I was wanting to use the marine battery I have but someone else posted
a negative experience with the fumes ruining part of their house and
their own health. It scared me a little..............

I've been using batteries in the house for 15 years or longer. Never a
problem,
and I've never noticed the fumes. You only get heavy fumes when really
heavily
charging, or when overheating, from overcharging. I use a 12/2 amp
automatic
charger to keep the battery up. It's on 24/7. The only real drawback to

batteries is the corrosion that builds up. It's no big deal really, but
it does
have to be cleaned off from time to time, and also the connectors will
need to
be cleaned from time to time. That crud is highly corrosive, and
probably would
eat/stain carpet, etc...So keep the battery on some kind of pad, if not
in a
battery case. I have an inverter for emergency 117v use...Have used it
quite a
few times when the lights go out do to powerline problems, blown
transformers,
etc..I'm still on the air, plus can use a lightbulb, watch TV, etc..MK

P.S. When using batteries, always use the proper safety
precautions...Batteries
can explode. Don't unhook, hook hot radios, chargers, to cause a spark.
Turn
them off first, hook up, and then turn back on. When I hook up my
icoms, I have
to actually unhook the cable from the back of the radio, if I don't
want a spark.
The finals are always hot on the icoms, and will draw current/make a
spark, even
with the radio off. So I'll hook it all up, and plug the cable to the
706 last.
My IC-730 is the same way. Blowing up a battery in the house could be
nasty...
But saying that, I wouldn't let that scare you...I've never had a
problem...You
can always keep it in a battery case, under a table, etc, for extra
protection.
MK

wrote:

When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?

12 VDC to 13.8 VDC are nominal voltages. Very few radios are sensitive
to variation of voltage as long as the power supply can supply the amps.
The Icom 706 series seem to be sensitive to .LT. 12 VDC. I can't speak
to the Alinco.
Generally the front of any given power supply will say 12 VDC but the
specs will indicate 13.8 VDC.
No, if you provide 12 VDC you will output a lower wattage regardless of
the capacity to provide adequate amperage.

Dave WD9BDZ

In article ,
David G. Nagel wrote:
wrote:

When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?

12 VDC to 13.8 VDC are nominal voltages. Very few radios are sensitive
to variation of voltage as long as the power supply can supply the amps.
The Icom 706 series seem to be sensitive to .LT. 12 VDC. I can't speak
to the Alinco.
Generally the front of any given power supply will say 12 VDC but the
specs will indicate 13.8 VDC.
No, if you provide 12 VDC you will output a lower wattage regardless of
the capacity to provide adequate amperage.

OK. When the meter lamp in my Kenwood TS-430S burned out recently,
I substituted a 12V replacement from Radio Shack. So, are bulbs
rated the same way? Certainly, it would appear auto bulbs are,
but what about wheat lamps?

Rob

In radio shacks case, I think they may mean 12 actual volts, being as
their
bulbs usually don't last very long when used with a 13-14 v supply...

Add a resister to lower the voltage, if you want it to last
longer...better yet..
convert to white LEDs...My 706 has those things...Maybe changing those
dang bulbs
will become a thing of the past...MK

"Rob Stampfli" wrote in message
...
In article ,
David G. Nagel wrote:
wrote:

When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?

12 VDC to 13.8 VDC are nominal voltages. Very few radios are sensitive
to variation of voltage as long as the power supply can supply the amps.
The Icom 706 series seem to be sensitive to .LT. 12 VDC. I can't speak
to the Alinco.
Generally the front of any given power supply will say 12 VDC but the
specs will indicate 13.8 VDC.
No, if you provide 12 VDC you will output a lower wattage regardless of
the capacity to provide adequate amperage.

OK. When the meter lamp in my Kenwood TS-430S burned out recently,
I substituted a 12V replacement from Radio Shack. So, are bulbs
rated the same way? Certainly, it would appear auto bulbs are,
but what about wheat lamps?

Rob

Small light bulbs live in a different world. For instance, many flash lights
use a bulb that is rated for a lower voltage than the battery. I have one
that uses 2 AA cells and a 2.4 V bulb. This makes it brighter, and if the
life of the bulb turns out to be 10 hours, that is inconsequential, because
10 hours of use is beyond the life expectancy of a flash light. You probably
should have bought a 14 V bulb, since you do care about bulb life.

Tam/WB2TT

"Tam/WB2TT" wrote in message
...

"Rob Stampfli" wrote in message
...
In article ,
David G. Nagel wrote:
wrote:

When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?

12 VDC to 13.8 VDC are nominal voltages. Very few radios are sensitive
to variation of voltage as long as the power supply can supply the amps.


The 'nominal' 12 volts is the voltage of the 6 two volt cells of a typical
auto battery, during normal discharge.
That is two volts per cell.
To charge a typical lead/acid battery a voltage of about 2.3 volts per cell
is required.
Therefore 6 x 2.3 = 13.8 volts.
Controlling to 13.8 volts is the job that the 'voltage regulator' does in an
automobile. To avoid overcharging and/or ruining the auto battery.
Therefore equipment which is designed to operate on nominally 12 volts is
usually designed to operate over the range 13.8 volts down to the point
where that battery is just about flat, at anything less than 12 volts. (If
your battery reads less than say 11.8 volts it's either shot or fully
discharged; BTW voltage is not a good indicator of whether or how well a
battery is charged!).
Large administrations e.g. AT&T, 'float' their large expensive battery
installations at around 2.15 to 2.17 volts per cell to offset 'local
chemical action' which causes batteries to slowly lose their state of charge
over time. For example 6 x 2.16 = 12.96 volts. This ensures the batteries
are fully charged at the start of a power interruption.

wrote:

When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?


Astron RS-20A, or a RS-20M if you want meters. That'll handle your 45
watt radio. It's a 12 volt power supply that is internally adjustable
up to and above 13.8 volts. Get the RS-35 if you plan on adding an HF
rig to your station. Astron is standard equipment on many radio desks.

ac6xg

"Jim Kelley" wrote in message
...


wrote:

When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?


Astron RS-20A, or a RS-20M if you want meters. That'll handle your 45
watt radio. It's a 12 volt power supply that is internally adjustable up
to and above 13.8 volts. Get the RS-35 if you plan on adding an HF rig to
your station. Astron is standard equipment on many radio desks.

ac6xg

I agree with Jim about Astron. Been using 'em for decades. Simple, robust
design. Zero failures.
The voltage conundrum I believe derives from the necessary voltage to charge
a 12 volt battery.
Gotta overcome that old internal resistance; Turns out to be about 13.8
volts.
I don't know of a "12V" ham rig that would care about the difference.
Get outside the manufacturer's specified range (RTFB) and you may not have a
warranty.
73
H., NQ5H

Get a 13.8 vdc from radio shack. or turn up your 12 to 13.2

wrote in message
ups.com...
When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?

On 25 Jan 2005 08:22:59 -0800, wrote:

When looking for a power supply for my Alinco dr-590, what type of
power supply would I look for? The radio says 13.8 v dc but if I get a
12 volt power supply will it put out the same wattage at the radio?

THe owner's manual of most radios will give you a range of voltages;
for example, one of my Icoms recommends 13.8 volts, plus or minus 15
percent. Check your manual, if you have it, or try to get a copy from
one of the internet places that sell such things.

bob
k5qwg