Gel cell batteries for primary station use?

[David McKenzie]

Instead of buying a 70 amp supply or a second 50 amp supply to parallel, I
am considering picking up a large gel cell battery and fast/float charger to
run the amp all the time and the radios during a power outage. I don't know
very much about batteries. Here's what I do know:

Rated in ampere-hour, which pretty much means how many amps can be drawn
until dead over a specific time (20 hours supposedly is standard). Charging
rate should always be 10% or less of Ah rating. Float chargers exist
relatively cheaply that allow the battery to be connected to a constant
voltage supply (existing astron supply) indefinitely.

My questions are really as follows:

What size battery would I need to "buffer" a 60-70 amp low duty cycle load
to power the amplifier? I'd assume the amp would connect to the battery
directly and then the battery to a charging circuit with protections for
when AC is removed from the CVS.

Since my goal is not long term battery backup but to run high current
devices for short periods, would a smaller battery on a constant supply be
the best bet? Do you need to match the Ah rating to the instantaneous
maximum current draw?

Is this just a dumb idea, and I should buy more power supplies?

-Dave
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