Good experiance using the K3-100 on battery power

[Kenneth Christiansen]

I have used my K2 and later K2-100 as my camping rig since the year 2000.
This year I wanted to try my K3-100 for field day as QRP 1B ND. I took the
K3 with me over Memorial day and ran it at 100 W CW. On Sunday morning
I did 160 meter SSB and AM. I was pleasantly surprised how well the battery
lasted and no body gave me any bad reports. The time I tried the same thing
with my IC-737 I was getting chirp reports within the first half hour
and later
on the receiver lost mow5 its sensitivity due to the low voltage. On the
IC-737
I had to add a dry cell to the battery bus for the lower power stages
but it was
generally not a satisfactory situation.

The K2 was never bothered by the low voltages and in fact I never even saw
the power back down as the regulators and auto gain circuits compensated
well for the low voltages. I continued with the K2 even though I had the K3
last year as I felt any rig with all those nice features of the K3 could
not
possibly work on my camping battery.

I ran the K3 as QRP 1B ND for field day and was pleased with how well
it worked and my battery did not run down. I had always wanted to take
a ham radio vacation to the woods of Northern Minnesota and decided this
should work with the K3-100.

I am using a three year old 105 amp hour group 24 RV battery and picked
out a camp ground with no electricity for no AC line noise. I bought a Honda
EU2000I generator and used my MFJ-4225MV switching power supply
to recharge the battery. I changed every DC connector to the same
PowerPole connector as the K3-100 uses for ease of charging and
changing 12 volt configurations.

I ran the K3-100 well over 100 hours and 25 days this summer at
100W CW using the following procedure. I would rag chew 3 to 5 hours
a day and let the XL use the camper lights. The K3 would indicate 12.0 V
on receive at the end of this time. Every afternoon I would run the
generator for two hours. I would charge the battery at 16 amps untill
the voltage reached 13.9 volts than I would continue until the charging
current dropped down to 3.5 amps. This always took almost exactly
two hours. The battery never used any water as I checked the levels
in the cells. The battery lasted as well the last day as it did the
first. The
low background noise gave me the best ham radio experience I have
ever had. The Honda generator used about a gallon of gas every 6 days.

I operated a few times while the battery was charging and the noise from
the Honda was low if a wrapped a 50 foot extension cord into a small
coil but of course the battery by it self was another S unit or so quieter.

I hope my report is helpful to others that want to operate in remote
locations. I never thought I would replace the K2 with the K3 for
battery operation but now I plan to stick with the K3 for all my camping.

73
Ken   W0CZ

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[M0XDF]

Nice, has anyone tried running the K3 (or other rig) directly from the  
DC outlet of a Honda generator?
73 de M0XDF
--
Life is an eternal challenge, a variant on Maeterlinck's theme that  
the Bluebird of happiness is by the side of each and everyone of us,  
always within reach, yet, if pursued to catch and possess is beyond  
our grasp. - Donald Campbell, CBE. (1921-1967)

On 11 Sep 2009, at 16:27, Kenneth A. Christiansen wrote:
> I bought a Honda
> EU2000I generator and used my MFJ-4225MV switching power supply
> to recharge the battery. I changed every DC connector to the same
> PowerPole connector as the K3-100 uses for ease of charging and
> changing 12 volt configurations.

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[KK7P]

> Nice, has anyone tried running the K3 (or other rig) directly from the  
> DC outlet of a Honda generator?
>  
On my EU2000i, this is an unregulated output and the maximum voltage
output is higher than the K3 is rated for.  Not recommended.

73,

Lyle KK7P

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[Jim Brown-10]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:27:17 -0500, Kenneth A. Christiansen wrote:

>I hope my report is helpful to others that want to operate in remote
>locations. I never thought I would replace the K2 with the K3 for
>battery operation but now I plan to stick with the K3 for all my
>camping.

In my shack at home and on Field Day, I've always run my ham gear from
a big Costco deep cycle battery that is float charged from a little
regulated 10A supply ($10 at a hamfest). It's a poor man's UPS, and
works fine. Both the K2 and K3 were designed to minimize current
drain, but the K3 draws considerably more current than the K2 on
receive. That's why I'm keeping my K2/100 for use in emergencies.

