Hi All,
Here in Tucson, I have often "played" Field Day many times with several
other local hams. We have done this at various times during the year
besides just the official Field Day time. Each of us has a small travel
trailer (20 to 22 ft. types), so a generator of some sort is pretty
important as we typically just "boondock" somewhere. A couple of these hams
have Honda 1000 watt models, and a couple others have the 2000 watt model.
Now, both of those types work well, are relatively quiet as to ambient
noise, and only generate moderate hash. A filter, such as the type
suggested by Jim Brown, K9YC, will typically solve that problem.
When I was making my decision about buying a generator, I initially leaned
toward the Honda 2000 watt model. There was one "gotcha", however, about
the Honda. It seemed to be just barely adequate, if not actually
inadequate, to run my trailer's A/C unit. Apparently the Honda 2000 will do
"O.K." on a 13,500 btu unit, but struggles mightily with one that is 15,000
btu's. One member of our group had a Yamaha generator that is rated at 2.4
KW, slightly higher than the Honda 2000. That Yamaha will handle a 15,000
btu A/C unit. It is, however, a bit worse as to hash, but one of Jim
Brown's filters will resolve that as well.
On my little trailer, I had purchased and paid for a 13,500 btu unit.
However, when I went to pick it up after the install, I was informed that
they had instead put in a 15,000 btu unit since they didn't have the smaller
sized unit in stock. No extra charge! Well, good for me, I guess, but when
I went to evaluating generators, it complicated the decision. If I wanted a
Honda, I either had to go for the 3000 watt model, or go with the Yamaha 2.4
KW unit. Ultimately I went with the Yamaha. It was sufficiently more
powerful and somewhat cheaper than the Honda 2 KW unit, has good regulation,
is nearly as quiet as to ambient noise, and I could still lift it without
too much effort. It's gets good ratings from users. I think most Honda
aficionados might be equally happy with the Yamaha, and maybe more so if
they push the limit of the Honda. Of course, I can't run the A/C and a ham
rig of any size simultaneously, but I do have considerably more flexibility.
A 3000 watt Honda might do both, but the cost is substantially higher.
I'm simply suggesting that you consider all possible needs when buying a
generator. If all you want is just something for ham rigs, a smaller unit
might suffice. However, even just running an electric coffee often requires
more than what a 1000 watt Honda will provide! A travel trailer with A/C
may seem excessive, but there are many potential uses that you might not be
considering. For example, if you happen to have a power outage, you might
want a generator big enough to keep your refrigerator, and maybe a couple of
other critical items, running. My Yamaha will do that (and has!), but a 1
KW Honda might not! The moral of the story is to not scrimp on the unit
size if at all possible. A 1 KW unit is really pretty marginal in my view.
Dave W7AQK
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