[Elecraft] Re: AA primary cells: NiMH vs. Alkaline

[Wayne Burdick]

"Wallace, Andy" wrote:

> It would be great if someone could put some charged NiMH cells in
> their K1, set it to 5W, and auto-repeat CQ into a dummy load and
> tell us how long it lasts. Set the length of CQ and repeat delay to
> simulate ragchewing or a contest. That info would look great on the
> KBT1 info sheet, too!

This has already been done, I believe, but I don't have the results at
hand. If you do such a test, be sure to monitor the battery voltage and
the transmitted signal. The rig will keep putting out power for a while
even after the batteries go below the minimum threshold for the 8V regulator.

Note that we recommend using 3-4 watts when running from internal
battery, because best PA collector efficiency at 9 to 10 volts occurs at
a lower power level than at 12-14 V.

73,
Wayne