so ive been putting together a go-kit for emcomm and just general portable stuff and i keep going back and forth on the power situation. right now im running a 100ah lifepo4 with a 30a victron mppt and a couple 100w panels but the problem is when i need to run my IC-7300 plus the laptop plus maybe a signalink for digital modes for extended periods like 8-10 hours straight the math just doesnt work out great especially if its overcast

the obvious answer is a generator but man i really dont want to deal with fuel and noise especially at something like a served agency event where were literally inside a community center. a friend suggested i look at the honda eu2200i for the quiet factor but even that feels overkill and expensive just to charge batteries. the other option ive been mulling over is just adding another battery and calling it a day

also on the antenna side im currently using a buddistick for HF which works okay but ive had mixed results on 40m specifically. thinking about building a simple linked dipole for the NVIS work we do at our county ARES group but havent pulled the trigger. anyone running something similar and does it actually make a difference vs the buddistick for close-in comms

the linked dipole is going to smoke the buddistick for NVIS, not even close honestly. the buddistick isnt bad for what it is but its compromised in ways that really show up at low angles and for close-in stuff on 40m you want something closer to a real horizontal antenna anyway. i built one out of 14 gauge stranded with anderson powerpoles at the links and it rolls up into a bag the size of a football pretty much. throw it up at like 25-30 feet on a telescoping fiberglass mast and your signal reports will be noticeably better

on the power question i went through this exact same thing about two years ago. ended up going with a second 100ah battery and a small inverter charger so i can top off from a genny if i have access to one but dont need it most of the time. the honda eu2200i is actually really good and quieter than you'd expect but youre right that its kind of overkill just to run a charging loop. if you can borrow one for a drill first before buying that would be smart

generators are a headache in my experience, specially the fuel logistics when youre already hauling antennas and radios and cables. what i did for my kit was just go with two battleborn 100ah in parallel and a decent panel setup and honestly for most activations its been fine. the 7300 doesnt draw as crazy as people think if youre not running full power constantly, i usually run 50-60 watts for most contacts and my current draw is pretty manageable

one thing tho - are you using an antenna tuner? because on 40m with a buddistick if your tuner is working hard that eats power you might not be accounting for. also the signalink plus laptop is probably more of your power budget than you realize, worth measuring that with a watt meter before you assume its the radio eating everything