Battery power for go kit

I want to start building a go kit, and I am trying to figure out what i need to buy to put a rechargeable battery system into my go kit. I am not an electrician, so would like some guidance and recommendation on this. Would buying something like this Battery Backup Module Charger 12/24V - 25A | BBM-1225 work for a battery backup. If so, what batteries do you recommend to go with it. It needs to power a Yaesu FTM-400XDR and a Uniden BCD-996XT scanner.

Thanks!

I would choose a LiFePO4 battery, such as this one:
Kinetik LiFePO4 12V 7 9AH 120CCA Replacement Battery for YTX4L BS | eBay

I would highly recommend a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery and the 12V7 series is the size of a 12V, 7AH gel cell. The LiFeO4 types listed below have a battery management system so you can just connect it to around 14V and it will charge and balance all the cells without any special charger. The NEC version also has a low voltage cutoff so you can't harm the battery from over discharge.

These batteries will power a 100W HF transceiver no problem for several hours of fun and you can parallel many of them for more capacity. This type of Lithium battery does not explode or do anything bad like other Lithium's and they can crank out lots of current while the voltage stays very stable in the mid 13V range throughout most of its discharge range, unlike gel cells which will can droop below 11V under load.

The best of the best was made by A123 Systems, who recently sold the line to NEC. These are rated in excess of 7000 charge/discharge cycles. There are many other companies with similar batteries like the K2 that are rated for around 2000 cycles and if you think about it that's charging and discharging once a day for over 5yrs.

I use several of the A123/NEC batteries and they have exceeded all my expectations.
prcguy

https://www.neces.com/products-services/battery-systems/alm-lithium-ion-battery-systems/alm-12v7/

https://jet.com/product/detail/a652...163791601980&gclid=CPOMh5658cwCFQkwaQodDLIDBg

kr0490 said:

I want to start building a go kit, and I am trying to figure out what i need to buy to put a rechargeable battery system into my go kit. I am not an electrician, so would like some guidance and recommendation on this. Would buying something like this Battery Backup Module Charger 12/24V - 25A | BBM-1225 work for a battery backup. If so, what batteries do you recommend to go with it. It needs to power a Yaesu FTM-400XDR and a Uniden BCD-996XT scanner.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

What system would you recommend for charging and switching between the battery? Would what I posted at the top work well?

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If you use a prepackaged LiFePO4 battery like the NEC or K2 12V7 series with built in battery management circuitry, you can simply use a lightweight switching power supply like an Astron SS-25 or similar, set it for 14V and connect the battery directly to the power supply. The power supply will power the radios and charge the battery when you have AC power and the battery will take over when there is no AC. I've done this and there is no current flowing from the battery back into the power supply when AC is off.

Or you can get a general purpose DPDT 12V coil relay with high current contacts like 30A or more, parallel the contacts to switch the radios between the battery and power supply, run the 12V coil from the power supply then use something like a 10 to 15 ohm 25W resistor across the power supply and battery contacts of the relay so the battery will charge at about 1A max when AC is there and the power supply disconnects from the battery when AC is not available.

You could also use a 50A or more rated Schottky diodes on the power supply and battery feeding a common point to the radio, which will isolate the battery from the power supply, but you would then have to charge the battery manually.
prcguy

kr0490 said:

What system would you recommend for charging and switching between the battery? Would what I posted at the top work well?

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Click to expand...

The OP said he's not an electrician..... Keep it simple!!!

Battery...

https://powerwerx.com/sealed-lead-acid-rechargeable-batteries

Power Supply

(Your choice of brand based on amps of your rig... Ie owners manual says max amps 12, then get something a little higher, like a 15 amp power supply)

Switching and Charger (You don't really need this as its pricey. All depending on your budget. You can just manually plug and unplug things. )

https://powerwerx.com/west-mountain-radio-pg40s-super-pwrgate

Anderson Power Pole Everything. I'm sure you can borrow the crimpers from a member of your radio club.

There you go! Simple ideas minus the technical aspects.

DONE!!

I have my Kenwood V71A Go Box with an MFJ amp that cost me about $50 and a small battery (like the link I provided). Battery tender to charge that battery and my deep cycle batteries. As for antenna, I have the N9TAX Slim Jim roll up antenna along with the Ed Fong one.

KISS...

Keep
It
Stupid
Simple

Make friends with your local disabled ham,the MK gel cells are killer,every year when I get new ones for my chair the old ones go to either my power system or I give em away to friends, when my chair won't go as far or fast as it should they get replaced, the ones that normal get junked stay with me, I have gel cells that are ten years old that still power a 100 watt rig for a crazy long period on field day.

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wrath said:

Make friends with your local disabled ham,the MK gel cells are killer,every year when I get new ones for my chair the old ones go to either my power system or I give em away to friends, when my chair won't go as far or fast as it should they get replaced, the ones that normal get junked stay with me, I have gel cells that are ten years old that still power a 100 watt rig for a crazy long period on field day.

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Click to expand...

. +1 on this for recycling those Gel cells. Maintenance techs for Hospitals are good to know also, since most medical facilities need to change out the emergency lighting batteries on a schedule. :wink: 73, n9zas

Oh those compact lighting ones are awesome little beasts to score,me thinks I need a new friend at the "health jail". Wish I could make connection with radiology my own reactor would be nice.

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I use one of these for my go box and it works really well. Below is a link to my go box as well as the power gate.

Low Loss PWRgate by KI0BK

My Go Box
FT-857D Portable Case Is Finished | K4KYD

duckvader said:

I use one of these for my go box and it works really well. Below is a link to my go box as well as the power gate.

Low Loss PWRgate by KI0BK

My Go Box
FT-857D Portable Case Is Finished | K4KYD

Click to expand...

OT but had to tell you thanks for the PowerGate link and the look at your portable set-up. Did you/Would you do a separate post on that to tell the story and the components?