Category Archives: Battery

Icom IC-7300 Power Consumption During POTA Activations

Posted on December 5, 2023 by robert

Over time, my POTA activation kit has grown smaller, due in no small part to a reduction in battery size.  I’ve transitioned from a 60AH, to 30AH, and finally a 15AH Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery.  Understanding the power requirements … Continue reading →

Posted in Activation, Alternative Power, Battery, LiFePO4, POTA | 3 Comments

Meanwhile, quality LiFePO4 batteries last and last and la….

Posted on June 2, 2023 by robert

After reporting the failure of my Miady 16 AH battery (lightly used less than 3 years old), I dug out my “backup” battery: a 9.6 AH K2 Energy battery, purchased in mid 2011.  That battery is 12 years old.  It … Continue reading →

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Update on 8+ year old 60 AH LiFePO4

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Bob Beatty

In April of 2013, I purchased parts to build my own 60 AH LiFePO4 battery.  Back then it cost about $440 – about $100 more than a comparable battery can be purchased for today.  That said, it has served me … Continue reading →

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A charger for LiFePO4 batteries

Posted on February 11, 2021 by robert

In an earlier post, I described a rather inexpensive 16 AH LiFePO4 battery.  I’ve used that for my last three activations, and so far it works as expected.  A few folks have asked me “What charger do I use?”.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in Battery, LiFePO4 | 2 Comments

10 year old LiFePO4 battery still going strong

Posted on January 21, 2021 by robert

I purchased my first LiFePO4 battery a decade ago from a company called K2 Energy (still in business today).  It was the same size as a 7 AH Lead Acid battery, but 1/3 the weight with a 9.6 AH rating.  … Continue reading →

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An inexpensive LiFePO4 battery for POTA Activations

Posted on January 20, 2021 by robert

I’ve been a HUGE fan of BioEnnoPower LiFePO4 batteries and have been using three of their devices for many years.  I had put together a presentation for my radio club (Newport County Radio Club) suggesting a couple of configurations of … Continue reading →

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Random Musings on POTA

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Bob Beatty

I started my Parks On The Air journey on October 2nd; my first activation with John K1JSM, Willy W1LY, and Richard KC1ARO at Brenton Point Park.  I quickly caught the bug, and have worked with them and other Newport County … Continue reading →

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Typical LiFePO4 Battery Use for 100-watt SSB

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Bob Beatty

Because of my POTA activity, I’ve been able to keep track of my current consumption as I run my IC-7000 in SSB.  It is a fairly typical 100-watt rig, pulling about 1.4 Amps in RX at listening volume, and specified … Continue reading →

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K2 Energy LiFePO4 going strong 9+ years later

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Bob Beatty

The first LiFePO4 battery I acquired was produced by k2battery.com back in 2011.  It was a drop-in replacement for the standard size 7 AH SLA battery, model K2B12V10EB.  It has served me well, all these years, being the primary battery … Continue reading →

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