so we have a county exercise coming up and ive been tasked with putting together the primary field station this time instead of just showing up and plugging stuff in like i usually do. a little intimidating honestly because now i actually have to think about all the pieces together instead of just operating.

my plan is running an IC-7300 off a honda eu2200i through a battery buffer setup - basically the generator charges a 100ah lifepo4 and the radio runs off the battery so i dont get all that generator noise on receive. ive done this before at a smaller scale but never for a full 12 hour activation window. the eu2200i should be fine right? i know its rated 1800w continuous and the 7300 at 100w is pulling maybe 20-25 amps at 13.8v on transmit so that math works out fine, im just wondering if anyone has run into weirdness with inverter generators and battery chargers specifically. ive heard some chargers dont play nice with the modified sine or whatever the eu2200i puts out but i think that one is actually true sine? dont remember.

for the antenna i was going to put up my Wolf River Coils TIA on a painters pole, maybe 20-25 feet, and work 40 and 80 primarily since this is an in-state exercise and we want reliable regional coverage. was thinking i might also bring a wire dipole for 40 just in case the vertical underperforms in that location, theres a lot of trees so maybe i can get it up decent enough. anyone have a strong opinion on which one to prioritize setting up first when time is tight

eu2200i is pure sine, you're fine there. that was the whole reason honda positioned it as the go-to for sensitive electronics. ive run mine with a Victron ip22 charger for probably 3 years doing field stuff and never had an issue. the only thing id watch is if you're running the generator lightly loaded for a long time - some of the inverter gennys dont love sitting at like 5-10% load for hours, can cause them to run a little rich and carbon up. not a huge deal but worth knowing.

on the antenna question - set up the wire dipole first if the trees cooperate. the Wolf River is great for quick deployment and mobility but a real dipole on 40 is just going to outperform it period, especially if you need reliable copy with net control or hospitals or whatever the exercise scenario is. save the WRC for if something goes wrong with the dipole or you need to relocate quick. thats how i think about it anyway, primary and backup instead of trying to decide in the moment when youre stressed and setting up in the rain probably

12 hours is a long time to watch a generator, just make sure you budget fuel. the eu2200i has like a 0.95 gallon tank and at quarter load youre looking at maybe 8 hours give or take so bring an extra can. sounds obvious but ive seen people forget this at actual deployments not just exercises and it's embarassing when your station goes dark.

also one thing nobody talks about enough is cable management at field sites - your RF ground for the vertical, where the generator exhaust is pointing relative to any tent or vehicle people are working in, and making sure your coax run from the antenna isnt a trip hazard. boring stuff but it matters a lot when things get busy and people are moving around. good luck with it