I picked up a package from West Mountain Radio (I have no connection with them other than being a customer) and have found it a good solution. It still required buying a gel cell battery (not AGM).
No leaks, no overcharging, fused power distribution for 8 items I believe. The whole station floats on the Astron + their "DC-to-Go" power pack giving me a UPS for a LOT less cost than a traditional UPS of sufficient size. God Bless & 73! Jack - WE5ST ________________________________ From: Fred Smith <[email protected]> To: 'Jim Miller' <[email protected]>; 'Elecraft Reflector' <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 3:49 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [K3} AGM Battery recommendation for K3 Jim I had the same questions early this year but I had carpet on the floor. I ended up buying an Optima deep cycle battery the largest they made for auto usage online about $200. Before that I found a charger/auto changer over device that worked off of your power supply to keep everything in shape. I found it on QRZ.COM in the for sale section under ham made items it's called a Low Loss PWE GATE. It's cheap and does a great job if power fails you never know it because the transfer is so fast to the battery from the power supply. Same for temp loss and low voltage. When you use a battery like this you should see a very long lifespan on the battery. I have ran my K3 loaded for several days a 1/2 power with quite a bit of talk time because of a simulated emergency traffic in an exercise State wide 24/7 only had to increase power 3 times to stations with very poor antennas on 80m. Fred/N0AZZ -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Miller Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 9:48 PM To: Elecraft Reflector Subject: [Elecraft] [K3} AGM Battery recommendation for K3 I've decided I might get a battery for my K3 for occasional operation to chase QRM issues. As long as I'm getting it for reception I thought I might consider one which would prove useful for transmitting as well. My "shack" is in the living area of our house with hardwood floors. I wouldn't be happy with an acid spill there. So I'm looking for battery size and type information and what sort of operating time I might expect with QRP and 100W levels (and anything in between...). Also would like some recommendations for practical handling and charging to avoid "issues." Charging would be from the AC line. No solar planned. I'm pretty sure an AGM deep cycle battery is what I've seen recommended. What else should I look for? All recommendations welcome. 73 Jim ab3cv ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
