Codan Radio Transportable Radio Systems User Guide - Manual (Page 25)

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Using the solar and battery calculation worksheet below it is possible to determine the battery backup and solar
panel size required for your Transportable Radio. Values highlighted in yellow are selected based on your application.
Grayed values are derived from manufacturer product data.
Assuming a 5 day deployment of a Transportable Radio for a search and rescue application, it is assumed that the
radio will be operational 18 hours a day and used 10% of the time. Based on the manufacturer’s specifi cations the
receiver draws 0.2 A in standby mode and 1.8 A when it is transmitting (8 W RF output). A solar panel will be used to
supplement the batteries and in the deployment area there are 10 hours a day of strong sunlight.
Thus the radio will consume 0.2 A x 24 hours + 1.8 A x 10% duty cycle x 18 hours operation = 4.8 A + 3.24 A = 8.04 A daily.
The Solar panels are rated for 60 W output or 5 A @ 12 Vdc. With 10 hours of sunshine daily they will generate 50 A of
total current which is more than enough to run the radio and recharge the batteries for nighttime operation.
To ensure continuous operation on batteries for the 5 days we will require a battery bank with a capacity of 8.04 A
x 5 days = 40 A Hours (Ah) without a solar panel to recharge the batteries. If we use a solar panel then the battery
requirement is 8 hours (18–10) when the solar panels are not generating power x radio current drain (0.2 + 1.8) = 16
Ah battery capacity.
4.8 Operation and Maintenance
Having worked your way through all of the factors required to select a transportable radio system to meet
your application there is one fi nal set of considerations that need to be addressed: how will the system be used
and maintained?
• Setup Skill Level required — During a deployment who is setting up the system – will it be the actual user (police
offi cer or fi reman) or the radio technician? Obviously for non radio technicians the system will need to be as
simple as possible to connect and operate.
• Setup Time and People required — During the setup how many people will be required to carry the equipment to
site and set everything up? Is this a one many deployment or will it require vehicles and ten people?
• Training — What level of training is expected and provided to the actual users of the system and the people setting
it up? Is the system simple enough that anyone can grab it off the shelf and then simply turn on a power switch or
do they need a multi day course to confi gure and operate the system?
• Confi guration — Does the system require confi guration before each and every deployment or is it ready to operate
in most expected scenarios? If confi guration is required, who will do it, where and how long will it take?
• Repair — When something breaks (Murphy guarantees it will) how easy is it to fi x and are the required spares
readily available?
A Expected Deployment Duration 5 Days
B Daily Operation Duration 18 Hours
C Duty Cycle 10%
D Receiver Standby Current .2 Amps
E Daily Standby Current Drain (B x 24) 4.8 Amps
F Active Transmitter Current 1.8 Amps
G Daily Total Transmitter Current Drain (B x C x G) 3.24 Amps
H Total Radio Daily Amp Hour requirement (E + G) 8.04 Amps
J Solar Panel Peak Rating 60 Watts
K Solar Panel Current Rating (J/12) 5 Amps
L Hours of shinshine daily 10 Hours
M Solar Panel Daily Current Generation (K x L) 50 Ah
N Number of Solar Panels Required (H/M) 1
P Battery Capacity Required (H x A) - No Solar Power 40 Ah
Q Battery Capacity Required ((B - L) x ((D + F)) - With Solar Power 16 Ah
Value Unit
Solar and Battery Calculation Worksheet