Will a charged battery suffice without the engine running?

[MeatMan]

What kind of power will I lose if I run my HR2510 direct from a 12V source such as a charged battery or 12V power supply rather than an alternator current or larger supply like 13.8V+? Shouldn't it run "almost" as strong direct from a battery as it would if the engine was running? Will the radio actually utilize that extra volt+ or not really?

 

[AudioShockwav]

If it's a good battery and just the radio you can chew on it for a few hours.
When it starts falling below 11 volts time to charge it back up.

73
Jeff

 

[nomadradio]

A wattmeter worshipper will be disappointed to see the peak transmit power fall by 15 or 20 percent more or less.

The fall in supply voltage when the motor (and alternator) are turned off will reduce peak transmit power. Not enough for anyone at the other end of the conversation to know, but enough to see on your wattmeter.

73

 

[MeatMan]

If it's a good battery and just the radio you can chew on it for a few hours.
When it starts falling below 11 volts time to charge it back up.

73
Jeff

That's what I was thinking, but I have a power supply that provides 12.3V at 62.5A. I know I'll never run out of available power at that amperage, but I was told that they need 13.8V to operate properly and at full power. I'm hoping that's not true, but I don't yet have the money for a good watt meter.

A wattmeter worshipper will be disappointed to see the peak transmit power fall by 15 or 20 percent more or less.

The fall in supply voltage when the motor (and alternator) are turned off will reduce peak transmit power. Not enough for anyone at the other end of the conversation to know, but enough to see on your wattmeter.

73

So performance wise, nothing really to worry about? They may not tell if I already have contact but will I lose dx range?

 

[nomadradio]

And there's no trimmer pot inside?

73

 

[MeatMan]

And there's no trimmer pot inside?

73

No, not without desoldering a couple pins and adding a resistor as a jumper. Last time I tried something like that on a different very similar supply it stopped working. I don't want to keep buying new ones, it's not in my bank accounts best interest... or my wife's hahaha I'm just making sure I can use it at 12.2-12.3 continuous without experiencing a power loss. I've had both my Washington and HR2510 running at the same time, with no fluctuation on the readout while keying and modulating. So really if the voltage is enough I can run like 10 radios simultaneously if I had them. Or a nice foot warmer that requires high amperage even though I have no plans for one right now.

 

[WECSOG]

That's what I was thinking, but I have a power supply that provides 12.3V at 62.5A. I know I'll never run out of available power at that amperage, but I was told that they need 13.8V to operate properly and at full power. I'm hoping that's not true, but I don't yet have the money for a good watt meter.

So performance wise, nothing really to worry about? They may not tell if I already have contact but will I lose dx range?

Nope. DX range has very little to do with output power in the first place, and plus or minus 20 percent will make no discernible difference. The main things that small increase in power will do are make the finals get hot faster, and make the finals more susceptible to damage if your antenna or feedline develop a problem.

 

[Holydvr]

I have run a few different radios and even a texas star 667 off of 12.6v 75a supplies and it was all fine. I did notice a finite difference in wattage, but it did not bother me in the least.