Aerial amplifier power usage.

[Anseo]

I'm interested to know how much current an aerial amplifier draws ,

I am trying to track down the cause of current draw on my battery, the aerial amplifier is one suspect.

Thanks all.

 

[Craigyoung]

My tv booster unplugged and radio front off by the source button .

 

[Woodentop]

I'm interested to know how much current an aerial amplifier draws ,

I am trying to track down the cause of current draw on my battery, the aerial amplifier is one suspect.

Thanks all.

Depending on model 55-95mA. That would mean that worst case your 85AH battery would be discharged in 850 hours or about 5 weeks or less, possibly much less. Look it up on the Vision-Plus web site.

There is no need to remove the front panel of a radio - the current drawn when it is off is only a milliamp or so and removing the front panel will make no difference to that as the switching circuitry is within the radio, not the front panel.

Does your caravan have an alarm or Tracker as they can also sink a battery?

 

[Craigyoung]

I didn't mean to say remove the front of the radio but to actually make sure it is turned off off at the source power button even if it is on and you unclip the front thinking that it'll be turned it off , it is still sourced on .

 

[Hutch]

I pull the main 20 amp "battery" fuse, which then isolates all circuits, the radio, Ariel amplifier, the fridge and the master control panel. Which does not isolate everything. Which leaves the alarm to power itself from its own battery. The tracker on my last Coachman would flatten the battery in about 5 weeks.

 

[Anseo]

I pull the main 20 amp "battery" fuse, which then isolates all circuits, the radio, Ariel amplifier, the fridge and the master control panel. Which does not isolate everything. Which leaves the alarm to power itself from its own battery. The tracker on my last Coachman would flatten the battery in about 5 weeks.

I recall you mentioning that before Hutch.

I shall follow suit from now on.

Ta.

 

[Malx]

Does anyone know how much power a phantom tracker uses?

 

[RogerL]

It varies according to the phone signal strength - in a poor signal area the unit continuously tries to contact the control room and can flatten a leisure battery in under a fortnight - in a good signal area it uses a lot less.

 

[Malx]

Great answer, but hard to believe so I did a calculation.

so we are talking about 30 amp hours a week.?
Or 0.2amp hour per hour,
a current consumption of 200 mA, yes I can believe that, thanks.

A supplementary question…

suppose the caravan is in a metal workshop , will that stop the signal causing the tracker to behave in a high current consumption mode? Could that help explain a flat leisure battery after 5 weeks at a dealer having a damp repair.

 

[RogerL]

I guess an all-metal workshop would act as a Faraday Cage and impede the signal - BUT - plenty of people use their mobile phones in modern supermarkets, many of which have metal construction.

 

[Woodentop]

I guess an all-metal workshop would act as a Faraday Cage and impede the signal - BUT - plenty of people use their mobile phones in modern supermarkets, many of which have metal construction.

That's because there are often cell poles near the outside of a supermarket, or in large places and big shopping centres there are cellular systems within them. Many phone shops run by the system operators (i.e. 3, BT/EE, VF and O2) have pico cells within their shops. You would want to be sure of a good signal if you are trying to sell a phone, wouldn't you?

 

[Buckman]

Why are all these old threads being resurrected? The Phantom Tracker uses very little power and we managed with a 100w solar panel.

 

[otherclive]

Why are all these old threads being resurrected? The Phantom Tracker uses very little power and we managed with a 100w solar panel.

Because a new Member asked a relevant question at #7

 

[Buckman]

Because a new Member asked a relevant question at #7

How is the power usage of Phantom tracker relevant to aerial amplifier? Surely a new/post/thread would have been better instead of tagging onto an old thread?

 

[Malx]

It’s relevant because post #1 mentions trying to track down current drain, the aerial amp was one suspect, various other items have been mentioned in subsequent posts as relevant suspects. I have learned a lot. I now understand about necro posts, the current drain info is still relevant. This is really specialised info, not easy to find.

I have discovered that if you leave the main psu switch on then it consumes 0.11A. Do the sums and a battery can be drained in 32 days, add all the other devices and you rapidly see the value of even a small solar cell. And the value of being able to track battery voltage remotely.

Things have changed so much in the last 10 years

 

[Malx]

I discovered that a tracker can drain a battery in 2 weeks if it’s in a poor signal location. I couldn’t believe it. I did some sums which suggests that it could use 200mA. I can believe that. My van is 9 years old, top of a range at the time. Solar panel 20 w, as it’s flat on roof it’s not optimal. Then it might not be clean. So now we are down to 5w, for a few hours a day in winter.

Perhaps old threads should be locked after a few years inactivity… The info is there and available only a new thread will be started if needed. It’s much easier to reply than start something new.

 

[otherclive]

I discovered that a tracker can drain a battery in 2 weeks if it’s in a poor signal location. I couldn’t believe it. I did some sums which suggests that it could use 200mA. I can believe that. My van is 9 years old, top of a range at the time. Solar panel 20 w, as it’s flat on roof it’s not optimal. Then it might not be clean. So now we are down to 5w, for a few hours a day in winter.

Perhaps old threads should be locked after a few years inactivity… The info is there and available only a new thread will be started if needed. It’s much easier to reply than start something new.

Being a “ goody two shoes” the Forum tips and best practise reckons if a thread is more than three months old you should consider starting a new thread. Thanks Maix for your recent posts which have led me to brush up on the rules and tips. But like you say a software switch could lock threads older than a preset time period. That way people like me with an appallingly poor memory wouldn’t get carried away in the conversation. 😇

 

[Parksy]

I can ask if it's possible for old threads to be locked automatically, but as far as I know PCv is forum doesn't own the operating system.
It's not difficult to start a new thread.