6
West Mountain Radio
Operating Manual
Choose a 12 volt battery with an ampere-hour rating according to your power
needs. If the batteries are placed indoors they must be sealed for safety reasons.
Again, it is very important to place a fuse at the positive battery terminal.
Additional assistance may be found:
http://www.westmountainradio.com/capacity_calculator.php
West Mountain Radio carries size 24 Gel and AGM batteries, as well as smaller
and larger batteries.
Large batteries have side, post, or threaded terminals. Deep cycle, marine,
AGM, and others usually have 3/8 inch and 5/16 inch studs. Therefore, it is
recommended to use a short 3 feet #10 wire, Powerpole
®
on one end, an in-
line fuse (40-50A), and ring terminals for the battery end. West Mountain Radio
carries a battery fuse kit, wire, and Powerpole
®
.
Fully charged 12 volt Lead Acid batteries exhibit around 13.5 volts open circuit.
When supplying current, the battery’s internal resistance diminishes the voltage.
For instance, a 70 Ah battery will drop to 12.3 volts at 10 amperes at half
discharge. The
Epic
will give a drop of 0.05 volts, thereby providing 12.25 volts
to the radio. LiFePO4 batteries do not have this drop until they are over 90%
depleted.
The power supply can be adjusted to allow for a maximum charge to the battery.
Use a good voltmeter to get an accurate reading. Most power supplies have an
internal pot, even if it is a fixed voltage supply. Read the service and calibration
manual for instructions for each power supply.
All major radio manufacturers specify that the radio will operate up to 15 volts
DC. Therefore, using the
Epic
at an elevated voltage should not harm the
equipment. Vehicle alternators also will supply a higher voltage for battery
charging.
Gel Cells
Adjust the power supply to 13.9V to achieve a full charge.
AGM Cells
Adjust the power supply to 14.3V to achieve a full charge.
LiFePO4 Cells
Verify the charge voltage with the battery manual. Most large LiFePO4 batteries
have electronics between the terminals and cells. The optimum charge voltage
will there vary somewhat. The popular Bioenno Power batteries work well at
14.5V.
Summary of Contents for Epic PWRgate
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