73,

Jim Brown K9YC


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[n7ws]

--- On Fri, 9/11/09, David Ferrington, M0XDF <[hidden email]> wrote:


Nice, has anyone tried running the K3 (or other rig) directly from the 
DC outlet of a Honda generator?
73 de M0XDF

This is supposed to be a battery charging source.  I wouldn't even subject my batteries to this except in desperation.  Definitely not my radios.



     
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[n7ws]

I have a East Penn Deka 92 AH AGM battery in the shack that is on constant charge via a "smart charger" that I built using an Astron RM-35 for the raw DC and pass transistors and an A&A Engineering board that I modified.  A Honda EU2000 outside the shack completes my emergency/FD system.  I have an N8XJK boost regulator on order.

Wes N7WS

--- On Fri, 9/11/09, Jim Brown <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: Jim Brown <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Good experiance using the K3-100 on battery power
To: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]>
Date: Friday, September 11, 2009, 10:37 AM

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:27:17 -0500, Kenneth A. Christiansen wrote:

>I hope my report is helpful to others that want to operate in remote
>locations. I never thought I would replace the K2 with the K3 for
>battery operation but now I plan to stick with the K3 for all my
>camping.

In my shack at home and on Field Day, I've always run my ham gear from
a big Costco deep cycle battery that is float charged from a little
regulated 10A supply ($10 at a hamfest). It's a poor man's UPS, and
works fine. Both the K2 and K3 were designed to minimize current
drain, but the K3 draws considerably more current than the K2 on
receive. That's why I'm keeping my K2/100 for use in emergencies.

73,

Jim Brown K9YC





     
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[allenrw1955]

What did you use for an antenna when you were camping in Northern Mn?
This is a Honda eu2000i question mostly. They can make a lot of noise
especially into low mounted verticals.
Bob
KB1FRW

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[David Cutter]

I used a Honda on field day a few years ago, (240V mains outlet) and was
staggered by the amount of SMPS noise.  I fitted a big filter grounded local
to the generator about 60ft away that made it tolerable.

David
G3UNA


----- Original Message -----
From: "Wes Stewart" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>; "M0XDFDavid Ferrington"
<[hidden email]>
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 5:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Good experiance using the K3-100 on battery power




--- On Fri, 9/11/09, David Ferrington, M0XDF <[hidden email]> wrote:


Nice, has anyone tried running the K3 (or other rig) directly from the
DC outlet of a Honda generator?
73 de M0XDF

This is supposed to be a battery charging source. I wouldn't even subject my
batteries to this except in desperation. Definitely not my radios.




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[M0XDF]

Thanks for that info Lyle, I wasn't sure.
73 de M0XDF
--  
What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree? The purpose of the giant
sequoia tree is to provide shade for the tiny titmouse.
-Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (1927-1989)

On 11 Sep 2009, at 17:28, Lyle Johnson wrote:

>
>> Nice, has anyone tried running the K3 (or other rig) directly from  
>> the
>> DC outlet of a Honda generator?
>>
> On my EU2000i, this is an unregulated output and the maximum voltage
> output is higher than the K3 is rated for.  Not recommended.

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[Jim Brown-10]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:21:40 +0100, David Cutter wrote:

>I used a Honda on field day a few years ago, (240V mains outlet) and was
>staggered by the amount of SMPS noise.  I fitted a big filter grounded local
>to the generator about 60ft away that made it tolerable.

VERY important point. "Ground" for a filter has NOTHING to do with EARTH.
Rather, the 'ground" of the filter (its shielding enclosure) needs a zero
length connection to the chassis of the noise source (the generator). You CAN
tie this point to the earth, and it may help a bit, but it is the connection
between the filter chassis and the generator chassis that is most important.

BTW -- winding about 10 turns of the power cord around one or more toroids is
also a very effective common mode filter for 2-10 MHz. Use fewer turns for
the higher HF bands. See http://audiosystemsgroup.com/RFI-Ham.pdf for
detailed winding guidelines and measured data for chokes. You should be able
to get 10 turns of 14-3 cable through a 2.4-inch toroid. While you may want
bigger conductors for the long run, you can certainly insert a short length
of #14-3 at the generator without serious IR drop.

