[NLRS] Sealed lead acid (Gel Cell) battery source in the Twin Cities area

[Baker, Donn B]

Hi Jon,
MPC has (had?) what appear to be wheelchair (UPS ?) batteries.  45# each,
but good ratings(don't remember the amp-hr rating).  Reasonably priced, ~$15
each.  Take a VOM with you to make sure that its hot... anything less than
11 volts and the battery is NG, and most likely can't be recovered.

You need to really think over the idea of not charging on the road.  Most
radios, while "rated" at 12 vDC, actually want to see 13.8 vDC.  Some DEMAND
13.8 v.  My FT-736 operates OK at 12.9 v (reduced TX output), but WILL NOT
operate at 12.5 v.  It goes into a shutdown mode if the input voltage even
SPIKES below the 12.6 v DC level (which it will on TX start-up).  Remember
that lead-acid batteries are normally 12.6 - 12.8 v DC fully charged.  It
doesn't take too long for them to drop below the point where the FT-736
dies. 

If you have radios that will work on lower voltages, its a good idea.  I did
just that 10 years ago when I was Rovering.  Had two batteries, plus the car
battery.  One ran the radios, one the amplifiers (2m & 432), and the car
battery ran the 80w 6m radio.  I eventually ran two cords from the cigarette
lighter into the two batteries (with two headlight bulbs in series) to the
batteries to help keep them charged while driving.  It helped.  The
headlight bulbs limit the current going to the batteries from the cigarette
lighter circuit so the fuze doesn't blow, and from each other.  Maximum
current is about 4 amps.  "Trickle charging" the batteries takes less than
an amp, and the bulbs don't even glow.

This whole scheme had to be abandon when I got the FT-736, though.  (Plus,
bigger amps, and more bands, and....)  I still use the batteries, but charge
them continuously charge them with a generator.  I can run with out the
generator for maybe 30 minutes before things start shutting off.  More than
enough to hop across grid lines to pick up someone I missed.

Good Hunting!
73 Donn
WA2VOI/0

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jonathan Fox [mailto:w0amt@attbi.com]
> Sent: 08 April 2002 00:22
> To: NLRS Reflector
> Subject: [NLRS] Sealed lead acid (Gel Cell) battery source in the Twin
> Cities area
> 
> 
> I have decided to try running with an independent power source for the
> radios and related equipment for the rover trips this spring and
> summer.  Can anyone recommend a good local source for sealed lead acid
> batteries?
> 
> I figure since I will make it back home on Saturday night for contest
> weekends that I can just put the battery on the charger at night and
> won't have to worry about a charging circuit while out on the road.
> 
> I am still on afternoon shift and expect to be for the foreseeable
> future so I will not be on for 222 night or 432 night.  I will be a
> rover on 1296 for the 902 and above Saturday and a rover for the 6m
> Saturday.
> 
> I mailed my Aurora registration today.
> 
> Thanks
> Jon
> W0AMT
> 73
> 
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