Ian Waugh - A Mariner\'s Guide to Marine Communications

Chapter 11

Power Supplies

ONE OF THE JOBS THAT WILL PROBABLY FALL on the person designated
i.e. - the Deck Officer with primary responsibility for emergency
communications - will be to look after the power supply for the ship
radio station. The two types of power supplies you are interested in for
GMDSS purposes are:

The radio-station Direct Current (DC) supply, and the battery backup.

Batteries for portable VHF/UHF radio equipment.

Radio Station Main/Emergency Power Supply

alternating .------,

N current 2

....... ~ ___ -;rectifierl

alternator I

'----./ 11S/230V charger

+

6

main supply

fuse

24V DC (direct current)

-------f~=F~~~~~+~--4--~--

I 24V DC distributionf----

L_~~------~ L..-panel __ ---l----

+ 12V -

+ 12V -

o A3

+ 12V - + 12V -

3 battery bank

changeover

switch and

meter(s)

Figure 77.1

Ship Radio Station power supply system (lead-acid batteries)

A typical installation would resemble the diagram above.

1 Alternator: In normal working, the radio equipment and some satcom

equipment (particularly Inmarsat-C) will draw their DC supply from

the main power supply. The ship's alternator will feed the rectifier (2),

MARINE COMMUNICATIONS 193