Communications energy planning tool
Calculator controls and results
Estimate radio-station battery endurance, then see whether solar recovery can extend or sustain operation.
Understanding communications-station endurance
Battery runtime depends on the station’s operating pattern, not just its transmit current. The calculator weights transmit and receive/idle current by duty cycle, converts available battery capacity to energy, and optionally compares daily station use with estimated solar recovery.
Battery capacity and reserve are planning assumptions
Amp-hours describe charge capacity; watt-hours also account for battery voltage. Chemistry, temperature, battery age, discharge rate, and reserve policy affect usable energy, so the displayed endurance is an estimate rather than a guaranteed cutoff time.
Solar balance is a daily energy budget
Panel nameplate power is not continuous production. Peak sun hours and a system-efficiency factor estimate daily harvest. Even an energy-balanced station still needs storage for nighttime, clouds, poor weather, and battery charge limits.
Related planning tools
Check voltage delivered from battery to radio, convert RF power units, or estimate RF feedline loss.