[Mobile-Portable] Wire Size

[Jim Miller]

IF the radio manufacturers would have thought there would be a benefit by
running #2 wire (welding cable) from the battery to their radios, they would
have supplied #2 wire pigtails coming out of the back of the radio instead
of the #14 or #12 that they DO supply.

What is the radio fused at?  20, 25?  You don't need #2 wire to carry 17-20
amps to an HF rig.

#2 wire for 15 ft at 20 amps will be .048 volts drop
#8 wire for 15 ft at 20 amps will be .18 volts drop
#10 wire for 15 ft at 20 amps will be .33 volts drop

I use #10 at 8 ft for a drop of .176 volts from battery voltage.  With even
12.8 at the battery, this still gives me 12.62 at the radio on transmit.
Run the battery down to 12.2 (better be starting the car soon) I still have
12.02 volts for transmit.

Just for grins (mine) measure your voltage drop (on transmit or "full" load)
across your fuses (two in the supply lines to your distribution block in the
car and two more in the power leads to the radio) and then try to explain to
me how .06 volt difference drop in voltage caused by any change in WIRE to
your distribution block in the car makes any significant difference.

IMHO, you'd need an owl on your dashboard to tell the difference.

73, Jim

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "C. Whitaker" <whitaker at pa.net>
To: "Mobile-Portable Reflector" <mobile-portable at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 9:56 AM
Subject: Re: [Mobile-Portable] Wire Size


> de WB2CPN
> You might check welder's cables.
> They're big and flexable.
> 73  Clete
>
>
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, mobile-portable-owner at mailman.qth.net
>