[NLRS] Re: [10GHzContest] IF radio power consumption

[John P. Toscano]

W0ZQ at aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 9/20/2007 3:32:22 P.M.  Central Daylight Time, 
> acepilot at bloomer.net writes:  My 857 draws about 2  Amps when I have the output set to 
> about 2W on 144 if I recall.  I FOR SURE  know it's not 22 Amps!
> 
> 
> Yup, ABOUT 1/2 amp just turning the FT-897 ON,  then about another 1/2 amp 
> pushing the PTT (one amp total), then ABOUT one more  amp, two amps total, with 
> a couple of watt out on 144 MHz.  Current rises  as output power rises.

Thanks VERY much for the information. It sounds like I have a good 
target for a new IF radio for my 10 GHz system.  I've not only been 
thinking about how to lower the current consumption, I've been thinking 
about how to redistribute the weight (less stuff behind the dish, and 
better balanced). I guess I better go somewhere to play with the 857 and 
897, to see if the ease of operating controls on the bigger 897 warrants 
the size and weight penalty relative to the compact 857. OTOH, the 
FT-897 looks like a handy radio for grab and go operation, so I'd 
probably want to either not mount it on the dish at all, or at least 
make it trivially easy to remove for operation below 10 GHz by itself, 
on the (optional) internal batteries.

The FT-897D is also a little more than $100 more expensive than the 
FT-857D, but if I am reading the specs correctly, the FT-897D has the 
high stability TCXO built in, vs. being a nearly $100 option on the 
FT-857D, making the prices much closer to one another. Both of the newer 
D-suffix models have the DSP built in, as well has covering the 60 M band.

So many options, so little time...

73 de WØJT