Base Station 50w recommendations with USB-C charge

[bkmorse]

Looking for a base station 50w that can be charged using usb-c. Looking to have a 50 watt radio I can toss into my duffel bag and bring to camp. There is no power at camp, so hoping I can charge it off a power brick with usb-c.

Appreciate any feedback, thank you.

[BoxCar]

Good luck on finding one with a Type C - you won't. The best option is for an adapter from the battery to the radio's Tee connector. 

 

This will connect to a LiFePO4 15AH battery and the radio. Should be good for a couple days use without heavy sending.

FM Mobile "T-style" Power Cable with Powerpoles

[WRYZ926]

No mobile radios will have a built in battery. Your best bet is a separate 12v LifePo 4 battery. You will need a way to charge the battery if used for extended periods. There are a lot of solar options.

[dosw]

Base station 50w radios are mobile radios that aren't installed in a vehicle -- usually installed in a home or some other place that doesn't drive around.

 

To run a 50w radio you need a 13.8v (approximately) DC power supply of some sort.

 

One option is a 110v to 13.8v DC switching power supply. You would want one that provides no less than 20A continuous. That provides some level of overhead capacity. But most people buy a 30A unit for $85-$200 depending on the model.

 

Another option is a portable car starter. Connect the alligator clips to the power lead of your radio. Assure that they are insulated from each other to avoid a very unfun experience. I used to have a portable lead acid battery powered starter that had two 9AH fire alarm (or lawn mower) type batteries in it. And it worked just fine, but when the batteries eventually grew old it was not designed for easy replacement. Nevertheless, it lasted 15 years.

 

And another option is to build something with a lawn mower style battery or lithium battery, and an inexpensive charger. The charger would be an automotive style, and must be appropriate for the battery chemistry you choose.

 

And a last option is to simply wire it to your car's battery or your RV's battery, if by "base station" you just mean something you can take with you and set up somewhere, so long as that somewhere is near your vehicle or RV.

 

Powering off of USB-C is probably unrealistic for a 50w radio.

 

 

[Blaise]

2 hours ago, bkmorse said:

hoping I can charge it off a power brick with usb-c

If you are transmitting at 50 watts, a regular brick (ca 10 Amp-Hours) may not remotely give you the 60-some watts it takes to transmit.  And even if it could, and you assume a perfect system (spherical radios in a frictionless vacuum, perfect connections, perfect antenna, etc.), you'll  be able to transmit for less than an hour, and you can only do it once, because running completely flat might not entirely kill a lithium battery, but it will drastically decrease its capacity (You'll likely have effectively destroyed the batteries by the second time).

Just get a low-end power station that's intended to support residential use.  You can get little (100ish watt) ones for less than $200, and they have AC outlets, and both usb and lighter-12-volt ports.  For the best efficiency, make your own 12 volt plug, because that usually has the least voltage conversions being done, so you get more time on your bank, and most "mobiles" run on 12v.  Plus, if you run out of juice, you can charge it in your car during a beer-run!

Of course, if you only have to walk it a little way, you *could* just buy a Marine battery, and wire directly to it.  Cheap ones can manage 80-90 Amp Hours (from which you can probably use 50-60 Amp hours without killing it), and there are thousands of charging options...

[WRUE951]

the best thing you are going to find to power a 50W mobile is a 12V Power Stations, something like a Jackery.     https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Explorer-Generator-Optional/dp/B082TMBYR6/ref=asc_df_B082TMBYR6?mcid=7f28bbf116d332b5a61334e5c66268fe&hvocijid=2180212101588683819-B082TMBYR6-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2180212101588683819&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031792&hvtargid=pla-2281435179778&th=1

[SteveShannon]

30 minutes ago, WRUE951 said:

the best thing you are going to find to power a 50W mobile is a 12V Power Stations, something like a Jackery.     https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Explorer-Generator-Optional/dp/B082TMBYR6/ref=asc_df_B082TMBYR6?mcid=7f28bbf116d332b5a61334e5c66268fe&hvocijid=2180212101588683819-B082TMBYR6-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2180212101588683819&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031792&hvtargid=pla-2281435179778&th=1

That’s really an expensive, inefficient, and possibly inadequate solution. First, it’s fuse limited to 10 amps DC at 12 volts, so it possibly won’t work for some 50 watt radios. Of course you could use it to power your radio by plugging a switch mode power supply into the AC outlet but then you’re accepting the inefficiency of the inverter to produce 120 volts AC and also the inefficiency of the switch mode power supply. So you lose several percent of the energy in the battery. 
Just get a decent LiFePo4 battery and put it in a plastic ammo box. Or buy a ready made one that isn’t designed around a 10 amp fuse. 

