[OZAPRS] hardware suggestions

[Matthew Cook]

Old habits die hard after 27 years in the Electrical industry I still think
of the nominal mains supply being 240VAC at 50Hz.

I perhaps should have been more accurate with; my original statement  "It's
better your iGate sips and not sucks on the nominal mains supply regardless
these days o_O"

Your nominal mains voltage (and frequency for that matter) will certainly
not be the same as mine for the very reasons Ray has pointed out.  I'm
sitting here watching the nominal mains voltage at our industrial building
hovering around 251.2VAC with a mains frequency of 49.557987Hz (with better
a accuracy better than 1e-9 Hz).  I'm sure I'll see that climb back above
50Hz in the next 15 minutes as the generators correct the loss over the
remainder of the day.   There's certainly been a power demand spike
somewhere in the VK5 network today.

I agree with Ray that nothing really changed when the nominal mains voltage
limits in AS60038 were updated, the limits were effectively still the same,
well within a few volts of the same write that off to minor percentage
differences.

Most of VK5 is still largely manual tapped transformers between the HV/LV
networks.   As a result our mains voltage can vary like a drunk skunk due
to network load.  Only made worse by the high prevalence of solar inverters
and wind generation now invested within the electrical network.  Our energy
market can see large cloud masses drifting across our state before our
Bureau of Meteorology.

YMMV

Now getting back to the APRS hardware Liz asked us all about.

73

Matthew
VK5ZM

On 18 February 2016 at 07:31, vk2tv <vk2tv at exemail.com.au> wrote:

> Matthew, all,
>
> AS60038, was published in Australia on 23rd January 2000 to replace the
> previous 240V standard. This requires, under normal service
> conditions, that the voltage at the point of supply should not differ
> from the nominal voltage of 230/400V by more than +10%,-6%.
> Voltage drop within a customer's premises may reduce this by another 5%,
> the maximum permissible under AS/NZS 3000, known as the Wiring Rules.
> Essential Energy therefore say that the total variation can be as wide as
> +10%, -11%. Essential Energy realises that this voltage range may cause
> issues with 240V equipment and they, therefore, have adopted the range of
> 230V, +10%, -2%, which aligns very closely with the old 240V standard. When
> I was the Supply Irregularity Officer with a County Council (not Essential
> Energy) the standard was 240V, ±6%, or 226V-254V. I know that other states
> had different standards at the time, and maybe they still do.
>
> The current Essential Energy "standard" of 230V, +10%, -2%, is within
> AS60038 requirements, and returns a voltage range of 253V-225V. The AS60038
> percentages return 253V-216V.
>
> During my time in the position of SIO the nominal HV supply was 11,000V,
> and that tap setting was chosen on distribution transformers. Under
> unloaded network conditions the LV would be at near the top allowable
> figure of 254V, and network load would reduce that figure.
>
> Whilst the "nominal" voltage may be 230V according to AS60038, in
> practice, it appears little (nothing?) has changed since the 240V standard.
>
> Ray vk2tv
>
>
>
>
> On 17/02/16 21:30, Malcolm Larkin wrote:
>
> We haven't had 240V AC in Australia since the 23rd of January 2000. The day we dropped to 230V
>
> It is allowed to be +5% / -10% (241.5 to 207) Previously when 240, it was
> ± 10% so 264 to 216
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
> On 17 Feb 2016, at 18:56, Liz VK2XSE <edodd55 at gmail.com> <edodd55 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> QTR Wed, 17 Feb 2016 09:41:42 +1030 Matthew Cook QTC
>
>
> It's better your iGate sips and not sucks on the 240VAC regardless
> these days o_O
>
> 73
>
> Matthew
> VK5ZM
>
> Mine is solar powered - radio and the computer setup
> The planned one is for a place where the power is provided by my son's
> employer at very good rates ;)
>
>
> -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
> Liz
> VK2XSE
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