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Connecting Flex 6300 to UPS

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Santiago Mejia HI8O
Santiago Mejia HI8O Member ✭✭
edited June 2020 in SmartSDR for Windows
I wonder if any of you have connected your Flex to an UPS (computer type). We have some electricity issues in our country and I want to protect my 6300 as much as possible. So do you think it won't affect the performance (or create any RFI, noise, etc) to connect the radio to an UPS (will only have the Flex connected to it). If possible, what capacity is recommended for, say 10 minutes (to allow me to turn it off properly or program auto shut off).

Thanks in advance,

73, Santiago HI8SMX

Answers

  • Ken Hansen
    Ken Hansen Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Options
    A computer power supply will give the computer a signal and give it time to shut down nicely, assuming you buy a UPS with a USB interface to the computer. As for your radio, a ups will just delay the radio powering off when power is lost, Radio won't get a signal to shutdown. In my shack I have a 'power gate' (see: http://ki0bk.no-ip.com/~pwrgate/LLPG/Site/LLPG.html ) that trickle-charges a 35 amp SLA battery, when power is lost, radio runs off the battery until the battery is depleted. image
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Options
    Entire station except Power Amp, is on UPS. Gives me time to shut most devices down gracefully. Networking devices and my GPS time server continue to run until UPS runs down, but with just those up and running the UPS will stay up for 90 minutes or more. Here on Kauai, we have frequent power drops and full outages. Biggest problem from that is the power spikes they cause, which in fact, is the main reason to have the UPS protection.
  • KI4P
    KI4P Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Options
    Same here, I have a UPS that power supply and computer plugged into. Gives time to shut down and keeps it up in blips. Don't leave mine on all the time.
  • WX7Y
    WX7Y Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Options
    Yes definitely install a UPS, or Powergate and Battery for 13.8V DC, if your computer won't run off of your 13.8V DC supply JUST BE VERY diligent in seeing what UPS's cause RFI as most all cheep modified square wave UPS's do. There are some nice pure Sine Wave UPS's out right now that are pretty RFI quite but cost more money but well worth it. 

    I replaced mine the other day and this one, seems pretty quite so far but i've only had it a couple days.
    73's
    Bret

  • K5CG
    K5CG Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Options
    A large battery, PWRGate and charger are the solution. Everything in the shack runs on 12V, even the PC and LCD monitor. You do want to be able to operate during a power outage right (for more than the 30 minutes your UPS is likely to provide)?
  • Ted VE3TRQ
    Ted VE3TRQ Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Options
    A UPS providing the power for the 12v PSU that changes the battery with a powergate is my solution. The UPS conditions out any sags or spikes in the incoming power, and holds up the charging circuit, radio, and computer for a while, at which point the battery takes over. Never had to run on battery (unless testing) yet. And the UPS I’m using seems to produce no RFI in addition to what I already have. Using an APC Back-UPS XS 1000.
  • Dave - W6OVP
    Dave - W6OVP Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Options
    I have used different model APC UPS for 3 decades and never noticed radio interference.

    Since you only want to (1) protect against power surges and (2) allow time for a normal shutdown of radio and computer you don't need anything fancy. A 600 Watt unit is plenty, or whatever happens to be on sale. Keep it simple. I just added a pair of BE600M1's, one at a computer, the other at a remote 6300. More than enough.

    Good Luck!  -Dave
  • Santiago Mejia HI8O
    Santiago Mejia HI8O Member ✭✭
    edited March 2020
    Options
    Thanks everybody for all the recommendations. For now, anything with batteries is not an option, because my shack consist on half of a closet in my son's room and have limited space and environment. Living in an apartment (7th floor out of 14) doesn't help either, as I don't have backyard, front yard or any yard for that matter. 

    The building I live in has a power generator but it takes usually 1 or 2 minutes to come in when there is a blackout.

    I'll go with the UPS option per your recommendations. Appreciate it.

    73, Santiago
    HI8SMX  
  • Ken Hansen
    Ken Hansen Member ✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Options
    If you only need a few minutes coverage, till the generator kicks in, almost any name brand UPS will suffice, 300-500 watts or better.

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