Plugging radio into power supply into car's AC outlet - bad idea?

[KD2AUJ]

I have a Yaesu FT-7900R that I'm going to take on a trip in the family minivan (2009 Honda Odyssey). Rather than wiring directly to the battery, I was wondering if it was feasible to just bring my power supply and plug that into the AC outlet that is already in the minivan. The fuse on the AC outlet is 15A. 15A * 12V = 180W. The radio has max transmit power of 50W + whatever it uses on receive, which seems to be well under the capacity of the car power outlet. Thoughts?

[KD2AUJ]

Just checked the car owners manual. Maximum draw on the AC outlet is 100W.

My power supply is a Samlex 23 amp.

Clearly it's capable of drawing more than 100W (13.8 * 23 = 317) but I don't think the radio will demand anywhere near that.

[K0BG]

I would not. The radio operates on a nominal 13.8 vdc,so why not wire it correctly?

[KE7IHG]

Most ac outlets are rated a 10 amps, But I think your 7900 draws 6.5 amps on high if I remember correctly.
If your outlet is rated at 100w and the radio uses 6.5 amps...A little math here Watts = Amps x Volts or 6.5 amps x 13.8volts = 89.7 watts almost the limit of your outlet
So could you get away with the outlet, yes but would I do it, NO! more than one car has burnt up from using a power outlet. Most plugs are very cheaply made and I think you would find it very warm to the touch in just a few minutes of use.

I've been guilty of cutting corners and I've paid the price more that once. You can find 10ga zip line at HRO or Powerwerx www.powerwerx.com/
Your can set it up with power pole connectors and it would be easy to move the radio in and out of the car.
Our 2000 Odyssey has served us well.081.jpg

[W9GB]

The 2009 Honda Odyssey has TWO 12V DC power outlets.
http://www.cars.com/honda/odyssey/2009/specifications/

You can use one of those DC outlets for your trip.
Wire up a proper cable and GO.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=3908733

I have used these DC outlets in rental cars and cars that I did not own,
BUT I never used HIGH Power (> 35 watts) in these instances.

[K0BG]

Please! Do yourself a favor, and do not use the accessory plugs for power. The example given (Honda Odyssey) uses #14 wire to feed the outlets.

[KD2AUJ]

I ended up plugging a power inverter into the car cigarette lighter plug, then plugging my power supply into that, and then hooking my radio to the power supply. Worked fine with no problem, plus then I was able to just bring the power supply and radio into the hotel room. Made a counterpoise out of a large baking pan and used that with the antenna on the hotel balcony.

[KE5MC]

Power inverters are not efficent. You ended up pulling more from the cigarette light outlet than if you had just pluged the radio in direct. You had two conversions you didn't need. 13.8DC to 120VAC, 120VAC to 13.8DC.

[M0GVZ]

Please! Do yourself a favor, and do not use the accessory plugs for power. The example given (Honda Odyssey) uses #14 wire to feed the outlets.

Thank god I live in Europe where we don't have to cope with shoddy American build "quality" like this and the accessory sockets are wired with a gauge suitable enough to supply the rated current.

[KE7IHG]

Thank god I live in Europe where we don't have to cope with shoddy American build "quality" like this and the accessory sockets are wired with a gauge suitable enough to supply the rated current.

Sure hope this is a" tongue in cheek" comment.....my bmw's wiring sucked!!!