[aprssig] APRS (Fire) In A Car

[Chris Rose]

I learned the hard way.  #10 power wire to a
distribution block in the car, no fuse inline. 
Something shorted, car filled with smoke, wrecked the
rear fender when I couldn't see where I was going. 
Burned wiring harness under the hood where I ran the
wire from the battery to the firewall to the passenger
compartment.  Burned power wire to the 100 watt GE
mobile, lucky I didn't burn the radio.  It was fused
but was overlapping the power wire from the battery by
the distribution block in the car.  Ford dealer had
the car a month.  That is another can of worms.  It
may have taken a few days to a week actually working
on the car.

Chris 
KB8UIH


--- Rick Green <rtg at aapsc.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 23 Jan 2006, VE7GDH wrote:
> 
> > Stan N0YXV wrote on Jan 23 2006
> >
> >> OK I get the small wire point but, what's the
> best solution?
> >> Two separate fuses?
> >
> > Recommended procedure is to fuse the negative lead
> as well as the positive.
> >
>   That does no good whatsoever if the fuse is too
> big for the conductor.
> 
> The NEC specifies that ALL wiring downstream of an
> overcurrent device be 
> sized for the full current capaacity of the source. 
> That would mean that 
> you either a) use wire capable of carrying 10 amps,
> even if the device 
> only draws milliamps (normally), or b) insert a
> smaller fuse at the point 
> where you transition from the high-current supply to
> the smaller wire.
> 
> -- 
> Rick Green