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Reviews For: Windcamp 3000mah lithium battery kit for yaesu ft-817

Category: Batteries & Chargers for Amateur Radio

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Review Summary For : Windcamp 3000mah lithium battery kit for yaesu ft-817
Reviews: 8MSRP: 87$
Description:
LIPO 3000mAh Polymer Lithium Battery with back door+ holder for FT-817
FT-817ND

Product is in production
More Info: http://www.windcamp-gear.com/en/productn.asp?ArticleID=2231
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0082.3
PE1HZG Rating: 2020-09-06
Good idea, but implementation needs work Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently received one of these and installed it in my 818 last light. It is now going though a "full time receive" cycle and so far the battary lasts significantly longer - let's see after a few cycles.

But there are two engineering issues that can and should be fixed easily.
First, because the cell is LIPO, it has a separate charger and a separate charge power input, and the manual rightfully strongly advises against using the NiMH charger..
But, this could be fixed easier: the FT817 battary lead has a 5th contact which, if grounded, will disable the charging circuit. This is done so that the circuit is inactive if one uses a holder for normal cells (the famous "green wire"). If Windcamp would have implemented this, then the internal charging circuit would have been disabled.
This is actually a safety issue because, in addition to the normal charger, the FT817 implements a trickle charger and while Windcamp advises against leaving the battary connected if external power is applied, this would have been a much easier and safer solutiuon.

The second issue is that the battary comes with a led which contains a small PCB which has the charger connector, connector for battary, leads toward transceiver and a switch. battary voltage is on this switch and the PCB is "open", creating a possible hazard. I fixed this by melting some hot glue on the back of the PCB so that the traces are now isolated and protected.

As said, it's a nice unit but some issues can be easily solved and should be solved. Hence, two stars, sorry.
K6WGX Rating: 2018-07-26
Good portable addition for FT-817 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this off and on for a little over a year. For a truly portable radio, the FT-817/CH-817S works good for me. The only clunky thing is setting the on/off power switch (read up on it). This battery will allow the FT-817 to output the full 5(ish) watts. The stock NiCad drops the power to 2.5 watts. FYI, the 817 on FM sounds better than most any hand held units out there. Having a battery pack that will actually power the radio is a blessing.
VE4MM Rating: 2018-06-03
WINDCAMP DEFECTIVE BATTERY BOX FOR KX3 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I BOUGHT A BATTERY BOX FROM WINDCAMP APRIL 2018 FROM EBAY AND IT CAME DEFECTIVE.

THEY WOULD NOT SEND ME A NEW ONE BUT MAILED ME A SURFACE MOUNT CAPACITOR.

WHY SHOULD I TRY AND REPAIR A BROKEN 'NEW' PRODUCT.

EBAY DID NOTHING AND I AM OUT $159

GARBAGE
WB8RJY Rating: 2017-01-01
Battery and door good, charger doa Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Received battery, charger and new door for my FT 817.The charger was DOA.Have asked the supplier for a new one,let's see what happens.No big deal either way,found the replacement chargers on EBAY for $7.29.
Ordered two since this seems to be a common problem.
CT2FZI Rating: 2016-04-22
Great product and great support! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I own the newer version of the windcamp battery kit.
The battery cover fits perfectly, the battery is very close to the announced capacity and it has overcurrent and surge protection.
No issues whatsoever with the wall charger, it just gets a little warm but nothing to alarm me.
To the reviewers with issues contact the ebay store, the seller will send you free wall chargers (http://stores.ebay.com/windcamphamradio/)
This is the official windcamp store and I always have the best support!
W1DMH Rating: 2016-03-16
Best internal battery Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Probably close to 200 portable operations for SOTA. Operation at -17F to 108F. Connector is a little weak. I own the old 2700 mAh version. Will buy another. Great improvement to 817.
2E0YXB Rating: 2015-04-01
Very poor Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Used the charger twice with no problems, and then on the third charge, after about 3 minutes the charger sparked and tripped the MCB in the consumer unit. I contacted the seller who agreed to have it back but the cost of returning it was so expensive that I decided not to take up the offer. On investigating the charger it looked as if one of the diodes in the rectifier bridge circuit had blown itself apart and damaged other components and the pcb. A great shame as up to that point I was very pleased with the fitting and life of the battery.
VE2DIY Rating: 2015-01-09
Worked for 4-5 charges Time Owned: N.A.
The kit worked well for 4-5 charges than the small wall wart charger died and you won't get any support from the manufacturer for the ebay seller. I've beed promised a replacement since last November (almost 3 months). The same kit is sold under other names but it's the same cheap stuff. Get yourself an external 3 cell lipo instead.