"Bruce W...1" wrote in message ...
This is not ham radio related but I know you guys have the answer.

I need to store a car unattended for a winter in the midwest. And I
want to put a tricke charge on the battery.

I'd rather not buy a fancy trickle charger because it would probably get
stolen. On the other hand I have a vast array of wall wart
transformers.

If I connected one of these transformers how many milliamps should it
put out at 12V? Or rather what's the least current that would do the
job?

It seems that lead acid batteries can dissipate too much current as
heat. In other words I could probably feed it one amp continuously.
But would 100 mA at 12V do the job? I'd hate to lose a 1-Amp wall wart.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Bruce,
you have been given heaps of technical suggestions, heres mine.

1.Pull the battery out of the vehicle and take it back to your place.
2.Every week or so, check specific gravity with a hyrometer (sp) and
if it needs charging, do so.

This solves the problem of someone stealing the car unless they are
really keen, is simple, easy, and lo tech.

73 de VK3BFA Andrew