[Elecraft] KXBC3 and Batteries

[Donald Butler]

Thanks for the tip Wayne . I obviously have not given NiMH's a fair test
yet, so will definitely give them a try..

I do have a minor suggestion for the KXBC3:  Like others I've gotten the
"BAT ERR" message when attempting to initiate a charge cycle on a
battery pack that is already charged .. why not change the message with
that scenario to something more positive like "BAT FUL"?

Don, N5LZ

-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Burdick [mailto:n6kr at elecraft.com] 
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2012 2:47 PM
To: Don Butler
Cc: 'Elecraft List'
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KXBC3 and Batteries


Don,

Thanks for the report. One difference in my experience: the voltage  
drop on key-down for the nonrechargeable lithiums is quite a bit  
higher than for NiMH. As a result, I got more TX time at 5 W with  
NiMH. They're also a lot more convenient since you can leave them in  
the radio and charge them.

Wayne


On Oct 18, 2012, at 11:18 AM, Don Butler wrote:

> I have my new KXBC3 installed in KX3 S/N 125, and all seems to be
> working as
> it should.  I'm definitely glad to have it, but must admit that I  
> was very
> content with the KX3 without it.  The ability to easily monitor  
> battery
> voltage and select the charging time is very nice.  And the internal  
> clock
> is a great feature also, and will be very slick for getting QSOs  
> accurately
> logged while out in the bush!
>
> It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to become super knit-picky about 
> batteries, and I'm not going to do that, but I do plan to continue
> using
> non-rechargeable Lithium batteries for my occasional mountain top  
> hikes.
> They definitely provide more punch than the NiMH variety, and, thus  
> far have
> always seemed capable of supporting a few good hours of operation  
> while
> using a solid 5.0 watts on transmit.  They're also much lighter than  
> NiMH ..
> My KX3 (without paddle) with 8 AA lithium batteries installed weighs  
> 31 oz.,
> but when it's loaded with 8 AA NiMH batteries it weighs 3.5 oz more:  
> 34.5
> oz.  (that's an 11.3% weight increase).  That may not seem like  
> much, but
> when you're carrying a backpack up a steep hill every little bit  
> does make a
> difference to a 69 year old geezer like me.
>
> For everyday KX3 operation I've been using a small external power
> supply
> (the Radio Shack 3 amp switcher).. Or a big heavy deep cycle battery  
> that I
> sometimes haul in my truck.. So for normal use I'll keep a set of NiMH
> batteries installed, and keep them charged and ready with the  
> KXBC3  . but
> before my next hike they'll be replaced by Lithiums with the menu
> appropriately configured to 'CHG OFF'.
>
> Don, N5LZ
>
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