26
The SGC Building, 13737 S.E. 26th St. Bellevue, Washington 98005 USA
P.O. Box 3526, 98009 Tel: (425) 746-6310 Fax: (425) 746-6384
© 1997 SGC Inc.
In mobile HF communications systems, you probably won't even notice that power from your vehicle's motor
is being used. That is because your vehicle's alternator is producing a set amount of power, whether or not any
accessories (heater, air conditioning, lights, etc.) are being used. Likewise, even if you are
transmitting continuously, you probably won't notice any difference in performance between
that and driving without the transceiver.
Regardless, for any portable or mobile HF installation (marine, commercial, amateur,
etc.), SGC always recommends that a separate battery (or several) be devoted to the radio system. This works to
your advantage in several ways. If the radio needs more power, a second battery is in
reserve. If you need more power to start an engine, reserve from the second battery can be
used. Or if you are in an emergency situation with a nonfunctional vehicle, you will have
plenty of battery power to transmit for assistance.
The base station installation for HF SSB systems is generally quicker than VHF/UHF repeater systems because
of the different antennas that are required. An HF wire antenna can be easily hoisted into position with a rope in just
a few minutes. On the other hand, VHF/UHF antennas generally require a tall tower to reach an appropriate
operating elevation (thus, the new tower, in addition to the antenna, must be installed).
The HF portable antenna systems are typically also simple to install. SGC produces The SGC Quick Mount
System (QMS) in conjunction with the SG-230 antenna coupler and SG-303 high-performance antenna allows a
mobile vehicle installation within 15 to 20 minutes. This is slightly longer than the 10 to 15 minutes required for a
mobile VHF/UHF installation using a magnetic mount antenna. The trade off is the superior range, regardless of
terrain and lower initial overall system cost provided by HF SSB.
UHF/VHF magnetic mountings are usually not strong enough for commercial service, thus you might need to
drill a hole in the car body. Not only is the Quick Mounting System strong and easy to install, but you can just as
easily remove the system and place it on another vehicle.
In mobile, a separate
battery should be
dedicated to the
HF-SSB system.
An 80 AH gel cell
battery will provide
a healthy mobile
operation.
POWER
INSTALLATION
To Next Page