Base power supply

[vzfarms]

I need a cheap base station to get my radio system going right now. I am going to use a Kenwood tk-762H 45watt for the time being. I dont have a power supply for it but I was wondering if anybody knows if my idea will work, and safely. I want to know if using a small 12 volt lead acid battery and a 1.5amp battery maintainer. I will not be using it to dispatch or anything so there will not be much tx on it.

[n8emr]

Your 45 radio will draw close to 10amps on transmit. While a small 12v battery will work, it will not work for long and at 1.5amps on the charger is going to take a while to charge. Even on receive your most likely near 2amps draw, so again its not going to last long.

[James04TJ]

Not to mention that it is not a good idea to keep a lead acid battery indoors.

[fineshot1]

Originally Posted by James04TJ

Not to mention that it is not a good idea to keep a lead acid battery indoors.

As long as its a sealed lead acid battery it should be ok. All the new modern UPS systems use them and they are all inside a home or business.

But - getting back to on topic it would be best to use a proper power supply. They are not all that expensive these days. A 15Amp (or something in that range) should suit the purpose. There are switching supplies sold on ebay(or even possibly craigs list) in that range that should be relatively cheap and efficient.

[key2_altfire]

Go to mpja.com. They have tons of power supplies there, and not very expensive. They're not "refined" desktop supplies; they're modules made for mounting internally into other equipment, so the AC input terminals aren't shielded. But you could easily put the p/s into a Rad Snax project box and have a high-current supply for cheap.