Revolution? - NOT amateur radio

Certainly here in the UK, some people are worried sick over the horrendous rise in energy costs. Some are thinking is it food or heating? This is in a wealthy western country!  I cannot see how some people will be able to manage. Many more people will be dragged into poverty.

My personal view is some people will be unable to pay and we therefore risk revolution.  We are in for a difficult period.

Reducing our carbon footprint - NOT amateur radio

There is little doubt we all have to do better if we are to help reduce the increase in temperature of our planet. I am one of the culprits: I drive a car, fly abroad, heat my house with gas and eat too much red meat.

This is what I think will happen:

1. We will eat far less meat in future. By advertising and price we will be persuaded that non-meat alternatives are better for us. This has already started.
2. We will, at some point, drive electric vehicles. We are not quite there yet as prices are too high and ranges too low. With research into better batteries I suspect changes will come. Also, I suspect governments will be persuaded to subsidise renewables rather than fossil fuels.
3. There will be government subsidies to use less energy such as incentives to insulate homes and use less energy. Maybe the charge for using too much energy will be very high whereas it will be lower for the first so many kWhrs.
4. There will be subsidies to convert to greener energy to heat our homes.
5. We will travel less.
6. The price of renewables will drop.
7. Storage of renewable  energy will become economic, rendering fossil fuels obsolete.
8. Technologies for carbon capture will be created.

There will be plenty of other things we can do.

Overall, I am optimistic.  Change is coming and we will embrace it.

Storing intermittent grid energy - NOT amateur radio

This is the "holy grail" of renewable energy. These days solar and wind energy are cost effective, but they are not always there when you need them. Crack storage and renewables will be the way to go. There just may be an answer. At the moment this is an MIT project.

Steve G1KQH may have to close his eyes!

See https://www.elektormagazine.com/news/molten-silicon-stores-excess-grid-energy?utm_source=Elektor+International+%28English%29&utm_campaign=afd6eb7863-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_12_13_2018_11_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_23bd160f48-afd6eb7863-234067237&mc_cid=afd6eb7863&mc_eid=b5d6dac1e2

A novel QRP power source

FreeCharge 12V is a small, portable generator, similar to that used in portable hand-cranked torches. The output is regulated to give 12-14.2V DC although the product datasheet does not state the available current. I suspect it is in the low milliamps as its main use appears to be to power/charge mobile phones in an emergency.

This could make a novel power source for low power QRP transceivers as no batteries would be required, just a few seconds or minutes of cranking.  Figures given are 360 turns (approx. 3 min wind) gives 9-11 minutes of mobile phone talk time and a 60 second wind gives 2-4 minutes of talk time. Price is £19.99 and it is available from Freeplay or via Amazon UK.

The sales blurb says:

"The Freecharge 12V provides emergency power to a mobile phone, PDA, iPod, GPS receiver, or any other electronic device for which you have (or can get) a cigarette-lighter adapter. Wind its hand crank to generate electricity and put power straight into your device. Never be unable to use your mobile phone, or other important device, just because its battery has run down."

EPAD FETs and low voltage TX

This application note shows a 32uW oscillator using EPAD FETs that works with 0.5V supply and may be useful for "harvested energy" TX circuits. The ALD110800 FETs used has also been used to power an amplifier with just a 0.2V supply.

Free power QRPp transceiver or beacon?

The idea of powering a low power receiver, or even a transceiver or QRPp beacon, from free, otherwise wasted, RF energy that is all around us appeals to me. A few people have been toying with this idea and there are even some commercial ICs likely to appear which "harvest" energy from stray RF and even vibrations. The circuit shown here is from the excellent site by KE3IJ (R.Andersen) and shows how to use 50 or 60Hz mains "fog" and stray RF to power a simple receiver. See http://www.tricountyi.net/~randerse/nopower.htm .

See also Ben Tongue's crystal set pages for a circuit using a supercap to store harvested energy which is then used to power a micropower op-amp.

A "harvester" QRPp transceiver or beacon which derives its energy from stray RF, storing this is in a supercap and allowing brief periods of transmission at very low power is worth developing I think. I have not seen such "harvesting" circuits used to power a transceiver or beacon before but for a uW level beacon this should be feasible.