Mastiff2013
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- Apr 8, 2013
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How would a MXT400 radio be powered if it will be used in house? Is there any way to convert it to use household electricity?
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GMRS radio used in house as base station
- Thread starter Mastiff2013
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bhamilton930
Member
like any mobile base radio, use a power supply that converts dc/ac.
here's my model i use for my CB, HAM and GMRS. the Kenwood tk-8180 is a mobile radio which does not have an AC plug in the wall power adapter. all the radio's mentioned in this thread run off 12v DC current.
my power supply
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Supply...6198&sr=8-1&keywords=jetstream+power+supplies
here's my model i use for my CB, HAM and GMRS. the Kenwood tk-8180 is a mobile radio which does not have an AC plug in the wall power adapter. all the radio's mentioned in this thread run off 12v DC current.
my power supply
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Supply...6198&sr=8-1&keywords=jetstream+power+supplies
n1das
Member
The Samlex SEC1223 is a popular power supply for powering mobile radios. 13.8VDC / 23A rated output. I have several of these in service and they have been very reliable. They have a clean and well regulated output. I have also found them to be fairly RF-quiet and RF-immune, making them a good choice for powering mobiles. The SEC1223 supply barely gets warm while transmitting with a 50W UHF mobile all day long (the mobile draws about 9.5A).
Samlex SEC-1212 SEC-1223 Power Supply SEC1212 SEC1223
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ChitheadDeSo
Member
Does anyone that has a radio powered via an adapter have some sort of battery back up for it? If so how did you set this up?
bhamilton930
Member
Why run a battery in parallel ? Just run off of the D.C. Power supply. A battery won't be able to recover fast enough from voltage drop, even when a trickle charger is inline when under load.
I suggest a power supply like what I run. Which is a 12 VDC 45 Amp Power Supply w/Meter and Lighter Plug
Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D6BJ5Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kOJOybJNG02QS
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Not true, if the battery has enough capacity to run the radio on its own. Otherwise, how would a UPS react fast enough to maintain power in an outage???
bhamilton930
Member
Actually that is true. And I already explained it. A ups will maintain voltage for a couple minutes to a few hours depending on usage and application load
You would need a different power source other than a lead acid battery. Or use maybe a few deep cycle batteries in parallel (bigger fuel cell)
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bhamilton930
Member
A battery with a good charger that has a maintenance mode will provide a good source of emergency power. Pick a battery/charger combination that you think will meet your needs. I use two 30 amp sealed gel cells in series and they provide plenty of backup.
Then you admit this statement is wrong. UPSs do exactly that every day--recover seamlessly from dips in AC voltage or complete loss of AC power by switching to battery power nearly instantaneously.
Using a battery charger as a power supply is a bad idea. Many chargers use pulsed or unfiltered DC outputs (particularly lead-acid chargers--it reduces electrolysis of the electrolyte) that work fine for charging a battery, but will induce loud background buzz or hum when transmitting, even with a battery in paralell.
lucky43113
Member
I have done this years ago using a battery charger to power a cheap cb the background noise is unbearable
ChitheadDeSo
Member
That all makes sense but for the sake of curiosity, what about putting a solar powered charger on it with some form of capacitor or something? Anyone have experience with that? Using this as normal power would mean no need for backup cause it is its own backup.
A capacitor isn't going to provide more than a few seconds of power unless you use an ultracapacitor bank--that will give you a few minutes of power. You'll need a battery for longer-term power supply, and either AC or solar to keep the battery charged.
to put back the capacity you drained while using the radio for any length of time would take a large cost prohibitive solar array
you can buy an Astron power supply that has battery backup and buy a deep cycle battery
it float charges the battery 24-7
you hook your radio to the battery and you are running off it so when power fails you don't even notice
you can buy an Astron power supply that has battery backup and buy a deep cycle battery
it float charges the battery 24-7
you hook your radio to the battery and you are running off it so when power fails you don't even notice
Solar has gotten a lot cheaper. You could build a solar setup capable of powering a typical HAM radio 24x7 for less than $1000, including the storage batteries for operating at night and charge controller.
bhamilton930
Member
Oh yeah man. I've even seen little solar cb set ups (for the prepper off grid types) for as little as 300 bucks
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