[Elecraft] KX3 Please evaluate LiFePo4 battery/charger choice, UPDATE

[Arno Dienhart]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

 

I wanted to stay small and lightweight, so I stayed with my original 3 Ah
LFP from Bioenno.

It arrived today in the mail, a very nicely covered pack (thin but firm,
fully enclosed rectangle package, not just an open shrink tube over some
cells).

Anderson power poles already installed on battery and charger, so all an
instant fit.

 

It came with 14V on my external meter and charged up to 15.4V.

 

When I hooked it up to the KX3 in RX (170mA draw), it started showing 13.5V
and rapidly sunk to 13.1V within five minutes.

Now, after ten minutes, it seems to have settled at 12.9V.

 

Is this normal for such a battery, to have such a large difference between
no load and small load?

And also, is it normal for the Voltage do go down quite rapidly during the
first few minutes?

 

I'll run it down, verify that the under-discharge protection works, and then
charge it again for a longer time to make sure balancing sets in and does
its magic, if needed.

 

Thank you for sharing your advice.

 

73 de Arno, K7RNO