Amateur Radio Emergency Power Supplies

During emergency conditions, normal AC electricity may not be available, and radio equipment used for emergency communications must have a source of power that is not dependent on AC electricity. Handheld FM transceivers have an internal battery, but the life of the battery is relatively short, and the use of that battery is not adequate as a power source for equipment that may be used for several days. Click the images shown below for larger views.

Marine Deep-Cell Battery

Most radio equipment that is used during emergencies is designed to operate from 12-volt power sources. Many hams use a large deep-cell battery as an emergency power source for their radio equipment. Deep-cell batteries receive less damage when they aren't recharged very often. A battery charger can be used to recharge the battery after AC electricity is reestablished.

Anderson Connectors

In order to standardize the connections between the battery and the radio equipment, many hams use Anderson connectors to connect the equipment to the battery. This standardization allows the battery to be used with various pieces of equipment that might be available during an emergency. Anderson plugs come in various colors, but red-black combinations are standard for power-supply connections. As a suggestion, permanently connect a jumper cable to the battery and install Anderson connecters to the other end. Put inline fuses in both wires to the battery, and be sure the fuses are rated for the maximum amount of current you will draw from the battery (in addition to your radio equipment, you may be using the battery for lights or heating water). This will allow you to connect radio equipment having Anderson connectors to your deep-cell battery.

Here is a video from youtube explaining how to fasten the connectors to wire.

Next, if you have a power adapter that connects your radio equipment to your vehicle battery via an automobile male power connector, you can create a jumper having a female connector on one end and Anderson connectors on the other end to connect your radio equipment to your deep-cell battery.

Finally, if your radio equipment has Anderson connectors, you can create a jumper cable with Anderson connectors on one end and a male automobile power connector on the other end, and this will allow your radio equipment to be used with your vehicle battery.

Anderson connectors can be used to connect a variety of plugs (banana plugs, alligator clips, barrel connectors, etc.) to your battery. Always use red and black connectors for 12-volt connections. Use other colors for other connections.

HT Batteries

Hand Transceivers (HT) come with a battery that is part of the transceiver. Because they are small, these batteries don't last very long, especially if one is doing a lot of talking on the HT. It is a good practice to have an extra battery that can be used when the original battery runs down.

Another battery-system that I've used with my HT is a 12-volt motorcycle or a gel-cell battery in a fanny pack that is turned 180 degrees to become a "stomach" pack. A jumper cable connects the battery to the charge-jack of the HT. The particular battery I used lasted for about 9-10 hours with a talk duty cycle of about 20% when I was NCS of my ARES net in Massachusetts. I've carried the fanny pack/battery combination on 20-mile hikes with boy scouts and had no problems with the extra weight of the larger battery. A battery charger with a trickle current of 1-2 amps charges the motorcycle battery in a few hours.

The following photograph shows the setup I'm currently using with my HT. The gel-cell battery is a 10 amp-hour battery. Notice that Anderson connectors are used with the HT (via a power connector) and the Battery. This gel-cell is larger and heaver than the one I used in Massachusetts, but it will last significantly longer before it has to be recharged. The HT is an Icom Dual Band IC-T7H, and the male power adapter is a Kenwood PG-3J. The speaker mike is a Yaesu MH-12. This HT is about 17 years old. The Kenwood adapter is fused, as is the line to the female power adapter. When the HT is first turned on, it displays the input voltage, and this helps me know when the gel cell should be recharged.