Today`s compact 100-watt HF rigs are designed to operate from about 12-16 volts, with output signal distortion, output power problems, and transceiver reset often occurring when voltage drops below 12 volts.
In the mobile environment, low voltage is caused in two ways:
First – even low resistance DC wiring can result in a noticeable voltage drop. For a 100-watt transceiver with a 20-amp typical current requirement, just 1/10th of an ohm resistance in your DC cable and connectors results in a 2-volt drop!
And second – when you turn your car off, battery voltage drops from around 13.8 volts to close to 12V after a short period of time. Couple this with any voltage drop in the cables, you suddenly have a problem.
MFJ’s Super Battery Booster eliminates low voltage problems by boosting input voltages as low as 9 volts up to desired 13.8 volts at up to 30 amps peak with a typical efficiency of close to 90%.
MFJ-4416C includes Anderson PowerPoleTM connectors and high-current 5-way binding posts for both the DC input and regulated output. An internal 30-amp input fuse protects the unit from excess output current demands.
There are also selectable limits on the minimum voltage that the unit will accept: 9-volts, 10-volts (default), and 11-volts. This protects you from over-discharging a battery and possibly damaging it. Also includes output over-voltage crow-bar protection should regulation be lost.
Two additional features offer ways to increase efficiency even more!
The external boost enable Input allows remote enabling of the MFJ-4416C. You can either ground a line or connect the line to 4-13 Volts. You can also use an amp key line or ignition source to enable.
The second efficiency enhancement feature is a user-adjustable output voltage control which lets you set the output voltage anywhere between 12- and 13.8-volts.
When setting the output at 12-volts, input voltages greater than 12V will pass through, but the efficiency of the regulator is higher. And lower input voltage means your transceiver will run cooler!
Typically save over 30 watts in heat dissipation during transmit, and even 3-4 watts during receive. So it can actually be good to let the voltage sag to 12V, then let MFJ-4116B protect from lower voltages. Just 73/4Wx4Hx21/8D” and lightweight at 1.3 lbs.
News
Radio Amateurs Help Air Ambulance
Peru’s Radio Club Peruano (RCP) reports that Guillermo Guerra, OA4DTU/XQ3SA, and the Peruvian Relief Net assisted an air ambulance en route to Easter… Read more
OSCAR Satellite QSO Party 1 Aug – 22 Sept
The objective of the AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is to encourage all radio amateurs around the world to get on the air and make contacts via sa… Read more
JARL Announces “Canceling” of “Ham Fair 2020”
The Japan Amateur Radio Federation (JARL) will hold the Amateur Radio Festival Organizing Committee on July 16, 2020, at Tokyo Big Sight on Saturday,… Read more
Radio Club of America Announces 2020 Award Recipients and Fellows
The Radio Club of America (RCA) has announced its 2020 award recipients and fellows, several of whom are radio amateurs. Recipients and fellows will b… Read more
Nature Communications Article Features LO-94, First Lunar-Orbiting Ham Radio Spacecraft.
Nature Communications Article Features LO-94, First Lunar-Orbiting Ham Radio Spacecraft A July 9 Nature Communications article, “Design and flight res… Read more
Antenna
EID175 Antenna Rotor – Eidolon from Norway
*sorry about quality image 1.244,0 Eur Weight: 21 kg Read more
Sea Water Antenna
The US Navy has created a device which turns a jet of sea water into an impromptu liquid antenna, creating a powerful, high frequency broadcast… Read more
Super Broad Band Stainless Steel Ham Antenna
Extremely Versatile, Highly Efficient, UV rated and Very Lite With Almost No Wind Load. With 18 Stainless wires 2″ inches wide for 10-20-40-80 m… Read more
Drone Antenna
“Let’s see if my new DJI Mavic Mini can lift a long wire to be used as an antenna for amateur radio! Not a practical solution by any means… Read more
Review
Straight Key Vs Paddle – Beginning Learning Morse Code
N4PBQ discusses the differences of learning to send Morse code on a straight key versus a paddle. Read more
Review of CW Morse Paddles with weighted base
“CW Morse (cwmorse.us) makes a variety of inexpensive, 3D-printed Morse code keys. They’ve now added paddles for iambic keyers to their li… Read more
ICOM IC-7300 Review and Full Walk Through
New technology is changing the way receivers are being designed and the IC-7300 is an industry first as an RF, Direct Sampling System is being used in… Read more
Elecraft KPA1500 Amplifier Presentation
KPA1500 solid-state amplifier won’t take over your entire desktop: it’s just 4.5 x 13.5 x 11.5”. KPA1500 solid-state amplifier won’t take over your e… Read more
Yaesu M1 – Desktop Microphone [ Video ]
Photo by Maggi Luigi IV3YER The Yaesu M-1 is a high-quality, innovative desktop microphone, designed for the discriminating operators. It features co… Read more
Equipment
New ! Ameritron SDC-104 Screwdriver Controller
Ameritron SDC-104 Super accurate tuning . . . Ultra-fast . . . Extremely Reliable . . . 88 memories . . . StallProtector . . .Fully RFI protected . …. Read more
Kenwood TS-480HX / 480SAT
Kenwood TS-480HX / 480SAT Tailor-made for DX’ing, the new TS-480HX HF transceiver raises the bar on portable performance. Despite its com… Read more
QRPGuys K8TND Regenerative Receiver – $40
“How better to explore the world of shortwave listening than with a regenerative receiver. The QRPGuys K8TND Regenerative Receiver covers the 60… Read more
Ten- Tec 507 Patriot – Open Source Arduino-based SSB/CW QRP Transceiver
The 507 Patriot utilizes a chipKIT Uno32 prototyping board which give users access to an Arduino-based programming environment. With its 32-bit… Read more
The post Super Battery Booster MFJ-4416C appeared first on QRZ NOW – Ham Radio News.