GMC Hams

[donald w. miller]

Glenn,

Check out SGC at http://www.sgcworld.com

Other sites of interest for those following this thread might be High Sierra
Antennas at http://www.hsantennas.com

some inverter or converter replacement related sites are

http://www.traceengineering.com

http://www.vanner.com

http://statpower.com

http://heartinterface.com

http://zapcom.net/~photron

Don (AC4AR)
'75 Glenbrook still in many pieces

- -----Original Message-----
From: Gplymate
Date: Tuesday, August 04, 1998 21:10
Subject: GMC: GMC Hams

>Today's Digest really perked up my eyes; it was the first I'd seen with the
>word "ham" in conjunction with GMC's... and today I saw it THREE times!
>
>First, Dick Kennedy mentioned the idea of using an Astron power supply in
>place of his old converter. What a GREAT IDEA! But, he also mentioned the
>disadvantage of not being able to keep his batteries charged with that
setup.
>Why not just add a small, inexpensive auto battery charger to the setup?
>Isolate the batteries from the power supply and you keep your batteries
>charged while supplying power to your 12V coach system. Might take some
>inovative switching but it should do the the job at low cost and give you a
>reliable, up-to-date system.
>
>Then, Larry Nelson (WB0JOT) said he was going to put a High Sierra antenna
on
>his coach. If it's properly installed, it should give excellent results.
The
>High Sierra is a knock-off of the "screwdriver" antenna invented by Don
>Johnson W6AAQ, and he's got a ton of ideas on how to mount them. Rule
number
>one is to get the antenna mounted as high as possible and to not have the
coil
>blocked by nearby metal. A nifty installation I saw recently had the
antenna
>mounted on a bracket near the top of the ladder at the rear of the RV. A
>ground wire should be run to the vehicle frame from wherever the antenna is
>mounted. With this antenna, no tuner is required. One of its major
>advantages is the abilty to tune to the frequency you want by simply
adjusting
>the length of the coil with the "screwdriver" motor, from inside your
vehicle.
>
>Finally, Don Miller (AC4AR) chimed in and told about the automatic antenna
>tuner he is building into his coach and how he's going to use his ladder as
>part of his antenna system. Way to go, Don! Should make a real stealth
ham
>rig.
>
>Both he and Larry mentioned SGC equipment. That's a new one on me; don't
know
>what it is. Maybe I haven't been a ham long enough... but, for a new kid,
I
>have a keen interest in running mobile. Nothing like a DX QSO to while
away
>the time while you're driving.
>
>Any other hams lurking out there in GMC-land?
>
>Glenn (KC6BFW)
>'78 Kingsley
>

 

[marcus mcgee]

> I have been collecting battery/inverter data for years + I operate a tour boat
> that is a battery test bed. I'll be adding a 50w solar collecter to the roof
> of my coach along with a systems monitor. Already have a Heart Inverter (700w)
> from my last coach. Larry Nelson, Palm Beach 75

Larry;

If you are looking at Solar panels we have been using some (200+) over
the past 5 years. We have tested a great many of the different
manufacturer (Siemens, AR and others) and have found the Solarcon to be
hands down the best in efficiency and teh ability to stand partial
shading of a cell. When you are ready to buy let me know and if you
want I will call my distributor and get a wholesale price. They are
more expensive that tne others but work much better. A 5 watt unit is
around $60 and the 10 Watt that we started using is $120.

Marcus

 

[jim bounds1]

Larry,
I do not have a ham ticket, my dad did (W4UZB) and when I did
transmitter repair for Lafayette Radio I used his # to DX all over.
Went into consumer electronics from there- more opertunity. I do still
have his 2 meter rig and vow to jump through the hoops for a technician
ticket soon.

You are right, a good converter will save you many $ in dead batteries,
I also have a few primary wiring mods I do to units that logically help
conserve current and thats what 12 volt circuits need to do! I also
employ a 30 amp solid state converter that I have had very good luck
with. They run about 175.00. For a little more, they also have a 40
amp. model that works well too!

If you would like to talk further about the 12 volt mods I do, give me a
call toll free on Friday at 1-877-275-4462.

Jim Bounds www.gmccoop.com

>
> I would suggest that you cannot spend too much money on a charger for your
> valuable batteries. Smart chargers, with three stages of charge, are the only
> way to go, or, trust me, you'll be replacing your batteries every year. A good
> 30 amp charger will cost over $300 discounted, but will be the way I go after
> all the mechanical systems are to my liking. BTW, the SGC is an almost
> "industrial" ham rig, also used by the military. I have all the back issues of
> GMCMM and particularly look at the ham radio installations on the Coach of the
> month.
>
> I have been collecting battery/inverter data for years + I operate a tour boat
> that is a battery test bed. I'll be adding a 50w solar collecter to the roof
> of my coach along with a systems monitor. Already have a Heart Inverter (700w)
> from my last coach. Larry Nelson, Palm Beach 75