I know what you are saying. I was out of action for three years, one year with heart problems and two years taking care of my wife.
You can either take the power cord from your boat or buy a second power cord to use as home. Since I am lazy buying the second cord was the way I went.
You will need a dc power source at home, which can be a battery or a ac/dc converter. When you turn it on the unit will see no transponder is attached and will allow you to go into the demo mode to learn how to use it.