[WRYZ926]

A 10 amp cigarette lighter/accessory port definitely will not be enough to power a 50 watt radio when transmitting on high power. I would not try to use the accessory port on any type of portable power station.

Like a few of us have already stated, get a LIFEPo4 battery and wire the radio to it.

[AdmiralCochrane]

I do it all the time.

[WRUE951]

55 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

That’s really an expensive, inefficient, and possibly inadequate solution. First, it’s fuse limited to 10 amps DC at 12 volts, so it possibly won’t work for some 50 watt radios. Of course you could use it to power your radio by plugging a switch mode power supply into the AC outlet but then you’re accepting the inefficiency of the inverter to produce 120 volts AC and also the inefficiency of the switch mode power supply. So you lose several percent of the energy in the battery. 
Just get a decent LiFePo4 battery and put it in a plastic ammo box. Or buy a ready made one that isn’t designed around a 10 amp fuse. 

thats the way i would do it..   They do have bigger DC Power stations with of course a bigger Price tag.  Now remember a decent Lithium battery with relative long aH are very very pricey... Ask me how i know.  I have about 1200 aH of Lithium in my RV and that was almost a 10Karot bill.   I do power a DC repeater which is like running a LED on that system 

[WRYZ926]

Pretty much every single 50 watt GMRS or amateur radio is going to pull between 10 and 15 amps on transmit when set to high power. Read the specifications in the manual that came with your radio to be sure.

I personally would not want to be pulling a 10 amp draw all of the time on a 10 amp fuse/circuit. 

[bkmorse]

My apologies, I saw the "usb-c charging" and assumed it was for charging the unit itself, but now I think it means you can use it to charge your phone, etc.

 

https://midlandusa.com/products/mxt500-micromobile®two-way-radio

[WRYZ926]

34 minutes ago, bkmorse said:

My apologies, I saw the "usb-c charging" and assumed it was for charging the unit itself, but now I think it means you can use it to charge your phone, etc.

 

https://midlandusa.com/products/mxt500-micromobile®two-way-radio

Yes Midland mobile radios do have the capability of charging other devices such as phones and tablets through the USB C port built into the radio. I don't recall if all Midland mobile radios have this or if it is only certain models.

[bkmorse]

Appreciate all the responses, looks like it'll only be possible with a battery that you recommended and that might damage the radio. I wonder if cigarette lighter adapters would work as well.

I have this for a jump pack for my car, I wonder if this would work with one or would damage the radio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019IFHLAE

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, bkmorse said:

Appreciate all the responses, looks like it'll only be possible with a battery that you recommended and that might damage the radio. I wonder if cigarette lighter adapters would work as well.

I have this for a jump pack for my car, I wonder if this would work with one or would damage the radio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019IFHLAE

Look, connecting your radio to any 12 volt source is unlikely to damage the radio, but connecting a 50 watt radio to a source that can is fused for 10 amps might fry the fuse.  Not all 50 watt radios require more than 10 amps.  Some are more efficient than others and get by with about 9 amps, others use as much as 11 amps. 
As far as that “jump pack” I don’t know anything about it.   

[WRYZ926]

4 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Look, connecting your radio to any 12 volt source is unlikely to damage the radio, but connecting a 50 watt radio to a source that can is fused for 10 amps might fry the fuse.  Not all 50 watt radios require more than 10 amps.  Some are more efficient than others and get by with about 9 amps, others use as much as 11 amps. 
As far as that “jump pack” I don’t know anything about it.   

