other option is just to turn it on when you need it.....that's OK to.

And how 'bout a couple of sets of re-chargable batteries for when the suns down.

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mastertangler wrote on Sep 25^th, 2010 at 1:05pm:

"double portage, double portage"...............

You say that like it's a bad thing.

PhantomJug wrote on Sep 25^th, 2010 at 6:59pm:

mastertangler wrote on Sep 25th, 2010 at 1:05pm: "double portage, double portage"............... You say that like it's a bad thing.

Double portage good......triple portage bad

mastertangler wrote on Sep 25^th, 2010 at 7:08pm:

Double portage good......triple portage bad

Leave your watch at home.

PhantomJug wrote on Sep 26^th, 2010 at 3:43am:

mastertangler wrote on Sep 25th, 2010 at 7:08pm: Double portage good......triple portage bad Leave your watch at home.

I can only picture one scenario where I would leave my watch at home
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Reply #32

On a more serious note, this is a terrific watch.
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What I like about it is that it tells you the day and the date. Important for those of us that lose track of that sort of thing. Plus it has an alarm clock that I can actually figure out how to use. But, most importantly of all is that the wrist band on this thing is built like a tank yet light and comfortable. Previously I have destroyed 2 or 3 wristbands when they interact with a heavy pack. (get the green band)

Wasn't this thread about re-chargeable batteries? Not getting much feedback. I have decided to go with this.
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Perhaps with 7 or so hours of sun I could keep a GPS up and running all day. 2 sets of batteries and swap them out daily. Handy if I want to mark that reef. Of course I will have backup. Should be a nifty and fun little experiment. Should also be able to re-charge camera battery.

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I've looked into solar chargers, for batteries & iPod.  For me it's easier to bring spare batteries.  A couple extra sets of batteries weighs a whole lot less than the reliable rigs I've seen.  That leaves the iPod as the only reason for me to spend $200 and add pounds to my pack.

Solio, you will likely come across this product.  I have heard nothing good about it except on the Solio website.  Unreliable fashion-gear.

I have heard of a woodgas stove that can recharge, but I can't find it.  Basically it has a heat exchange that drives a generator which powers the fan and has output jacks.

Good work preacher!  [smiley=thumbup.gif]

I found the wood gas item.
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Usually my preference is for each piece of gear to perform its primary function reliably and I'm not into bells & whistles.  Maybe I'm just paranoid, but a tool that does 5 things likely does all those things rather poorly.  Bells & whistles are distractions from the main function.

On the other hand, a single item that does two things reliably is a boon that just might free up packspace & weight.  This item looks like it may fit the bill.

Preacher wrote on Sep 27^th, 2010 at 4:35pm:

Another source:   (You need to Login or Register  That leaves the iPod as the only reason for me to spend $200 and add pounds to my pack.

That's not accurate Preacher. I only call you out for the benefit of others who might be considering employing this technology. The solar panel in question which seems minimally adequate weighs in at 14.1 oz.
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I intend to employ a battery pack along with the panel to capture excess energy and insure as little fluctuations as possible weighs in at 6oz.
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The whole set up weighs a tad more than a pound and would run around $125.

I know many are thinking that they can buy a lot of batteries for $125 and I would agree.....but only to an extent. If you intend to be out much longer than 10 days and hope to power things like a GPS (two double AA's every 18 hours) this could go a long way to allowing you to keep it on more or less all day. Much easier/faster to save waypoints such as campsites, fishin spots etc. than having to power up and then shut down to save battery life. Plus you can see how fast your going....."Man this wind is strong.....what! Only .1 MPH!......... Aaaargh"!

Thanks again Preacher for the link. It was quite beneficial in educating me.  [smiley=thumbup.gif]  

I run my depthfinder/GPS combo unit about 12 hours a day when canoeing.  A 12 volt battery will last me about 2 days.  I found that with a small (8x8?) solar charger from Cabela's I can alternate the batteries and they last through a 6-day a trip.  I always have one charging back at camp while using the other one.  Not sure how efficient AA's are at re-charging, but I'd think you could significantly cut down the number you take along.

Just finished reading Mike Kinzingers account of a 5 week trip in WCPP. He also had a Brunton solar charger but it sounded like he had rather poor results.
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His trip, however took place in Sept. and I suspect the lower angle of the sun may have had something to do with that. I also don't read anything about the actual re-charging of individual batteries and them employing them in the devices. Or an actual separate "storage cell" type battery. Still determined to give it a shot. Purely experimental and with limited reliance.

