I missed that.? (8) 4400 mah 18650's while not expensive is nothing to sneeze at.

Many have commented on the cost compared to other battery solutions.? I would fall in that category too when comparing it to my dewalt battery adaptor at about 35 bucks.

Howeve,r considering this is a cnc machined aluminum assembly with all the hardware and so on.? It really isn't that expensive in my mind.? I'm going to wait and see some real world feedback on early adopters before I consider one.??

But they sure look like a good piece of kit.

72
de W6BFK

On Mar 6, 2023, at 11:32 AM, Stephan HB9EAJ <hb9eaj@...> wrote:

?On Mon, Mar 6, 2023 at 07:05 PM, Robert Nickels wrote:

While I mainly use LiFePO4 these days as well, I wouldn't trust a website that states "they're the best".
IMHO, this is just (bad) marketing.
LiFePO4 has many advantages over LiIon batteries, except for their lower energy density (Wh/kg), which may sometimes be an important attribute. It all depends...

73 Stephan

On Mar 6, 2023, at 11:24 AM, kg4zqz <kg4zqz@...> wrote:

?18650 == lithium ion

On Mar 6, 2023, at 10:28 AM, Robert Nickels <ranickels@...> wrote:

?On 3/6/2023 12:13 PM, Nick Smith KJ7NWK wrote:

Seems to be a breakdown in your understanding of the lab599 Bo-500. It uses the safest battery tech, lithium iron phosphate.

I'm trying to find that information. According to the webpage of a reseller that was posted here: " Use replaceable 18650 lithium-ion batteries"

Others have said it does in fact use LiFePO4 type cells. An official confirmation from Lab599 would clear this up but there's nothing on their website as far as I can see.

Your friend may have a great battery pack but it’s far too big for QRP/SOTA needs be.

Well I'll tell him that next time he hauls it up to a mountaintop! Use cases are not all the same and it's nice to have options.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding the relevance of your comment.

It was intended to help those interested in knowing the differences between common 18650 lithium-ion and LiFePO4 technologies and making informed decisions about which best serves there needs.

73, Bob W9RAN

On Mar 6, 2023, at 10:05 AM, Robert Nickels <ranickels@...> wrote:

?A ham friend who also has work experience with lithium batteries has made the strong case for LiFePO4 technology for safety and other reasons for years. He has made a LiFePO4 pack with over 11 AH of capacity (4S3P) for use in his PRC-2200 military manpack .

While I accepted his recommendation I was curious about the differences and here is one resource that made it clear to me why he does so:



This chemistry is much safer than conventional lithium ion and has a top voltage of 14.4 volts and there is really everything to like about LiFePO4 when you consider how most of us will use them in radios. He uses a BCM from eBay and provided this link for suitable 26650 cells:



I'd encourage everyone to consider the question he put to me: "Is it really worth it to have an increased danger of thermal runaway? Do you *really* need more than 11 AH?" Also, the K2 cells have far longer life and can be left fully charged without excessive degradation."

73, Bob W9RAN