Batteries and Chargers

[quote=“M7AVX, post:18, topic:22725, full:true”]
Bingo! Thanks very much 2E0YYY and G1INK looks like just the thing, and charger included as well! Thanks for your help. One thing though, my radio requires 13.8V +/- 10%. A bit worried that 12V is slightly below what is required. Also, what do you think of the following battery? A bit less capacity, slightly cheaper, but still, charger included

I used to own a 450D, and to be honest, if you upgrade your license and maybe take in more than one summit during a day, you’ll be struggling with a 7Ah battery. There’s nothing worse than a flat battery on a summit…Nothing!

Okay, a bit more work to carry an 18Ah battery, however, trust me, it’ll pay dividends in the end.

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I have the Tracer LiFePRO4 16Ah pack from the people @G1INK recommends. It is a bit of overkill for my 5 watt FT-817, but its has given me many years and hundreds of activations of exemplary service, and the capacity for me to be out backpacking for a few days/several summits if necessary. Plus it is only 2/3 of the weight of the 7Ah SLAB I was previously using - so it’s a win-win.

Battery capacity becomes much less of a consideration if you’re using a radio designed for QRP portable like the FT-817 / FT-818. You can still work the DX / world from the summits, providing you have the patience and tenacity. It also helps to have a few extra skills and modes (CW, FT8 etc) up your sleeve too, but generally speaking, if the sky is working, then QRP SSB works too.

I still have the FNB-85 Ni-MH internal battery pack too, which comes back into use for foreign SOTA holidays involving air travel. Might not be needing that for a long while now…

SLABs are OK and pretty robust and reliable - and cheap, but bigger and weightier than other options. I found some could have a disappointingly low lifespan while others just seemed to go on and on. But even the good ones had nothing like the longevity of my current Tracer LiFePRO4 pack. You can easily pick up these cheap second-hand SLABs at rallies if you want to go that route.

You might have noticed a fairly major event going on recently that started in China, where all these batteries and chargers ultimately come from, that caused a reasonable number of factories there to shutdown as well as a slight reduction in the number of flights available to ship freight :slight_smile:

(Currently waiting a package that’s sat at Guangzhou for 6-7 weeks now :frowning: )

There’s an Accucell 6 on eBay with 4 days left on the auction if you’re interested.

Hi,
my first SOTA attempts were a bit compromised regarding batteries. I have a power bank with USB and 12V/19V outputs that can also be used to jump start a car or motorcycle.
Using a FT-891, I get 20 minutes of operating time with 100W and about an hour with 20W output.
Using a FT-817, I have not yet managed to deplete it with day long multiple summit activations.

In the meantime I have a 12Ah 4S LiFePo3 battery pack which I use with the FT-891, but for activations with the FT-817, the power bank (it’s called AllInOne Jump Starter) is my first choice, since it powers the TRX and also charges my phone and logging tablet. (Plus: it’s got a built in torch)

73 Jens HB9EKO

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Ordered custom pcb from Hong Kong last Friday (1 May) arrived in Aberdeen yesterday. Now waiting on somebody walking the 40 odd miles to bring it here

Hello
Couple of quick thoughts. Firstly - try it at home where you can attach meters to find out how the battery is coping and you can make a summit brain proof solution which will absolutely ensure that it is not possible to connect with reverse polarity and that all the connectors connect as once we are allowed out it is great exercise but somewhat frustrating to walk up a summit and find there is a missing piece. ( I managed to bring the charger up a summit and leave the battery at home… :upside_down_face: . Second point it is very easy to turn the output power down on an FT 450, - the difference between 50w and 100w will make a big difference to battery life but only a small difference to signal levels. - (EDIT - I think you are limired to 10W which will still work well and give a much better battery life!). Good Luck and enjoy the hills - they are still there - I can see one from the window and it has not moved in lockdown :slight_smile: (It is on a military firing range so it was in lockdown before the rest of us knew what it meant!)

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Why is there no unlike button here?? :rage:

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My 122GHz transverter and antenna is now in VK2-land finally. Delayed by you-know-what as it should have been here by February. Still they have to get from VK2 to Southern G then to me. By the time it arrives I may be allowed on a hill!

Apparently not everyone has. We had a customer file a PayPal dispute a few weeks ago when his order (posted on Tuesday) did not arrive on Wednesday. He was in Finland.

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You speak about days in the same week? Consecutive days?
Some people must definitely be having serious illnesses out there…

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My IMAX B6 arrived today - I’m blaming you Andy!
For years I’ve been using a 350mA 2S / 3S economy charger, it’s served me well I suppose.
IMAX B6 was £32.95 delivered (ordered via Amazon), it took 2 weeks and best of all the hologram and serial number checks out as genuine SkyRC!
Now to find a reliable source of Power Poles so I can utilise my shack power distribution panel for battery charging.

73, Colin

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Good purchase, Colin. I have that one too and it serves me great.
73,

Guru

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