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Author Topic: The Desert Whooper  (Read 22818 times)

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: The Desert Whooper
« Reply #90 on: October 14, 2024, 1409 UTC »
DW's battery is dying. I've been watching the telemetry for a few weeks now and noticed the battery voltage was not as robust at night and was trending lower and lower before dawn. It seemed to charge normally during the day so that part of the box appears to be working. Then it seemed to start shutting down in the hours before dawn. Shutdown occurs somewhere just below 12.6 volts. Some time after sunrise it will restart and the first telemetry numbers indicate 13.0 volts and a little under 1/2 Amp of charge current. It appears to have some sort of repeatable disconnect/reconnect sequence in it's program? Lately it is shutting down earlier and earlier in the evening as the voltage dips towards 12.5 volts but always seems to restart soon after dawn. Signal strength seems to be normal while it is running. Just now it restarted at 7:09 AM PST
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: The Desert Whooper
« Reply #91 on: October 26, 2024, 1522 UTC »
At sometime after I last posted DW seems to have had repairs or a new battery installed. BAT telemetry seems to be back to normal levels and the beacon seems to run all night without shutting down.
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Token

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Re: The Desert Whooper
« Reply #92 on: October 27, 2024, 1319 UTC »
At sometime after I last posted DW seems to have had repairs or a new battery installed. BAT telemetry seems to be back to normal levels and the beacon seems to run all night without shutting down.

Just came here to post that same thing ;)  Noticed this morning that DW was on well before sunrise.  Not sure when it was repaired, but pretty sure last weekend it was daytime only.

T!
T!
Mojave Desert, California USA

 

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