[Elecraft] Ten Tec never sounded so good!

[Wes Stewart]

I think I've mentioned this here before, but I actually *do* have a battery backup system in my shack and also operate using 12V in my travel trailer.  The home system has a 90AH 12V AGM battery, continually charged with a HB "smart charger" and the trailer uses a pair of deep-cycle RV batteries with a similar charger.  An EU2000 Honda is also used if necessary.

That said, in both cases I use a boost regulator to maintain a minimum of 13.8V AT THE K2 INPUT.  Since, IMHO, a boost regulator is always a good idea, it could just as well boost to 24 or 30 or whatever voltage a cleaner transceiver would require.

Wes  N7WS

--- On Thu, 4/15/10, Phil Kane <k2asp at kanafi.org> wrote:

> From: Phil Kane <k2asp at kanafi.org>
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Ten Tec never sounded so good!
> To: "Wes Stewart" <n7ws at yahoo.com>
> Cc: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010, 11:56 AM
> On 4/15/2010 8:25 AM, Wes Stewart
> wrote:
> 
> > For the life of me I can't understand why radios
> continue to be
> > designed around an automobile storage battery when
> fewer than 1%
> > will ever operate in a mobile environment.
> 
>   For those of us who insist that our communications
> gear operate
>   when the mains power goes off, the 12V DC battery
> system is the
>   most reasonable backup.  Few if any of us have
> the resources to
>   install a commercial 48V battery system  -
> which is the
>   commercial standard currently - or the 40 KW backup
> generator
>   or solar array which is what is needed (but don't
> have) to run
>   my house "off the grid".
> 
>   For communications backup purposes we don't use
> "automobile
>   storage batteries" which are designed for a large
> current draw
>   for a short time (engine cranking) and relatively
> little current
>   draw afterward while the alternator picks up the
> load.  Deep-cycle
>   totally sealed batteries are the standard for
> communication
>   backup systems of this capacity.
> 
>   My engineering firm designs commercial communication
> sites
>   primarily for the public safety community and such
> backup
>   power systems are a very important part of what we
> do for our
>   clients.
> 
> --  73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
>     Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402
> 
>