Icom A20 battery charge??

[nickjaxe]

Hi guys just bought myself a new ni-cad battery pack for my old A20, from a full charge how long should I get with the radio mainly on receive, also I used to run my VHF and intercom from the same battery which was a 12v 1.2ah gel sel the type fitted to burglar alarms and by chance I found with both units running from the same battery it was causing feedback and hum on transmit and receive which I have been trying to cure for a long time, I used to run the vhf without the ni-cad fitted to save weight and just plug the 12v supply from the gel sel into the 12v input on the top of the A20, just wondering if I am out flying and my new ni-cad pack were to go flat would it be in order to plug in the 12v supply from the gel sel back into the vhf with the ni-cad battery still fitted to the radio, and if so would I plug it into the 13.8v input on the ni-cad pack or the 13.8v input on top of the vhf, sorry to ask so many questions all at once.

Nick.

[Duck Rogers]

Hey Nick......I'm not familiar with the A20 and I stand to be corrected here by the more knowledgeable radio fundies on the forum, but I think the top input on the vhf is for external power and the input on the battery pack is to recharge the battery. So, it would seem that it will be ok to plug your portable gel pack into the top of the vhf should the nicads go flat and you should not have to disconnect the nicads first.
Can't help you with the stand-by time for a fully charged nicad pack though. If anyone on the forum has specs for the A20, perhaps they could check it up for us.

PS how's the wx in Rochdale?

[nickjaxe]

Thanks duck, its very windy and cold in the rochdale area no doubt better were you are.

Nick.

[ZULU1]

I work with plenty of these toys but have no full specs on the A20, I will get them this morning as I am going to Multisource. If I achieve then I will willing email them to you. The A20 has a different PTT switching circuit to the later models by the way, if not mistaken takes a 5k ohm resistor in series with the mic line as per the commercial radios. I stand to be corrected though. Will also advise after I have been through Multisources cupboards.

Battery life is difficult to determine as if transmitting then obviously it will draw more. As an example we have all the software and dongles for the Icom range, the ICA 6 (out of the box) lasts under an hour. When we play with them for the same performance we get 4 hours. Send me a PM with your email address.

Hope this helps.

As for the weather, its very hot and windy in KZN ...93%rh yesterday with 24 degrees...carb icing conditions...

eish ZULU1

[nickjaxe]

Hi zulu I would appriciate that thank you, my e/mail address as logged with this site is correct.

Nick.