[Elecraft] K3 : standby current

[Matt Zilmer]

Depending on the car battery, better check the self-discharge rate.
For car batteries, the self-discharge rate is fairly high.  It gets
worse with age too.

I don't have any accurate data on this, but once left a car with a
new, fully charged battery at LAX for 38 days and had to call AAA to
get a jump start.  I had lifted the contactor before leaving the car
in the lot too.  So no phantom current was being consumed.

The battery was fine, and lived a full life after the recharge - not
defective.

73,
matt, W6NIA
K3 # 24, K2 #  2810


On Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:14:23 -0600, you wrote:

>Bob,
>
>    I'm assuming you mean when it's "off." I think most car batteries 
>are at least 100 AH. It can run some 14,285 hours or 595 days or 1.6 
>years to drain the battery entirely (if that's possible!). Anyway, I 
>think you'll find that, if you measure drain on your car battery with 
>everything turned off is probably more than this (car radio stand-by, 
>alarm, remote control... hum... can't think of anything else off hand). 
>While I haven't done it, 20 or 30 ma would not concern me. Anyone ever 
>measure their battery current while the car is off?
>
>    Regards,
>
>    kurtt
>
>    Kurt Pawlikowski, AKA WB9FMC
>    The Pinrod Corporation
>    kurtt at pinrod.com
>    (773) 284-9500
>    http://pinrod.com
>
>bobatbay at beeb.net wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I havemeasured the standby current of the K3 at around 7mA. 
>> Is this typical ? Might be aproblem for floks wo leavethe 
>> radio connected t oa 12 car battery for extended periods? 
>>
>>
>> Bob ZD8RH
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