[Yaesu] FT1500, your input appreciated

[Joe Guerra]

Greetings:

I have:

1) FT1500 2m mobile purchased April, 2001. Works fine. Its manual says the current draw for 50W is 8 amps, 2 amps at 5 watts.

2) Coleman Jumpstarter ModelPMJ8960 10Amp/hr portable battery. Its manual says its 12v cigarette lighter ports can provide 12v DC at 10A maximum.

3) I connect the two with a home-brewed cord: Radio Shack fused cigarette lighter plug (w/LED indicator) spliced into a factory-supplied Yaesu power cord--each lead has its own fuse. Three fuses in all protecting against accidents. This cord is about 10 feet long.

When I key up at 50 watts, the DC INput display goes from 12.6 volts to 10+ volts. I'd expect that.  Is it normal for the rig to deliver that kind of punch to the battery?

Secondly, with the rig plugged into the Coleman or installed in the car connected to the automotive battery, in the OFF position, when I disconnect the power cord, the radio "blips" or pops (heard on its speaker) and the display blinks once.  Does the radio draw current even when turned off?

Thirdly, are these jumpstarter battery packs poor choices for ham use?

Your help appreciated.

Joe Guerra KD5CZM Wild Horse Desert ARES EC Kleberg County TX

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