An earth connection for the generator chassis can help here too.  In both
cases, the earth connection and the line cord through the choke form a
current divider for RF current. The earth connection is typically on the
order of a 50-100 ohms or so, and a big choke can be a few KOhms.

73,

Jim Brown K9YC




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[Leigh L. Klotz Jr WA5ZNU]

On WB6ZQZ's advice I got one of 40A "RV charger" power supplies on eBay
and use it with a Group 24 battery from Tempost.  I bought the charger
refurb and saved some money.  It made a faint noise on some bands with
no antenna attached, so I put a big #31 ferrite toroid on the output and
it's quite quiet now.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/6848

Leigh/WA5ZNU
> Jim Brown K9YC wrote:
> ...In my shack at home and on Field Day, I've always run my ham gear from
> a big Costco deep cycle battery that is float charged from a little
> regulated 10A supply ($10 at a hamfest). It's a poor man's UPS, and
> works fine. ...
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[Kenneth Christiansen]

Bob Wrote
++++++++++++++++++
What did you use for an antenna when you were camping in Northern Mn?
This is a Honda eu2000i question mostly. They can make a lot of noise
especially into low mounted verticals.
Bob
KB1FRW
++++++++++++++++++
I have been camping and doing ham radio together for over 40 years and
this is my "CAMPING
ANTENNA" which I have used for the last 4 or more years.

I bought a 23 ft telescoping painters handle from Menards and a small
paint roller that screws on the
end of the handle. I removed the roller and bent it into a hook. This
makes my center support and is held
to the hitch and my front window cover of my camper with elastic cords.
I put eye hooks on two 3/4 inch
pvc pipes and used a large eye bolt and smaller hook bolt to make a
place on the back bumper of the
camper to hold one support in position. I drilled a 3/4th inch hole in
an 18 inch two by four and an
elastic cord to hold the other support to the front bumper of my car.
The 44 ft doublet has a center
insulator made of a PVC tee with a hook that hooks over the home made
hook at the top of the center
support. The feed line of the doublet is 22 ft of 450 ohm window line. I
use a W2DU 1 to 1 balun
between the elecraft built in tuner and the window line. This antenna
works well on 40 and 20 thru 10
meters. It loads on 6 meters but I have never heard the band open so do
not know if it works.

I add a 22 ft length of twin lead tied in a coil to the other 22 ft of
feed line to work 30 meters. I add
22 ft extensions to each end of the doublet to make and 88 ft doublet on
75 meters and use the
same feed line as I do on 30 meters. I have been told my signal on the
ND SSB net is just as
strong as it is from home. I find it does not make much difference where
I put the extensions so
I often just go back to a picnic table or camp chair on my own camp site
with the ends.

I also use this antenna on 160 meters with the following changes. I
leave the 88 ft doublet part up
but go back to the 22 ft feed line. I use a 2 inch loading coil and
connect the top of the loading
coil to both sides of the window line. I go from the loading coil to
what I call the hot side of the
W2DU balun and I go from a bolt on the frame of my camper to what I
consider the cold side
of the balun. I have worked 200 miles at 8:30 local time Sunday mornings
on 160 for the Goose
River SSB net  from several different camp sites in ND and MN. I have
worked from Valley City
ND to my friend Bill in Warroad MN several times.

I have only used the Honda eu2000i on 40, 30 and 20 as I usually charge
my battery about 2:00 PM
while the other campers tend to be busy and making their own noise. The
first time I tried it I was
bothered by noise but I had a 50 foot extension cord and wrapped it into
a coil about 4 inches in
diameter. The noise dropped down to at least the level of my home QTH. I
found the NB on the
K3 could get rid of the noise at a setting of    E3-7 IF WID4 or IF NAR5.

I never tried the eu2000I on 80 or 160 because I consider week day
dinner time and Sunday
mornings to be quiet times and don't want to bother anyone.

I hope my camping antenna ideas can help other people. I have tried long
wires, dipoles and
verticals over the years and this is by far the best antenna I have had
for not bothering other
campers and giving good performance. The dipoles worked just as well but
people look at
you funny when you string antennas across their camp sites!!!!

73 Ken W0CZ

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