[Icom] Temporary radio installations

[D C Macdonald]

I recently bought a new Ford F-250 Diesel pickup.
A trip has come up and I did not have time to do
the "proper" installation with hole in roof for the
antenna and power run directly from the battery.
At least on the Ford "Super Duty" trucks, the
"power point" is fused at 20A.  This is a totally
different circuit from that of the cigar lighter.

I was aware of the limited current carrying ability
of your normal cigar lighter power plug.  The big
problem is the small wire used for the spring that
maintains tension and contact with the fuse.  I
tried the local Auto Zone and they had nothing
that looked any better than what we have seen
in the past.

On a wild hair, I went accros the stree to the
Radio Shack.  Their selection was surprising, to
say the least.  They had two of the "usual"
plugs, one rated at 7.5A and the other at 8A.
BUT, they are now stocking a much more robust
plug rated at 10A.  The spring is quite short and
made of  MUCH  larger diameter spring wire than
I have ever seen before on a lighter plug.  It has
combined binding post/banana jack output that
would accept wire up to 10 or maybe even 8 guage.

It looked promising so I bought one and made up
a cable to run my IC-2400A duoband rig that states
a maximum transmit current draw of 10.5A for the
2-meter side.  After hooking up my 2400A to the
power point using this Radio Shack plug (270-1521)
I keyed up the rig on high power.  Not a bit of
dimming from the panel illumination and reports
are good.

Although it might be a stretch to run a 706 from
this point, it would appear that the truck wiring
may be very well capable of handling the job.

There may be a heavier duty lighter plug available
through West Marine, Boaters World, or other marine
suppliers.

Anyway, this might be of use to folks who wish
to not make a permanent mobile installation, such
as in a rental vehicle.


73  ---  Mac, K2GKK/5
Oklahoma City, OK

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