[Elecraft] Power supply questions

[Dave]

Phil

As others suggest, any gel cell of 3 to 6 AH rating will work well. I have
the KBT2, while it makes the K2 quite heavy it it's fine for overnight
camping trips, etc.

Beware that gel cells have two "problems"... the common type used in burglar
alarms will deteriorate badly if left in a discharged state. We use many of
this type at work for portable radio equipment and they usually are scrap
after 18 months. It's debatable if it's worth spending often more than
double the cost on a deep discharge type. The other problem is that special
battery charging is required for gel cells, indeed if you fit the KBT2 it
needs a supply of 14 to 14.2 Volts at the transceiver power jack in order to
charge the battery, most (all?) power supplies are rated at 13.8 Volts at
the power supply end of the power lead. My home made 20 Amp shack power
supply was easily adjusted to give 14 Volts at the K2's jack, modifying a
commercial power supply may not be so easy.

Dave, G4AON
K2 #1892, K1 #1154

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phillip Dahl" <pdahl@midsouth.rr.com>
To: <elecraft@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:28 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] Power supply questions


I have two questions concerning the power supply to my K2(not 100w).

1)  Where can I get the connector that goes into the back of the rig?  I
have been to 4 different Radio Shacks and still unable to find the right
size plug to solder onto the end of the wire to make a power supply cord.
Any suggestions to help me make up a couple of extra power supply cords
would be appreciated.

2) What do you guys use as the most common and practical source of a
portable power source when going camping or traveling.  I realize some of my
questions are quite elementary, but I have searched for information until I
am blue in the face and wondering if I will even be able to participate in
this great activity of amateur radio.  Thanks for all your help.  I
appreciate it.

Phil