Category Archives: From the OM

What a different 3 feet can make…

Posted on May 10, 2013 by robert

I had been using a Diamond X510 antenna mounted to a six foot pole attached to my deck (10 feet above ground) and had pretty good luck with 2m and 70cm repeaters.  However, when I used it as an antenna … Continue reading →

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An AC Charger for the 60 AH Battery

Posted on May 1, 2013 by robert

After shopping around a bit, I decided to use a Tenergy 10 Amp Charger for 4S LiFePO4 batteries.  The charger output cable is a pair of alligator clips just begging to be shorted out, and I wanted to replace them with Power … Continue reading →

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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

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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