I did some checking online, around the Ottawa area, and the only place that sells the Waka Waka power product is Henry's which is a camera store (so you don't have to order it by mail)..it is around $100 but the reviews are much better than similar solar charger products.
Hold off on that...I have some math to do.
Ok. I was going to put it on my xmas list...
HopeImReady
"The thing about smart mother f*ckers, is that they sometimes sound like crazy mother f*ckers to dumb mother f*ckers." -Abraham .”
OK....so, at the meet, I mentioned and showed my Waka Waka Power (I will always love that name).
I have used this to charge Iphones and I pods with no problem, and at the time of the meet had done only some very brief testing with regards to charging AAA HIMH batteries with a Chinese made USB charger.
Well...it does work...sort of.
The problem arises when charging dead batteries...it simply doesn't have the capacity (only a 2200mah battery).
NOW...FOR SOME MATH!!!
The batteries I got from China are rated at 1800mah.
6 are needed to power my Baofeng UV5R.
1800 X 6 = 10,800 mah.
So, one would think you need a battery pack of that capacity to recharge 6 cells....nope!
With some research, I found out that charging NIMH batteries is an EXTREMELY wasteful process.
It actually takes 1.5 times the battery capacity to charge. Meaning that 2 AAA NIMH batteries rated at 1800 mah each, would require...
1800 X 2 = 3600 mah.
3600 x 1.5(to compensate for the charge waste) = 5400mah.
Now, to fully power a Baofeng radio...
5400 x 3 (to charge 6 batteries) = 16,200 mah.
But unfortunately, it doesn't end there!
There are some losses when charging batteries from batteries...say about 5%, but let's say 10% to add some safety when figuring temperature and some other factors that are just too complicated to calculate...
16,200 X 1.1 = 17,820 mah.
This is a VERY far cry from the 2200 mah capacity of the Waka Waka Power!!!
This would be more like it...
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Dual-USB-20000MAh-External-Battery-Charger-Solar-Power-Bank-Pack-Charger-/121334922744?pt=US_Cell_Phone_PDA_Batteries&var=&hash=item1c401ffdf8
Hey Denob! I got my Baofeng yesterday and my husband has stolen it from me!! 😆 It is his toy now I guess! Thank you for all of your help with getting it! My husband is probably going to try getting a Ham Radio license now! 🙂
Ya know.. 'cause girls need paracord too!
Christmas came early this year.
Christmas came early this year.
😆 Yep!
Ya know.. 'cause girls need paracord too!
You must of been a good girl. Santa is making me wait.
This is a VERY far cry from the 2200 mah capacity of the Waka Waka Power!!!
This would be more like it...
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Dual-USB-20000MAh-External-Battery-Charger-Solar-Power-Bank-Pack-Charger-/121334922744?pt=US_Cell_Phone_PDA_Batteries&var=&hash=item1c401ffdf8
Thanks for looking into this, Denob. This is a lot better price, even without the cool name 🙂
Question about ordering/shipping..
-I have read conflicting info about whether you can turn on the Baofeng legally without (yet) having a Ham license - you mentioned you can listen in but not transmit, but the FAQ for RAC says you can buy one but not "operate" it: https://www.rac.ca/en/amateur-radio/regulatory/operating-in-canada/buying.php..do you know what the deal is with this?
-if you order the Baofeng online via ebay from China, the specs say it comes with a Li-Ion battery pack. If Canada Post does not allow import of these, does this mean they won't allow import of the radio either?
Plain Jane, where did your husband buy yours? I am jealous 🙂
HopeImReady
"The thing about smart mother f*ckers, is that they sometimes sound like crazy mother f*ckers to dumb mother f*ckers." -Abraham .”
I bought it the same place Denob suggested on ebay. It came fast and with the Li Ion battery 😀 We've been trying to figure out how to program channels and are following Denob's link to getting started with it!! It's so cool AND it came with a free ear piece! Stealthy!! LOL 😀
Ya know.. 'cause girls need paracord too!
I bought the solar charger (the Chinese one, not the Waka Waka one), and I have been using it for a while. I found it works well and charges up quickly. I put it on an inside window sill in the sun, and it is charged a few hours later. It charges my cell phone quickly. The only caveat is that it self-discharges quickly, so if you charge it fully then wait a week to charge your phone/radio/whatever, there isn't much charge remaining. So I would suggest to charge during the day, then use it to charge up your device that evening.
HopeImReady
"The thing about smart mother f*ckers, is that they sometimes sound like crazy mother f*ckers to dumb mother f*ckers." -Abraham .”
There was limited time to chat about it at the Larose meetup, but programming with CHIRP works well for me. You order the cable from one of the Chinese online sites, and then download the program off the net.
It is easy to program a Baofeng with CHIRP.
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fail, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
-Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797