Use of Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) with Scanners

[revclstoner]

Originally Posted by Blackink

I'm telling ya, everyday I learn something new about this great scanner hobby by reading through these posts!
Thanks

You're not by yourself! This forum is a great place to learn new tips and tricks! Thank God for RadioReference!!!

[jackj]

A UPS is an inverter. It has a very limited run time, usually less than 45 minutes even with no load on it. A 12 volt battery makes a lot more sense and will give you a lot more run time. Our local Ace Hardware store will sell you a 12 volt, 8 AH battery for around $50. That will run your scanner all day.

[revclstoner]

Originally Posted by jackj

A UPS is an inverter. It has a very limited run time, usually less than 45 minutes even with no load on it. A 12 volt battery makes a lot more sense and will give you a lot more run time. Our local Ace Hardware store will sell you a 12 volt, 8 AH battery for around $50. That will run your scanner all day.

Sweet!!!

But there's one question: how would I connect it?!

[doctordialtone]

Originally Posted by revclstoner

Thank God for RadioReference!!!

Amen to that. All kidding aside, I do truly learn something new about these scanners every day. This is a powerful resource and a place to share information and tips.

Now if I can get these few thoughts out of my head, I'll be ready for a peaceful rest;

1) female disconnects don't mate up
2) I pigtailed it
3) Cut your DC cord
4) dirty AC
5) bag of leftover goodies
6) fully insulated male disconnects
7) rubber ducky

[bee]

Would a "jump start battery" be ok to use, in case of a power outage? Schumacher--Wal-Mart--$70.00.

[Chauffeur6]

Originally Posted by bee

Would a "jump start battery" be ok to use, in case of a power outage? Schumacher--Wal-Mart--$70.00.

Assuming you are referring to the XP750, yes, it's fine. There is a 12V power outlet on that unit, so I would suggest attaching a cigarette lighter plug to the scanner's DC power cord, this way you can easily connect and disconnect it.

One warning though, per the XP750's user manual, do not run a 12V device from that outlet while you're charging the internal battery.

[chandler]

I have a UPS it will backup my scanner and router so the Internet will still be able to broadcast over the Internet run time says around 1 hour with my load

[westom1]

Originally Posted by cg

I used to have one but it was a significant source of interference for the scanners. If I were to do it again, I would put the UPS and the power supply at the far end of my house.

Of course. That noise is transients (ie surges) created by a UPS. A transient made irrelevant by protection already inside electronic appliances.

Advertising (subjective claims) say a UPS does surge protection. From which type of surge? Anyone can read the numbers. Most ignore the numbers. A typically destructive surge is hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules will that UPS absorb (block)? Read the spec numbers. Hundreds? That is near zero protection. But just enough above zero so that they can claim 100% surge protection ... subjectively. Informed recommendations always include these numbers.

A UPS has one primary function. Temporary and 'dirty' power during a blackout. It does not claim to avert or protect from many other anomalies. Including a destructive type of surge. Effective protection requires a completely different product. And requires learning concepts that were well understood even 100 years ago. Concepts that an adjacent UPS outrightly violates.

A UPS was recommended to somehow stop or absorb a surge. So how does its 2 cm protector part stop what three miles of sky could not? It doesn't. How does its hundreds of joules absorb destructive surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules? It doesn't. And yet that is what a majority believe due to half truths, hearsay, and advertising myths.

Some protection 'systems' have no protectors. But every protection 'system' always has one critically important component. Single point earth ground. Any 'miracle' device that does not have and does not discuss earthing does not protect from typically destructive transients. Earthing and the always required numbers define an informed discussion.

UPS only provides temporary and 'dirty' power during a blackout. 'Dirty' power made irrelevant by existing internal protection inside all electronics. Your concern and question is about a rare transient that can overwhelm that existing protection.

[lep]

I rely on an MOV for household surges that has nothing at all to do with my UPS for temp power to the scanner during an emergency outage

[jackj]

The surge protection rating on a UPS is the amount it will shunt without self destruction.

For an extended power outage (over 30 seconds) I use a natural gas powered, 17 KW standby generator set. It will run more than my scanner, a lot more.

[Blackink]

Originally Posted by Chauffeur6

I run my base/mobiles off 14.4 volt DeWalt battery packs. I crimped two 3M Scotchlok fully insulated male disconnects on the end of the DC power cord, and they fit right over the terminals on the top of the battery. In fact, it worked so well that I pigtailed it so I could run it off two battery packs (in parallel) at the same time to get longer runtime.

OK, I did exactly how you described the connections and it worked. I also connected two batteries in parallel. I also unplugged the AC connection before connecting the DC plug.

I was wondering if you could explain to me why my scanner was getting hits on lower frequencies once I did that conversion. I have my squelch fully turned clockwise(on #19) on my BCT15x. I don't usually get hits on these lower frequencies when connected to AC power and I started getting quite a few hits.
I'd hit the L/O button when those lower frequencies came up for a couple of reasons: 1) There's nothing that I hear except static on them, 2) My scanner stays on those channels, it doesn't continue scanning until I either push the L/O button or the scan/search button-irritating.

One more concern I have with the batteries connected to my scanner: After a few minutes of running my scanner off from the batteries, the area surrounding the scanner/batteries smelled hot. I couldn't see anything like smoke, I couldn't feel anything getting warm like the wires, connections, batteries, or the scanner where ever I touched it, so I was wondering if that might be normal coming from a new unit where the power source was never run from DC power before?
I turned the scanner off and on and had a normal start-up and I left the batteries connected for 20 minutes or so.
The smell never really continued to get worse but it was just a mild, "make me nervous" kinda of odor.
The scanner continued to run great though while connected to the batteries. In fact, a little too good for my liking due to the numerous hits.
Any thoughts on the odor? Is it just the newness burning off?

