Sunday, December 3, 2017

Batteries from Hell


The energy density of modern batteries is just off the charts.  Jumped my Mustang today with a lithium batt pack that couldn't have weighed more than a pound.  It's a 3 year old model and no longer made, but it's a lot like this one.  Except that 3 years ago, it cost $20 more and only had one USB port.

Then I spent some hours talking all over the eastern half of the U.S. on a ham radio running on eight high-zoot NiMH AA batteries.  They're back in the charging cradle now, kind of like how Darth Vader has to go back to his med-cradle after mowing down another batch of Rebel Scum.  For all that... talking all over things east of the Mississippi on a handful of AAs?  Incredible.

And this is all fairly old consumer-grade off-the-shelf stuff.  I can't even imagine what will come next.  But I'll bet it'll require neutron shielding.

BTW, the only indications that the FT-817nd gave that these AA batteries were getting low were (a) the battery icon went from "full two bars" to "one bar" – big clue there; and (b) the SWR read high when pumping 5 watts on VHF.  That was it.  Hey, that's pretty good battery level information by Yaesu standards.


Tired batteries, after a hard afternoon of astonishing output.

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