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Battery Booster!

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by WJ6F, Jul 20, 2020.

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  1. WJ6F

    WJ6F Ham Member QRZ Page

    If you have a mobile setup you know all too well that battery voltage will drop quickly, especially once the engine is turned off. This is why it is important to have the MFJ Super Battery Booster (MFJ-4416C). This easy to use battery booster will keep your radio running so you don't miss that once in a lifetime QSO. As the voltage drops in your battery, your radio can become distorted or will shut down at the worst possible time. The Super Battery Booster prevents that from happening, allowing you to stay on the air longer.



    MFJ-4416C (1).png
     
  2. KC1DR

    KC1DR Subscriber QRZ Page

    What is the possibility that this will damage the battery?
     
    K9GLS likes this.
  3. K2NED

    K2NED Ham Member QRZ Page

    just another piece of MFJ magic in a box. Cant think of any reason I would use this in battery operation but suspect there are folks who might ???
    My solar panels keep things topped up as well as voltage meter monitoring....
     
  4. NU6O

    NU6O Ham Member QRZ Page

    The sun does not shine at night... This is essential piece of gear for field day or any overnight operations. The alternative is expensive LiFePo batteries. It will not damage your batteries, it has a low voltage shutoff. Another use is in mobile operation, where voltage drop is a big issue.
     
    K8CGS, KN4PHS, W2CPD and 1 other person like this.
  5. NX4GT

    NX4GT Ham Member QRZ Page

    Trade off more current drain to get higher voltage. Never get something for nothing. If the battery is marginal to start with, yes this could hurt the battery by over-discharging it. In normal vehicle operation with a healthy battery and occasional use of the booster, no problem
     
  6. N1IPU

    N1IPU Ham Member QRZ Page

    I never buy mfj. Its for hams that shop at harbour Freight for tools. I have an old N8XJK booster that works well and I am waiting for West Mountain Radio to release their version of the same. Its on Pre order

    The more people who buy junk from MFJ the longer it will take for reputable vendors to produce what we need.

    For mobile use I have two 6 volt wet cells in marine boxes in the trunk. I run a larger than stock alternator with a charge adapter. That way when my batteries run down I can still start my vehicle. the Bootser I use for base use in concert with solar. Its old but more efficient than the mfj junk. Running a booster in the car is a bad idea overall. Having a dead battery in the boonies is no fun. Better off spending the money on a roll up solar panel and charge controller. Modern radios run fine on less than 13.8.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 21, 2020
    M6ENP and KC1DR like this.
  7. KA9JLM

    KA9JLM Ham Member QRZ Page

    Is this New news, A new invention ?

    Use it long enough then your automobile may not crank. :oops:

    Most radios do not require 13.8.

    If they do, Many just keep the motor running, They get air conditioning also.
     
    N1IPU and VE7DXW like this.
  8. AD0AR

    AD0AR Ham Member QRZ Page

    I wanted to go global for battery boosting, make it bulletproof, and all automatic with auto low voltage cutout. The module I use is 100 amps capable loading too.
    Available from 50A to 200A modules you can even parallel if your heart desires.
    I use a single 100 amp 14.7vdc module to power both my Icom 7000 and a SGC SG-500. Quite capable with SSB average loading in the mobile.
    https://www.hlabs.com/products/fluxpower/index_files/MobileApplicationofFluxCap.htm
     
    K0UO likes this.
  9. NU6O

    NU6O Ham Member QRZ Page

    The Flux cap units look super nice. What is your experience with them in regard to RFI?
     
  10. AD0AR

    AD0AR Ham Member QRZ Page

    I can't pick any noise up on the lower HF bands. I got a few minor spurs on 10 meters, but that was quashed with a few ferrites. There's' a few large mylar caps used internally to reduce RFI and no doubt they do their job.
    I have one on my base for battery backup, one in my mobile, and one for portable emergency use. The only spot I had gotten the 10 meter interference was in the mobile. Fantastic items! All built in the good ol' USA too! If I grounded it better the ferrites probably would not even be needed.
    Efficiency is top notch, in my testing it did not get over 105 degrees Fahrenheit while powering my IC-7600 and a SGC SG-500 from my backup battery running RTTY for about 10 minutes at full power.
     
    M6ENP and K0UO like this.
  11. PA0MHS

    PA0MHS Ham Member QRZ Page

    If your battery voltage is already so low that your transceiver starts shutting down, the battery is already drained too far and won't even start your car. Adding this booster just makes the problem worse because it draws more current from your battery than you rig does, in order to raise the voltage. The absolute lowest discharge voltage of a lead-acid battery is 10.8V under load. This thingamajig allows you to set the cut-off voltage to 9V, which will destroy your battery.
     
  12. PA0MHS

    PA0MHS Ham Member QRZ Page

    100% if set to 9 or 10V cut-off voltage
     
    K0UO likes this.
  13. WU3U

    WU3U Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    I’ve been using the original N8XJK booster in my last two vehicles. I bought the MFJ booster first and when I went to adjust the pot for the base voltage I heard a loud SNAP! and the thing never worked after that. I returned it and bought the more expensive N8XJK booster from TG Electronics.

    How I first found out that I needed one of these was even with good quality 10 gauge wire run directly from the battery to the radio, my IC-7100 would not put out full power like it does with a bench power supply due to the voltage drop at the radio. The original N8XJK booster from TG Electronics completely solved the issue. Even with the engine not running I could get full power out of the 7100.

    When I got a new vehicle, which has the Auto Stop feature where the vehicle turns off at stop lights or when stopped in traffic my Kenwood TM-D710GA would cycle power when the car started after being shut down for auto stop. I installed the N8XJK booster that I bought from TGE and it resolved the issue.

    When I saw that West Mountain Radio was releasing what they advertised as an improved version of the N8XJK booster, I liked their design because it had Power Poles directly on the device rather than wire leads. I thought it would take up less room for my installation. So I bought West Mountain Radio’s version pulled out the original version and installed the new one. It took 30 seconds becuase I already had power poles on everything. Within 20 minutes of driving around the West Mountain Radio N8XJK Super Booster my radio kept turning off like it wasn’t even installed. It would turn off even while the engine was running nit to mention when the vehicle restarted. They had me adjust the base voltage and the cutoff voltage and it was still bad. I don’t know how many times I was mid QSO and my radio would cycle power. I went back to the original version and it worked perfect.

    The guys at West Mountain Radio said they have never seen that before. I asked Joey there that they send me another one and I would try it they didn’t seem interested in doing that. They just had me keep changing jumper settings inside the unit. They eventually told me to just return it for a refund. That told me that they knew that they would all work the same way and they may not have someone in house to make the proper modifications to resolve the issue. Their claim is that theirs is improved compared to the original version but that’s obviously not the case if my original version works flawlessly and with theirs my radio is still rebooting. I even sent them a You Tube video showing what was happening. I wished that would have worked out because theirs is nice with the power poles as is MFJ’s but I tried both with poor results. I really had high hopes for the WMR version and would still try another one if they gave me the opportunity.

    Curt
    WU3U
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2020
  14. N1IPU

    N1IPU Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thank you, That deserves a video unlike the narcissistic youtube crap that repeats MFJ sales brochures. I looked here today to see another MFJ unbox video. Another on Ham without a single original thought in their head.
     
    AD0AR likes this.
  15. WZ7U

    WZ7U Ham Member QRZ Page

    How do ads become "news"?
     

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