[Icom] Running 725 on a battery

Sun, 09 Jun 2002 23:07:48 -0700

Hi Dean,

Some years ago I ran an IC-725 QRP from a 12V 6.5 Ah gel-cell battery- there
were no problems.
At 12.8V, you should be able to get about 80 ~ 85W PEP output. A 24 Ah battery
should run the radio for a full day in 90-5-5 (90% standby, 5% receive, 5%
transmit) mode. Standby equates to receive with the volume turned down.

Excessively low supply voltage will not damage the radio. If the battery drops
much below 11V, the internal 8V regulators will start to shut down, and the
radio will simply stop operating until the voltage rises again.

Best 73,
Adam, VA7OJ/AB4OJ
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
http://www.qsl.net/ab4oj/
Note new e-mail address:
mailto:[email protected]

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
Behalf Of Dean Wooldridge
Sent: Sunday, June 09, 2002 21:31
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Icom] Running 725 on a battery

I want to take my 725 portable to Boy Scout Camp this summer and need some
pointers on operating with a battery.

I have questions like:

1.  Fully charged I'm getting a voltage of about 12.8.  Should I expect higher -
is this a problem?

2.  How low can I safely go on voltage so as to not damage the 725?  I'm
assuming that I have to use voltage as a measure to determine when I need to
recharge.

3.  I'm currently using a rather small 24AH capacity battery.  I have 3 of these
so I can swap out for recharge and stay in business.  Is this too small - would
it be better to be looking at a deep cycle battery?

I know these questions are general and much depends upon how much I transmit,
what kind of transmissions, etc.  I understand.  At the same time, I'm looking
for sources of good information and my paramount requirement is that I not
damage the radio.

Appreciate the help.

Dean (K5DMP)