[Vwdiesel] blinking alternator light ??

[Rolf Pechukas]

hey all

so the alternator failure continues

symptoms again:
blinking red battery LED indicator - will come up as tach needle  
drops (even w/ engine revs up)
occasionally tach will jump back up, but sporadic, inaccurate, jumpy
battery LED blinking, glowing, fading, etc
battery not getting charged, of course, and is now dead

- I have checked electrical connections at the alt - they look solid  
and clean
- belt is new and properly tightened
- I have not checked connections at the battery or at the relay (?)  
panel
- I am getting ticker-tape sounds from the relay panel when the tach  
drops and the red LED comes on - what is the circuit there? is it  
possibly a relay that is failing?? doesn't the alt feed directly to  
the battery?

questions:

short-term strategy - any recommendations?
I need to keep my batt charged - it's cold cold here and need  
cranking power in the AM - I have AC power available
portable battery charger?

longer term - how do I know for sure if it's alternator?
do I have any other choice but to replace ($200+)(!) and see?
any way to trouble shoot what's going on at the relay box?

thanks for any advice
-- 

Rolf in MA