Originally posted by HuronSailor
Originally posted by David
Going to try running my radio off of the WFCO - just for the halibut. Worked OK here, but it was not charging the battery. I don't know if the WFCO would work well charging AGM batteries??? |
At one time I had a ham station on my boat, and the 3 stage charger was filthy dirty RF-wise, so I'm interested to see how the WFCO affects your signal. Of course, I also tended to affect things around me when I transmitted. CW made the lights on the compass binnacle flash, and I once tripped out the GFCI breakers on a nearby box in a marina in Canada.
Also, I believe AGM and gel cell batteries require different charging voltages than the flooded batteries normally supplied with the pods.
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Thanks for the info, Huron. The power supplies seem to be fine for everything except radios. I have tried the following, with the most noisy to the least noisy on receive. TX wise, no negative comments from anyone using any of the scenarios:
1. Shore power, WFCO on using power, charging battery (S-9+20 chirp), and TV antenna amplifier on (radio was running off of a separate switching power supply). I did not even try to TX, as I could not hear anyone.
2. As above, but not charging battery (about S-7)
3. As above, but also TV amp off (about S-4-5)
4. Shore power, WFCO on, TV amp off, with radio tapped into distribution panel** - WFCO +battery (about S-3)
5. Battery only, darned near like 2 meter FM...no noise, other than natural atmospheric

. I had no trouble copying New Zealand (LSB 40M), who was S-0!
** The last 2 slots on my distribution panel will accept 30 amp circuits (should be the same on Pod).
I took along a 2 meter HT and listened to myself on FM and it seemed clean.
However, as I have 2 good power supplies sitting around, I am going to swap out the WFCO and add a West Mountain PWRgate to handle the charging/switching duties and go with 2-3 AGM type batteries - which I can mount inside the camper....it's only money

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