Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Bioenno LiFePO4 Batteries with PCM and charger

Category: Batteries & Chargers for Amateur Radio

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Bioenno LiFePO4 Batteries with PCM and charger
Reviews: 20MSRP: 58.00
Description:
Bioenno Power offer a wide range of batteries (LiFePO4 and LiPO) with chargers plus other related items. Their LiFePO4 12V battery comes in various capacities, 3Ah, 6Ah, 10Ah and more. All of them have a PCM integrated that protects against over- and underdischarge, allows balancing, and more. They also offer a very inexpensive charger together with the batteries, or you can buy battery or charger separately. Both the battery and the charger have Anderson power poles already installed. The battery pack is nicely encased not only with a shrink tube but also with a thin PVC box, so it is all enclosed. For more details and specifications see their website.
Prices are very reasonable and their aftermarket support is excellent. The price below is for the 12V/3Ah with charger.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.bioennopower.com/collections/12v-series-lifepo4-batteries
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
23.5204.8
W9DJ Rating: 2017-09-26
Outstanding Product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the Bioenno 12 volt 20 ah battery in the plastic case. My normal portable rig is a Ten Tec Eagle. What a huge improvement over the Pb based batteries I have used in the past! The battery puts out over 13 volts with no load, and the discharge curve is really flat. Not only it is much smaller and lighter than a conventional battery, but I can leave the battery booster at home, as the Bioenno does not need compensation for dropping voltage. Wish I had bought one of these sooner. Definitely worth the price premium.
WX4TV Rating: 2017-09-26
Fantastic Products! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Our kids are all licensed amateur radio operators and for the last two years, they have been experimenting with solar power for field operations. Their battery choices have run the gamut from wet cell PbSO4, to AGM, to LiFePO4. Hands down, the Bioenno Power LiFePO4 batteries have been the top performers.

They are lightweight, hold their voltage until close to the end of the discharge cycle, and they simply work perfectly.

One of my colleagues is heading to Puerto Rico to deploy for post Hurricane Maria relief efforts. He contacted me this morning looking for a power solution and I immediately put him in touch with Bioenno Power. He won't be disappointed.
N0EVH Rating: 2017-06-27
Great battery for solar ham radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased the 20 amp hour Bioenno unit in the plastic enclosure. Use this at home connected to 100 watts of solar and in the field with 50 watts of solar. I am never without ham radio power!

Very efficient battery and I love the light weight and no acid issues compared to the lead acid batteries I have used for so many decades. For Field Day 2017 I ran Class 1B battery/solar with the KX3 camped at our favorite state park.

I have their wall charger, but normally use a solar regulator. Purchased a 100 watt buck DC to DC convertor and set the output to 14.60 volts. Works like a champ.
WA6KYR Rating: 2017-01-24
great company Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I agree this is a great option for batteries. This company even answers questions.
WU0I Rating: 2017-01-24
Nice option as a complete power supply with battery backup Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the Bioenno 'BLF-1209A' 12-volt, 9-Ah battery with the matching 2-Amp charger to serve as the power supply and battery backup for the XYL's Kenwood TM-V70 VHF/UHF rig in the kitchen. The XYL is also a ham, and she likes to monitor the local ARES repeater, as well as do some other scanning. We needed a basic power supply for the rig, but we also wanted some battery backup capability, in case of emergencies and to support our local ARES group should the power go out.

All we had to do was plug the rig in to the battery, which conveniently already had an Anderson PowerPole connector, and the 2-Amp charger in to its separate battery connector, and voila! -- complete battery-backed-up power supply! When the rig is off, the power supply quickly gets to 'green' mode where it equalizes the charge on the cells. When the rig is on, the power supply is always in 'red' mode. The Bioenno people said this would be ok. So far, this power supply arrangement is running flawlessly!

I only had one issue: the battery protection circuitry will go open-circuit if I transmit 50 watts on the V70. Rated at 12 Amps continuous, I thought I would be just able to get away with this, but apparently not. It's no problem, as we never transmit 50 watts, but still, were I to procure again, I might go one size up to increase the continuous amperage a bit.

I also plan to mooch this battery on occasion for KX-3 portable operation. For its capacity, its much lighter than any lead-acid technology, and the voltage stays much higher until right before the battery quits. It's a much better fit for portable operation!

