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Author Topic: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?  (Read 432 times)

K4BDA

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What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« on: December 29, 2022, 03:09:40 PM »

I've got a Yaesu FT-710 Aess 100-watt transceiver I want to try and use for my first POTA adventure.
I'm trying to research portable power systems to use with such a rig.

1 - What battery would you suggest?

2 - For charging the battery at home, what charger would you suggest.

3 - For charging via the car, which charger would you suggest?

4 - For Solar charging, which charger would you suggest?

And is  there any charger that will do all 3?

Thanks for any help.

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AE0Q

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2022, 04:55:33 PM »

I've got a Yaesu FT-710 Aess 100-watt transceiver I want to try and use for my first POTA adventure.
I'm trying to research portable power systems to use with such a rig.
1 - What battery would you suggest?
2 - For charging the battery at home, what charger would you suggest.

  How much 'battery' you will need depends on how you like to operate, which may change for you since you are getting started with portable POTA (and maybe WWFF someday).

  I use a 100w radio for 3 hours of pretty much non-stop CQing on CW from parks (200 QSOs), and it usually takes about 20 AH from the battery.  My wife likes to operate SSB, she can be at a park, making 200 QSOs and it uses the same, close to 20 AH, with non-stop calling CQ and working people.
  So if I had a 20 AH LiFePO4 battery, it would be dead every time with no reserve.  I have a 40 AH Bioenno LiFePO4 battery, sometimes we use 22 AH from it and have never had to worry about not having enough battery for the day.
  More casual operating (less CQing and more tuning around) would use less power from the battery, of course.  Many people with 100w radios use 20AH LiFePO4 batteries and are happy...

For a charger, if you get a name-brand LiFePO4 battery they usually come with the correct type of charger needed.

  I wouldn't recommend a Gel Cell or AGM type battery, the voltage drops faster than LiFePO4 and you can only use about half of the rated Amp Hours.

Others with solar setups will have to tell you about those :-)

de Glenn AE0Q
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KQ4KK

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2022, 05:19:49 PM »

I have been using a 20amph Bioenno battery. It came with a Bioenno charger. That battery will do 3 SSB 100 watt parks, about 40-70 contacts each.

I also have a 100ah LiFePo4 battery by AOLithium. Its internal BMS is connected to a Bluetooth module. So, on my Android (or Iphone) I have an app that monitors, total voltage, total amp use, individual cell voltages, Temp and other stuff. With 100 ah, I don't charge it every time I go out for POTA. Also, remember Lithium batteries weight about 1/2 of lead batteries.

I have a WANPTEK DC Power Supply, DPS3010U (Amazon) to charge it at a steady 10ah.

I have a PARADAN radio Mobile Lithium 3A charger that plugs into the "cigarette outlet". BPC-1503 Have not had the need to use it yet tho.

Like others have said. Don't get an AGM, Lead Acid, Deep Cycle batteries. The voltage drops too fast.
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G4AON

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2022, 03:09:45 AM »

Another vote for Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.

I operate “hill top” portable in VHF/UHF contests with an IC-9700 (100W on 2m), In addition I use a laptop for logging, and 12V to 19V laptop power supply, all running from the LiFePO4 battery. The contests run typically 6 hours in the sections I enter.

Tip, make sure the laptop is fully charged before venturing out, it saves wasting capacity in your radio battery charging the laptop from it.

A 68Ah battery is just the right size for my needs.

The battery is a UK one (LIFOS) with Bluetooth status on my iPhone. The charger is by CTEK.

73 Dave
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K5LXP

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2022, 06:37:51 AM »

I do a fair amount of portable operating, from mountain backpacking to RV parks.  The portable power solution depends a lot on which one you're doing and there's no universal solution.

Lithium batteries are nice, but I would say only necessary for very serious operations requiring long operating times or where weight is a primary concern.  If money is no object they absolutely check the box but for less demanding operation then lead acid works just fine.  I have a variety of gel cells that I use, from 5Ah to a 33Ah U1, all of which I've either been given or found used very inexpensively.  "Good enough" for what I do.

Solar is rarely worth the trouble to haul around and set up.  If your power budget depends on some portion of solar power, then expect a failure because the sun don't always shine.  You're better off carrying extra battery than a bunch of solar equipment which adds weight, bulk, cost and is more stuff to set up, attend to, tear down and haul around and after all that may not work anyway.

You may not need any portable battery at all depending on where you operate.  If you transport everything in a car or camper, there's no reason you can't use that as a power source.  Can be 12V DC direct from the battery or an inexpensive AC inverter.  An idling engine can generate upwards of a kW of DC power, so little point in buying, tending and schlepping around an expensive storage battery or solar when you already have all the power you will ever need already in the car. 

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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W2UIS

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2022, 08:07:45 AM »

Jackery Explorer 240.
$220 from Amazon.
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W1MOW

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2022, 08:10:59 AM »

I also have upgraded this year to a FT-710 for portable when near my vehicle. I used a FT-891 if I need to carry it for any distance.

For the FT-891 I used a 20 AH LifePo4, it gives me 5-6 hours of run time. For the FT-710 I got a 50AH battery.

https://www.amazon.com/ECI-Power-Rechargeable-2000-5000-Applications/dp/B0973LL679/ref=sr_1_24?crid=3SP73BBAM84MK&keywords=lifepo4%2Bbattery&qid=1645287978&sprefix=lifepo%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-24&th=1

I have had good experiences with the 20 AH version of this battery, and don't expect anything less from the 50 AH. This company has an office in California if you have any questions.  Be careful about the size of the battery you use. A good BMS will have a "Over Current Shutdown" if you draw too much current to protect the battery. I use my bench Astron variable power supply set to the recommended volts/amps to charge them at home, in the RV I use an older version of this:

https://www.amazon.com/Lifepo4-Lithium-Battery-Maintainer-Motorcycle/dp/B09ZLDTRZ9/ref=sr_1_285?crid=1UJ1LPKSNO9HB&keywords=lifepo4%2Bbattery&qid=1672416270&sprefix=lifepo%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-285&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.d977788f-1483-4f76-90a3-786e4cdc8f10&th=1

I have not gone the solar route with these yet.

Gary W1MOW
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WA3SKN

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2023, 11:30:32 AM »

FT 710... 5-100w radio.  13.8v at 21 amps for 100w.  Thats 290w needed from the power supply.
15% = 11.53v minimum.  Consider lowering power output to 10-20w.  Battery will last much longer.
How much battery are you willing to carry?  Lithiums are lighter and more expensive, plus hold more charge.
Headphones help here.   So does CW.
The antenna does the most work.  What do you have planned?
Gotta budget?

-Mike.
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KA4KOE

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Re: What POTA Battery & Charger for 100 Watt Radio?
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2023, 06:10:58 AM »

The FT-710 uses a LOT of current in receive. Nothing smaller than a 20 AH LiFePO4 battery and turn your output power down.
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