To finish the story...
I use a Deltran Battery Tender Junior. It is a plastic block that plugs directly into a wall socket. The 12-volt output is a 10 foot two-conductor cord with a connector on the end. It comes with two shorter cords, each with a connector that mates with the long cord. One of these short cords has ring lugs on the far end, the other cord has jumper cable clamps.
From an RV parts place, I bought a 7-pin Bargman Car End connector, which mates with the 7-pin plug on the TM big black cord. I opened it up, identified the screw terminals that carry the battery charge line (12 VDC and ground), and screwed the Deltran ring lugs to those terminals. The other five terminals are unused. Reassembled the connector. Done.
It has been nice to pull the main battery fuse out of its holder, close the TM, back it into the garage, and leave it. At the front of the TM, I plug the Battery Tender into the wall, and plug the TM's big black cord into the new Bargman Car End. For a short time, the Battery Tender blinks red to show it is topping off the battery, then blinks green to show that the battery is almost there, then goes to solid green to show that it is in maintenance mode. It stays solid green for as long as it is connected. And the TM is always ready to go with a fully charged and properly-maintained battery.
A somewhat larger Battery Tender will give the same results, at a slightly increased cost.
Bill
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