[UK-CONTEST] Generator reccomendations?

[Ian White GM3SEK]

Tom Wylie wrote:
>If you hire a generator from a plant hire company insist they 
>demonstrate it to you under load before accepting it
>
>Sometimes, if they are used for example on motorway lighting or 
>something like that they have set the output up as high as 26/270 volts 
>to compensate for long cable volts drop.    Ensure it runs at 230v 
>under load....
>
As well as checking the steady voltage as Tom suggests, it pays to take 
along a few 230V AC dummy loads, and a test lamp to show up any nasty 
dips or surges as the load comes on and off.

Dynamic regulation can be a big problem with QRO multi-band events like 
VHF NFD, because sooner or later it's going to happen that all four 
stations go back to TX at the same moment. The gene was really pouring 
it on, then suddenly the load disappears. The motor over-revs before the 
regulator can stop it, and the output is heading for 300V. That can 
easily take out transceiver PSUs as well as rectifier strings in PAs.

"Headroom"  is often a good idea, ie a much higher-rated generator than 
the station apparently needs, but of course you pay for that. An even 
better idea is an old-fashioned gene with a bloody great flywheel to 
keep the rpm steady. But there is no way to know how good or bad the 
regulator is going to be, without actually testing it in the yard.


-- 
73 from Ian GM3SEK