West Mountain Radio Epic PWRgate Horizontal 12V Backup Power System

I originally purchased the Epic PWR gate to use on my former vehicle as a means of charging an external battery and running my dual band mobile radio.  The addition of the solar panel input port allowed for connecting a foldable array when we were stationary to keep the auxiliary battery topped off.  The intent in this case was to run my mobile rig as an APRS repeater to extend the range of my hand-held radio while hiking and get my signal out of the valleys.  

The programmable voltage cut-off and charging logic are great features that make it possible to set-up the power gate for either Li or Pb batteries and negate the need for an additional charger.

You can assemble the sub-components needed to execute the same functions (battery cut-off, vehicle power relay, external charge controller and transfer switch), but, having these elements built into one integrated unit makes wiring and setup far easier and the install cleaner.  While not inexpensive, the execution is well done and the total cost of the separate components needed to perform the same functions as the power gate would equal or exceed its cost.  I believe the value for the money is reasonable and I have had good experience with West Mountain Radio products in the past.

The only negative is that the power pole ports are not overly robust so I have integrated strain relief to reduce the risk of breaking the connectors off of the board.

I’m running a Miady 16ah lifepo4 inside a PWRbox along with this controller.  I added another panelpole to the box (for inputs) so that I can charge the battery using my powersupply or solar panel.

I added the low temp probe and had to program a few parameters via usb.  The auto switching works like a champ.  Low temp cutoff works perfectly as well.

This is my primary shack power solution that is also portable.  Good stuff.

A few cons is the solar charge is limited to 30v and the powerpole connections seem to strain against 12g wiring bends when closing my box.  Hopefully the latter is a non-issue.