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Author Topic: Ebay chargers  (Read 553 times)

WB2JNA

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Ebay chargers
« on: June 20, 2021, 10:34:00 AM »

I notice ebay sells lead acid battery low cost chargers for around $20.  Are these generally OK for a battery of 12v and about 12 amp/hours? Would only be using the battery for occasional qrp CW. Thanks.
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K6SDW

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2021, 11:16:10 AM »

I buy from Harbor Freight, local store and will take returns instore. Not everything Harbor Freight works well, so gotta know what you're buying.

GL/73
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WB2JNA

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2021, 01:30:59 PM »

Looks like they have at least one in my area so I'll check them out. Thanks.
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K0UA

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2021, 11:32:45 AM »

Many cheap battery chargers have RFI.
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73  James K0UA

K6CPO

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2021, 03:49:46 PM »

I picked up an inexpensive Schumacher battery maintainer (trickle charger) to keep my truck battery charged during the pandemic shutdown, but ended up replacing it with something I could build right into the truck.  The Schumacher is now maintaining a paralleled pair of 15Ah SLA batteries I use as backup in my shack.  So far it hasn't seemed to add anything to my noise floor.
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W9FIB

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2021, 01:52:35 AM »

I picked up an inexpensive Schumacher battery maintainer (trickle charger) to keep my truck battery charged during the pandemic shutdown, but ended up replacing it with something I could build right into the truck.  The Schumacher is now maintaining a paralleled pair of 15Ah SLA batteries I use as backup in my shack.  So far it hasn't seemed to add anything to my noise floor.

I use this brand as well. Compared to most other brands I have tried, very quiet.
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73, Stan
Travelling the world one signal at a time.

K5LXP

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2021, 07:44:54 AM »

Decide if you want a "charger" or a "maintainer".  Maintainers are not great chargers due to limited current, chargers can be poor maintainers due to a lack of sophisticated voltage control.  So if the goal is to connect to a battery indefinitely (standby use) then seek out a maintainer.  If the goal is to charge a battery relatively quickly for periodic use, then a charger is what you want.  I've bought name brand battery maintainers at Costco for about $30 so I see no need to save $10 on a no name china special with questionable performance.  For a small battery even a small maintainer (~2 amp) could also double as a charger, so that might be a good all around solution.  A 12Ah "lead acid" battery is almost surely a gel cell so make sure whatever charger or maintainer you get is appropriate for gel batteries.  They are very sensitive to charge current rate (check the data sheet).

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
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WB2JNA

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2021, 07:55:37 AM »

Thanks for all the info. About batteries,  I did notice that some home improvement type stores sell 12 V batteries made for lawn mowers. I know they're heavy and not very portable but that doesn't really matter that much to me. Are those OK to use with a ham rig or not advisable? Thanks.
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K0UA

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2021, 08:13:45 AM »

Thanks for all the info. About batteries,  I did notice that some home improvement type stores sell 12 V batteries made for lawn mowers. I know they're heavy and not very portable but that doesn't really matter that much to me. Are those OK to use with a ham rig or not advisable? Thanks.

Well, yes and no. Those batteries are starter batteries, They are designed for a large current flow for a very short period of time. They are different than a battery that will supply a moderate amount of current for a long period of time and will survive deeper discharges.  So, yes they will "work", and NO they will not work very long before sulphation will kill the battery by discharging it too deep.  A marine trolling battery will last a lot longer. Of course it is much more expensive.  My choice would be a Lithium battery designed for radio usage like the bioenno series of battery's. Of course they are much more expensive. Of course you get what you pay for.
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73  James K0UA

WB2JNA

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2021, 08:17:29 AM »

Thanks for the info!
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KM1H

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2021, 06:13:20 PM »

I run a pair of  HF 10/2/50 smart chargers for 3 lawn tractors, two yard/plow trucks and whatever vehicle needs a boost/charge.
The 2A position works well as a maintainer for the past few years.

Carl
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KF6IIU

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Re: Ebay chargers
« Reply #11 on: August 07, 2021, 07:53:52 PM »

Cheapo chargers are kind of a crapshoot. I found some that float the battery at nearly 15 V, and some that float at barely over 12. I just bought a an expensive NOCO Genius5 for a 45AH AGM battery and it’s floating at nearly 14.5 volts. Haven’t decided whether I will return it.
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