[Elecraft] NiMH (1.2 V) vs. lithium (1.5 V)

[Wayne Burdick]

Dave,

Thanks for the reassuring NiMH-cell shoot-out article. I've been using the
"right" cells, it turns out ;)

Still, the 1.5-V AA lithium non-rechargeables have two advantages over NiMH for
a backpacker who just wants to take one set of batteries on a long trek: about a
2900 mAh rating, and a higher per-cell voltage. With 6 cells (as in the KX1),
you'll get about 9 V rather than 7.2 V. This results in typical power output of
1.5 watts vs. 1.0 watts, and those extra 2 dB can make a difference when you're
operating at the noise floor.

There's another important subtlety to keep in mind. At power levels above 1.5
watts or so, the power-output advantage of lithium 1.5-V cells starts to
disappear, because the lithiums have a higher internal resistance. So, for a K1
(with 8 cells and up to about 5 watts output running from internal battery) the
NiMH cells would be a better choice.

73,
Wayne


Dave-KK7SS wrote:
> 
> Wayne, Trevor (and all),
> 
> You might want to check out the following URL re: battery life...
> The *meat* ( the results) are about three pages down (on my PC!!).
> 
> http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM