VaQP - Mobile Power

This year I needed to replace my vehicle's 12v starter battery with one that can also function as a deep cycle battery as well as replacing my flooded deep cycle 12v battery that's been with me for five years (camping, and ham radio -both in the shack and mobile). I wanted to remove the risks of flooded batteries (off-gassing while charging [explosive/harmful hydrogen gas], spill risk, maintenance requirements) so I started looking at alternatives.

My first battery replacement was the replacement of my trucks 12v flooded starting battery with an Odyssey 75/86-PC1230DT battery, it's made in the USA and rated for starting and deep cycle duties of 55Ah with a rating of 400 cycles at 80% depth of discharge (DoD). The battery charges back up in 4-6 hours per specifications, I don't plan to ever take more than a 20% DoD without starting the engine.

My second battery replacement powers my HF mobile radio. This quest lead me to Bioenno Power and their 12v LiFePO4 battery line of products. I did some battery math and figured my standalone deep cycle flooded battery rating of 70Ah provides 21 Ah at a 30% depth of discharge (DoD). I use a battery booster to hold battery output to my gear at 13.6v. I selected the Bioenno Power 30Ah battery pack, specifically item BLF-1230LB and it's optional AC/DC 6A charger (no DC-DC charger option).

Bioenno Power has a specific set of web pages and data for ham radio applications here.

Why a 'smaller' battery? The vendor states an 80-85% DoD possible with their LiFePO4 battery cells for 1,000+ cycles and no damage or impact to the life of the cells. The model I selected weighs 8.8 lbs, the flooded deep cycle battery I replaced was some 45+ lbs. The battery has a two year warranty vs a 1 year warranty on most dual purpose flooded acid batteries.

Lastly, I needed an AC source to provide power to charge my LiFePO4 battery, and to charge my laptop. I have a GoPower 150w Pure Sine Wave inverter for this task.

I am spooling up for my third year of four being a mobile in VaQP, I learn more each time.

73,
David, kk4zuu