[Kenwood] tm-d700 have ignition sense???

Wed, 30 Jul 2003 18:10:26 -0500 (CDT)

Any good commercial radio (Motorola, Ericsson/MACom/whatever they are this week, etc.) will have ignition sense. Some radios, such as the high-power 100-watt Motorola Spectra and Syntor X9000 have separate sense lines for receive and transmit - running the radios in receive isn't a big deal for a few hours... 30 amps in transmit is.

>From my experience, the D700, if left with power removed for a certain period, will default to an off state when power is reapplied. There's also most likely a lithium battery inside to back up the memory, which you'll be discharging if you disconnect main A+. Not saying this is a bad thing, but it's something to look out for.

In most commercial radios (and in very few "prosumer" radios, like the BC780XLT scanner), you'll find the codeplug data stored in an EEPROM, which, of course, doesn't require power. For a ham rig, the data is usually stored in battery-backed volatile storage. They both have their plusses and minuses.

The D700 is the only radio in my vehicle that is not ignition-sensed. Everything else (a Motorola Maxtracs, two Kenwood TK-x80 series mobiles, six Motorola Spectras, a BC780XLT scanner, a Bendix KY-97 aviation radio, an MA/Com Orion EDACS radio, an Optoelectronics Scout, and a few other things I won't mention) in my truck hsa the capability for ignition sense. I actually wire everything to a master switch, so I can power up without starting the vehicle (usually to maintain stealth).

As far as the suggestion to put a motion sensor on the engine block, WAY WAY WAY too complicated. Find a circuit that's ignition-switched and splice into it. Don't use a POS butt connector! Just use the circuit to power a relay (<100mA) and run power from the battery to the relay input. My general theory is that I keep everything I've installed isolated from the automotive wiring. The only convergence points are under the dash where a special setup allows me to interlock the transmission while the vehicle is running (relay-isolated) and at the battery, where the automotive wiring comes to the top posts of an Optima battery while the comms wiring comes to the front posts. If you start doing too much hacking into the automotive wiring, you're likely to end up with a lot of problems, a dealership that won't work on your vehicle because you've made modifications to it, and likely a voided warranty. Something to consider.

If you want relays, I would consider two types. Bosch makes two very nice relays for vehicular use - one is rated to 35 amps and uses slip-on terminals, the other is rated to 70 amps and uses screw terminals. I use a few of each throughout my vehicle (yes, I really have that much current to handle - 1/0 ga. wire breakered at 200 amps) and they work flawlessly. Beware of solenoids, many are meant for starter applications only and are NOT continuous duty cycle devices. You will overheat one and start a fire rather quickly!

My $0.04 (spent too many years wiring up too many vehicles...)

73,
Terry/N5RSE

-------Original Message-------
From: Ken Kinyon - W7TS <[email protected]>
Sent: 07/29/03 09:45 PM
To: 'FireBrick' <[email protected]>, [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Kenwood] tm-d700 have ignition sense???

> 
> Hi,
I don't know what type of vehicle you have, but it should be easy to mount 
a
relay/solenoid under the hood near the battery.   Put it inline with the
power to the radio. Power the coil from a wire that is hot in accessory
position or ignition, your choice. I found a heavy duty one for less than
$20.00 at a truck parts store.
I didn't know they made any radios with built in sensing.
73,
Ken W7TS

-------------------
Kenneth E.  Kinyon
34 Princeton Circle
Longmont, CO 80503-2106
Voice: (303) 684-0037
Fax:  (303) 776-5088
E-mail: [email protected]
   	  [email protected]
   	  [email protected]
ALPCA #8339
ARRL-LM
-------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of FireBrick
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 18:22
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Kenwood] tm-d700 have ignition sense???

Is the only way to turn on/off the d700 via the power button?
I was hoping the rig had a 'Ignition sense' feature that would turn the
rig
on and off when the ignition was turned on.

Hate to forget to turn the rig off and come back to find the battery is
dead.
Or
have someone hear the chatter and decide to appropriate the radio.

Can't find anything in the manual other than the on/off button.

-----------------------------------------------------
2400 Baud makes you want to get out and push!!
-----------------------------------------------------

W9OL, Bill H. in Chicagoland

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