so ive been putting together a go-kit for some emcomm stuff and also just general field day type operating and im running into the usual headaches with power. right now im thinking about bringing a little honda eu2200i and also a 100ah lifepo4 but honestly im not sure if i even need both or if thats overkill for what im doing.

the setup is gonna be an IC-7300 running maybe 50-100w, a laptop, and probably a small LED panel for lighting. might throw in a second HF rig if space allows but lets not get ahead of ourselves. antenna wise im planning a linked dipole on a 31ft fiberglass mast, nothing fancy but it works.

my main concern is runtime. if im doing a 12 hour activation i dont want to be babysitting fuel or worrying about the battery crapping out. but the generator is loud and heavy and i kinda hate dragging it to sites where other people are around. anyone run a similar setup without the genny and just battery? how long are you realistically getting at like 50w average power assuming you're not transmitting 100% of the time?

also curious what people are using for antenna mounts in open fields where you cant tie off to anything. i've been just staking the mast base with tent stakes but it gets sketchy in any kind of wind.

yeah the 7300 at 50w in a typical traffic net or emcomm scenario where you're maybe 20-30% duty cycle... you're pulling maybe 8-10A average out of the battery. 100ah lifepo4 gives you like 80-85ah usable if you're being conservative so rough math puts you around 8 hours before you're getting nervous. add in the laptop and lighting and you're probably looking at 6-7 realistic hours before i'd want to plug in.

i'd skip the generator for that setup honestly unless you know it's gonna be a multi-day thing or you're running higher power. the eu2200i is the quietest one out there but it's still a generator, people will notice. i run a 120ah battle born and a 100w panel and that covers most of my day activations without touching the genny at all.

for the mast, i welded up a small base plate with stakes that go into the ground at angles, kind of like a camera tripod but flat. works way better than vertical stakes. also guy wires at like 2/3 height if there's any wind in the forecast, i've had a 31 footer come down and it's not fun.

linked dipole on a fiberglass mast is solid, what bands are you cutting it for? i run a similar thing but i've been experimenting with a EFHW lately and honestly the feedline situation is a lot simpler in field conditions. less stuff to fiddle with when you're setting up in the dark or whatever.

cant really help much on the generator debate since i mostly do QRP stuff and a 20ah battery lasts me all day but sounds like you got good advice above. one thing i will say is bring more fuel than you think you need if you do bring the honda, altitude and load can really mess with runtime estimates.