Hi Group,  Julie Porter says she wants to power her Caliola in a
parade.  From the standpoint of power need, I would guess that it
would fall between a small band organ and a calliope.

This will be my twelfth year in the Sierra Madre 4th of July
Independence Day parade with my 1930 Model A Ford closed cab pickup
truck carrying a Tangley CA-43 Calliope.  I missed the year that the
AMICA Convention was in Woodland Hills over the 4th of July.  I use
a Honda EM2200X generator.  The X indicates a quieter model of the
EM2200 surge watt generator.

I bought the first one new.  I asked the dealer how to figure what
wattage I would need as there was no identification plate on the motor.
He said that I needed to bring it to the store and they would try
generators to see what I needed.

The first generator he brought out was a little larger than a lunch box.
He connected it and started it up.  He told me to turn on the calliope.
When I did the generator died and jumped off the curb into the gutter!
His comment was, "Looks like you need a larger one."

A while later I was offered a second used EM2200X at about a third
the cost of a new one.  The used generator was completely overhauled by
Honda for $45.00 and has been used more than the new one.

The only problem that I have had is that the generator has a low oil
cutout switch.  I had checked the engine oil level while it was on the
level and it was fine, but when we pulled into our pre-parade spot it
was on a heavily crowned road that drained the oil away from the cutout.
I had brought oil with me but no funnel.  A paper cone finally worked
and we played up a storm.

This Honda generator has powered my Wurlitzer 146A and Wurlitzer 105
as well the Tangley calliope at many organ rallies.  The generator has
no problem whatsoever with the 105 and 146A but due to the starting
surge of the calliope vacuum box and blower it struggles at start up.
To work around this I installed a separate switch for the vacuum and
blower.  I turn on the blower motor first and let it come up to speed
and then I turn on the vacuum motor.  The first time it is used it
stumbles a bit but after a few minutes it works fine.

Jack M. Conway
Los Angeles, California, USA