Using a power supply in the motorhome

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

3 Dog

New member
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Posts
1
Hi All,
I'm a new member to the forum and after doing an archive search I didn't see anything directly on point to my question so here ya go ...

I'm looking at putting in a portable HF rig in the motorhome (class A Beaver) and have been wondering about using a power supply rather than direct cables to the house batteries. My initial thought is putting the radio and power supply into a tactical radio carrier so the only hook-ups to the coach are antennas and the plug for the power supply with everything else mounted on the carrier. I'm looking at the Icom IC-7000 for the rig and either a Samlex SEC-1235M or an Astron SS-30M. The idea is for maximum portability between house and RV. Obviously I need a power supply in the house and since I very seldom dry-camp I'm not seeing a problem with just plugging in the power supply in the coach. If for some reason I am dry-camping, the coach uses a dual leg 30amp true sine wave inverter (50amp system) so unless I'm missing something (a real possibility) I don't see a problem with continuing to use the power supply for the rig. There shouldn't be any inverter hum with TSW.  Any thoughts or comments?

Jay / KC7LDR
 
Jay,

I decided to just use the power supply instead of running DC cables.  Much simpler.  That's been working fine for me - dry camping since Dec 3rd.

Joel, W4JNM
 
I run a TS-2000 in my coach,, (Kenwood, 100 watt 160 meter through 70cm multi-mode)

I choose to hook it to the house battery.. Here is why.

The House converter is a Progressive Dynamics 9180 with wizard, it's output voltage range is the same as a car's alternator and the 80 amps is several times what the TS-2000 can draw peak.  The output is clean and it works well.. Should the park loose power in the middle of a QSO the station on the other end will not notice it less I tell them,, In fact I might well not notice it either.

PLUS that big heavy power supply 1: Takes up a lot of space (As much as the radio itself) and 2: COSTS A BUNCH OF MONEY, which I did not feel the need to spend.

I would recommend connecting to house batteries.

In my case. due t placement of the radio (Less than six feet from the main house 12 volt panel) I hooked in there.
 
Purchase a second power cable for the IC 7000, disconnect and take it in the house.

Russ-WB3FQI
 
No no no.... connect directly to your house battery for so many reasons!!! Especially when dry camping. You may even have an rf noisy inverter.
 
Hi, Johnny-come-lately here but this might help someone else.

The Icom 7000 wants 13.5 and not 12 volts.  Give it 12 and it won't work so you need lots of good/new battery to make it fly.  I have one in my pickup truck and have to run the motor (alternator) when using it.  Can't use it for long parked with engine off.  If you have solar panel chargers you might make out okay when boondocking.

With any other xcvr that will work on a little less than 13.5V I would go straight the battery and not waste any energy going through a AC power supply.  There has to be loss in the AC power supply as there is no free lunch where energy is concerned!

good luck  NV2A  Ray.....
 

Forum statistics

Threads
131,753
Posts
1,384,365
Members
137,524
Latest member
freetoroam
Back
Top Bottom