How long can an FT817 run from 8 x NiMH AA batteries?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Going portable with just 8 x AA NiMH batteries. How long do they last? In this video I test two packs of Ladda low discharge NiMH batteries from IKEA while portable operating SSB and WSPR.
PS: If you liked this video please consider supporting Amateur Radio VK3YE by:
Subscribing on UA-cam,
Checking my books page at books.vk3ye.com
Shopping on Amazon via: amzn.to/3iiDQXv, or
Shopping on eBay via: ebay.us/i9DuWP
(then if you buy something I'll get a small commission at no cost to you)
![[The Original] Yaesu FT-817 & FT-818 2450mh Battery Upgrade using IKEA LADDA Japan Made Cells](/img/n.gif)
Nice. I love how that radio is covered in sand. You're really using it as it's been designed to.
Nice video Peter. I use an FT817 portable too, at present I use 10 2300mA AAs in an external holder, works fine for me. Like you, I had a struggle fitting the internal battery tray into the radio, the trick is to do it with no batteries installed, fit the tray, then insert the AAs........M0KED.
"Took delivery" of my new (nearly) 817ND today. Came with tuner and a multi-band portable telescopic whip from MFJ, mini-guides, a fancy case to put it all in. Now to build a battery pack for it-and spend half the night looking at 817 tips and tricks all over the web. Wish I'd gotten one sooner.
Some chargers will charge AA cells barely over 1.2V, others much higher. There is definitely something to say about low current CW rigs... I once went on a two-week hike with my Weber MTR, operating maybe an hour a day. I didn't need to recharge my eight AA cells even once. Now I do use three 18650s salvaged from old laptops for my KX2.
Tnx Peter. Great to make the contact with you that day. Both of us portable and using an 817. VK1CT
Great video Peter, looks like you got some sand in your cracks, lol, radio is happy. I'm going to have to try this.
Thanks mate.
1) yes, you can get 5W, just press the PWR menu item until the L icon flashes.
2) yes, you can put the batteries inside. First you install the empty tray, then you carefully put the batteries in. They fit very snuggly and could make poor contact, but if you wiggle them and seat them properly they will make good contact and will work inside the rig.
Not bad Peter! I always enjoy your videos!
Good to catch you on Saturday, Peter. I was on the 818 portable into a 22m long wire and L match on a 10m squid pole at Mount Elliot on the NSW Central Coast. Quiet but definitely clear. I'm also assuming you were getting better East/West propagation with your setup than North/South.
-- VK2MG.
Thanks for the battery info
Excellent test Peter , looking at getting some for my 818
Good stuff Peter i use 4 x lipo4 batterys in series for 13.3v at 6amp to power my ft818 i think the cells are 16700
We just need some of that nice sunshine you guys get
Thanks for the video: 1. Crazy letting that much sand into that rig. 2. I have the 818 and had the same problem fitting the full battery tray back into the unit. SO - once I need a second box, I will go with a 7.2 Mah Alarm battery which lasts at full power all day.
Seems like your link on this video doesn't go to your book on amazon.
Nice video. I ran into the same problem trying to put higher capacity batteries in the internal battery pack. I gave up using that and instead used 8 cell plastic battery packs to get about 12 Vdc. This also allows 5 watts output for a short time. But any size AA cells will work. Held the battery pack to the case with two large, about 1" wide, rubber bands. If I was going to do it again I would try the NiCad AA cell batteries if they still make them. They have much lower internal resistance, so at 5 Watts they should last longer. WA9PWR
You can get full power with the batterypack inside, plugin a clean powerconnector without power into the ft and you can use 5/6W.
I have read you can use the internal battery holder if you first place the holder in the radio then insert
the batteries. Have you tried that? If I have to go external battery I might has well get something that will give me 5 watts of power.
Put the tray in first then put the batteries in.
Also you can make the radio use 5 Watt's with the batteries.
Nice to get you in the log Peter. 817-817. VK1MIC
Your English is very good!!
