Ham Radio . Magnum Experimentum
Antennas, experiments, engineering and other articles of interest to radio folks.
Some APRS beacon tests provide data directly comparing the energy performance of Energizer alkaline and lithium AA cells.
The Lithium Iron Phosphate battery chemistry is my replacement of choice for my old 7AH lead acid gel cells.
Maintain your Honda EU2000i (or any) generator on schedule with the addition of an aftermarket hour meter and bracket.
Running a fan on low voltage can keep your power supply much cooler without making a lot of noise.
Bonus points are important for the annual ARRL Field Day event in June.
If you are thinking of participating in your local club’s Field Day festivities or are heading to the campground with your family for a Bravo station, bonus points are available.
One of my favorites is the Alternate Power Field Day bonus.
To quote the ARRL Field Day rules for 2009…
Working at an airplane company as an EE certainly puts energy density of electrical storage components at the top of the list of important things.
Of course the buzz word of the decade when talking about batteries is Lithium, Lithium, Lithium.
A viewer has a problem powering two radios from one power supply.
This situation is quite likely very common among amateur radio operators who keep a simple shack set up with one large power supply feeding multiple loads.
During our Field Day 2008, we experimented with many power options. Since it is a well known fact many UPS devices are not compatible with the power generated by certain generators, we will report the combinations that work.
It is well known many models of UPS units do not like the power from motor power portable generators. Indeed it is a difficult task to keep the sine wave pristine when you don’t have the benefit of hundreds of square miles of the power network feeding you an almost infinite about of energy. Here is an example of the waveform from a truck mounted generator delivering much less power than its rated output… about 100 watts from a 5,000 watt generator.
The manual for the Honda EU2000 clearly states this, but you need to be sure you adjust that little circular knob on the Fuel Cap to the operating position or the generator will certainly quit after a few minutes operation.
