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Use of Generators for camping and caravanning

In the past many travellers and campers have relied on a dual battery system to provide necessary power for their appliances. Under this system any power usage when the vehicle is not running draws on the auxiliary battery and only works for very short trips. This is an outmoded way to gain power and cannot provide the necessities we all enjoy when camping or caravanning such as air conditioning, big fridges, microwaves, etc.

Generators allow fuel-powered engines to create electrical energy. It is handy when travelling, camping or caravanning to have the option of generating your own power to run electronic appliances such as computers, GPS, DVD players and for larger items mentioned above including fridges, microwaves, lights and air-conditioning.

Current portable generators using inverter technology provide quiet operation, low fuel consumption at low loads and give true sine wave power suitable for use with sensitive electronic equipment. Coupled with these attributes they are compact, lightweight and operate at low noise levels. They are easy to transport, manoeuvre, and store. As such they are a perfect application as camping generators and caravanning generators.

A fuel inverter generator will need less upfront expenditure and weight less than any other method of generating several kilowatts of power.

Traditional camping generators run at a constant high speed, no matter what level of power you're using. Whereas Inverter Generators from Yamaha or Dunlite use computer-controlled technology to continuously adjust engine speed to your power needs.

Where generators are permitted in National Parks in Australia there is usually a restriction on the hours of use and on the noise level produced. Those National Parks that have a noise level restriction usually allow generators that produce <65 dB(A) at 7 metres. Most Yamaha Inverter generators comply with this noise restriction.

It is important to understand how the noise level rating is derived as there can be a discrepancy in the noise output figure on the machine and the actual dB(A) output at 7 metres. This discrepancy occurs because generators are measured and compared within the industry at a distance of 7 metres, whereas to comply with EEC regulations all generators have to be marked in LWA. This is a different measurement of sound, taken from a different distance. For example, a generator may have a noise level output of 88 decibels marked on the machine. This equates to approximately 52 dB(A) at 7 metres. Noise restriction codes in Australia usually refer to dB(A) at 7 metres.