Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.
Gordon

--

Ask not for whom the terrorist bell tolls; it tolls for thee, and thee, and
thee--for decent, innocent people everywhere.

Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

Gordon wrote:

Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.

Is it a DSC radio? Maybe it draws something to save the position data?

If nothing else you've learned that hooking anything direct to a battery
is not a good idea. For me, everything on a boat needs to be on a
breaker (with the possible exception of a bilge pump with a foolproof,
zero draw, switch).

If you're short on breakers you can usually isolate a group of low draw
accessories like the radio on one breaker that is large enough to handle
them all (each device with individual an in line fuse on it power lead
of course).

Do you have an mains switch on the battery? That should turn off
everything in the boat.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

"Gordon" wrote in news:11srl5kllv56b14
@corp.supernews.com:

Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked
up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.
Gordon


The radio manufacturers, in their efforts to make them as cheap as
possible, aka consumer cheap, leave 12VDC on the RF power amplifier IC
Brick bolted to the rear heat sink all the time. The high amperage
doesn't go through the little transistor radio power switch you switch on
and off from the front panel.

The IC brick runs Class C because marine radio uses FM transmitters, and
this is normally just fine. Class C doesn't conduct until you press the
transmit button and the RF from the driver stage forces it into
conduction past the bias point.

Unfortunately, in our efforts to make it "consumer cheap", the tiny
gaskets around the speaker, various controls, case fittings, etc., have a
tendency to leak, they hope past the end of the warranty period.
Seawater spray, a great conductor, eating away at every component it
touches inside the box, forms a little resistor between the pins on the
IC brick, between the always-on 12V pin and the bias set point pins,
turning on the IC brick all the time. I had a Standard Eclipse + this
happened to that killed the jetboat battery deader'n hell because its IC
brick drew THREE AMPS ALL THE TIME! It even killed the battery with the
1.5A float charger running! The heat sink, heated with 40 watts from the
brick, was hot!

All the radios I know of are wired like this. The only safe cure is to
ALWAYS turn off the BREAKER to all the cheap marine electronics crap
every time you turn it off. Power disconnected, no current.

Of course, this radio with the salt spray eating away at the components
and circuit board inside is toast. Buy another radio. This one is gone!

May I suggest trying the Icom, instead of Standard, this time. I
replaced my Eclipse + twice before giving up and replaced them with an
Icom M59 into the same hole in the jetboat. The M59 is still being used
by the boat's new owner and works just fine aboard "Tess Tickles II"...
(c;

Sorry it ruined your battery. It ruined mine, too.

Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

Now, the trick is to remember to turn the main battery switch off!
I'm good at turning everything on my boat off, but often forget the main
battery switch because I don't see it. I mounted it on the side of the
engine box, under the rear, lift off seat, to keep it close to the batteries
and to protect it from damage and water. (I've got a bowrider and one use is
for water sports.)
I hard wired a cable to the mount for my hand held GPS, to avoid using the
cigarette lighter plug. The cable has a monitor light to indicate when power
is applied but since it's under the instrument panel and out of site I don't
see it, and it continues to draw power unless the main battery switch is
off. So, I guess I should add a switch to the GPS circuit. It's powered all
the time so that it will operate regardless of ignition key position while
fishing and as an anchor watch.

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Gordon wrote:

Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.

Is it a DSC radio? Maybe it draws something to save the position data?

If nothing else you've learned that hooking anything direct to a battery
is not a good idea. For me, everything on a boat needs to be on a breaker
(with the possible exception of a bilge pump with a foolproof, zero draw,
switch).

If you're short on breakers you can usually isolate a group of low draw
accessories like the radio on one breaker that is large enough to handle
them all (each device with individual an in line fuse on it power lead of
course).

Do you have an mains switch on the battery? That should turn off
everything in the boat.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

This is on a 32' sailboat where all electrical is normally off for long
periods while sailing to conserve power. Radios are often wired directly so
they are immediately available if needed. I think I'll just wire in another
switch alongside the radio or at the pedestal to control radio power.
Gordon


"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Gordon" wrote in news:11srl5kllv56b14
@corp.supernews.com:

Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked
up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.
Gordon


The radio manufacturers, in their efforts to make them as cheap as
possible, aka consumer cheap, leave 12VDC on the RF power amplifier IC
Brick bolted to the rear heat sink all the time. The high amperage
doesn't go through the little transistor radio power switch you switch on
and off from the front panel.

The IC brick runs Class C because marine radio uses FM transmitters, and
this is normally just fine. Class C doesn't conduct until you press the
transmit button and the RF from the driver stage forces it into
conduction past the bias point.

Unfortunately, in our efforts to make it "consumer cheap", the tiny
gaskets around the speaker, various controls, case fittings, etc., have a
tendency to leak, they hope past the end of the warranty period.
Seawater spray, a great conductor, eating away at every component it
touches inside the box, forms a little resistor between the pins on the
IC brick, between the always-on 12V pin and the bias set point pins,
turning on the IC brick all the time. I had a Standard Eclipse + this
happened to that killed the jetboat battery deader'n hell because its IC
brick drew THREE AMPS ALL THE TIME! It even killed the battery with the
1.5A float charger running! The heat sink, heated with 40 watts from the
brick, was hot!

All the radios I know of are wired like this. The only safe cure is to
ALWAYS turn off the BREAKER to all the cheap marine electronics crap
every time you turn it off. Power disconnected, no current.

Of course, this radio with the salt spray eating away at the components
and circuit board inside is toast. Buy another radio. This one is gone!

May I suggest trying the Icom, instead of Standard, this time. I
replaced my Eclipse + twice before giving up and replaced them with an
Icom M59 into the same hole in the jetboat. The M59 is still being used
by the boat's new owner and works just fine aboard "Tess Tickles II"...
(c;

Sorry it ruined your battery. It ruined mine, too.

Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

Gordon wrote:
Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.
Gordon

5ma (.005) x 24 is .12 amp/hours per day
..12 x 30 is 3.6 amp/hours per month
3.6 x 3 is 10.8 amp/hours in 3 months

How small a battery is this?

Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

Do the math.

5 mA.= 1/200 of an amp. Typical battery is 60 amp hours.

60 / 1/200 = 12000 hours = 500 days for the radio to flatten the battery.

Look elsewhere, like self discharge in the battery. A battery left
for more than a couple of weeks should be on a smart trickle charger.
500 days is a heluva lot more than a couple of weeks.


"Gordon" wrote in message ...
Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.
Gordon

--

Ask not for whom the terrorist bell tolls; it tolls for thee, and thee, and
thee--for decent, innocent people everywhere.

Standard Horizon Matrix w/command mic vhf
 

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 15:39:56 -0800, "Chuck Tribolet"
wrote:

Do the math.

5 mA.= 1/200 of an amp. Typical battery is 60 amp hours.

60 / 1/200 = 12000 hours = 500 days for the radio to flatten the battery.

Look elsewhere, like self discharge in the battery. A battery left
for more than a couple of weeks should be on a smart trickle charger.
500 days is a heluva lot more than a couple of weeks.


"Gordon" wrote in message ...
Why does the above draw 5 ma when turned off? Had this sucker hooked up
direct to the batt and over several months, it drained the it.
Gordon
Do the math's properly!
5ma is 59390hrs from a 60Ah battery with Peukert exponent applied,
2474 days, 6.77 years.
However obviously internal losses will flatten the battery much
earlier!

Richard

Nb "Pound Eater" Parkend G+S
Please remove your hat when replying