Keep Your Cool... Tech Discussion on keeping equipment stable.

[PastorGary]

With high temperatures in most of the US this time of year, what REPEATER cooling measures have members here taken to insure that equipment will not turn into a puddle of metal and plastic on the equipment room floor. Hopefully, air conditioning is in place, but if that fails for any reason or is not available, what is your backup? I'm confident that members here might like to hear what their options are.   Thank you.

[JohnE]

most of mine is all climate controlled, in addition to thermo controlled fans on the equipment itself. in addition I'm looking into swapping out my Astron 50A w/Samlex 60 w/battery backup and 400Ah of battery on the 650 machine.

the 575 isn't quite up to its full potential so that will come later as $$$ permit.

[SteveH]

I can't say that my repeater has gotten a lot of exercising but an 80mm fan mounted directly on the heatsink seems to work ok so far. The GM300 pair came with the fan connected to the power leads, i.e. always on. That's unnecessary and noisy. I picked up an inexpensive temperature controller on ebay for under $20. This is a WillHi WH7016. It's a panel mount 12 volt unit with digital display and set point adjustment. It comes with the sensing element. An internal 5 amp relay controls the load. I stuck the sensor on the GM300's heatsink and wired the fan to the power supply via the relay. Works great. It also gives me the actual heatsink temperature.

 

The repeater is still in my 2nd floor no A/C shack but will soon be moved to the basement where the temperature is lower and more uniform.

Steve

[Logan5]

Cooling is something I give great thought to living in South Florida. In a few months I am installing my 50' tower and I have decided I am going with a water proof equipment rack at the base of the tower. since it get's hot as heck here, active cooling will be necessary, I was thinking of installing a thermoelectric cooling unit on the bottom of the box and a thermostat on the inside of the box. I had also considered blowing cool air through the conduit from the climate controlled garage.  either way a repeater/transmitter will not last long without active cooling here in South Florida. I am looking at this enclosure http://www.ebay.com/itm/400266155977?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649  

I went with the larger size to contain standard 19" rack equipment. it has a removable bottom plate that will be easy to modify with the thermoelectric cooler. I will use "Type N" through box connectors on this same removable panel. I may also add an aluminum sun shield on any area that get's direct sun. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[PastorGary]

White Rustoleum paint on the enclosure will decrease the inside temp by a few degrees on sunny days. 

[Logan5]

Yes sir, and SILVER Rustoleum paint on the enclosure would decrease the inside temp by a few more degrees even still. I would love to just use passive cooling, but Summers here in South Florida it gets up to 99deg. during the days and only goes down to 98deg. at night for many weeks on end. Humidity is usually as high as the temperature or higher. I am sure most radio transmitters will fail under these conditions. If the enclosure is insulated with the 3/4" foil covered foam board, I could easily use a 30 to 40 watt peltier junction to maintain an internal temp under 75deg. since thermoelectric cooling runs on direct current, no need to run 120 volts to the enclosure and no expensive refrigeration unit to buy or maintain. 

[Billy]

Yes sir, and SILVER Rustoleum paint on the enclosure would decrease the inside temp by a few more degrees even still. I would love to just use passive cooling, but Summers here in South Florida it gets up to 99deg. during the days and only goes down to 98deg. at night for many weeks on end. Humidity is usually as high as the temperature or higher. I am sure most radio transmitters will fail under these conditions. If the enclosure is insulated with the 3/4" foil covered foam board, I could easily use a 30 to 40 watt peltier junction to maintain an internal temp under 75deg. since thermoelectric cooling runs on direct current, no need to run 120 volts to the enclosure and no expensive refrigeration unit to buy or maintain. 

 

Add one of the solar attic fans to the enclosure.  The more the sun shines the more the fan spins. 

[Billy]

Or something like this!

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Powered-Attic-Fan-20-Ventilator/dp/B00B002WAA/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1375307015&sr=8-10&keywords=solar+attic+fan

[JohnE]

that wold work great for my shed.

[Logan5]

Add one of the solar attic fans to the enclosure.  The more the sun shines the more the fan spins. 

this is fine up north, however here in Florida, it get's up to 98deg. in the day and only goes down to 97deg. at night for several months during the summer. I would need active cooling to prevent equipment damage. 

[PastorGary]

Hey - Logan... In my primary residential location, one humming bird flapping it's wings near the vent in the enclosure would be enough.  Where I live we have 4 seasons... June, July, August and Winter.....

 

We only turn on one 8000 BTU window A/C approximately 9 days each year - so far this year it's at 3-1/2 days and only the month of August to go for even the potential of anything over 84 degrees.  In all my time in this area, I have seen it SNOW in each of the 12 months. In fact, on July 28, our FURNACE turned on at 4:45 AM for 15 minutes.   "Cool, Huh?" 

[Logan5]

Hey - Logan... In my primary residential location, one humming bird flapping it's wings near the vent in the enclosure would be enough.  Where I live we have 4 seasons... June, July, August and Winter.....

 

We only turn on one 8000 BTU window A/C approximately 9 days each year - so far this year it's at 3-1/2 days and only the month of August to go for even the potential of anything over 84 degrees.  In all my time in this area, I have seen it SNOW in each of the 12 months. In fact, on July 28, our FURNACE turned on at 4:45 AM for 15 minutes.   "Cool, Huh?" 

exactly the opposite here. lol Our furnace kicks on all of 9 days a year, usually late December and early January. I am sure 95+ deg. summers would kill the repeater.

[captdan]

ok where are the 2 of you - such extremes - I don't want your address or anything like that - just curious

 

Dan

 

NJ for now

[Logan5]

I am in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I only go north for the summers as I do not like the cold at all. I visit, NYC, North Jersey and Rehoboth Beach Del. almost every summer. However I from a farm in Virginia. 

[PastorGary]

ok where are the 2 of you - such extremes - I don't want your address or anything like that - just curious

 

Dan

 

NJ for now

 

 

Dan - 

 

This time of the year, I'm as far north in Wisconsin as a person can be without crossing into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.   In fact, we are close to both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.  Lake Superior water temperature mid lake at 20 feet below surface is 39.22 degrees F. today ( just above freezing ) and Lake Michigan water temperature mid lake at 20 feet below the surface is 54.71 degrees F.  When the winds are from the northwest, the influences of Lake Superior evaporation and cooling affects us here and it also prevents Lake Michigan from becoming warmer than it does.  It can be 90 degrees 50 miles west of the Lake Michigan Shoreline with a south-easterly wind and it will be roughly 22 to 30 degrees cooler at the lakeshore.

 

Our 'natural' air conditioning only gets switched off if the winds are from the southwest and that doesn't happen much this time of year with the jet stream troughs happening the way that they do.  The cool temperatures also carry into Autumn and Winter very early here - we usually see our first measurable snowfall in mid October and in recent years, the average winter snowfall just south of Lake Superior has been running just about 225 inches ( 18.75 FEET ) and yes... I have a 12.5 horsepower 28 inch wide dual stage snowthrower to clear our driveway and walkways. This snowthrower will toss snow over 45 feet away and it gets a workout!!   Our last measurable snowfall this past Spring was the third Saturday in April.