please feel free to PM me with worth while links appropriate to add to this list (GPS, radio, software etc....) Or post them to this thread, and I will add them as we go.
www.eham.com (great reviews and articles) www.arrl.org (the very big, very old, definitive amateur radio site) www.qrz.com (practice exams, tons of good radio stuff) www.natworld.com/ars/ (Adventure Radio Society....ultralite radio geek backpackers) www.swdcarc.org (my club's website...good info)
My gizmos eat lots of batteries so I'm in the market for a new charger that does a better job of charging and conditioning my NIMH batteries for better performance. During the search I found a great discussion on Candle Power Forums titled "Best Universal Charger" It doesn't really identify a single brand or model as "the best" but there are lots of insights into the most popular ones:
PennyS I'm a retired Antenna and RF engineer and I have just opened an antenna/RF blogsite. I thought the radio geeks here might enjoy visiting and posting comments. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Note - all posts will be emailed to me and approved prior to publishing... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
Its VERY new and just starting to grow. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
Edited by Jimshaw (02/08/0809:42 PM)
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.
I'd like to get a GPS unit soon then I could review it on my site in my signature. If a company was feeling generous, could give one away to a reader. hum, maybe I'll get to it...?
That's a pretty idea I Agreed! Nice find .. Good stuff! it's really a good and flexible job.... Very well said, thanks for sharing. Why not download VLC player instead? It's probably the best free multimedia player for Windows. It supports most of the audio/video file formats out there and has all the codecs installed already. I used it for about 6 months and it has never crashed or had any bugs since that date.
This volunteer-run gear review site does more than just gadgets, but it certainly includes them with sub-categories for cameras, communication gear, electronic devices, navigation & map gear, among others.
Ultimately for me what's most interesting in keeping up with "gadgets" for the backcountry is just keeping up with geekdom in general via sites such as engadget.com or gizmodo.com. It's just hard to know when a "mainstream" gadget might seem useful to at least some folks in a backcountry setting. Smartphones and power supply options come most immediately to mind, but on occasion others too, such as eBook readers, and things like Eye-Fi which don't fit neatly into any one category slot. For most of these what I think is wanted is a more general (and good) review, where the reader just keeps the backcountry use in mind.
This volunteer-run gear review site does more than just gadgets, but it certainly includes them with sub-categories for cameras, communication gear, electronic devices, navigation & map gear, among others.
Ultimately for me what's most interesting in keeping up with "gadgets" for the backcountry is just keeping up with geekdom in general via sites such as engadget.com or gizmodo.com. It's just hard to know when a "mainstream" gadget might seem useful to at least some folks in a backcountry setting. Smartphones and power supply options come most immediately to mind, but on occasion others too, such as eBook readers, and things like Eye-Fi which don't fit neatly into any one category slot. For most of these what I think is wanted is a more general (and good) review, where the reader just keeps the backcountry use in mind.
Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
I got a couple of these Solar Lanterns for Christmas this year.
All things considered, they're pretty light, and bright, and they seem to charge fast and last a long time. They're a borderline item for a solo trip, but they'd be great to have on a trip with a few people and they're perfect for car camping and playing around outside at night. Overall, I'm pretty impressed with them.
Registered: 02/27/15
Posts: 14
Loc: CT River Valley
[quote=mootwalker]My gizmos eat lots of batteries so I'm in the market for a new charger that does a better job of charging and conditioning my NIMH batteries for better performance. During the search I found a great discussion on Candle Power Forums titled "Best Universal Charger" It doesn't really identify a single brand or model as "the best" but there are lots of insights into the most popular ones: (end quote)
I am doing more off season camping, with two teenage boys in tow...E-gadgets allowed only in camp and then only at bedtime. (mostly) We use an Xtar and a Nitecore universal charger run off either a Liion battery pack and/or a smallish folding solar charger...with patience it can take us through 3-7 days out as far as power needs.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Moderator note: Please note that nearly all the posts on this thread are quite old, and that the original post was last updated 10 years ago. I'm sure that some of the links there are still good, but technology has changed quite a bit!
That being said, I notice we haven't had anything posted about charging batteries in the backcountry for the past couple of years. I try to avoid items with batteries as much as I can, but I know I'm way out of the mainstream these days! Anyone want to start a new thread? Opportunity knocks!
EDIT,LATER: New thread, "Battery Charging for Backpackers" has been started below.
Edited by OregonMouse (03/07/1507:15 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
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