Monthly Archives: April 2013

Battery In A Box

Posted on April 28, 2013 by robert

I finally found the time to complete my 60AH LiFePO4 battery by building it into a box this weekend between sporting events for my daughter. I had checked the size of the four battery cells prior to ordering them and … Continue reading →

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PCM Doing Good Job

Posted on April 23, 2013 by robert

The PCM LO4S30 Power Control Module that I used with the the four-series 60 AH LiFePO4 battery (LFP-G60 cells)  is doing a great job keeping the cells balanced on recharge.  After the 3rd PCM charge, the largest difference is now 12 … Continue reading →

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65.78 AH, 10h58m

Posted on April 21, 2013 by robert

And the Test Results are in… 65.78 AH capacity from 14.35 volts down to 12.00 volts, at a C/10 rate of 6.00 Amps.  This is 9.6% more than the name plate capacity. Measured individual cell voltages were very close, ranging … Continue reading →

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Note to self…

Posted on April 21, 2013 by robert

So the bewitching hour has struck, and the capacity test continues on. Testing high capacity batteries takes a lot of time.   Note to self for future tests:  Start earlier in the day! The 60AH battery has been under a … Continue reading →

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60AH LiFePO4 Battery for Field Day

Posted on April 19, 2013 by robert

After monitoring my K3 power consumption during the SSB WPX Contest, I determined that I could run the K3 continuously set to full power in contest mode for about 30 hours with a 60 AH battery.  So my plan is … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Power, From the OM, History | 3 Comments

Patriot’s Day Bombing

Posted on April 16, 2013 by robert

I hesitate to write this, as it isn’t directly related to ham radio, but it did have an indirect impact as my technician class gladly stood down for a night as the Red Cross started their efforts to plan their … Continue reading →

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Taking the exam for ARRL Volunteer Examiner

Posted on April 12, 2013 by robert

I took the ARRL-VEC Exam, which is an open-book 40-question yes/no, fill-in-the-blank, mini-essay type exam taking 3 pages.  Add a page long application and a copy of your license, plus postage for 2 ounces applied to the envelope, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in From the OM, Operating, Public Service | 3 Comments

Double-Peak For Cycle 24?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by robert

“Almost” as predicted, propagation is starting to get interesting.  The past few days have been outstanding with decent openings on 10 m and 12 m.  15-meters has been open the clock as well.  China, Vietnam, Thailand  South Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippians have … Continue reading →

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Honoring a Mentor

Posted on April 6, 2013 by robert

(Receiving John ‘s comment yesterday about his first QSO, reminded me that I needed to do something similar for mine) I have misplaced my original license and logs (I will find them and put them online in eQSL and LotW … Continue reading →

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A QSL from the distant past…

Posted on April 5, 2013 by robert

I received a post-comment from John Boyd who mentioned that he recalled working a WN4SON back in the day.  While I’ve misplaced my log and original license (I know they are packed in a box from one of my moves), … Continue reading →

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