UPS Battery Backup
Our repeaters are hosted inside a Ninestar Connect shelter at the base of their tower. The shelter is provided with a backup generator driven by a diesel engine. Ninestar informed us that when the grid at the site goes down, the generator should be up and running within about 2 minutes.
In order to prevent the repeaters from going down during that period, we are planning to install a battery backup system. The two repeaters and controller already have connections for batteries.
Status, Oct 26, 2022: Investigation, design, and estimate preparation are currently underway. Initially it was thought that we could just put a battery on the repeaters and controller and that they would keep the batteries charged. It has turned out to be a bit more complicated than that. Neither the repeaters or the controller will charge an external battery. Also, it had been determined that the RF power amp on the VHF side does not pass RF through when it is powered off. There are several options being pursued and the status will be updated as more information becomes available.
Status, Nov 21st, 2022: It has been decided that one 1,500 VA UPS will be used to provide backup 115VAC to all of the clubs repeater equipment. The UPS has been placed on the wish list, which hopefully will be funded by year end donations.
Status, Jan 13, 2023: UPS has been ordered and should arrive on Jan 15th.
Status, Jan 25, 2023: UPS has been received and is being scheduled for installation.
Status, Feb 7, 2023: The plan is to install the UPS this coming Saturday between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM.
Status, Mar 3, 2023: Complete. Installed and Operational. The unit was tested by disconnecting AC power and then keying up both repeaters for approximately 1 minute. Both repeaters worked normally and the UPS indicated 4 minutes remaining and 41% load.
This project is completed