Hey Bill..
I have the SGC 500 for >2 years, and which I have used for field day, and
other forms of messing around - enough, that I am comfortable with it.... I
also have the High Sierra screwdriver antenna... and a GM battery isolator,
and sundry other bits-n-pieces... All intended for installation on MY redneck
GM 4X4 pickup.... I second the comment that SGC has the best manual on mobile
power installations....
One thing I have learned is that the amp performs best with a solid input
voltage of 14 (or more)... It is absolutely thrilled with 16-18 volts, pumping
out 620 watts with 11 watts of drive... It is intolerant of sagging voltage
and will "failsafe" if starved... Notice too, that it sucks 90+ amps at
peak!.... Now, before you faint I mention that this is with CW as the
operating mode... I suspect it is more tolerant of SSB because the duty factor
is lower, but I admit that I have not tried it on SSB... Non the less, let the
voltage sag off and the microprocessor will throw a tantrum... I am
contemplating throwing an aluminum pickup toolbox right behind the cab and
putting the amp and another battery (or two) inside... This ought to greatly
improve the voltage sagging situation...
I also thought about mounting the antenna on the lid of the box, but
underpasses and trees become an iffy situation... Hmm... Maybe I could move to
montana where they don't have trees, wires, underpasses, etc.....
Denny
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions: towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests: towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
|