I'm getting ready to put my Scout in the truck again. Found the
cause of a voltage drop problem: I crimped the cable lugs going to the
battery, but did not solder them. This invited corrosion and looseness.
Moral: Never crimp when you can solder!
Anyway, what is the preferred method of running the power return?
Most people fuse both sides of the power lines and connect both directly
to the battery, but some advocate connecting the return (negative) to
the vehicle chassis, near the battery, without a fuse.
In the former case, the fuse will protect the radio if the strap between
the battery and chassis breaks (not a very likely event). However, if
the low side fuse blows, the radio current will find its way back
to ground anyway through the coax braid or the ground post on the radio.
How do commercial 2 way radio installers do it?
73, Bob WB2VUF
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/tentecfaq.htm
Submissions: tentec@contesting.com
Administrative requests: tentec-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-tentec@contesting.com
Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
|