Bottom line: this new battery technology is a great fit for amateur radio, and Bioenno is doing a great job!
W5WSR Rating: 2017-01-23
Awesom! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
These LiFePO4 batteries are the BOMB!! Yes they are more expensive, but the initial investment is more than paid back in reliability and longer hours of use, espicially for emergency power you cannot beat them. I have the 60 Ah and 20 Ah LFP batteries for my emergency and camping kits. I used the 60 Ah battery with my KX3 and matching 100 watt amp and was able to talk all day with the amp alternating on and off without loss of power. Weight is a lot less, power does not drop off until around 85% or more of the usable power has been used up. So you can have a 100 Ah battery at 60#-70# and use about 50% of the usable power before you fall below the usable voltage or you can have a 50 Ah battery at about 14# doing the same thing. They have the PCM or Protection Circuit Module built in. I just bought a programmable DC Electric Load Tester and will put these batteries through their paces and report again later. I am very impressed with this company and their very friendly and knowledgeable staff. I just bought the 180 watt portable folding solar panel and MPPT solar charger from them and will report back on these also. You cannot go wrong with these batteries for emergency or off the grid power. They also have a very high charge/ discharge cycle capability making the watt hour to dollar ratio very cost effective in the long run. I have just taken it to the next level with the solar set up. All in all these are very effective batteries from a GREAT company. As a previous reviewer said I cannot believe this technology and especially this company has not been talked about more and only has now 5 reviews. They are not just selling their batteries to the market they are dedicated to the the HAM community and will help answer your questions. You will see them at a lot of trade shows including HAM conventions. Go by and talk with them if you get a chance. If I can help you decide based on real world experience just contact me and I'll see what I can do. I plan on buying another 60 Ah battery as soon as I can muster up the funds.
K4ECD Rating: 2016-08-20
14 months: Perfect Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's my go to battery for portable work. The best part of this battery is that it is well supported by the company. I called to ask about solar options for charging and they patiently answered every question.

The battery is solid - zero issues. With my 857 it has traveled with me all over the south east and Caribbean Portable. 12AH battery is light weight <3 lbs or so.

5 star company support

Very good LiFePO4 solution.
WB4M Rating: 2016-02-18
Agree with K5ACL Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Here's another review for you Johnny! I have used a Bioenno Power 6Ah 12v battery for 2 years now. It powers my FT-817ND QRP rig all day long. For a 6Ah battery it is quite small, fits in the palm of my hand and light weight, perfect for hiking/camping operation. It has 7-inch lead wires with power poles and charger, and it charges quite fast. I also have received personal phone calls from Bioenno inquiring as to how I use the battery, my satisfaction with it, etc, over a year after purchasing it. They offer a multitude of battery power options that should fit anyone's requirements.
K5ACL Rating: 2016-02-18
Don't settle for cheap batteries with your expensive gear! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've owned a Bioenno 9ah battery with 108 watt hours of juice now for about 6 months. Why are there not more reviews of this great company! I was even called by a rep at the company to see how everything was going with the product. Packaged like it could handle the apocalypse, it came with a switching power supply charger which quickly charges these LifePO4 batteries. It has 18A of max continuous discharge current. Battery is packaged nicely, and under heavy use, I've never noticed the battery package heating up

I've used the battery to power everything from my 100w rigs down to my qrp transmitters, and I've yet to experience a hiccup with it. I was able to get the battery on sale during their Black Friday sales at a decent price.

Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for this type of power solution.
K7RNO Rating: 2013-11-25
Three thumbs up! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This review is for the 12.8V/3Ah LiFePO4 battery with charger.
The size and weight of the pack are nothing extraordinary, but the packaging is: all enclosed and a nice cube, without openings. Power poles are already installed, so it is plug and play.

The benefit of the LiFePO4 vs the LiPO is the voltage that, for a 4-cell pack, will never be too high for a 12V rig, so no controller or lossy reducer is needed. These batteries have a feature-rich PCM installed that not only allows to balance the cells, it also limits overdischarge (cutoff at 10V for the pack), has discharge overcurrent protection (at 42A) and more.

The available simple charger also has power poles installed and only costs $8 when ordered with battery. My charger is a 15V/2A unit with CC/CV.

With my rating of 5 it is needless to say that everything worked flawlessly out of the box.

So, if you are fresh in the market for a LiFePO4 battery and charger, you will find the right capacity at Bioenno, and the price you will pay is very reasonable.