"I was surprised how much energy was being used just by having my stereo
in "standby" mode [...]"

Yeah. My previous stereo (which spontaneously failed a few months ago)
had to be turned off with its front panel switch to stop drawing
current. The "off" button on the remote only put the unit into standby
mode (read: no lamps, output muted, but otherwise fully powered up)
which didn't affect current draw, which as on the order of nearly an amp
idling.

So when it failed I contacted Crutchfield.com and asked them to
recommend a unit that can be turned off with the remote. This was an
unusual request and they had to spend some time searching.

The one they recommended still doesn't fully shut off, drawing 0.2A when
powered off by the remote, but at least on days when I have plenty of
sun for the solar panels or am planning to do some driving the next day
I don't need to crawl out of bed at bedtime and reach up to the front to
shut the thing down.

Another energy-conserving measure I employ is a separate switch to turn
off the subwoofer amp if the battery is running low. That thing draws
about 0.6A idling.

(Note: It's extremely rare that I camp within earshot of other campers,
and if I do I am very careful to never play music loudly enough for them
to hear it.)

--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
Bend, Ore.

On 07/07/2013 03:04 PM, Troy wrote:
> Amazingly little unit Craig. If you really want to get a handle on
> electrical usage or for troubleshooting, this meter is invaluable. I
> think I
> paid $45 or so for it on Amazon, and well worth the money in my opinion.
> It's also useful for other things like determining how much amperage a
> solar
> collector is delivering or how much your GPS is using in standby mode. I
> was
> surprised how much energy was being used just by having my stereo in
> "standby" mode or just having the GPS plugged in without being turned on.