I decided to put the amp meter on the radio and take two measurements. One with the radio On and scanning using both receivers and one with the radio powered off.
- Radio turned on, scanning, but not reproducing audio: 410mA (.41A).
- Radio powered off: 31mA (.031A).
So, similar to the handheld radio in the reference post, if the radio is left connected to the battery it will draw down the battery. If left connected long enough, it will completely discharge the battery; how long it takes is clearly of function of battery type and capacity.
This residual draw is not terribly significant if the vehicle is being used regularly. However, if you have a vehicle that perhaps is sitting idle for an extended period, perhaps as I had during the pandemic, the residual load is going to discharge the battery at a faster rate than if the battery was not connected to anything. The residual loads of one of my vehicles caused a two-year old battery to go completely dead 3 times during the pandemic.
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mbrun
The following post got me to thinking about how much current the Wouxun mobile radios might be drawing from the vehicle battery if left connected.
Wouxun 805G Battery Drain
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=112680&share_tid=3397&url=https%3A%2F%2Fforums%2Emygmrs%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ephp%3F%2Ftopic%2F3397-Wouxun-805G-Battery-Drain&share_type=t&link_source=app
I decided to put the amp meter on the radio and take two measurements. One with the radio On and scanning using both receivers and one with the radio powered off.
- Radio turned on, scanning, but not reproducing audio: 410mA (.41A).
- Radio powered off: 31mA (.031A).
So, similar to the handheld radio in the reference post, if the radio is left connected to the battery it will draw down the battery. If left connected long enough, it will completely discharge the battery; how long it takes is clearly of function of battery type and capacity.
This residual draw is not terribly significant if the vehicle is being used regularly. However, if you have a vehicle that perhaps is sitting idle for an extended period, perhaps as I had during the pandemic, the residual load is going to discharge the battery at a faster rate than if the battery was not connected to anything. The residual loads of one of my vehicles caused a two-year old battery to go completely dead 3 times during the pandemic.
Worth noting.
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM
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