Icom IC-7300 Power Consumption During POTA Activations
Over time, my POTA activation kit has grown smaller, due in no small part to a reduction in battery size.Β Iβve transitioned from a 60AH, to 30AH, and finally a 15AH Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery.Β Understanding the power requirements of my activation radio after 50+ outings has allowed me to activate with confidence that I wonβt run out of power.
With an understanding that Rhode Island is fairly rare, my activations almost always generate a pile-up, and maintaining a rate of 1 contact per minute (60 an hour) is easy to do.Β At this point I plan on the following:
- CW Activation 5.5 AH per hour of operation
- SSB Activations 5.1 AHΒ per hour of operation
Yep, CW takes more power on average!
Since LiFePO4 batteries allow you to safely consume in excess of 90% of their rated capacity before the battery voltage tails off significantly, that pretty much says I can have about 2.5 hours of heavy operating time using a 15 AH battery.Β In my world, that corresponds to 2 parks between charges.Β Using that rule of thumb, Iβve never run out of power in the field, and Iβve done as many as 4 shorter 30 minute activations in a single day.
I do carry a smaller 9 AH battery as a βbackupβ, but Iβve only used it once in 50+ activations (and that was because my primary battery failed).