Oh boy !!! Batteries and generators / later replaced by an alternator ...
My first vehicle with a ham radio in it was a 1948 Cadillac ... 6 volts and a generator. Of course the radio was a Gonset Communicator IIB (if you remember those AM rigs) The next was a 1951 Ford ... also had a 6 volt system but I quickly got tired of that and replaced it with a 100 amp Leece-Neville Alternator mounted on top of that flat-head V8. Somewhere alone the line of somewhat strange cars, there was a 1951 Packard, a 1949 Packard (looked like a Hudson Hornet ... or an inverted bathtub), a 1953 Ford; each had the 6 volt Leece-Neville Alternator installation. Finally I gor my first 12 volt car, a 1961 Dodge Seneca, an ex-police car. It came with a 12 volt, 60 amp Leece-Neville Alternator. The battery was electrically, the largest that would fit in the holder. That car had the following installed: Motorola 140D, 60 watts, three frequency, 2 meter band radio; Motorola 140D, 60 watts, three frequency, 6 meter band radio; Motorola 80D, 30 watts out, 2 frequency, lo-band mobile telephone; Motorola 80D, 30 watts out, 148 MHz range for Navy Mars; All these radios had dynamotors for the transmitter power supply. Motorola UHF Business band T-power (for work.) GE Mastr-Pro 440 band radio and a 2 meter band Gonset Communicator IV in the back seat. I never had a weak battery or alternator system in that car. The next car was a 1969 Dodge Polara, an ex-police car too. Came from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) with the Dodge 440 CI engine. (With the big engine, it would pass anything except a gas station...) It also came with a 65 amp Leece-Neville Alternator. The battery was electrically, the largest that would fit the holder. I didn't have quite as many radios in it but it had a few. The next car was a 1973 Dodge Coronet Custom, this time had the Chrysler Corp. factory alternator. This car had a few radios in it too. The UHF GE Mastr-Pro, a 110 watt Motorola Motrac on the 2 meter band, a Motorola Motrac on the 440 MHz band (that was the car that had the two 4 freq UHF duplexed radios and the 16 buttom Touch-Tone pad installed.) A 1970 Plymouth Wagon came next ... I didn't install much in it. Since I couldn't sit up on the rear deck of the Plymouth Wagon, this gave me an idea: Next vehicle was a 1968 GMC Suburban, which I bought in 1982. Was the first time I ever had plenty of room for sufficient antennas to support everything I wanted to install. It had the requisite GE Mastr-Pro, the 2 meter Motrac and a 12 channel 110 watt Motorola Syntor on various public-safety channels. It came with the factory alternator and a too-small battery which I got changed early on. The next vehicle is the 1976 Checy Suburban, which I bought in 1990. That came with an alternator ... but by then I bought a Kenwood TM741 and installed the third module on the 6 meter band. I still have the Suburban. I bought the next vehicle in 1998 when I retired. When you are retired, every day is a holiday. This vehicle is a 1990 Chevy Suburban, with 328,000 miles on it, original engine and transmission, it has a Kenwood TM742 in it, and two antennas on top - holes have been drilled for the antennas. From my experiences with vehicular electrical systems, get the largest alternator you can comfortably install. Ditto with the battery. I know, the yo-yo's at the local battery sales store will brag their current sales thrust has X number of cold cranking amperes which means nothing to me. Their sales literature specifies the tiny battery fits my vehicle ..... My reply is if you don't sell me what I want, I **will** go elsewhere. I always get the electrically largest battery that will still physically fit in my vehicle ... Period !!! (Also, I am 6'6" tall, weigh 245# and the usual sales turkey won't argue with me.) My philosophy is ... if you are an active amateur radio operator (if you are not, why?) your vehicle should support your daily activities without a worry. If you can't do that, go get it fixed. In other words, for my various vehicles, been there / done that. I have an interesting experience on trouble-shooting a customers electrical problem - but is another story at another time. 73, Neil McKie - WA6KLA Mark Holman wrote: > > Some Year production vechicles I noted for Example 1984 Ford Tempo had a 40 > Amp Alternator, whereas a 1994 Dodge Shadow has near 80 Amp or better, thing > is all alternators OEM are different, unless someone can purchase a higher > amp rating alternator or maybe consult one of those places that sells Auto > Stereos, then you are looking at maybe modifying the guts to say 100 Amp or > Bigger, thing is those " Trucker Alternators " are avg. 110 Amps. I used to > work @ a KW dealership Lecce Neville makes them especially runninng Illeagle > Amplifiers, and other current drawing devices. > > Also another sugguestion, Buy the Biggest Capacity Battery in CCA ( Cold > Cranking Amps ) what you may have down South presumeable is different up > here in Michigan where we see 0 degrees or lower and it makes a world of > difference if you buy a recycled boneyard battery for 25 bucks vs. a Premium > Gold Battery will start in Minus 45 Degrees Below Zero at 3:00 Am. ! > > Next thought , all those ground connections may be corroded or rusted, some > wire brush, sand paper or Schotch brite pad may make the world of difference > I had coorosion on a Positive and Negative terminals and having a top post > Dodge I had no start, after a Ham freind came by we were back on the road. > > my experience to help anyone with mobile gear. > > Mark A. Holman, CRO, AB8RU > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Laryn Lohman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 9:45 PM > Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Re: OT - DC charger with auto cutoff > > > Being a *why* type of person, what problems with her van electrical > > system would make it so it could not handle a handful of ampsextra? > > Several of those items you listed draw near nothing, so a couple of > > transmitters operating minutes out of an hour in addition to those > > items should not be an issue... So, enlighten me! > > > > Laryn K8TVZ > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL > > PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > The electrical system is her van is pretty bad, so putting more > > stress on it with radios may put it over the edge> > > _____ Yahoo! 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