I know a car battery can be used to power the DX 394, but how does one
connect ? While the voltage would be correct, what about the current ?

OTH, if I simply took two 9 volt lantern batteries and hooked them up in
series, would that work alright, or would I need to reduce the voltage with
a resistor ?

TIA
I got cute teeth & claws meow

"Warpcore" wrote in message
ink.net...
I know a car battery can be used to power the DX 394, but how does one
connect ? While the voltage would be correct, what about the current ?

If the radio is rated for 12 volts. Then there should be no problem. You
want a supply that provides the correct voltage and can provide at least
enough current. The radio only draws the current it needs.


OTH, if I simply took two 9 volt lantern batteries and hooked them up in
series, would that work alright, or would I need to reduce the voltage
with
a resistor ?

A good way to trash your radio. If you wish to use a source that provides
more voltage than the radio specifies, then you need to use a ragulator to
reduce the voltage to a proper level. A resistor only works if the current
demand is unchanging.

If using a resistor, if you draw too little current you get too much
voltage. If you draw too much current the voltage drops.

A radio may draw some current even when it is turned off to hold memory and
keep a clock running. (This may be very little) It draws some current when
on at low volumes. More current when the volume is turned up.

Two 6 volt lantern batteries might work better and be easier to find. In
series you would probably get enough voltage and lantern batteries can
provide the 1/2 amp the radio needs.


TIA
I got cute teeth & claws meow




A manual should tell you how to hook it up.
Here is radio shack's page.
http://www.radioshack.com/ProdSuppor...D=31 57&T=htm

A car battery would be ideal. If you want something smaller, get something
along the line of a motorcycle battery. If you use a standard wet cell, be
aware that discharging them deeply then recharging will kill them in no
time. There are batteries designed for deep discharge. The two nine volt
battery idea could be done with a voltage divider but you would find that
due to the low capacity of them, they would not last very long. It would get
rather expensive. As long as you have the voltage correct, the internal
resistance of the radio will take care of the current.


"Warpcore" wrote in message
ink.net...
I know a car battery can be used to power the DX 394, but how does one
connect ? While the voltage would be correct, what about the current ?

OTH, if I simply took two 9 volt lantern batteries and hooked them up in
series, would that work alright, or would I need to reduce the voltage
with
a resistor ?

TIA
I got cute teeth & claws meow

Fred Garvin wrote in message ...
On Sat, 11 Oct 2003 09:02:01 -0400, Warpcore wrote:

I know a car battery can be used to power the DX 394, but how does one
connect ? While the voltage would be correct, what about the current ?


Cig lighter plug? It will only draw what it needs current wise.

Draws about 200 mA when on, about 20-30 mA when off to keep the LCD
panel dimly lit and the memories up.



OTH, if I simply took two 9 volt lantern batteries and hooked them up in
series, would that work alright, or would I need to reduce the voltage
with a resistor ?

Doesn't the manual list the voltage range? It should. Check.

13.8V nominal. Mike Maghakian says it works down to 8.5V and it will
probably handle 15V OK. Mike has converted one to portable ops with
internal batteries in the space where the transformer was.

For Mike's mod and lots more info on the DX-394 visit/join
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RADIOSHACKDX394/ .

Regards,

Tom

"Warpcore" wrote in message
ink.net...
I know a car battery can be used to power the DX 394, but how does one
connect ? While the voltage would be correct, what about the current ?

If I remember, it uses a coaxial power plug. Or does it just have a cord
coming out the back?

OTH, if I simply took two 9 volt lantern batteries and hooked them up in
series, would that work alright, or would I need to reduce the voltage
with
a resistor ?

Better than doing that is getting a 12V gel cell battery, just about any
capacity is fine, from 4.5 to 7 Ah, depending on how long you want to listen
between chargings. This would work far better than the 9V lantern
batteries, plus you can recharge them.

--
Tom Sevart N2UHC
Frontenac, KS

http://www.geocities.com/n2uhc

Forgot one thing... 12V gel cells can be found for around $10-$30 depending
on capacity, and you'll save that in the long run over buying lantern
batteries.

Tom