N2NXZ 10 Meter Propagation Beacon

The temperatures dropped into the 40`s today and lots of wind and rain all day.This photo is from a video clip.It was spinning like crazy.Freewebs wont let me upload the video.It says TOO LARGE.(1.64 mb) ??

I had to use YOU TUBE for this video.

If the battery dies like the last time,this wind turbine is not working as I thought it would.

Voltage reading on the battery in this video was 12 volts after 10 days running my beacon transmitter.And still is transmitting as I type.

Well,the radio beacon is off to see if this wind will charge the battery without a load.I counted 13 days of good volts,it was losing power and the radio was struggling.Turning it off early is good,less to put back in.Lots of winds are expected all weekend.I will try not to be repetitive in the data I get but anyone following this project will see it may be.Sorry. This video shows the wind blowing nicely.

Believe me when I say this,it is spinning over 300 RPM in this video and most of the day.If anyone followed my earlier measurements 16 volts in a light wind I am sure there are plenty volts being produced here,which in turn are AMPS to recharge the battery.But it is not doing that.No sign of current drains through any faulty connections.The mill is connected from the gen to a one way diode (blocking diode) then directly to the battery terminals.If the battery charge becomes too high,the dump load will automatically divert excess energy.The dump load controller is set on mine at full charge volts.If it was to exceed that voltage,it will energize a load to prevent the battery from over charging.With the beacon transmitter using small amounts of volts/current,it should be fine.I am impressed however that the battery holds a good charge with the radio for as long as it does(+/- 13 days). I have someone to check the mill almost every day to send me info on wind and battery voltage.I will not ask anyone besides myself to test voltages in high winds due to safety.The wind forecast I use is very accurate.I get daily videos and human visuals describing voltages and how long the wind keeps it going.Always checking battery volts during and after windy days.Next time I will test voltages during a wind without the transmitter on.That will certainly give an erratic reading when it is on.The blocking diode has been checked and known to function properly.The mill is spinning in the wind at very good rpm`s over 300.How do I know?I go by the chart and compare with the 16 volt reading from day 1.And the winds are double plus now.The battery is good.So,what more could possibly be wrong?The gen is bad?Took awhile to boil it down to that,but my research around the internet turns out repetitive solutions.I thank anyone who followed this project and took the time to help out with all the info.Unfortunately,I can not be there when the wind is blowing like that,seems every time I am there,the wind is low or not at all,otherwise measurements can be made more often.Measurement or not,the mill should work as advertised?I did test that gen here on an electric drill and it did reach 150 volts at just over 2000 rpm briefly.Not having the ammeter was my mistake.If anything miraculous happens,I will certainly post the info.As of now,I will have to trust my internet teachings.

I should have added this in the beginning. I see my 2000 rpm drill may have read higher because i used a vacuum cleaner belt on the drill chuck directly to the gen shaft.Gear ratio I guess.

This is what I found on otherpower.com forums and the Vela creations websites.It has been a long day trying to find all this information,but with help from these websites and the patience of most of the folks,I will rewire the blocking diode according to VELA CREATIONS method.This will be the next change on this turbine.Stay tuned.I hope this helps the next person when they try one of these projects.But in all reality?This is very fun to me.Once everything is working as it should and dependable.I think I will take the advice from a fellow ham radio operator,KC0TKS and get that APRS project going.Here is the link to his website>

http://www.kc0tks.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Then monitor the mill and radio information online from home.Now that sounds pretty cool? :)))My poor mom would probably like that idea.I give her lots of credit going up there and testing things for me.I know I should have tested this thing here at home,but living in the city where homes are practically on top of each other,I did not want to risk breaking something or hurting someone.

These black bears are becoming more common at the campsite and surrounding areas.Once again,mom with her handy cam caught this one eating her bird seed.Hide the food when we camp out there now.

Here it is again,only with snow.Battery sitting there for quite some time without the radio running and still at the same voltage as it has been for weeks.

(11.xx Volts)Obviously not charging by any means.

No photos or video.Having a camera with me was the last thing on my mind.Try to imagine lots of snow and 2 cold people walking in the middle of nowhere during hunting season.I had a tough time rewiring the blocking diode.One of the legs broke off,fortunately there was enough left to attach the wire connector.When it was finished,the wind was turning it,but I gave it a spin by hand for a 3.5 volt reading.The battery was connected and everything was still fine.No motoring.We were satisfied happy frozen campers.The weather was terrible for hiking.Carrying that battery was a workout :)The beacon is running again and the wind turbine is ready for the 3rd round of charging the battery.There were 3 ways to attach the blocking diode according to online sources.The facts are the first 2 methods absolutely did not put any charge into the battery.Details of this is a link at the bottom of this page.This turbine was built using the CHISPITO design.Why I did not use that diode diagram is a long story.This morning while listening on my radio,N2NXZ/B was heard.That alone fascinates me.65 miles for a 3 watt radio is pretty cool stuff.Lets see if we can make it more than 2 weeks this time.BRING ON THE WIND!!