[Elecraft] battery care

[Vic Rosenthal]

Andreas KU7T wrote:

 > I set my power supply to a voltage that displays 13.8V on the K2 just
 > how the manual describes it. Is this all I can do to keep the battery
 > life long?
 >
 > How about discharging it once in a while (well, operating with the
 > power supply off with QRP)?  There used to be a memory effect in some
 > rechargeable batteries and I am not sure whether the KBT2 is one of
 > them.  Or is all I have to do to care best for the battery to connect
 > it all the time to my power supply?  Or just when I operate the K2?

The battery is a sealed lead-acid battery.  You definitely should NOT 
discharge it once in a while like a ni-cad -- that will shorten its life 
significantly.  The best policy is to maintain it at as close to full 
charge as possible and avoid overcharging.

Vic K2VCO