Harbor Freight 800 watt generator

I recently purchased a Harbor Freight 800 watt generator. I did have a coupon and only spent $89.99 for the unit. I was very skeptical about what I was reading on the reviews about this little generator. I would not have taken a chance at regular price but what the heck it was less than $100.00. When I opened the box, I did not know what to expect, and I was surprised! It had very minimal assembly required and looked like a very nice little generator. Looks are not everything, I wanted to see if it worked as good as it looked. I had figured it would smoke and be very loud. It was not! It smoked a little on the first start up, but was gone very quickly. It was not very loud at all! If you use a long extension cord the generator should be no problem sound wise. I have not run it long enough yet to know if the 110v is clean and stable, but I am planning on using it to charge batteries and not run anything other than a battery charger with it.

www.harborfreight.com/800-rated-watts-portable-generator

DC or AC to run the Ham Station?

I have built a new Ham Station and have a 12v DC battery backup system. I have posted details of this system in the past. The big question now is do I run it on 12v and let the charger keep the batteries charged or run it from 110vac using transformers to get 12v? I have seen pros and cons both ways. The batteries are on the other side of the wall next to the operating position so the leads would be short. I have also been looking at some DC lighting. I am looking for ideas.

Emergency Backup Power for the Shack

I am currently working on a backup battery system for the shack. I have been looking at many different ways to do this. I am planning on running most of the equipment on 12v dc. I am looking to start with some batteries and an inverter/charger. I would like to get solar working in the future. One thing I have found in researching this, is that there is a lot of information out there, but it can be confusing. If I can get this all working, it would give me a complete station that could be run without power coming into the shack. I am also looking at some generator options also. Stay tuned for more. 73