Category Archives: Gear

SideKX Panels for my KX3

Posted on September 22, 2013 by robert

During our RFI finding party at Glen Park, John King, WA1ABI, brought his KX3, and I noticed that he had installed Scott’s (AK6Q) side panels and Lexan cover.  This was the first time that I saw these in person, and … Continue reading →

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Digital Go Box

Posted on August 31, 2013 by robert

I attended a American Red Cross Regional Disaster Institute two weeks ago, and had the pleasure of meeting Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O.  Frank’s a busy guy, deeply involved with ARES and the ARC.  His passion is putting together various “Go-Boxes” to … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Mode, ECOMM, From the OM, Gear, Public Service | 1 Comment

HSMM-MESH WB4SON-AP1 Ready for Duty

Posted on July 27, 2013 by robert

I setup and configured a Linksys WRT54GS v2.0 Router today to run HSMM-Mesh software version 0.4.3.  Unfortunately there are no nodes in my area yet, and only two others registered in RI, but eventually this might become a high speed … Continue reading →

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Some Field Day 2013 thoughts…

Posted on June 24, 2013 by robert

Our W1LY Field Day was much nicer this year due to better weather.  It was warm and breezy but not to hot and humid until Sunday — when the humidity picked up along with the temperature.  Still, it was MUCH … Continue reading →

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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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