Tom,

One final thought on all this.  I know you have a lot on your plate now and 
a lot rattling around in your noggin, but another item to consider adding to 
the station after a battery is a battery booster.  A small device that takes 
the output of the battery and keeps it at a constant 13.8 volts.  Most rigs 
will fold back or shut down as battery voltage drops with use and the 
booster  will allow you to discharge the  battery to a greater extent, while 
keeping the output voltage at a constant level.


Here are 2 links to e-ham where you can read all  about the power poles, 
crimper, power gates, distribution panels, and battery boosters:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/70

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/74
Just like anything else in this hobby:  You
start out spending a few bucks and then the sky's the limit.   First it's 
ten or fifteen bucks for a handful of power poles, then you need heavier 
wire, then a crimper, then a distribution panel, then a battery, something 
to charge the battery, then a booster, then a generator to charge the 
battery for when the power is off long term, then gas to put in the 
generator, then you are living in the RV  'cause the xyl threw you out of 
the house.

Have fun, Steve KW3A