[MRCA] Field Day

[Christopher Bowne]

Operated as home station emergency power.  Used IC-7300 on battery power only.  Started test with 3 full charged group 65 12V standard car batteries.  Operated about 10 hours total, home station antennas used were  5/2 wave dipole multband dipole setup at 45 feet for 15 meters, end fed inverted L with no radials feed point at 8 feet - half wave on 40 meters/full wave on 20 meters.  Made about 360 Qs, only missed a few USA/VE sections.  
First battery lasted about 6 hours, power output of 7300 maintained 90-100 percent for about 8 hours including a lot of high duty cycle CQing on CW and SSB.  After 8 hours power started dropping towards less than 75 percent, when battery voltage hit 11 volts under load, radio would shut down, must be a firmware low voltage cutout at 11 volts.  Switched to battery No. 2 which lasted until FINEX at 1400
local Sunday afternoon.

Most QSOs on 40 CW and SSB.  20 was OK, higher bands poor propagation wise and low traffic.  Low traffic on 80/75, didn’t try 160, nothing on 6.

Encouraged on how long the 7300 ran on a standard car battery.  Maintained nearly full output dB wise until the low voltage trip at leas than 11V on the battery. No instability or chirp, previously my FT-100D would chirp on CW and would FM on SSB in mobile on vehicle battery only with engine/alternator secured.

I’m sure the mil rigs like my GRC-9 would only last an hour two at most on battery even with dynamotors running only on transmit. 

Chris AJ1G
Stonington CT
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 1, 2025, at 10:58, B. Smith via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> 
>  Operated 1B. Natural and battery power. Strictly QRP with max power of 1 watt. 
> Z
> <FD2025 K4CHE.jpg>
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> MRCA mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/mrca
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:MRCA at mailman.qth.net
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html