The K-Tor Power Box reminds me of the G-76 handcrank generators we had when I was in the Army. The story goes that when the XO on an SFOD-A was a Lieutenant, it was his job to crank the generator to power the team’s radios. Once the XO position was converted to a 180A Warrant Officer spot, the tradition mysteriously ended.
Size Folded: 12 in by 5.5 in by 3.5 in, weight 4 lbs 11 oz, power output 120 volts DC 20 watts. It has a standard three-print plug making it compatible with most portable electronics chargers like cell phones, tablets, digital cameras, etc.
They also offer a 10W 120V DC @2Hz generator which is smaller in size.
Tags: K-Tor
Awesome illustration.
What’s the story with the PPSH-41 in the artwork? US mountain troops in the Korean War perhaps?
SF in the 50s and 60s.
Those Mountain Boots – be still my beating heart…
Solar panels/battery packs like Goal Zero, heck even the cheap Anker solar panels, produce over 20 Watts for 1 lbs. They have enough output nowadays to charge anything even in a cloudy day and are often waterproof. Between a lithium power pack and panels, you’re set.
Who are their target customers, cave explorers?
The choice of illustration is a clue. Northern latitudes sunlight is less able to recharge solar panels even when it’s present. When it isn’t, the night lasts nearly all day.
We built a cable for those once for the Army to test…
Solar panel / blanket, snowmobile or other vehicle battery, or a wind turbine all work better. And wind works at night too.
There is also signature to consider, a solar panel might as well be a huge signal mirror. There are threats ,like drones ,where the noise of a handcrank is much less observable than a solar panel.
Because solar panels can’t be made to look like roofing tiles now….
That brings back bad memories in Robin Sage.
I’d have to agree that signature is a non-issue. My solar charger has a semi-matte finish and doesn’t reflect like a big glass panel.
Didn’t think about a portable wind turbine. Polar regions are never short of wind…a quick google search turns up this lightweight design.
https://newatlas.com/nils-ferber-micro-wind-turbine/44879/
Thanks for posting the link to the portable wind turbine!
There is always something to be learned on SSD.
I had the wonderful experience of riding out Hurricane Irma in a parking garage in Tampa. I was listening to AM radio on a battery operated radio and there were so many desperate people calling up the radio station trying to get help because the fire department was not responding and the power was out.
I think this device is a great addition to a vehicle bugout kit for hurricane evacuations precisely for the fact that bad weather can strike at night and this could easily be used while sitting in a vehicle to generate power. Also, I did not idle my truck for long periods because there was a gas shortage before the storm hit and I was trying to conserve fuel.
I have lovely memories of the G-76, cranking it, humping it and jumping it. We used to have one person sit on the seat and put a team member on each handle. You rotated every 15 minutes. Some teams used an A7A strap to attach it to a tree, you laid on the ground and pedaled it like a bike. As for signature, security had to be way out, because it was noisy to crank.
Det 1/Co G/143INF (RGR LRRP)
Oh, the old LRS days!