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Re: Portable Battery Recommendations
For SOTA activations I use an A123 4S1P LiFePO4 to power my KX3 which provides 13.2 V @ 2.5 Ah. Expensive but small and light weight. This chemistry holds a level voltage for a long time and then ramps off quickly. Typically I carry a couple but have never needed the second one even after activating two summits and, even then, the voltage had not dropped off. I recharge it with a Cellpro Multi4 charger which provides an balanced charge on each cell rather a charge to all cells simultaneously as do some other battery / charger combination. Typically, a full recharge doesn't require more than 20 minutes. This type battery is also available in a 4S2P formal which is rated 13.2 V @ 5.0 Ah.
Derek, WF4I
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Re: Portable Battery Recommendations
n4mj
Impressive. 73 de n4mj//glenn “PLEASE REMOVE all email addresses before you send it on and use BCC option when forwarding" Thank you!
On Thursday, January 30, 2020, 11:33:41 AM CST, John - KK4ITX via Groups.Io <jleahy00@...> wrote:
Richard, The Gel Cell 7ah is sort of heavy so I decided to use it to hold stuff together when the wind blows. My rig is in a plastic ammo box with the battery on the bottom when operating. Complete “Shack in a Box”, just add an antenna. The box closes tight, has a handle for carrying and keeps the weather out...... mostly. Although I am not in a hurry I can be on the air in about 3 minutes or so but I am getting slower ! Plenty of room for note pad, pen, key and headphones. Total weight is just 12.6 lbs which is not too bad for just one package with a very sturdy handle. The power distribution panel was 3D printed, has (2) 5v USB and (1) 12v outlets, a LED meter, on off switch and push switch to check the voltage. The box came from Wally World. Additional construction details if anyone is interested. 72, John KK4ITX Visit: www.zaarc.org. 👁
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Re: Portable Battery Recommendations
Richard,
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
The Gel Cell 7ah is sort of heavy so I decided to use it to hold stuff together when the wind blows. My rig is in a plastic ammo box with the battery on the bottom when operating. Complete “Shack in a Box”, just add an antenna. The box closes tight, has a handle for carrying and keeps the weather out...... mostly. Although I am not in a hurry I can be on the air in about 3 minutes or so but I am getting slower ! Plenty of room for note pad, pen, key and headphones. Total weight is just 12.6 lbs which is not too bad for just one package with a very sturdy handle. The power distribution panel was 3D printed, has (2) 5v USB and (1) 12v outlets, a LED meter, on off switch and push switch to check the voltage. The box came from Wally World. Additional construction details if anyone is interested. 72, John KK4ITX
On Jan 30, 2020, at 11:43, Richard AG5M via Groups.Io <ag5m@...> wrote:
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Re: Portable Battery Recommendations
Don, W9EBK
Richard, Any lead acid or gel cell battery will be affordable but heavy. I use a group 24 lead acid deep cycle battery that is more than enough for what you want to do but weighs almost 30 pounds. Start shopping for a Lithium iron or lithium ion battery. You are going to need 30 to 40 amp hours to do what you want, with no worries. A 20 amp hour battery might keep you on the air for 4 hours, but you might run close, and sucking a battery all the way down isn't good for the battery, or the quality of your signal, so always go with a bigger battery if you can handle the price and the weight. You are going to need to shop carefully. I just priced out a lithium iron 46 amp hour battery from Dakota lithium. It's 46 amp hours at 12 volts and only weights 6.4 pounds. Unfortunately it costs $400! You can find batteries for less by shopping carefully. If you have cordless power tools that use lithium batteries you may be able to adapt them. I have a Black and Decker 12 volt drill and have used that battery to run my Hilltopper 20. It won't do 5 watts nor last for 4 hours, but it's something to think about. I recently got some tools that are 20 volt. I have 2 1.5 amp hour lithium batteries for those tools. I plan to make a regular to be able to run 12 volt radios from them. Good Luck, Don, W9EBK
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Re: Portable Battery Recommendations
I use the Talentcell 8300mAh 12/9/5v battery pack, Richard. I got it from Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01337QXMA There's also an 11000mAh pack available on that page that I've been tempted to buy. They're very durable, very light weight, and last summer I operated from various parks with a variety of radios and antennas using that battery pack and never discharged it more than one indicator level after an afternoon's operating. I ran my KX3 up to 10w and never seemed to deplete it much. Now, I may not transmit as much as you, so your drain on the battery may be greater than my own, but I think it's a good starting point. It has enough oomph to run both my KX3 AND the PX3 panadapter fairly consistently, using a Y-splitter (I think it came with one). It has the charging circuit built into the pack, so the charger is just a standard 12v wall wart, no special circuitry. I used my bench supply to top it off more than once. I usually carry this pack, their smaller 6000mAh pack (not on that Amazon page), and a USB-C Power Delivery 26800mAh power bank with a Power Delivery sink cable. I've never ran them all down in a single day of operating. The Talentcells are what I've used most. The Power Delivery bank and cable