[Elecraft] HF Packer Power Pack

[John R. Lonigro]

It's probably not as portable or as lightweight as the HF Packer Power 
Pack, but I often use one of those emergency car battery jumpers that 
Harbor Freight (and others) sell. Mine cost about $50, has a 14 Amp Hr 
battery, short jumper cables, a built-in battery charger that works on 
AC or from your cigarette lighter, a built-in expanded scale voltmeter, 
a built-in spotlight, and a cigarette lighter receptacle. It all comes 
in a molded plastic case. Besides powering QRP rigs forever with it, I 
sometimes put mine in the back seat of the car, plug it into the car 
cigarette lighter, and hook my other rig to it (ICOM 706). On receive, 
the charger pretty much keeps up with the current demands. On transmit 
(80-100 Watts), the battery supplies the current. I don't know how long 
it will last, but with my typical short SSB transmit duty cycle, it 
easily lasts for a 300 mile trip. The beauty of it is you don't need to 
run heavy duty wires directly to the car battery, which is important 
when the installation is temporary.

John AA0VE

Richard Lim wrote:

> I just built the HF Packer Power Pack www.hfprojects.com . It is a 
> neat little project which I'm sure will get alot of use in my portable 
> ops. Basically, it is a self contained 7aHr SLA battery, smart charger 
> and Anderson Powerpole based distribution center all in one.
>
> Rich
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