[Elecraft] Real-world battery operation

[Steve Michaels]

I am anticipating a very long distance backpacking trip this Spring (AT,
Georgia to Maine) and am looking for real world info on operating times at
the 5-watt level with internal 2500mAh AA's or other lightweight battery
pack.  I should be able  to recharge completely via AC every week or so,
with a small solar pack providing partial charges in between.

Assuming 1 hour operating at 20 percent XMIT and 80 percent RX(set for
minimum current draw) per day, how much operating time do you think is
possible?  Mode would be primarily SSB with some PSK31 via Android phone
thrown in for grins.

Please no in-depth calculations or wild guesses--if you have operated via
internal or small, lightweight external batteries, how much time at what
power levels have you been able to operate before rig shuts down?

Many thanks,

Steve