How do power multiple bases scanners in car?

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itopia

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Hi,

I would like to use 1-2 base scanners (uniden bc-15) in my car but do not want the battery to die when I am parked. I have seen some breaking news videographers using 4-5 at once in the armrest area. How are these powered?

I imagine my battery would die in winter within an hour or so with bc-15 on?

Is there a battery I can use to power the scanner so I don't have to worry about a dead car battery?

thanks.
 

marksmith

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Hi,

I would like to use 1-2 base scanners (uniden bc-15) in my car but do not want the battery to die when I am parked. I have seen some breaking news videographers using 4-5 at once in the armrest area. How are these powered?

I imagine my battery would die in winter within an hour or so with bc-15 on?

Is there a battery I can use to power the scanner so I don't have to worry about a dead car battery?

thanks.
Other than installing a second battery in your car that you hook up to a trickle charger overnight, I don't think so.

News agencies often have something additional like this to power Electronic News Gathering (ENG) equipment such as microwave transmitters and motorized antennas. They might charge off the vehicle alternator, but I doubt it.

Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
 

itopia

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thanks. i was watching "shot in the dark" on netflix and wondered how they keep them powered? can you use those car battery starters with 25000 amp batteries and cigarette battery outlet?
 

Project25_MASTR

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If your are referring to a setup similar to that of the scanners seen in Netflix’s “Shot in the Dark” then there are several solutions.

Most common would be to pull power 6 ga. for example from the battery to a relay and then on to a distribution block mounted in the console. A line coming off an ignition source would then be used trigger the relay in a manner which disconnects power from the radios when the vehicle is off. This has a downside if you live somewhere that is anti-idling.

Another method would be to put the power source for the radios on either a Low Voltage Disconnect or timer device (LVD’s are my preference). Probably the easiest method for the purpose.

If current requirements are high, multiple radios, scanners, lights, siren, etc you may see an additional battery in use with an isolator (mechanically isolates equipment from the battery used to start the vehicle and keeps it on its own battery).




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mmckenna

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Adding a second battery with an isolator is an option to power radios, but for a pair of scanners, that's kind of overkill. Might make sense if you were running several transceivers and a considerable amount of lights.

For a couple of scanners, you could do a few different things…
1. Take a power feed off the vehicle battery, run it through a relay that is triggered by the engine ignition. This will power the radios when the engine is running and shut off the power when it's not. Drawback is that you have to have the engine on for the radios to be on.
2. Take a power feed off the vehicle battery, run it through a relay that is triggered by the vehicle "Retained Accessory Power" (RAP, that's a GM term, but most cars have similar). The radios will be powered when you start the car, and will remain on even with the engine off, until you open a door or it times out.
3. The more common option in the radio industry is to use a timer device triggered by the ignition or RAP. Power from the battery is fed through the timer device to the radios. When the engine is started, the radios power up. When the ignition or RAP is shut off, the timer starts and the power will be disconnected when the times is up. Usually the timers can be set anywhere from a few seconds to several hours.

Option 3 is what you'll usually find in police cars. That way the radios shut down and the battery is protected. Actually, in some cases, there is an additional battery in the trunk (Crown Vic's and others) that charges off the alternator, but is isolated when the engine is off. That battery is often used to power the radios, lights, computer, etc. It going dead won't stop the car from starting.

For a few scanners, you could run a power feed off your battery to a Lind shutdown timer or Havis ChargeGuard type device, then to a fused distribution block near your radios. The shutdown timer/chargeguard would be triggered off ignition or RAP. That way your radios would have power when you start the car, but would power would be shut off after a time you set.

Here:
https://lindelectronics.com/product-category/shutdown-timers/
Havis Products | Auto Shut-Off Timers
They are pricy, but if you surf over to e-Bay, you can often find them in the $30 or less range. I've picked up a few for personal use for $20 or so.

As for the power distribution part:
https://www.amazon.com/MICTUNING-Il...1-spell&keywords=ATO+fused+distribution+block
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Sys...3-spell&keywords=ATO+fused+distribution+block
https://www.amazon.com/ZQUS-GZQ-8-W...8-spell&keywords=ATO+fused+distribution+block
 

jim202

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You can install one of the black modular relays you can purchase at the local auto store. They are rated for continuous duty.

Run it off of an ignition feed in the vehicle. This way when you shut off the vehicle, all the scanners will go off also. They use push on connectors or you can get one with screw terminals. I always get the type that use the push on crimp connectors.

One side of the coil goes to ground and the other side goes to the ignition feed.