are a recent development, and I'm still evaluating it. I just found it frustrating that there were all these wonderful, high-capacity power banks out there for USB use that couldn't power radios because they were only 5v, the standard USB-A/microUSB output. But Power Delivery is a recent standard that can power and charge laptops as well as phones and other devices, up to 20V at various amperages. I found readily-available adapter boards that will properly handshake with a PD power bank or wall charger, and regulate the power from one to supply 12-15v at 2-3A max power, depending on the power bank. In one of my Pelican cases, I have the Talentcells and my main field radios and gear, and in a second Pelican case, I have the PD bank and a wall charger for it, the PD adapter cable, and a selection of other QRP radios I don't use quite as often. All I need now is a power plug for my Chromebook, to adapt the PD cable to it, and I can even include my K1SWL Phaser digimode transceiver and the Chromebook I use for FT8 and JS8. (It'll also do my logging and other ham related computing). I'm trying to assemble the most flexible system I can manage, with the most easily maintained and longest-lasting portable power options. The PD system is nice because if I find I have access to 110v mains power, I can use the PD wall charger to top off the battery, then use it with the PD adapter cable to power the radios, saving the battery for when/if the mains power goes away. One of the places I like to operate from is a park with a gazebo. It has picnic tables and, if I can get close enough, a 110v mains outlet on the wall. I also have a van, and a 110v inverter I can plug into a 12v accessory jack, and a big battery-starter pack with a lighter socket on it that could be used to provide 12v OR run an inverter to charge my packs. Sorry for the text wall data dump, but I've been really getting into this over the past year. Here are the USB-C PD devices I mentioned. PD Sink Adapter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T2858G6/ PD Buddy Sink: https://www.tindie.com/products/clarahobbs/pd-buddy-sink/ RavPower PD Power Bank: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LRQDAEI/ PD Wall Charger: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0719KV9PH 73, Gwen, NG3P
On Thu, Jan 30, 2020 at 11:43 AM Richard AG5M via Groups.Io <ag5m=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote: I loved the discussion about Portable Antennas, learned quite a few new ideas to try out. Now for another. To power my Ten-Tec Argo IV QRP rig (or a KX2 if I ever get one) out in the field, what kind of light weight battery would you all recommend that could power the rig, running 5 watts, for up to four hours CW and SSB. I have a sealed Gel-Cell but it's kinda heavy. Appreciate all your thoughts. 72, Richard AG5M. --
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Re: HF Magnetic Loop and Pacemaker
Don, W9EBK
Dan, www.66pacific.com is the go-to source for working out how to make HF magnetic loop antennas. Don,W9EBK
On Wed, Jan 29, 2020, 9:18 PM Dan Reynolds <on30ng@...> wrote: I have access to some hardline and I'm thinking about making a transmitting loop. I know there was a design out there that used an Arudino to tune the loop at frequency changes...
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Portable Battery Recommendations
I loved the discussion about Portable Antennas, learned quite a few new ideas to try out. Now for another. To power my Ten-Tec Argo IV QRP rig (or a KX2 if I ever get one) out in the field, what kind of light weight battery would you all recommend that could power the rig, running 5 watts, for up to four hours CW and SSB. I have a sealed Gel-Cell but it's kinda heavy. Appreciate all your thoughts. 72, Richard AG5M.
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Re: Recommendations for electronics books
Dwight Turner <goodto100@...>
This was an excellent thread!
I love experimenting and building, and downloaded a number of the free articles mentioned.
Am thinking of ordering the Horowitz book. Are there any other ones that are in the highly recommended class?
Dwight, KD8YFV
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Re: HF Magnetic Loop and Pacemaker
Morbidly funny John, but really, a good point. Some info on at least one brand of pacemaker (the one I have). I too have a pacemaker. I often run 500 watts and one end of the 160-80-40 meter antenna runs right over the shack, about 3 feet above the house roof. My pacemaker is from "Boston Scientific", has bluetooth connectivity to a remote monitor that lets my cardiologist know immediately if something goes wrong with either ME or the pacemaker. I'm on the air almost daily for at least one QRO contact on 40 meters and in over 12 years, have had no RF episodes with the pacemaker. My Boston Scientific rep said the main thing to avoid is high magnetic fields as a coded magnetic signal is used to trigger diagnostic mode in their pacemakers so a Mag Loop might be a different ball game entirely. I don't have one here but then I have a 40' telescoping vertical that collapses down to 3 feet for my portable operations when I even go portable anymore - LOL. That being said, I agree with the need to use CAUTION when operating close to radiated fields of any kind when one has a pacemaker implant as I'm sure the manufacturers all use different RF and Magnetic exposure standards from each other and results will surely vary. Best to err on the side of safety. Jim, W0EB
------ Original Message ------
From: "John Lonigro" <jonigro@...>
Sent: 1/30/2020 9:42:39 AM
Subject: Re: [4SQRP] HF Magnetic Loop and Pacemaker Start with 1 Watt, then go with 2 Watts, etc. If you die, back down a Watt (hi).
