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Yaesu ft2900 and powering it with a 12v plug
6/9/2012 2:02:07 PM
Going on a short vacation to where I could be evacuating if there was a hurricane coming and I want to bring one of my 2900s to check repeaters along the way. I don't want to try to run a power wire to the battery since it's my wife's vehicle for now. Will using the cigarette lighter plug for power as long as I just use 10 watts ok? It draws 4A at 5w and 5A at 10w and 9A at 30w. Some friends said I'm good to go but I want more opinions.
6/9/2012 3:58:27 PM
It'll work, may have more ignition noise although you can get that hard wired too 
6/9/2012 5:23:26 PM
yep, noise could be an issue. you could probably run it at 30w but you would need to check the fuse size as well as the wire size going to the plug in the car. another option would be go to walmart and buy one of the aux power plugs. they have a larger AWG wire and you could mount it under the seat without her knowing about it till its to late. LOL. just remember to fuse the wires at the battery for the AWG of the wire it comes with.
6/9/2012 8:12:25 PM
First, you should check the fuse on the 12vdc socket; that will be your maximum current draw, assuming no loss and the socket is the only device attached to that circuit. Personally, and subjectively, to account for inefficiencies in the real-world (that simple math doesn't - which, incidentally, if you want to do the math, it's watts = volts * amps, keeping in mind a 12VDC vehicle is really a 13.8VDC vehicle when running), I'd down rate it by 10%. So, if it's a 5A fuse, assume 4.5A usable.
Modern vehicles are equipped with more than one 12VDC socket; if they're all on the same circuit and your wife wants to charge her phone (for instance - some iPhone and Android chargers will pull up to 2A), you'll have less available to your radio. Quick way to check that is to pull the fuse; if all the sockets go out, they're all on the same circuit.
I realize you were looking for a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer and it appears as though I'm complicating things; I don't mean to be. It can be a simple 'yes' or 'no' when you know what you're dealing with.
HTH.
Modern vehicles are equipped with more than one 12VDC socket; if they're all on the same circuit and your wife wants to charge her phone (for instance - some iPhone and Android chargers will pull up to 2A), you'll have less available to your radio. Quick way to check that is to pull the fuse; if all the sockets go out, they're all on the same circuit.
I realize you were looking for a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer and it appears as though I'm complicating things; I don't mean to be. It can be a simple 'yes' or 'no' when you know what you're dealing with.
HTH.
6/9/2012 9:18:16 PM
I appreciate all the replies. Ive decided just to bring my HT and connect it to my mag mount antenna since I don't need max power because I'm just checking to make sure the repeaters are still online. I'll bring my base radio to hook up once I get to my destination. I've gotten great results before using my HT and my mag mount before. Thanks everyone.
6/10/2012 2:03:32 PM
Might want to get it ready to run and pick up another cheap magmount, never can tell when you want to park on two freq at the same time.
Two is one and all that
Two is one and all that
6/10/2012 7:14:23 PM
Originally Posted By mylt1:
You would need to check the fuse size as well as the wire size going to the plug in the car.
You would need to check the fuse size as well as the wire size going to the plug in the car.
If it's a real "Cigar Lighter" socket (not a "DC Power" socket), it'll have a 15 or 20 amp fuse. However, you might have trouble finding a mating plug that's capable of carrying that much current - Most of 'em are rated for much less.
6/10/2012 7:37:26 PM
Its just a 12v power outlet not a real cigarette outlet. I'm just used to calling them that.
6/10/2012 7:57:36 PM
You're doing emergency prep . . try to do the full prep . . if you can't do it all, note the prep items needed and have the parts ready to go with you for when they might be needed.
Wire in a couple fused power poles at the battery and tuck the connector wire end up under the dash for emergency use when your test is over. The radio should also be fused and wired to mate up with the power supply.
For the vehicle you're not going to put in a full-power rig, consider having the power supply ready anyway for use with an RF amp to go with your HT if you're not using the 2900. (We got a used amp for about $35 that roughly doubles the HT range). With a mag mount in the trunk, all I ever have to bring is the HT but we still have much better range for days when conditions suck.
If you can't get it all done, at least get the parts ordered so you will have them for another trip. It also doesn't hurt at all to have a temp or spare power supply ready to install when the unexpected hits (change cars, rental, borrowed truck, etc.), and for use with battery clips if you need to pull a battery for backup power.
Wire in a couple fused power poles at the battery and tuck the connector wire end up under the dash for emergency use when your test is over. The radio should also be fused and wired to mate up with the power supply.
For the vehicle you're not going to put in a full-power rig, consider having the power supply ready anyway for use with an RF amp to go with your HT if you're not using the 2900. (We got a used amp for about $35 that roughly doubles the HT range). With a mag mount in the trunk, all I ever have to bring is the HT but we still have much better range for days when conditions suck.
If you can't get it all done, at least get the parts ordered so you will have them for another trip. It also doesn't hurt at all to have a temp or spare power supply ready to install when the unexpected hits (change cars, rental, borrowed truck, etc.), and for use with battery clips if you need to pull a battery for backup power.
6/13/2012 11:15:49 AM
I decided to go ahead and use my base radio with a 12v plug. The fuse on the power supply was 15A and at 30w my radio has a 9A draw. Everything worked great, with crystal clear comms. Definitely worth doing in a hurry if you need a quick way to power a radio.
6/13/2012 11:46:44 AM
we are going on vacation this summer, and I also want to temporarily mount a 2 meter rig in the wife's minivan.
I can't find a good place to mount a radio in her 2009 Toyota sienna
Ended up buying a el-cheapo sawtooth hump mount from amazon,
should be here in a few days. hope it's sturdy enough to hold my FT-1900 or IC-2100
I plan on running fused DC from the battery, thru the firewall, and a 19" mag mount
