Hi guys/gals,
I recently pulled my KBT2 out of my K2 (the battery hasn't been charged for
over a year after I abused it last summer by overcharging with an unregulated
solar panel). I've been operating over a year now on an outboard 'car start'
portable battery pack (12 AH) and have had very little trouble (I chose 12 AH
figuring that should be plenty enough to handle Field Day weekend). Because the
Spartan Sprints are keen on 'light weight', and with my 12 AH battery (and KBT2
installed), I usually weigh in around 25 lbs total, I decided to trim the
weight down and change my power source to a NiMH battery pack.
My local Radio Shack has (had?) the 8 AA battery holder for less than a buck
(it looked like an item that was no longer maintained in stock - but I could be
wrong) - and 8 AA 2500 mAh NiMH cells from Walmart for $17 (I found them at
Sams Club for $15), and I was well on my way to finding out how far those
little batteries would take me.
I don't remember exactly, but it appears that my weight is now under 5 lbs (not
really skinny - but no longer 'tubby' for the Spartan Sprint). I played with
the batteries during 2 hours of the NA CW QSO Party, and, except for the
incessant 'Low Batt' error, it worked wonderfully. I've since read about how
others have used the 10 AA battery holder from Mouser for the K1/KX1 rigs, and
I now have that part on order and will try that (hopefully) this weekend for
the QRP ARCI Memorial Sprint.
My questions for the group:
Is there any one using a similar power source?
Do you keep your batteries inside our outside the K2?
Do you charge your cells individually and replace them in the holder, or do you
charge the pack of cells together? If you charge them together, how are you
controlling your charge?
Does anyone know if Energizer's 15 minute battery charging technology is
generally 'beneficial', or 'harmful' to the batteries overall longevity?
Do you find yourself turning the power down when running from NiMH batteries,
and how much power do you run with the K2?
At what voltage will 10 NiMH cells be considered 'empty' (I'm guessing 1V/cell
-> 10 Volts), and at what point will the K2's 'Low Batt' warning come on (I'm
guessing 10.5 Volts)?
Thanks in advance,
Daniel AA0NI
Oklahoma City
K2 #3421
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