[Elecraft] make a portable battery pack at home

[Brien Pepperdine]

HI. I was emboldened and impressed by the presentations at Atanticon
last weekend,  so with
the QRP to the Field event coming up at
the end of April, I'd like to make a "AA" size battery pack for my K1
(would work for other rigs too probably).

I see the K1 pack from Elecraft uses eight batteries, but I wonder if a 10
pack might be better if I am putting together a battery pack from the
plastic holders I can get at the local electronics supply store..
advisable?

AA alkalines are 1.5 volts fully charged new from the package but I think
discharge in use quickly to 1.25 volts and then down lower.
So ten alkalines would be 15 volts to start with but quickly lower, which
according the web page specs is
OK for the
K1 and K2. (Actually, my reasoning SEEMS to make particular sense if
making an external homebrew pack for the K2, since it wants 10 volts and
8 alkaline batteries can give that and a bit for a while, but 8 1.2 volt
rechargable cells cannot;
the K1 can live OK on 9 volts though I think).

NiCad and NiMH batteries are
nominally about 1.2 to 1.25 volts
but supposedly maintain that level pretty much throughout their discharge,
which means a nominal 12 volt package if ten batteries are used.
(only around 9.6 volts if 8 cells are utilized).

Have I missed something? - aside from two more batteries cost that little
bit more and ten cells do not fit a standard  commercial 8 cell  
recharger/float maintainance charger.
(I would use my intelligent Battery Plus float/trickle recharger that
keeps a motorcyle battery alive when not used).

See you at/near the water's edge for QRPTTF on April 27.
I will have a 40 m. dipole and a variant (my quick n' dirty kludge) of the
St.
Louis pocket vertical (now that I have found a local kite tubing supply
source) to try out.

I will not be portaging a "Ron 'Ninja Mule' Polityka 52#-Special
Backpack" however (Atlanticon joke).

http://www.fix.net/~jparker/norcal/qrpttf02/qrpttfrules.html

Brien Pepperdine
Amateur Radio Station VE3VAW
Toronto, Ontario Canada
ARCI QRP #8773 - NORCAL QRP "ZOMBIE"

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