[VHFcontesting] ROVER Power Needs And Solutions during a VHF Contest.

[K7XC Tim Marek]

The cost of Contesting to a "High" level is dramatically more than
operating at a "Good" Level.

Take any sport and look at what it takes to perform at 20th place compared
to 1st place and you will notice a logarithmic increase in effort for less
and less return. Yet that's what Winners do as they are driven to win
regardless the cost.

Same applies to Radio Sport (IE: Contesting) as the effort to get into the
top ten is hard... to be #1 is ten times harder.

Back when I was part of a two man mountain top multi op contest crew, for
10 years we chased the top W7 score ever made and got close twice before
our friendship imploded over the stress of competing at that level. I spent
6 months each year doing planning, prep work, dry runs, repairing, etc
before heading to a different rare grid in N NV each year. We did it hard
and long for 10 years, growing the station over time. It began as fun and
ended as a full time job that was completely at the mercy of weather,
propagation, and health issues... I had to stop or it would drive me insane
as I could no longer maintain the energy to compete at that level anymore.

ROVER is just as bad if not worse once you factor in Driving 1700 Miles in
2 days while operating 4 bands and logging with paper and pencil on a 14"
clipboard. At 58 yrs old I just cant keep up the pace of either anymore so
I don't stay more than 8 ft from my bed and take several breaks with the
radio always on so I can jump up and resume contesting in a moments notice.

So, yes it become a mountain of stuff to operate "Well" but that is the
price you pay to play at that level. If being competitive isn't important
to you compared to having fun, then by all means have fun. When I contest
it has always been at as competitive a level I can afford (time, energy,
and money). Otherwise it has no real meaning to me.

So, I guess you have to decide what path to follow that is important to you
and move forward. Just wanted to let you know where I am coming from.

73s de Tim - K7XC - DM09jh... sk



On Fri, Sep 15, 2017 at 9:03 PM, John Young via VHFcontesting <
vhfcontesting at contesting.com> wrote:

> Tim,
> Your experience with the Russian Radar remind me of working on a Russian
> Rebege radar and mobile missile launcher in 94.  My buddy was down in the
> launch tube with an access door open to a high power supply.  He dropped a
> LARGE diameter screw driver and I swear plasma shot out of the launch tube.
> He was OK (hair was burned off, stank bad) but it melted the 1/2 diameter
> shaft screwdriver in half in a flash. The generator surged something awful
> but the radar was fine.......
>
>
> To the OP.
> Getting back on topic.  I drive to mountain tops and operate as a fixed
> station running off batteries and the alternator.  I manually connect a hot
> lead from the engine battery to the station batteries that are cab mounted
> to charge them up.  I also carry a spare engine battery just in case I
> forget to disconnect and drain everything down. I also carry a spare
> alternator.
>
>
> I run a pretty cheap set up.  Two group 24 deep cycle marine batteries in
> parallel and a TGE batter booster to keep everything at 13.5 volts.  I pull
> about 35 amps on TX with the radio, amps, computer and cell phone on
> charge.  Lighting is by battery powered LEDs or a head lamp.  I run my
> batteries down from 12.4 to 11.3 volts in about 30 to 45 minutes depending
> on how busy I am.  FM is not busy but you call CQ constantly praying for an
> answer.  The batteries  hold at 11.8 for quite a while.
>
>
> I lost a cell in one of these batteries late Sunday afternoon last
> September and it started pumping hydrogen sulfide gas into the vehicle.  I
> was able to take it for several hour since I had the doors off and hatch
> open.  I was  never so happy to make the final sched with K8GP/R so I could
> bail out with a sore throat and burning lungs.  Having two batteries and
> the TGE booster (plus a little stupidity) is all that kept me on the air.
> If this had happened last January it would have been a disasterous event
> for my contest score (doors closed to stay warm so I would have to have
> shut down).
>
>
> Now after 4 contests on that set up I am seeing the batteries start to
> drain down faster and take longer to charge back up.  They may need
> replaced soon.  They are cheap but when you have to replace 3 of them in 2
> years with something better (6V golf cart batteries are ideal) it is more
> expensive in the long run.
>
>
> I am looking at two options right now:
> I pulled the AC off my rig years ago and I could easily put a dedicated
> alternator in the compressors place. Isolation as described in earlier
> posts.
>
>
> I may also go to an inverter generator and a 50A power supply.  Its a lot
> of extra stuff to drag along.  Every field day I hear them sputter to a
> stop because everyone forgets to fuel them, another thing to worry about.
>
>
> Lots of great advice below.  My set up works but it has risks and is far
> from optimal.
>
>
> 73
> John
> KM4KMU
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