Is any one planning to use any ham radio gear in their Slate? (I am!)

[metroshot]

Very interesting!

So a mini VHF/UHF mobile unit in the Slate (or my Model 3 for that matter) will likely overload the 12 volt battery system? Is your mustang complaining with the radio just being connected to the 12 volt and powered on, or when receiving, or when transmitting?

Since the 12V system shuts down accessory power outlets after a few minutes of turning off the EV, I originally wired my aviation & ham transceivers direct to the battery so that I can use it while the EV is off.

That caused the battery drain to be significant because it's a small 35AH battery and could not recover even with charging the HV battery at home using L2 charger.

I then switched to "off vehicle" SLA 12V battery and recharged it using a small solar panel w/ charge regulator which took all the load off the EV.

BTW your M3 probably has a 45AH 12V lead acid or the newer Li ion 15V battery ?

 

[Cubicle23]

I’m seriously thinking about building a good communications/loadout setup in mine. I haven’t really gotten into the ham radio scene yet, so I’m not super fluent in all the terminology, but a lot of people I work with in the UAV world are into radio, RF, antennas, and comms gear. It honestly makes me jealous and has me wanting to learn more.

Right now I’ve mostly been building out my EDC/truck packs with gear that can mount to T-track, MOLLE panels, etc. I could definitely see a mobile radio setup becoming part of that system, especially for trail use, road trips, emergencies, or just learning the hobby.

Something like this but scaled do

wn?

 

[Sia]

Since the 12V system shuts down accessory power outlets after a few minutes of turning off the EV, I originally wired my aviation & ham transceivers direct to the battery so that I can use it while the EV is off.

That caused the battery drain to be significant because it's a small 35AH battery and could not recover even with charging the HV battery at home using L2 charger.

I then switched to "off vehicle" SLA 12V battery and recharged it using a small solar panel w/ charge regulator which took all the load off the EV.

BTW your M3 probably has a 45AH 12V lead acid or the newer Li ion 15V battery ?

I see. Sounds like a good approach. At the risk of sliding off-topic for a second...do you have a photo or part number for the solar panel and controller you are using to recharge your SLA 12V? I have one but have been recharging with home 110 power. Having a solar option would be useful in a number of situations.

 

[metroshot]

I see. Sounds like a good approach. At the risk of sliding off-topic for a second...do you have a photo or part number for the solar panel and controller you are using to recharge your SLA 12V? I have one but have been recharging with home 110 power. Having a solar option would be useful in a number of situations.

I use a 10W dash mounted solar Misopily 12V charger.
I am thinking of switching over to LiFePO4 batteries that have more capacity, but they are pricer than a standard 12V SLA.

12V Solar Charger Maintainer Kit with Smart MPPT Controller Waterproof for Car

 

[Sia]

I use a 10W dash mounted solar Misopily 12V charger.
I am thinking of switching over to LiFePO4 batteries that have more capacity, but they are pricer than a standard 12V SLA.

12V Solar Charger Maintainer Kit with Smart MPPT Controller Waterproof for Car

Will check that unit out. Thanks!

 

[cadblu]

Yeah, the 6M whips are a bit long. for vhf/uhf I have a couple of these KG-2/70-CX-PL (https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-000530) that work really well - and I like that I don't need to penetrate the body for the install! For HF I have a Icom AH-4 feeding what ever suits me at the moment.

I wish HRO would open an outlet closer to the NY region!

 

[phidauex]

I'll move a small 2m/70cm mobile unit I have in my current truck over to the Slate, through I'll use the opportunity to select a different antenna type. I don't have much experience with antenna selection so I'll be relying on recommendations (maybe motorcycle or boating communities that also lack big ground planes?).

As for 12V hookups, you do need to decide whether you want it continuously powered, and if so, what the draw is. Unless the radio has a very specific standby mode intended for long term connection to a vehicle battery, I would not even try to have it connected all the time - the mobile base stations I'm familiar with will just try to be "on" if they see 12V, and that load is too high for any vehicle 12V battery to just sit around and take 24/7.

There should be logic in the vehicle to turn on the DC/DC whenever needed - it should turn on whenever the car is running, and should turn itself on if 12V SOC (or voltage) gets too low. The MachE does indeed do this, but it will warn you if it thinks something is wrong or there is an unexpected drain. It shouldn't hurt the car or the battery, but if you are drawing enough that the DC/DC has to turn itself on regularly, then you are probably drawing too much.