On the DC power feed, find a source of 12 volts. Put it on one side of the relay contact and the normally open contact can go to the scanner power feeds.

Have fun and enjoy. Just don't let them sell you one of the metal horn relays. They are not meant to be energized for any amount of time. Just long enough to blow a horn. If you try to use one of these, they will get hot enough to just about burn your hand. Found that out the hard way many years back.
 

K9DAK

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Actually, in some cases, there is an additional battery in the trunk (Crown Vic's and others) that charges off the alternator, but is isolated when the engine is off. That battery is often used to power the radios, lights, computer, etc. It going dead won't stop the car from starting.

Yep, this is what we used on our boat back in the late '80s... after it almost sunk from the bilge pump draining the battery (old wood boat). :( We ended up with three batteries... one starting battery for each engine, and a third deep-cycle battery with an isolator hooked to the port-side engine charging system, with a solar panel charger as well, dedicated to the bilge pump. Never any more dead batteries or partially sunken boat. :p
 

lu81fitter

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I have a BCT15X in my truck. I was working nights one night in the winter, and I forgot to tun it off. It was February in Central Illinois and the temp was about 6 degrees overnight. My truck was a diesel, so it had 2 batteries, but the truck fired right up with the scanner still on after 13 hours in a wind blown parking lot. My batteries were only about 6 months old, but it didn't seem to affect anything. If you have a good battery, I wouldn't worry too much.
 

jonwienke

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Scanners (at least newer ones) don't draw much power. The 436 averages less than 1 watt of power consumption. If a standard battery dies after running a couple scanners for a few hours, you need a new battery.

The extra battery, heavy wiring, and isolator would make sense if you were powering transmit-capable radios which can draw a lot of power, but for modern scanners its pointless overkill. You should be able to run scanners for a day or two before killing the battery.
 
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KC4RAF

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I had my FT-2900 and the PRO-107 scanner on all night several months back. Got up the next morning and saw they were on an thought to myself the battery would be low. Tried starting and it fired right off. And that's with a walmart battery that's at least 2 years old!
I don't think you'll have any problems with one scanner left on. Two? Probably might be ok. Just check their manual and see what the current draw is and go from there....
Just read jonwienke's post and agree with him.
 

itopia

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Thanks for all the replies. I will test it with one BC15 connected via cigarette lighter. My battery is about 2-3 years old and not sure how well it will do in winter. I do want to get a large power source so the scanner doesn't have to turn on and off when I get into/out of the car. I also charge laptop and cell phones in the car so if there is any large battery that can handle all of these at once including scanner it would be great.

i use the Anker 25600 mah battery for charging macbook 12" via usb-c. it maintains the battery level if the laptop is on but i cannot charge other devices with it when it is charging.
 

ShyFlyer

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I accidentally left my 436 running all night and most of the next day (total 18 ~ 20hrs) a few weeks back. Not only was the scanner running (with backlight internal GPS module on) but so too was the powered speaker (BC23A). No problems encountered on start up. Vehicle is three years old with the OEM battery.

Not something I'd do on a regular basis, though.
 

kb3isq

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If you have a good battery you should not have a problem. I have a BCD536HP in my vehicle and it is on 24/7 with the backlight on high. It has been parked for 3 days with no problems at all. I do have a DROK® DC-DC Buck Boost Converter 5V-25V to 0.5-25V 2A High Efficiency Voltage Regulator 5V 12V Variable Volt Power Supply Stabilizers with Red LED , so it does not reboot when starting the engine.
 

mmckenna

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Thanks for all the replies. I will test it with one BC15 connected via cigarette lighter.

Check the owners manual for your car. Some have cigarette lighter plugs that are ignition switched. You may find that (if you have more than one) that some are constant on and some are switched.

If you really want to go the path of a secondary battery, it's very important that you use a properly sized fuse/circuit breaker between the primary battery and the secondary. Use the correct sized wire for your amperage draw. You also need to wire it through either an isolator or a relay to keep the starter from trying to pull current from the backup battery.

I'd agree it's overkill for a couple of scanners, but if you really are going to be running laptops off it, you may need it.

But first, check to see if there is a larger capacity battery for your vehicle. Not sure what you are driving, but upping the battery size might be a solution. Some full size American trucks have space for a second battery (usually used on the Diesel engine models, but empty for the gassers).

A good idea is to get a multimeter that is capable of reading amperage (preferably 10 or 20 amps) and use that to start checking all your accessories to see how much they draw. Total all that up and compare it to your battery size.

Guessing at this isn't a good idea. Having numbers you can work off of is a good plan, especially if you want the vehicle to start in the morning.
 
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