One side topic was “how long could power be out?” At the Carleton Complex fire in Washington, power is being restored after seven days.
I grew up in Baton Rouge. After Hurricane Betsy in 1965, our phones were out for seven days and power for ten days. We lived in a suburban area in the middle of town. wunder K6WRU CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ On Jul 27, 2014, at 9:56 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm sure we're about to get shut down by the moderator, but I couldn't let > this go unquestioned, so I called Generac. They say that the THD spec for > their stationary generators is <3%, so they must be using one of the better > technologies. Mine is a 14KW propane unit with a whole-house switch. It runs > automagically every Saturday afternoon for about 15 minutes, though with no > load. We've hasd a couple of multi-hour outages since we've had it, and I've > been on the air on HF, and never noticed any noise.. > > 73, Pete N4ZR > Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at > http://reversebeacon.net, > blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com. > For spots, please go to your favorite > ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node. > > On 7/27/2014 10:24 AM, Chip Stratton wrote: >> If you want to assess the quality of a generator's output, take a look at >> it on the oscilloscope, The cleanest waveforms will come from generators >> using a brushless alternator, or perhaps one of the sine-wave inverter >> generators like the extremely quiet Honda and Yamaha units. >> >> I know that, at least in the past, Generac used brush type alternators. >> These typically had rather dirty waveforms when I scoped them, with THD >> well above the 5% that is considered good. While most appliances are fine >> with this higher distortion, a waveform rich in 3rd harmonics makes motors >> run hotter/less efficiently. Whether significant harmonics extend into the >> RF zone, I don't know - maybe not an issue with our radios. I was able to >> find a 6500 watt Porter-Cable unit on wheels with a brushless alternator >> which I converted to use natural gas in addition to gasolne if necessary. >> This has worked well for me, though now that I have it power failures have >> become rare. Go Figure! >> >> Chip >> AE5KA >> >> >> >> >> On Sat, Jul 26, 2014 at 11:27 PM, Edward R Cole <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> That makes sense and I actually like to run with the house load on the >>> gen. I have a manual transfer switch so I run about 5-minutes to allow >>> engine to warm up before applying a load in test runs. Tend to be shorter >>> if there is an actual power outage. >>> >>> 73, Ed - KL7UW >>> >>> At 11:29 AM 7/26/2014, Mel Farrer wrote: >>> >>>> While this is getting to be long, I think this excerpt from a generator >>>> manufacturer sums it up best. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Generator set exercise >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Generator sets on continuous standby must be able to go from a cold start >>>> to being fully operational in a matter of seconds. This can impose a severe >>>> burden on engine parts. However, regular exercising keeps engine parts >>>> lubricated, prevents oxidation of electrical contacts, uses up fuel before >>>> it deteriorates, and, in general, helps provide reliable engine starting. >>>> Exercise the generator set at least once a month for a minimum of 30 min. >>>> loaded to no less than one-third of the nameplate rating. Periods of >>>> no-load operation should be held to a minimum because unburned fuel tends >>>> to accumulate in the exhaust system. Whenever possible, test the system >>>> with actual building loads in order to exercise the automatic transfer >>>> switches and verify performance under real-world conditions. If connecting >>>> to the normal load is not convenient for test purposes, the best engine >>>> performance and longevity will be obtained by connecting it to a load bank >>>> of at least one-third the nameplate rating. Be sure to return the generator >>>> control to AUTO at the conclusion of any maintenance. >>>> >>>> Mel, K6KBE >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Saturday, July 26, 2014 12:10 PM, Edward R Cole <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> Gasoline storage is easy....use fuel stabilizer...one oz to 2-1/2 >>>> gallons of gasoline. >>>> >>>> But you should run any gasoline engine regularly to keep it in good >>>> working order. Once/month long enough at least to reach operating >>>> temperature. This keeps oil in bearings and seals in good shape. >>>> >>>> I know most just park their lawn mower over winter with gas in the >>>> tank. But an expensive gen set needs a little TLC to keep running >>>> well...like changing the oil and filters (oil and gas). >>>> >>>> We have enough outages that fuel is not stored longer than a few >>>> months (and I use stabilizer). >>>> >>>> 73, Ed - KL7UW >>>> <http://www.kl7uw.com/>http://www.kl7uw.com >>>> "Kits made by KL7UW" >>>> Dubus Mag business: >>>> <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] >>>> >>>> ______________________________________________________________ >>>> Elecraft mailing list >>>> Home: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft>http >>>> ://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>>> Help: <http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm>http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>>> Post: mailto:[email protected] >>>> >>>> This list hosted by: <http://www.qsl.net/>http://www.qsl.net >>>> Please help support this email list: <http://www.qsl.net/donate.html> >>>> http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>>> Message delivered to <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] >>>> >>>> >>> 73, Ed - KL7UW >>> http://www.kl7uw.com >>> "Kits made by KL7UW" >>> Dubus Mag business: >>> [email protected] >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> Elecraft mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:[email protected] >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> Message delivered to [email protected] >>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:[email protected] >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> Message delivered to [email protected] >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to [email protected] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
