Generator Procedure
14 March 2025 W0CG
When Commercial Power Fails:
1. Turn off power switches on all amps.
2. Turn off the big ganged power switch right and slightly behind the Station 1 chair at the bottom of the chaos table.
3. In laundry room, turn WHOLE HOUSE MASTER SWITCH off.
4. Start generator by pressing Manual button (has a graphic of a finger, shown below), then pressing the green button at the right. Generator will start in about eight seconds after you press the green button.Put the beer cardboard back in place and close the door.
5. Wait two minutes.
6. Bring the shack back up by reversing Step 2 above by turning on the ganged switch. Reboot PCs, turn on amps, continue making QSOs normally. The generator will easily handle the entire house load, including air conditioners.
When Commercial Power Returns:
1. Run amps in standby (keep running QSOs, but barefoot) for five minutes to cool the amps.
2. After five minutes (above) turn off power switches on all amps. Turn off all K3s.
3. Turn off the big ganged power switch right of Station 1 at the bottom of the chaos table.
4. Stop generator by pressing the Auto button. It will stop automatically in about 45 seconds.
5. After the generator has stopped, in laundry room turn WHOLE HOUSE MASTER SWITCH on.
6. Wait two minutes.
7. Turn ganged switch and rest of the shack back on and continue operating normally.
Please Read this Background Explanation
If you were to turn off an AL-1200 during operation when it is very hot, and then turn it right back on two seconds later, this would very likely blow out the HV supply electrolytics and possibly badly damage the tube. Therefore, we can not use the automatic transfer capability of our new generator and transfer switch. The two seconds it takes for the transfer switch to connect the generator would blow up our stuff, badly.
Thus the above procedure must be followed. The procedure provides for a small rest period at generator start and generator stop in order to protect our equipment. This is very critical.