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  • Gas Engine Magazine

    THE PETTER ENGINE

    Nov 15, 2019 6 minutes
    Story and photos by Glenn Thompson

    Harold Sohner is a retired engineer living in the Texas Hill Country. In the mid-1970s, he worked for the Collins Radio Co. in Dallas, Texas. One of the programs he was responsible for was establishing a microwave communication system along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. Eight stations were installed and the energy for each was supplied by a battery bank charged by a generator. The generators were powered by Petter engines. The durability and reliability of these engines made a lasting impression on Harold and the other engineers involved.

    Later, in retirement in a rural area, Harold wanted to have a backup system to support the electrical system in his workshop. Upon learning that his friend Richard Kepler Sr. had a small Petter diesel engine for sale, he purchased it and belted it to a generator that could be tied to his workshop’s electrical system to maintain the building’s heating and lighting

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