I power the GPS and OT2 all the time. I only turn the radio on when I am travelling at the moment. I had one radio that drew 750mA at idle so it cause minor problems when it was left on. It would kill the battery if the vehicle was not started at least once per day. There may be an output on the Mini-DIN to sample but it would take more effort than it is worth. One idea (relatively easy too) I see often is a ON-delay circuit that would connect power to everything after a short delay after starting a vehicle. Best regards, Fred
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 11:13 To: [email protected] Subject: [tracker2] Powering Tracker2 I have my Tracker2 connected to my Yaesu 8900 in my car. The GPS side is a Garmin powered by the cigarette lighter plug. The radio is powered by a PowerPole connection directly to the battery. I have the jumper on the Tracker on the "12" setting and use an RPC Electronics cable with a PowerPole connector, and a serial connector that goes to the T2 mini6 din plug. The T2 plugs into the same power cable as the radio so it is always receiving power even with the car turned off. My question: is there any harm in having the T2 always powered? How much does it draw? And is a there a way to have the T2 turn off when the radio is off?
