[BC] Favored UPS units

[Mark W. Croom]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike McCarthy" <Towers at mre.com>
To: "Broadcast Radio Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 12:30 PM
Subject: RE: [BC] Favored UPS units



> All of the various UPS's suffers from some problems here and there. And 
> since Powerware bought BEST, I've seen a decline in their quality of 
> product.  I sure wish they'd come out with a new line of Ferrups devices 
> which don't shut down the UPS if the batteries fail.
>
> MM
>

Though these devices aren't in the same class as Ferrups type supplies, I've 
seen a similar annoying symptom.

My predecessor here bought some of the CyberPower cheapie standby power 
supply units When they battery runs out, they die (like other UPS's), but if 
the battery voltage isn't over a threshold when the power returns, they 
remain off and just recharge the battery. Once the battery has some charge, 
you can cycle the power and then they'll run, but really...we put a UPS on 
because we wanted the thing to be ON as much as possible.

I think I understand the idea that if it's at somebody's desk and craps out 
in the night, it might be nice in the morning to know that the power was out 
during the night, or if the battery gave out, but I had one of these at an 
unattended microwave relay site on top of a grain elevator head house. The 
second time I got called after a power outage to go up there and cycle the 
power, I replaced it with an APC of similar size and haven't been back 
except for normal maintenance since then.

*sigh*

Mark
MN