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Re: HF Magnetic Loop and Pacemaker
John Lonigro
Start with 1 Watt, then go with 2 Watts, etc. If you die, back down
a Watt (hi).
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
John, AA0VE
On 1/30/20 9:24 AM, John - KK4ITX via
Groups.Io wrote:
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Re: HF Magnetic Loop and Pacemaker
I use the MFJ-9232 QRP Pocket Loop tuner and find it a useful setup to eliminate the local noise. There are several YouTube videos showing good results but beware...... they were made when there were sun spots. I had great fun rigging up the expansion arrangement to allow for various lengths of wire. To get a broader bandwidth I used trailer hookup wire, seems to work better than the wire that came with it. The supports are driveway markers and I really lucked out at a Flea Market with the $4.00 heavy duty tri-pod. I have attached a picture of the assembled unit if anyone is interested I have more and some additional hints and details to offer. As for use with a pacemaker ? You will know if it is bothering you or anyone else I believe. When I tune up I am listening (RX) or using my Sark 100 so there’s no large amount of RF present....... Operating (TX) one would be several feet away so at 5w I doubt that you would be affected but just go at it slow (1-2w) and see what happens. Enjoy, John KK4ITX
On Jan 29, 2020, at 22:18, Dan Reynolds <on30ng@...> wrote:
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Re: Temporarily Out of Stock
Leland L. Bahr
Johnny, OK, I'll order a 20 or 40 meter radio when available and convert it to 30 meters. Lee, w0vt
On 1/29/2020 8:49 PM, Johnny Matlock
wrote:
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Re: 40 AND 80 METER NET REPORT
Hi Chas! Good to hear from you! Missed you on last month’s Sexond Sunday Sprint. I always could count on hearing you... alas, no Chas. Hope all is well! And i hope to work you next month :-) 72, Jeff N0̸MII
On Jan 29, 2020, at 9:42 PM, w2sh@... wrote:
-- Jeff N0̷MII
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Re: 40 AND 80 METER NET REPORT
Johnny,
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
I got in late after our Card night (9:15 EST), nothing heard on 40m, waited for the 80m and only barely heard a few dits and dahs..... some day it will be easy again...... right ? John
On Jan 29, 2020, at 22:14, Dan Reynolds <on30ng@...> wrote:
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Re: Temporarily Out of Stock
I've been checking every day for the Noveau 75, it's killing me. Can I just pay now?
Geo KN4ULD
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Re: 40 AND 80 METER NET REPORT
w2sh@...
Prior to the start of the 40m net, WNØWWY was heard with 579. Also N4MJ with whom I had short exchange was 579. WB1GYZ exchanged briefly with WNØWWY. I could hear WB!GYZ's signal but it was not readable here, being only 100 miles distant.
On 80m The QNI procedure was pretty ragged and things sounded like a QRM fest for much of he time. N4HAY was 589 here (note his correct call sign).
72,
Charles (aka Chas), W2SH
From: main@4SQRP.groups.io <main@4SQRP.groups.io> on behalf of Johnny Matlock <jomatlock@...>
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 22:11 To: 4sqrpio <4SQRP@groups.io> Subject: [4SQRP] 40 AND 80 METER NET REPORT GE GROUP
40 WAS ONLY FAIR AS USUAL.
CHECK IN'S WERE:
WB1GYZ
W2SH
80 METER CHECK IN'S WERE
N0YJ
N4MJ
WB0CFF
N4HAM
W2SH
THANKS EVERYONE
CU AT OZARKCON SOON!
QRP....."More smiles per Watt"
JOHNNY AC0BQ ..72 -- Charles Moizeau, W2SH
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Delta Mike Romeo Net
Robert
Thanks to all those who checked in tonight's net. Tonight's topic was "A To Go Kit". Tonight's check ins: NK8O Charles N0TGR Dick WG5F Ed KU5M Joe KC0PP Keith KB9JLO Danny AC0BQ Johnny N4HAY Dick 73's See you next week! Bert N0YJ
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Re: 40 AND 80 METER NET REPORT
Hello Dan Good to hear from you. 40 seems to be extremely long lately. Hang in there. 73 Johnny
On Wed, Jan 29, 2020 at 9:14 PM Dan Reynolds <on30ng@...> wrote: I thought I heard something on 40 but it was faint here in central IL... I tried. --
Check out the 4SQRP website at 4sqrp.com
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HF Magnetic Loop and Pacemaker
I have access to some hardline and I'm thinking about making a transmitting loop. I know there was a design out there that used an Arudino to tune the loop at frequency changes...
Anybody have some decent designs - I do not want to design it myself. I'm not too proud to borrow someone else's work. Also, does anyone know about any problems with a transmitting mag loop and a pacemaker (QRP levels only). -- Dan Reynolds -- KB9JLO
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Re: 40 AND 80 METER NET REPORT
I thought I heard something on 40 but it was faint here in central IL... I tried.
-- Dan Reynolds -- KB9JLO
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