Well, there are several ways to skin a cat. I prefer a basketball needle and compressed air……. Just sayin…..
Internal battery: If you are not satisfied with the internal battery (and WHO is?), presently the best capacity internal battery is the Windcamp. They are a bit pricy, but it comes with a battery, and a charger built into the new supplied battery door. Everything else is second-rate. They are 3,000 mAh.
If you are willing to go to an external source, the sky is the limit.
RECOMMENDATION: Convert to Anderson Power Poles immediately, and use them. The stock power jack has two modes of failure, and if you use it often you are bound to discover one of them.
If you need a power pole kit to get you started, I highly recommend Power Werx. But then, I will always lean toward QUALITY over PRICE every time. They sell parts, kits, and wire. They’ve become my go-to place, and even my brother-in-law in Germany (Helmut-DG7NFV) uses them for his P-P work. Done right, they are impossible to cross-polarize, even in the dark.
Batteries: There are as many types as you can imagine. The FT-817 likes power at 12v or below. Anything approaching 16v is too much, and will only cause a lot of un-necessary heat in the internal regulators. A 3S Li-Lo is a wonderful choice. A 4S is too much.
If Li-Po scares you, then go to Li-Fe-Po4 (Lithium Nano-Phosphate). It does not have the energy density of Li-Po, but it is safer. Also costs more. But a 3S Li-Fe-Po4 is a perfect match to the needs of the FT-817. The best are sold by Buddi-Pole. They are really made for the field, complete with internal overcurrent protection etc.
One note: Li-Po and Li-Fe-Po4 need special chargers. They are not too expensive, but don’t try a SLAB charger, you will not like the result. Neither will your insurance company.
If weight is not an issue, then go FREE. Check out your local Alarm Service Company. Go in and BEG. They usually have a stack of SLABs (Sealed Lead Acid Battery) laying around that they need to dispose of. They swap them out every 6 months to a year, and mostly they just sat there on a float charge the whole time. Downside is that they are heavy. But a 7 or 10 amp SLAB will get you several hours of operation, and if you’re lucky it really was free for the asking. And the SLAB can use a regular charger.
Personally, for operations where I am not backpacking, I have a 25 w solar panel and a 12v 12A SLAB to power my FT-817, for Field Day like ops.
Hobby King is a good place to search bot batteries. IF – you want to learn more about batteries, go to Battery University.
This should be enough to get your head spinning. Of course, you can search for sources in your own country too. And perhaps you’ll be on the air in June, and can catch me as DL/KD5KC.
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC.
El Paso, Texas - DM61rt.
SOTA W5T-Texas Association Manager.
NA-SOTA info is at: <>
From: FT817@... <FT817@...>
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2019 12:33 PM
To: FT817@...
Subject: [FT817] battery pack
hi guys, this is my first post and i know this is going to be a basic question for you guys but until you tell me the answer i dont know, i got the 817 to go out and about with not much weight but the battery life is not great as explained clearly on this site so i want to carry some more power for 8 hours now reading the posts here it seems that lipo power is the answer, now this is my silly question do you cut the output wire plug off ant solder on a jack plug and the put that in the 13v supply? or what, thanks in advance, steve m6ndq
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