I tried the solar cell and rechargeable battery approach for a couple of seasons a few years back and wasn't very satisfied with the results.

I've since changed over to lithium batteries.  They are MUCH lighter than rechargeables (and even standard batts) and, with their improvement over the past couple of years, have a substantial service live.  They are, of course, expensive.

I've been running my depth finder with AA lithium batteries for the past 2 seasons and I've very satisfied.  I don't run the unit daily (I'm not typically pinging the bottom on travel days) and my use is probably on the order of 6 hours per day when fishing.  This season I did a 10 day solo and 15 day solo (with company).  One set of batt's was all that was needed for this season.  In fact, my GPS unit batteries died on the last day out and I yanked a couple of the depth finder batts (because they were more handy than other replacements) and they were ample to finish my last day.  I haven't thrown a volt meter on them yet to see what "signal strength" remains, but I'll swap them out for fresh ones before the next season anyway.  BTW:  I think the GPS batts were the lithium batteries from LAST year's trips.

dd

Not sure how relevant this is to this discussion, but anyways...

My dad used a small (12x4") solar panel charger that he placed on the dash of his truck for years to power his old (and v. large) "bag" phone when he was travelling.  It was enough to keep the phone's battery fully charged even when the phone wasn't plugged into the cig lighter plugin- he said it would still last for hours from the sat phone "trickle charge".  Never harmed the battery either.  

I've heard good reviews from others about the new, rollable solar panel chargers as well- many field crews I know use them to charge laptops, GPS, etc. when  they're in remote areas.

I think it comes down to you get what you pay for (and they're really come down in price!).

OK fine. Lithium it is then. Thanks for the input.

I bet the re-chargeable approach would work GREAT here in Florida! That is of course if the solar panels didn't melt first.........

master...you gotta upgrade your gps
2 AA's run me 25 hr continuous use.  At an avg use (off and on) of about 4 hr/day.  I've never had to change batteries yet in oine on a 5 day trip.  At most, 4 more in the hand for a 10 day trip.

I like lithium batteries for trips due to all the reasons DD mentioned.

Case in point: I borrowed a different depth finder this year. The fishing aficionados I know lead me to believe I could easily do two weeks on a set. Unfortunately, I expect I forgot to turn off the one I borrowed this year on the first night since my $15.00s worth (8 AAs) was dead the next day. It was raining and I didn't know if it was a short or I left the light on or was pinging the moon all night long or all three. Next night my flashlight said all 8 were dead for all intents and purposes.

I did have a total of 8 new AA's with me to power a camera and two flashlights so I went without and tried the depth finder again mid trip. The thing was showing 13 volts a week later and I left it on quite a bit once I hit familiar territory just to get a better feel. Six of the original "dead ones" are still powering my wife's mouse and keyboard longer than the alks that came with. The other two are in my 30 some year old calculator and the last digit is is only slightly dimmer than the rest after a while.

I do like the lithium for trips. Proprietary batteries are a bit of a pain and you would need a solar panel for some things I won't bring. I've never trusted rechargeables even when I know them well. Everything I bring takes some form of single use batts but I start out with rechargeables. The lithiums have a really long shelf-life too.

I picked up a Garmin 60csx GPS over the weekend (don't tell my wife) and I was reading through the owners manual and they don't suggest using lithium batteries as the voltage may be over 1.5 volts and it could shut the unit down. Anyone find this to be an issue?  

Master, I've been using that sweet unit for years.  Alkalines run forever in it....any cheapo brand.  It's your use of the backlight that runs 'em dry.  I used my machine alot and I'll wager that 4 extra cheapo AA's in the pack...and you are good for over a week.  I've never had to change batteries once yet on a 5 day trip or less.  And all I ever use is the cheapest blue-light specials.

Was gonna upgrade to the 62...but saw a blowout price on a Colorado I couldn't pass up.

Alrighty then,
alkalines in the GPS and lithium for the sounder.

I may need to pick your brain Wally. Sometimes when I get onto something new I need to be spoonfed.

master....do not let me feed you, unless you want to starve. ;D

gotta say I'm having some remorse of not going for the GPS62.  the Colorado looks and seems like an adequate instrument ($100 off due to overstock), but the screen is just not quite as bright as that GPS60 series.