Nice video as usual. As others have noted: tray first and batteries later. The only "gotcha" with that is at a slightly larger diameter, friction in the tray is stronger than the springs. You just have to jiggle the cells around, but I have doubts regarding the quality of contacts inside the battery tray. Given that the instantaneous current can be scarily high, I'm uneasy about the potential for arcing. It's high time that a 14mm thick LiFePo4 pack became available for the little radio. Yaesu seem to have zero interest in improving it, only milking it for all they can. Cheers for that Yaesu San.
Dippy Hippy Currents don't cause arcing, voltage does. So you can stop worrying about that.
best truthfull I've seen on these batts..got the same...but when I get too old to carry a 12v 7ah thats when i disconnect my spark trans.....
for better performance of your project, use 18650 batteries. unfortunately they are sold very expensive $$ plus we can cheapen the cost of batteries by recycling them from notebook batteries. the problem that pick up used laptop batteries, most are bad. here in Pernambuco, I got these batteries easy at a tech fair in the city. so if you use the laptop batteries use a protection system, known as a "bms" that protects the batteries against short circuit, it is some bms to calibrate the batteries, leaving all of them with the same voltage!
I've been using zippy 4200mah 4s LiFePO4 batteries. they seem to last a decent amount of time and are 55usd here.
hi peter...excellent job to see the energy available with such batteries... just for info, did you tried to use a dc dcconverter like arduino module, in particular step up modules, and use with lipo batteries like 7.4v and module adjusted to 13 v, or 11.1v with module adjusted to 11.1v ?? with 5 w from the ft817, we don t need to use converter module with high power, i think that those with 5 to 10 A ( 10 A chineese= 5 A real !! ha ha ha !! ) would match fine ?? what do you think about making a test ??? ha ha !!.. always love your videos !!!pascal f5pnp
The best Battery for Ham Radio outdoors operations are the LifePo4, Litium Phosphate, nothing beat their performance. Expensives.. YES.. but last forever, with 13 Volt all day.. until
60+ % discharge.
This sand on the radio is driving me crazy. Not that it has to bother you, but I felt sorry for that little guy. Hope, it's fine. Thanks for the video.
It would be interesting to watch the voltage of each cell as the pack gradually depletes. How easy is it to get the sand out of the radio?
I too have wondered when that poor '817 will get the toothbrush treatment...
Current Ikea Australia price is showing as: $14.99/4 pack (but I think they are cheaper if you have "family membership">)
Nice video. Big question. My FT-818 instruction manual says: "The FBA-28 battery holder is designed fort use solely with Alkaline type "AA" cells. Do not attempt to use Ni-MH or other replacement cells in the FBA-28, because it does not contains the protection circuitry required when using rechargeable cells". The batteries you're using are Ni-MH if I'm not mistaken. Mine is the FT-818 but I'm sure the 817 is the same. So, is this risky to the radio to use Ni-MH? Is it just saying not to use rechargeable? It's a bit confusing.
Don't know - only use external batteries with my 817. Try asking at facebook.com/groups/yaesu817group/
Is 7.110 reserved for IARU Region 3 emergency calls?
No. We can use any frequency we like. But if we hear emergency traffic we must stop, listen and be ready to assist if required.
@@vk3ye Roger that. 👍
If I used 4 x 18650 4000mah it would offer up 14.8v....... is this too high for portable with an 817 ?
Check the 817's specifications. I think it can do up to 16v from memory. Though it's not as efficient and dissipates more heat than 11-12v.
u can get the full power with batteries. plugin th e power connector, thats it
i took the ft 817 battery out and recycled it.. use a 12 amp hour lifepo4 de ne4am
Use 18650. 3 series give 12.6V.
Would 18650, 3000mah
73 kolego 🇵🇱
sorry ..11.1v module adjusted for 13 v, of course !!
Eneloop AA NIMH-cells will fit
Can they charge from the 817 like the internal battery pack?
Alice Wyan if you modify the cable from the AA holder to the radio, yes. Look up a video about how to turn a 817 into an 818 equivalent, the guy there used the LADDA batteries and I believe disconnected the green wire which is how the radio tells apart what it thinks are NiMh and alcaline batteries.
Nice video Peter time to clean your little gem..73 vu3mes