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+--- Thread: Power outage in VK5 (/thread-42.html)
Power outage in VK5 - VK3ALB - 29-09-2016
A statewide power outage is a pretty unusual occurrence and given the circumstances I think most people would be thinking about things other than radio. I wonder if noise levels changed significantly when almost every electrical gadget in the state was offline. Did any VK5's have time to jump on the radio during the outage? Was there a noticeable difference in your local noise level?
Re: Power outage in VK5 - VK2KRR - 29-09-2016
Yes, VK5MTM did, I'll find the video
Added in 1 minute 41 seconds:
Here you go
youtube.com
Re: Power outage in VK5 - VK5ZLR - 29-09-2016
They are pretty hopeless in VK5, bunch of Wooses it all went dark so they burrowed down under the covers, most of repeaters died, HF was dead, but in all fairness the crashes and bangs made reception of pretty much anything on HF a non event.
Having no faith in the custodians of the Sates Electrons, here at the retirement home for impoverished amateurs we have a backup power supply, so no power doesn't mean no radio.
But what is a big worry is that the telcos seem to have about 4 hours battery capacity, honestly I reckon it should be in excess of a week, and maybe with panels to keep it going indefinitly. People could not ring 000, or any other number.
ABC radio national 1305 died, ABC 1062 died, only ABC 891 kept on air, as 891 is in Adelaide, and the static levels were so high, even with the "big" antenna it was quite challenging to get any infomation at all. Of course the Telly died too. Most non-amateurs outside of Adelaide would have had almost no idea as to what was going on.
I rekon the telcos need a rocket, and a quiet word in Aunties ear would not go astray either.
Re: Power outage in VK5 - VK2AOH - 10-10-2016
Seems an investment in a large battery and a solar panel to keep it alive would not go astray.
A generator would be a handy thing as well.
With mains power so reliant on large transmission lines running over long distances such an event could occur to pretty well anyone during an unexpected weather event.
Considering the mobile phone network expired after just 4 hours is a worry as well. Many people nowadays rely on their mobiles for phone contact.
Re: Power outage in VK5 - VK5PJ - 10-10-2016
VK2AOH Wrote:Considering the mobile phone network expired after just 4 hours is a worry as well. Many people nowadays rely on their mobiles for phone contact.
mobile tower outages are common in my area, last few fire events where they have killed the power to the lines we soon realised that we NEED to keep the copper landline as all mobiles go SPLAT at around the 4 hour mark, plus smoke haze plays havic with signal strengths on the phone network.
Regards,
Peter.
Re: Power outage in VK5 - VK2AOH - 10-10-2016
Quite so, apart from the 4 hour backup batteries dying, inversion layers, smoke haze can wipe out mobiles in fringe country areas. I often am out in regional areas and phone reception in some places can drop in or out within the hour.
Then having 2M repeaters folding over would not help at all.
Re: Power outage in VK5 - VK2ZIW - 01-03-2017
Having lived in SA, there were in 1977 only three power stations
Port Augusta - coal from Leigh Ck.
Torrens's Island - gas & steam turbines
Gepps Cross - gas turbines
So, as a humble NSW guy, how can SA shut down more than ONE COAL FIRED POWER Station.
SA only had ONE.
And, why would one build (or maintain) a coal fired p/s if it stood idle most of the time?
==== Enough of that ====
What we ALL need is energy storage systems to make solar and wind (and any other non-renewables)
reliable. NSW has, in the Snowy Scheme, water storage and pumps to pump water uphill. But this
only does about 100MW of pumping.
Here we have a World Problem: Storage.
Batteries
======= Nickel Iron, a long forgotten technology, because of it's self discharge problems, 3% per day.
Park the car for a month, won't start!!
But as solar power storage, not a problem, say four days without sun, all good.
These batteries are not killed by complete discharge and being left flat, another winner.
Now being made in China (of course).
Keep Smiling and keep thinking.
Alan VK2ZIW