Most 50 watt radios state a 10-15 amp draw on high power per manufacturer specifications. Even if the radio only draws 9 or 10 amps on high power, why take the chance with running it on a 10 amp circuit. 

One of two things can go wrong in that scenario. Either the fuses will blow all of the time or they might now blow in time to save the wires from melting. Why take the chance. Plus cigarette lighter/accessory ports are not the most reliable power source compared to using a more secure wire connection.

I won't even run a 20 watt radio on a cigarette lighter/accessory port. I've had the radios temporarily loose power when I hit a bump while driving. Yes we have a lot of poorly paved roads and lots of gravel roads in my area.

[bkmorse]

I wonder if I could get away with this: https://midlandusa.com/products/mxt115-micromobile-2-way-radio and this https://www.amazon.com/CERRXIAN-Cigarette-Lighter-Socket-Adapter/dp/B0BGL8ZRCS

[SteveShannon]

22 minutes ago, bkmorse said:

I wonder if I could get away with this: https://midlandusa.com/products/mxt115-micromobile-2-way-radio and this https://www.amazon.com/CERRXIAN-Cigarette-Lighter-Socket-Adapter/dp/B0BGL8ZRCS

Personally I bought a Radioddity DB20G. It came with a cigarette lighter plug. I inserted Anderson PowerPoles into the power cord because I wanted them but in my pickup I simply use the cigarette lighter socket and plug. It’s a 20 watt radio but it does everything I need.  It would make an ideal camp radio. 

[UncleYoda]

Some cigarette light adapters work OK with some radios; some cause problems, typically noise like whining.  I haven't heard of any radios being damaged.  For me they mostly work at low power.  One issue I know of is power may drop relatively quickly when the car isn't running, so for a base station multiple batteries are a good idea.

 

p.s.  any kin to Samuel F.?  my GG-grandfather apprenticed under him

[OffRoaderX]

7 hours ago, UncleYoda said:

Some cigarette light adapters work OK with some radios; some cause problems, typically noise like whining.  I haven't heard of any radios being damaged. 

A friend of mine tried using his KG-1000G plugged into the lighter-hole in his car and the plug melted and caught on fire.. Not sure why a fuse didnt blow first... Melted plastic napalm got on his had and gave him a severe burn when he yanked-it out in a panic, but the radio was fine...   

[WRYZ926]

1 minute ago, OffRoaderX said:

A friend of mine tried using his KG-1000G plugged into the lighter-hole in his care and the plug melted and caught on fire.. Not sure why a fuse didnt blow first... Melted plastic napalm got on his had and gave him a severe burn when he yanked-it out in a panic, but the radio was fine...   

And that right there is the reason I will never suggest using a cigarette lighter/accessory port to power a 50 watt radio. 

[WSHH887]

I have Dewalt jump packs in each of my vehicles. These are models with lights, air pump, etc. I already have an adapter made up to power my electric jack. Using the adapter it works well to power my radio. 
 

Now this isn't really the most convenient power source due to the weight. But jump packs do supply in an emergency. 

[GreggInFL]

50 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Personally I bought a Radioddity DB20G. It came with a cigarette lighter plug. I inserted Anderson PowerPoles into the power cord because I wanted them but in my pickup I simply use the cigarette lighter socket and plug. It’s a 20 watt radio but it does everything I need. 

I have the DB25-G (25 watts). When I plug the cigarette lighter into this the control tells me it is drawing ~35 watts. This cable can connect to a solar panel, so I have a full off-grid set up without fear of burning down the house. Dialing back from 50 watts makes things much simpler.

[WRUE951]

My Army Can repeater utilizes a 50A Anderson connector that i can plug into my RV DC source or even to an AUX Plug on my truck tied directly to the battery..  Of course fused at 25 Amps.  The cig adapters of today are not designed for large amp draws like the old original style were  

[GreggInFL]

19 hours ago, WRUE951 said:

Now remember a decent Lithium battery with relative long aH are very very pricey... Ask me how i know.  I have about 1200 aH of Lithium in my RV and that was almost a 10Karot bill.   I do power a DC repeater which is like running a LED on that system 

Sweet.