Solar battery chargers??

Oneil · Sep 2, 2009

Any one out there have any experience with solar battery chargers? I'm thinking of putting one on my hunting trailer. Are they efficient, will they keep the battery charged while in normal daily use out hunting, where in the Portland area do they sell them, or do you have to order them over the net? Any input would really be helpful....Oneil

The Quiet Man · Sep 2, 2009

Oneil said:
Any one out there have any experience with solar battery chargers? I'm thinking of putting one on my hunting trailer. Are they efficient, will they keep the battery charged while in normal daily use out hunting, where in the Portland area do they sell them, or do you have to order them over the net? Any input would really be helpful....Oneil

I have a Sunlinq 12 watt from Global Solar that works well for my applications. I use it to keep a 12 volt golf cart size battery charged for radio communications devices - ham radios, scanners, and cell phones. It works well but is not cheap. I view it as a good emergency power source. I have measured the power output in full sunlight vs cloudy conditions and it certainly works best in the sunshine. However, it does work reasonably well on cloudy days - enough to keep a battery charged with normal usage. I purchased mine off the internet a couple of years ago but don't remember from who. They have a variety of panels to fit most applications. There are many sites that sell them on-line and a number of sites have extensive reviews of them. Not sure if any local stores carry them. Hope that helps point you in the right direction.