 

[r6tn]

Remember, the 12V battery in almost all EVs are very small compared to an ICE.

Mine is a 35AH AGM which would die if you power a winch.

The DC-DC convertor can't be of much use as it's designed to recharge the 12V by trickle charging - not provide heavy power loads.

This is what I was getting at. A winch would kill a large battery in less than a minute. The charging system is key, and the Slate is unlikely to have anything that would make a winch feasibl even if you could switch in a large battery.

Radios are going to be tricky enough. I'm leaning towards getting the roof rack and adding solar panels to charge a separate battery similar to your setup

 

[r6tn]

I'll move a small 2m/70cm mobile unit I have in my current truck over to the Slate, through I'll use the opportunity to select a different antenna type. I don't have much experience with antenna selection so I'll be relying on recommendations (maybe motorcycle or boating communities that also lack big ground planes?).

Can't go wrong with a half wave antenna. They don't need a ground plane, half of the antenna works as a ground plane for the other half.

I've used several on my Jeep, mounted behind the top of the spare tire where there's nothing to help it transmit and plenty to hurt it and they've all performed great. I even get compliments at how good it sounds.

I've always loved the Larsen 2/70 although I broke mine and am using a Comet that seems to be just as good now.

 

[Sia]

I'll move a small 2m/70cm mobile unit I have in my current truck over to the Slate, through I'll use the opportunity to select a different antenna type. I don't have much experience with antenna selection so I'll be relying on recommendations (maybe motorcycle or boating communities that also lack big ground planes?).

As for 12V hookups, you do need to decide whether you want it continuously powered, and if so, what the draw is. Unless the radio has a very specific standby mode intended for long term connection to a vehicle battery, I would not even try to have it connected all the time - the mobile base stations I'm familiar with will just try to be "on" if they see 12V, and that load is too high for any vehicle 12V battery to just sit around and take 24/7.

There should be logic in the vehicle to turn on the DC/DC whenever needed - it should turn on whenever the car is running, and should turn itself on if 12V SOC (or voltage) gets too low. The MachE does indeed do this, but it will warn you if it thinks something is wrong or there is an unexpected drain. It shouldn't hurt the car or the battery, but if you are drawing enough that the DC/DC has to turn itself on regularly, then you are probably drawing too much.

Good points. I had been planning to use a physical switch to turn power to the radio on and off - off when not in use, so no danger of discharging the battery. But I am also liking the idea of pulling it off the car 12 volt and going with something similar to what metroshot is doing - dedicated offline battery with a permanent solar trickle charge panel on the dash or maybe on one of the SUV side windows if the angle isn't too severe. could also see putting it low on the fastback rear window.

 

[phidauex]

Higher power accessories like a winch may still be possible, but we need to see what the DCDC maximum current is (and if there is room to upgrade to a slightly larger battery). I think they tend to use 50-60A when lightly loaded, but can hit 300-400A when fully loaded at their maximum weight rating. ICE trucks need to have their engine running while winching to keep the alternator current high enough.

The Slate DCDC will probably be in the 75-150A range, meaning the current would have to be shared with the battery. That would stress the battery, but if intermittent and occasional will probably not really damage anything. A larger buffer battery would help for sure. If there were a true V2L add-on later, then you might use a different strategy and power an AC winch with that - skip the 12V system entirely, and go from the 400V battery to a 120V or 240V winch. All speculative for the moment.

 

[StromSpeed]

+1!
73’s K5MJS

 

[Frozen North]

The solar bed cover and inverter combo Slate has in the configurator might help you out with your power woes. A bit pricey, but it might be a bargain compared to something that affects the Slate warranty. Or a solor bed cover and a marine battery setup maybe?
I like @metroshot's idea of a handheld aviation unit though. Seems like the simplest solution. Both the Icom IC-A25N and Kenwood TH-D75A are good highly rated options.
Unless the challenge and fun of modifying your truck are your motivation that is.

 

[bloo]

Spark-gap fed by the 350-Volt DC battery.

 

[Trace26]

Since this seems like a pretty knowledgeable thread. What would y'all recommend for someone just getting into this? Just receiving to start. Something on a budget, but compact and reliable.