I can't say enough good things about Xantrex myself. I have a Link 20 monitor system on my boat and I love it. Several of the boat owners I know use Xantrex products as well and are very happy with them.
As far as batterys go nothing beats golf cart batteries for the money. If you have unlimited budget get the Rolls Gel Cells that have the individual cells in them. if not then get 2 six volt golf cart batteries and run them in paralell. That is unless room is an issue then go straight gel cell. I run a set of 245 amp hour golf cart batteries on my boat and they were $86.00 per battery plus a core charge. Vern On Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:38:56 -0600 "John Barrett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My suggestion would be to look at the Xantrex >C12/C30/C40/C60 Charge/Load > controllers (they can be used as either, but not both at >the same time). > > > > As a load controller, it provides a low battery voltage >cut-off so you don't > destroy the battery by over discharging > > > > As a solar charge controller, it gives you full 3 stage >charging for SLA/AGM > batteries. and they co-exist nicely with the Xantrex >battery chargers for > the times when you have "shore" power available to >recharge the batteries. > > > > If you are looking for a 120vac solution.. look at the >Xantrex Freedom > inverter/charger combo - that's what I use on my >emergency services trailer. > 140 amp charger, 3000w inverter, and 2000ah of SLA >battery bank :-) Most of > the gear runs on 12v, but I've got 120 for the gear that >needs it. and a C40 > charge controller in load control mode between the >batteries and the gear to > protect the batteries. > > > > If your gear is picky about the voltage it is happy at. >look into a 13.8v > stabilizer - normally used in huge car stereo >installations. it is > essentially a 13.8v supply that will work from any input >voltage 9v or > greater. you don't ever want to discharge SLAs below 10v >(the load > controller handles that) but most radios are unhappy >below 12v (and the > stabilizer handles that, bringing up whatever is there >to 13.8v). I found a > 40 amp stabilizer for right around $100 > > > > _____ > >From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of >ldgelectronics > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 4:55 PM > To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Re: power supply / battery >system for repeater > site (long) > > > > Mark, > > There have been some good suggestions. However, there >are two issues > that you need to watch carefully for remote battery >backup operation. > The first, as some have mentioned, is the charge current >if the > battery is run down and AC power comes back. > >For example, if you just tie a battery across your power >supply (with > a diode or whatever), it will be a great back up. But >after it has > run on the battery for many hours and the AC power comes >back up, the > power supply will send a bunch of current to try to >charge the nearly > dead battery. This will almost certainly blow the fuse >between the > power supply and battery as it could be 100 or more >amps. > > A simple solution is to run the repeater off the battery >and just use > a charger to keep the battery happy (charged or >uncharged). > > While this sounds good, it exposes a huge problem that >is often > overlooked. And that is what happens when the battery >runs down. > > Running the battery completely down does two things, >first it > drastically reduces the number of times it can be >charged and second > it usually ends up in transmitter cycling mode for many >hours or days. > > [Transmitter cycling mode is when the battery runs down >far enough > that it can't power the transmitter, but can barely >power the > controller. This ends up with the controller coming on, >which keys > the transmitter to ID, then the battery voltage drops >(because of the > transmitter) and the controller turns off because the >voltage is too > low. The transmitter goes off when the controller goes >off and the > battery voltage slowly increases back to the point to >where the > controller will come on. Repeat this for days and days >or until the > battery is completely dead and probably could never be >charged again] > > To combat these two issues, there are two options. One >is to power > the system off the battery and use a small power supply >to charge it, > but then insert a battery controller system to handle >the charging > and Low Voltage Disconnect (LVD). > > The are plenty of 20 amp solar panel controllers for >around $50 that > will handle nearly everything for you. Larger ones are >also available. > > The second method is to modify a simple Uninterruptible >Power Supply > (UPS). Just take the battery out and connect your larger >external > battery in its place. It will take care of the charging, >LVD and give > you 110 volts. Just be sure to pick one that is rated >twice of your > max watts. If your repeater draws 20 amps at 12 volts, >that's 240 > watts. So be sure to get a 600 watt UPS (or higher). > > Used 1200 watt UPSs are under $50 on ebay. Many of them >that cheap > may have a bad battery. Since you're going to use your >own external > 120 AH (or whatever) battery, it would not matter if the >used one is > bad. You get the better deal since no one else wants to >buy a UPS > with a dead battery. > > I have both types and while the solar controller method >is more > efficient, the UPS method is somewhat easier. Take your >pick. > > Dwayne Kincaid > WD8OYG > >> Willis, I have used a simple diode circuit in several >> repeaters I have converted to battery backup. I like >> the solid state solution more than a mechanical relay >> for reliability. >> >> The circuit is as follows: >> >> Place a diode in series with the output of your power >> supply. (it can be the internal supply) >> >> Place a diode in series with the battery output to >> your repeater load. >> >> Place a diode and resistor (10 ohm 25 watt) in series >> between the power supply output and the battery. >> >> All diodes have their cathode or bar pointed toward >> the load. Choose the diodes to carry the current the >> repeater is drawing. (the battery charging diode >> needs to only handle a couple of amps) If the battery >> goes down completely, the resistor limits the charging >> current so the power supply is protected. Raising the >> output of the power supply by .7 volts to overcome the >> drop in the diodes would bring the power back up to >> what it was. Another factor would be to adjust the >> power supply output so that the battery floats at 13.5 >> VDC for optimizing the battery charge vs electrolite >> loss. >> >> 73 - Jim W5ZIT >> >> --- "Willis M. Hagler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> > Hello Everyone, >> > >> > I am wondering what repeater operators commonly use >> > when a 12v power >> > supply as well as a battery charging and switching >> > system is needed at >> > a repeater site. >> > >> > My repeater has an internal 120v power transformer >> > that feeds a 12v >> > regulator box, and also has a battery circuit on the >> > back of the >> > repeater that will allow it to draw from batteries >> > when the main power >> > is lost. It supplies a very low current trickle to >> > keep the batteries >> > charged up, however if the batteries drain due to >> > extended power >> > outage it does not provide any sort of reasonable >> > facility to charge >> > them back up again. >> > >> > The manufacturer recommends to take the batteries >> > off, charge them >> > externally, and then return them to float charge... >> > however that's not >> > very feasible if the repeater is located on a >> > mountain or some other >> > location that's not easily accessible on short >> > notice. >> > >> > I'm thinking of just ditching the internal power >> > supply and building a >> > more robust off-board power supply and battery >> > charging system that >> > can switch onto the batteries and charge them up >> > again when the main >> > power returns. >> > >> > For use at home I like the PWRGate units which >> > maintain the batteries >> > nicely but I am wondering if others have used those >> > at repeater sites >> > with no trouble? >> > >> > Thanks anybody who has information to provide. This >> > group is a >> > wonderful resource for all things repeater-related. >> > >> > Yours, >> > >> > Mark Hagler >> > W7WMH Seattle >> > >> > >> > >> >> >> >> > __________________________________________________________ > ______________ >> Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. >> http://www.yahoo. <http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs> com/r/hs >> > > >
