Power eating amp

[John Hofstetter <hofs@domain.elided>]

>Subject: Linear Current Draw
>
>Uhh...John, what size fuse is on this amp?  There IS a fuse, right?
>If it pulls your battery to less than 10V, you might need to connect
>it to an isolated, second battery.  I hope that this huge current draw
>is a spike and it drops once the amp is operating.  That size amp
>may have some large capacitors that it tries to charge when it first
>tries to come online, and they will be like dead shorts until charged.
>
>Any design that powers up that way is a little suspect to me.
>
>Allan Weidenheime

Allan,
It has a 35 amp fuse in the circuit. The current draw doesn't appear to 
be a surge, as I can keep the motor running if I run it at very high, for 
an IH, rpm and key the CB. As soon as I let the rpm's drop, the engine 
dies. 

I wondered about it being a 350 amp amplifier. Does that mean that it is 
drawing 30 amps anytime the transmitter is being used? I suppose it does.

It's possible the amp is defective, although it works.

Thanks, 
John H.