battery pack query

[Ralph Webb]

Gents,

I've just purchased a KX1 and I expect to use it on vacations etc.  

What is the collective thinking for an outboard 12VDC rechargeable battery pack I can use with this little gem?

I'm looking for something that I can take away with me that will last for a week or so without recharging using the rig intermittently.  I know that if I were to use it in a Field Day or other continuous mode situation,  I'd want to take along a recharger or some sort. (solar cells?)

I've seen small amp-hour gel cells, but there might be something else out there that I've missed.

Thanks for the help.

Ralph Webb, VE7OM
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[Leigh L. Klotz Jr WA5ZNU]

Ralph,

If you don't need the full 3 or 4 watts you get from external 12v+, the
internal Lithium cels will last much longer than a week.

For more power, I use a 10-cell AA holder from Mouser.com ($2) with
Energizer 2500mAH cells in it ($30 for for 3 packs of 4 at Wal Mart),
and a thick rubber band to hold it on the bottom of the KX1.  
Batteryspace.com and Hamstop.com each have chargers that are small
enough to put in your pocket and will charge up NiMH packs.

There are flat 2.3AH Gel Cells are of similar capacity, and they don't
aelf-discharge the way NiMH does, but they weigh quite a bit more.  
There used to be a nice "Power Pocket" neoprene package but I don't see
them in that size any more.
73,
Leigh / WA5ZNU
On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 4:00 pm, R & L Webb wrote:
> Gents,
> I've just purchased a KX1 and I expect to use it on vacations etc.
>
> What is the collective thinking for an outboard 12VDC rechargeable
> battery pack I can use with this little gem?
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[Don Wilhelm-3]

Ralph,

The proper answer is -- it all depends on your definition of 'intermittent'
and whether you include both weekends in your 'week' of vacation time.

Seriously, all is a compromise - if you are looking for lightweight battery
power, you can use the internal AA Size batteries, but for an external
battery. I would suggest something like a 2.3 AH SLA battery (or whatever
size your compromise parameters for weight vs. capacity allow).  If that
becomes discharged, you can always clip leads to the battery in your car (I
assume a car nearby rather than a backpacking situation) which will provide
you with many more hours of operating pleasure.

73,
Don W3FPR

> -----Original Message-----
>
> I've just purchased a KX1 and I expect to use it on vacations etc.
>
> What is the collective thinking for an outboard 12VDC
> rechargeable battery pack I can use with this little gem?
>
> I'm looking for something that I can take away with me that will
> last for a week or so without recharging using the rig
> intermittently.  I know that if I were to use it in a Field Day
> or other continuous mode situation,  I'd want to take along a
> recharger or some sort. (solar cells?)
>
> I've seen small amp-hour gel cells, but there might be something
> else out there that I've missed.
>
> Thanks for the help.
>
> Ralph Webb, VE7OM
>

--
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[Michael Babineau]

Ralph, VE7OM wrote :

> I've just purchased a KX1 and I expect to use it on vacations etc.
>
> What is the collective thinking for an outboard 12VDC rechargeable
> battery pack I can use with this little gem?
>
> I'm looking for something that I can take away with me that will last
> for a week or so without recharging using the rig intermittently.  I
> know that if I were to use it in a Field Day or other continuous mode
> situation,  I'd want to take along a recharger or some sort. (solar
> cells?)
>

Ralph I have a few external power solutions that I use for both my K1
and KX1 :

10 X AA NiMH cells.  These work great but the issue is that the
self-discharge rate on NIMH cells is reasonable
high so by the end of the week you would probably find that your 13.6V
pack is sitting at about 11v even if
you didn't use it much. I use this solution if I have a planned outing
and remember to charge the batteries
the night before.

8 X AA LIthium cells. This is a great solution but a bit pricey. I like
the Lithium cells because they are very light.
Not rechargeable however.

8X AA High-end Alkaline. I have had mixed results depending on the
Alkaline cells. Sometimes the pack
goes flat pretty quickly. I haven't used this solution much so I can't
recommend a particular brand of battery.
One advantage is that AA alkaline cells are easy to find and not too
expensive so you could bring spares.

a small SLA ( Gel cell) 2ahr or larger.  SLAs don't self discharge as
quickly as NiMH cells but you won't get
full power out like you would with 10 X AA NiMH cells as the voltage
quickly settles to 12+V. I often use my
2 ahr Gel cell with a SES Micro M+ Portable charge controller and a
Coleman 5 W flex panel.

http://www.icpsolar.com/specifications.php3?id_article=38

In reasonable sun the rig sees 13+V so I get full power out of the rig.
The 5W panel provides enough juice
to run the rig and keep the battery topped up as well. The great thing
about this solution is that you
can go indefinitely as long as you get some sun every few days to top
off the battery.

Michael VE3WMB

P.S. I got my Coleman 5W Flex at Mountain Equipment Coop here in Ottawa
for CAN $88.

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[Steve Hostetler]

Ralph,
Another possibility if weight is not a concern:  I use 2 7.2V R/C
batteries (3000 mAh) in series with a 1N4000 to drop the voltage a bit.  
This is ideal for the KX1 because the voltage remains high (13+)  
throughout discharge which maximizes the rf output.  The KX1 will easily
run a week with this set up.  Be sure to put a fuse in the supply to the
radio.

73, steve, kx7r

R & L Webb wrote:

>What is the collective thinking for an outboard 12VDC rechargeable battery pack I can use with this little gem?
>
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