[Mishmash] The recent weather.

[Fred Atkinson]

Hi, Dick,


> > > I'll be going to Timonium hamfest next weekend.
> >
> >     Get yourself an Astron thirty-five amp metered supply.  That's
what
> >I've got.  I've got it rigged so I can connect my Kenwood TM-V7A to
it
> >the next time I bring it inside from the car.
>
> Thanks for the tip.  I'll look around for one.

    It's a sweet unit.  I forgot what the continuous rating is, but it
is more than my radio would ever pull.

> >     Have a good time at Timonium.  That was one I stopped going to
> >because they always made me do the Limbo Rock in the parking lot to
get
> >into the hamfest.  Are they still making you do that?
>
> Huh???   New one on me.  The tailgating area is usually crowded up
> there, but the
> most usual maneuver looked to me more like dodging and weaving than
dancing.

    When you parked on the infield, you had to crawl under a fence to
make it from the parking area to the 'fest.  That may be OK for some.
But it's a pain in the neck for most.

> >     I had been getting a lot of complaints from other hams about
> >ignition noise on my signal.  They said it competed with my voice
much
> >of the time.  I plug my unit in through the cigarette lighter plug so
I
> >can easily move the radio from vehicle to vehicle when it is
required.
> >Today, I saw the wires that Honda had connected to the back of that
> >plug.  The plug itself was rated at ten amps.  However, the wires
were
> >maybe one gauge bigger than doorbell wire.  With that fifty watt
radio
> >pulling probably seven or eight amps (while transmitting), I'm sure I
> >was getting quite a voltage drop while I was keyed.  I suspect that
> >greatly contributed to why the transmitter was picking up so much
> >ignition noise from the vehicle.
>
> I've followed handbook recommendations and connected my rig directly
> to the battery
> with a pair of heavy wire.  (#10, I think, but I'm not sure.)  My rig
> also runs a
> nominal 60 watts, much like yours, so skinny powerlines aren't going
to help.
> I had a lot of "fun" figuring out how to get the wire from the battery
into the
> passenger compartment without drilling holes in the firewall, but I
discovered
> that I could snake the wire along the inside of the driver-side fender
where it
> appeared with the door open, then between two pieces of rubber door
seal when
> the door is closed.  Works quite well, with no damage to the wire.
>
> >     So I stopped at a new car stereo place that had just opened near
> >here.  There were a couple of Korean men running it.  I told him that
I
> >wanted to run either number ten or twelve wire from the battery to
the
> >cigarette lighter and fuse it.  He said no problem and that he could
do
> >it right then.  He only charged me thirty-five dollars to do it for
me.
> >Twenty years ago, I'd have done it myself.  But I'm not good at
crawling
> >up under dashboards to run wire any more.  And as I am a rather big
guy,
> >crawling under the dash of that Honda Civic was out of the question.
> >
> >     I took off down the road and opened it up to forty-five (the
speed
> >limit) while transmitting at the radio's full fifty watts.  The
fellow I
> >was talking to over my ham set said if I hadn't told him that he was
> >looking for ignition noise, he'd never have noticed it.  He said
there
> >was barely any left.  So I think I solved the problem.
> >
> >     I can't believe Honda installed a cigarette lighter plug with
such a
> >small gauge of wire.  Sheesh.
>
> The after-market lighters I've seen in the auto parts stores have
wires that
> aren't all that impressive.  I'm not terribly surprised that the
factories use
> the same thing.

    Very true.  With all the customization going on you'd think they'd
sell some with higher current ratings.

> 73,
>
> Dick


    To you, too.



                                                                Fred,
WB4AEJ