Batteries

With the imminent threat of perceived nuclear war and the demise of the Royal Observer Corps & Civil Defence we, as amateur radio enthusiasts, could have a vital role to play; "When the wind blows". It is our duty to maintain our equipment in readiness and that includes batteries.

Golf cart manufacturer Motocaddy are selling a 12V Lithium rechargeable battery (50% weight of lead acid) complete with appropriate charger for just £150. As a result, mature lady golfers are disposing of their old deep cycle lead acid leisure battery before it has expired.

Write a nice letter to your local golf course, they will put it on the noticeboard and pretty soon you will be offered a free 12V deep cycle lead acid leisure battery and charger. I've been given one. It expired at the 17^th hole but still works a treat for radio. Most golf batteries now use PowerPole connectors and are fitted with a fuse. The fuse is important so use it. If you don't understand the difference between a deep cycle leisure battery and a car battery then visit this link. There are eight pages of it: http://tinyurl.com/pwbattery

Briefly: Don't use a car battery for light duty extended radio work because you will quickly ruin it. Car batteries need to work extremely hard. Turn starter motor at 1200RPM, then recharge from alternator.

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