[VHFcontesting] Re. Fiery End . . .

[Marty Woll]

First, condolences to Jim.  Thank goodness you yourself were not hurt.  Any post-mortem on whether the cause was fuel leak, factory electrical or add-on electrical?

Second, re. W1RT's comment: John, with 500 AH of battery installed, I strongly suggest you put a Class T fuse as close to the battery terminal as possible.  Class T's contain arc-squelching powder and carry an Amp-interrupt ratiing in the tens of thousands of Amps.  Without one, you may have not just a fire but an explosion in case of a system short.  These things are available through marine retailers and off-grid distributors.   I have a 125A / 20k AIC Class T under the hood  right where the radio bus takes off from the SLI battery terminal.  Overkill? Maybe, but cheap insurance.  I am not an engineed, but Jim Oliff KE6URZ (designer of the RedDee-2-Connect Powerpole blocks), who is,  turned me on to these devices.  Having seen in my welding classes what high current can do  with the small gap typical of wimpy automobile fuses, I'm a believer!

73,

Marty N6VI