Well...I guess I should have given more info, sorry.

It is a Piper Cherokee 180 (1968). We are talking about an alternator
(pretty sure it is a Chrysler). The ammeter shows total load as opposed to
charge/discharge. I also have a volt meter which shows steady at all RPM
and loads.

When I turn on the light the meter rises. It appears to be a stock meter
that doesn't have a lot of numbers, basically "0" on the left, "30" in the
center and "60" on the right. If I extrapolate/interpolate/guesstimate the
readings, it is about 45-50 amps with everything turned on at idle RPM. At
takeoff power, the needle swings as fat to the righ as it will travel. As
the power is reduced, the needle settles back to the same 40-50 area.

Thanks

Mike
"Michael Bremer" wrote in message
ink.net...
Looking for some opinions and I know that there are no shortage of those
here.

I just returned from a little night ride to get my three landings and
noticed what appears to be an abnormal reading from the ammeter.

When on the ground, preparing for takeoff, I see a significant rise on the
ammeter when I switch the landing light and fuel pump on. I know that
this
is normal, particularly with the landing light drawing a good bit of
juice.

The question is...When applying full engine power for takeoff, the ammeter
rose off the scale. Not a sudden pop of the needle, but a pronounced rise
as the RPM went up. When throttling back to cruise power, the meter drops
to a more normal reading?

Opinions???

Thanks

Mike