I have disconnected the battery connection and plugged in the AC adapter, everything seems fine.
Thanks

[Chauffeur6]

Originally Posted by Blackink

OK, I did exactly how you described the connections and it worked. I also connected two batteries in parallel. I also unplugged the AC connection before connecting the DC plug.

I was wondering if you could explain to me why my scanner was getting hits on lower frequencies once I did that conversion. I have my squelch fully turned clockwise(on #19) on my BCT15x. I don't usually get hits on these lower frequencies when connected to AC power and I started getting quite a few hits.
I'd hit the L/O button when those lower frequencies came up for a couple of reasons: 1) There's nothing that I hear except static on them, 2) My scanner stays on those channels, it doesn't continue scanning until I either push the L/O button or the scan/search button-irritating.

One more concern I have with the batteries connected to my scanner: After a few minutes of running my scanner off from the batteries, the area surrounding the scanner/batteries smelled hot. I couldn't see anything like smoke, I couldn't feel anything getting warm like the wires, connections, batteries, or the scanner where ever I touched it, so I was wondering if that might be normal coming from a new unit where the power source was never run from DC power before?
I turned the scanner off and on and had a normal start-up and I left the batteries connected for 20 minutes or so.
The smell never really continued to get worse but it was just a mild, "make me nervous" kinda of odor.
The scanner continued to run great though while connected to the batteries. In fact, a little too good for my liking due to the numerous hits.
Any thoughts on the odor? Is it just the newness burning off?

I have disconnected the battery connection and plugged in the AC adapter, everything seems fine.
Thanks

I have no experience running a BCT15X off external battery power like this. It sounds like you are using the DC input, correct? With my scanners (PRO-160 and PSR-410), I use the AC adapter input (the standard barrel connector), not direct DC input.

If something doesn't seem right to you, then I would recommend NOT running the scanner off batteries anymore, until you can verify the correct voltage output, polarity, etc.

Before I did any of this, I checked everything with a multimeter to make sure the voltage was within acceptable range for the scanner models I was connecting, the polarity of the batteries was correct, etc. If you're going to connect two batteries for extended runtime, I cannot stress strongly enough that they must be in parallel, and you must verify that the voltage output is correct using a multimeter before connecting your $200 or $500 scanner to it!

[Chauffeur6]

Oh and, if anyone blows up their scanner after trying out my idea, don't blame me for it! It's worked for me for a few years with no issues, but I was careful each step of the way to make sure everything was done properly. I can't be held responsible for anything you guys do with your own stuff.

My lawyer told me to post that.

[Blackink]

Not to worry, I checked the voltage, polarity, connections, etc....all was good.
The plug I was using is called the three wire harness. It plugs directly into the back of the scanner. The harness I used looks similar to what was in the pic you posted.
No need to get paranoid, I'm not going to blame you or anyone else for mistakes I make. Besides, before I actually did this little conversion, I researched the web for wiring parallel, what my scanner's output is, what my batteries voltage was supposed to be.....I did my home work.
You don't honestly think I'm going to just take someone's word in a forum on the internet from someone I know nothing about? And then apply what I read to my $200 scanner...Hardly.
But that being said, I appreciate the tips I read here and in the other forums on RR and I respectfully thank you for your help.
Oh.....and I didn't bother calling my lawyer over this. I'm responsible for my own actions.
Thanks again

[pinballwiz86]

I'm sure this isn't a new idea but this is what I do. I put batteries in my portable scanner and then plug it into a surge protector. If the power goes out, I still have my AA battery backup!

[W2NJS]

Originally Posted by jackj

The surge protection rating on a UPS is the amount it will shunt without self destruction.

For an extended power outage (over 30 seconds) I use a natural gas powered, 17 KW standby generator set. It will run more than my scanner, a lot more.

Jack: OT, but what make is your genset? I've been trying to decide whose to buy for a while now. I used to sell the big units but the residential market is a different ballgame in some ways. Thanks.

Tom, W2NJS

[W2NJS]

Before I had a surge protector installed on my house service (150A, 120/240V) my UPS used to bump and grind all day long due to power company surges. With the protector installed now I never hear any surges hitting the UPS. Definitely worth the $175 it cost for the unit including installation.

[revclstoner]

Originally Posted by W2NJS

Before I had a surge protector installed on my house service (150A, 120/240V) my UPS used to bump and grind all day long due to power company surges. With the protector installed now I never hear any surges hitting the UPS. Definitely worth the $175 it cost for the unit including installation.

What brand is your surge protector?

[W2NJS]

Using a UPS to power a 12VDC scanner really makes no sense. The UPS usually has a 12VDC battery that is used to produce 120VAC which you then have to convert back down to 12VDC. Inefficient to say the least. Get a decent-sized 12VDC gel cell battery, say 8 to 15 Ampere hours, a simple charger for it, and a cheap digital (not analog) DC voltmeter and you'll be in business. If you're knowledgable about the subject, you can even build 120VAC-to-12VDC supply and connect the gel cell battery across the output of the uniit as a filter capacitor when the 120VAC power is on and the battery will take over instantaneously when the power fails. Details are up to you but it's a tried and true method of emergency changeover in applications that need relatively small amounts of current.

[W2NJS]

Originally Posted by revclstoner

What brand is your surge protector?

Cedric,
Strange as it sounds, I don't actually know. I've not been in my basement since about a year ago, owing to an illness that affected my ability to go up and down stairs, as well as to walk. I've been in two hospitals and now a rehab facility for the past 60 days or so, and that's the reason. After a while I'll be able to go down to the basement and see the thing but right now all I know is that the install work was quick, how much it cost, and (most important) that it seems to work.

Regards,

Tom, W2NJS