Another question

[JohnnyFingers]

I hope I'm not being a pain but I'm new to CB and you guys are all I have for trustworthy information.

So I have my mobile cb in the house connected to a car battery. Is it ok to leave the cb radio connected to the battery while charging the battery. Again I thank you all for the help.

Johnny

 

[mmckenna]

Yes. Normally the voltage in a car fluctuates while starting and when the alternator kicks in. If you have a decent charger, then it should't be a problem. If you are using an unregulated wall-wart type charger, all bets might be off.

Bigger issue is that when charging a battery, especially car type batteries, they can release hydrogen. Hydrogen is explosive. It's a really good idea to either switch to a gel-cell type battery, or better yet, put the battery outside or in an enclosure that vents hydrogen to outside the house.

 

[slowmover]

MegaWatt Ham Radio Power Supply
33A @ $50

 

[FPR1981]

There are many knock-offs of this Mega Watt on Amazon for $23. I've bought about five of them. They're great power supplies.

 

[Duckford]

MegaWatt Ham Radio Power Supply
33A @ $50

View attachment 101803

How RF quiet are those compared to "specialty" radio power supplies? I've heard some people complain that the generic cheap ones can cause problems on HF in places. In fact, I've even replaced my MFJ 25/30 watt switcher with a big boi Astron 70 because even the MFJ was a little noisy here and there. The MFJ was getting really noisy when it was really cold inside the shack. And I hear the "radio specific" switchers have more filtering and other chokes to help kill RF that is inherent to switchers to boot.

 

[FPR1981]

Owned 5.

Zero noise issues

 

[wtp]

i did security years ago,
i had a car battery to power a pro2001 scanner and a trc451 or 450 CB, wired to the battery.
i would charge it up about once a week.

 

[KANE4109]

Aren't most car batteries sealed now? "No Maintenance"?
The question would be does it still vent gasses?

I also know that there are batteries called "sealed lead acid batteries" that a lot of hams use...and they are ... from what I have seen... safe.

[edited to add]
JUst googled and got this back.....


Do sealed batteries give off gas?
Sealed batteries contain enough electrolyte to last the lifetime of the battery. This means they never need watering and are considered to be maintenance-free batteries. Since the hydrogen in these batteries is absorbed in them, there is no poisonous gas emitted by these batteries.

 

[mmckenna]

Aren't most car batteries sealed now? "No Maintenance"?
The question would be does it still vent gasses?

I also know that there are batteries called "sealed lead acid batteries" that a lot of hams use...and they are ... from what I have seen... safe.

[edited to add]
JUst googled and got this back.....


Do sealed batteries give off gas?
Sealed batteries contain enough electrolyte to last the lifetime of the battery. This means they never need watering and are considered to be maintenance-free batteries. Since the hydrogen in these batteries is absorbed in them, there is no poisonous gas emitted by these batteries.

Yes, even maintenance free batteries have vents and will outgas.

All batteries have some sort of venting, some just do a better job of not putting anything out. Some batteries will recombine the hydrogen and keep it inside.

A gell cell is a good plan for what you are doing.

 

[JohnnyFingers]

Yes the battery I have is a sealed lead acid battery.

 

[jonwienke]

The new LiFePO4 batteries are better than any lead-acid type. They have a higher purchase cost, but lower total cost because they last more cycles and can be discharged more fully than lead-acid. And they're a lot lighter.

 

[KB4MSZ]

The new LiFePO4 batteries are better than any lead-acid type. They have a higher purchase cost, but lower total cost because they last more cycles and can be discharged more fully than lead-acid. And they're a lot lighter.

And a 4 cell provides a nice 13 volt source that is self regulated. Gives a bit of a boost over the 12.4 volt boat anchor.