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Re: [Amps] ALPHAs and momentary power outages

To: <rbonner@qro.com>, <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] ALPHAs and momentary power outages
From: "Roger" <sub1@rogerhalstead.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:47:41 -0400
List-post: <mailto:amps@contesting.com>

> OK I read all the UPS Jokes this morning and thought it was time to 
> respond.
>
> Now I'm not going to tell you using UPS's in ham radio is all hewy...  I
> have done it many times...  Mostly for Field Day setups.
>
> My first use of a computer UPS for FD was in 1988.
>
> We used a new fangled 1000VA one that had just come out.  Everytime the
> power surged from the generator it tripped and recycled.  We just powered
> the 100Watt rig from it.

OK, you are talking VA, I was alking watts. If you look at the UPS ratings 
it will have both with watts usually being half or less than the VA rating 
and the usual math will not get the equivelant VA to watts rating.
>
> That's a 1000VA unit.
>
Which might be good for 400 or 500 watts.

> In my business I have 4 3000Va units powering my server rack.  Plus we 
> also
> have 7 -1400Va units and a host of 1250 and 600Va units.
>
I use a 1500 VA, 800 watt unit on each of my computers. which with every 
thing running (including monitor) draw about 300 watts.

> The 3000Va units would not power a full power linear. Those are 150# units
> and are good for 6 minutes at full load.

I'd not expect to see them good for more than 1500 watts
>
> APC owns most of the UPS market in the USA..  Their normal units are 120V
> and 208 for 3 phase commercial applications (using 2 of the lines).
>
> We just removed a unit that supplied 80 amps to the server room power 
> panel
> at 240 V.  We've got 240 High leg 3 phase at our shop, 2 120's and a 
> 240...
>
> My guess is you could find one of those units for about $5000 used on ebay
> for your ham shack.

Look on the APC site, they sell used/reconditioned equipment like that 
direct.

>
> Unless you really need time to gas your generator while living in AFRICA,
> I'd stop the notion of using UPS's to power your Ham Amp.
>
> I've had the power blink maybe 5 times while operating contests in 35
> years...  None of them took me off the air.  If it did, I'd just get a 
> beer,
> because you'll be down a lot longer than a reasonable UPS could hold you 
> up.
>
> Now if you are building a contest station I could recommend a CUMMINS 
> DiESEL
> Gen set and UPS's but expect to spend about $50,000 for something worth
> anything.
>

I run a 9500 watt generator to power the house through a transfer switch.  I 
do not bother putting the station on the UPSs.  Too risky. I've put well 
over 100 hours on that generator powering the house in the last 6 1/2 years

> BOB DD
>
73
Roger (K8RI)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: amps-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:amps-bounces@contesting.com] On
> Behalf Of Roger
> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 11:50 AM
> To: Jim Brown; amps@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [Amps] ALPHAs and momentary power outages
>
> Yes, a proper sized UPS would work, but it has to be capable of supplying
> the peak AC power to the amp under load if that is when the power is
> interrupted rather than just the idle power.  That means a UPS capable of
> 2500 to 3000 watts peak and would probably cost as much as the Alpha. 
> Those
> in the neighborhood of a KW seem to run about a dollar a watt. I'd guess
> they get more expensive per watt much larger than that as I just looked at 
> a
>
> 1200 watt unit for $1,400.
>
>
>
>
>> On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 08:34:35 -0400, Paul Cassel wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks for your ideas?
>>
>> How about a UPS? If all we're talking about is a few seconds, one of
>> the beefier 240V models would probably have held it up.
>
> They really don't have any reserve capacity. Take one a tiny bit past it's
> limit and it'll just shut down, or at least all I've seen so far do.
>
> 73
>
> Roger (K8RI)
>>
>> Jim K9YC
>>
>>
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