Solar Charger for Charging Lights, Cell Phones, Satellite Phones & Other Solar Equipment

I have dealt at length with solar battery chargers, but, of course, there are many other devices that need to be charged from time to time. For example, cell and satellite phones, GPS units, digital cameras and video cameras - the list goes on. How available are solar chargers for these and other devices, how useful are they and above all how costly are they?

I have tried to picture myself in a couple of scenarios where I have a satellite phone. Firstly as a reporter in a battle zone where there is just no electricity available, or as the leader of a mountaineering expedition high above the snow line with a dead  phone - answer, plug my phone into a solar charger. A solar charger for a cell phone can weigh as little as four or five ounces. Solar chargers have brought about a whole new look on the way we live. Now we can go on that camping trip with our iPod, our GPS, well, any device that has a rechargeable battery in it, and we can have the ability to recharge a battery miles and miles from the nearest civilization, ideal when it is essential to get that message back to the office.

Many solar battery chargers come with a plug in extension cable that has a multi-jack on the end - they are also switchable so that the output can be switched between 3, 6, 9 and 12 volts. These chargers can be used to charge the vast majority of mobile phones. One very interesting new product that I came across is a back pack with a built in solar charger - this is especially useful to hikers, the photovoltaic cells are on the rear of the back pack and the device to be charged, whether it be a cell phone or an MP3 player, placed into a built in special pocket in the pack. The device is then charged as the wearer walks along.

There is one sporting occupation where solar charging is considered absolutely essential - ocean yacht racing. Ocean racers depend upon their batteries to run very important equipment, for example their navigation equipment and their HF radios. You will find at least one solar panel working overtime on every modern ocean racer.

What about foul weather? Well, it is desirable to have full sunlight for a solar charger to work to its optimum, but most chargers will continue to operate, though at reduced power, even in overcast conditions. It will just take longer to charge up the device than under normal sunny skies.