Trish's FT-817 Accessories

Internal Battery
For the internal battery I replaced the 1400mAh NiMH that came with my 817ND with W4RT's "One-Plug Power" 9.6v 2300mAh NiMH battery pack for its' self resetting fuse, thermal and over current protection, external charging option, and the fact that it disconnects itself from the radio when the external quick charge jack is used.

Rechargeable Lead-Acid Batteries
I am constantly searching for lighter, higher capacity portable external battery options but for now I've settled on a pair of 12v 5000mAh lead-acid batteries from Radio Shack, P/N 23-289B.  They are not the lightest of options but for the capacity verses weight trade off they are not a bad option.  I've carried one in a hip pouch for 10 hours of event communications without a problem.  Depending on the amount of transmit time and the selected transmit power level one of these coupled with the internal battery you should be set for a day hike.

Solar Panels
Before you even think about connecting a solar panel to your radio you must limit the output of the panel(s) to no more than 16vdc but ideally to 13.8vdc otherwise you WILL damage your radio.  To accomplish this we selected a commercially produced solar charge controller by Morningstar Corporation, their SunGuard series units rated at 4.5A @ 12vdc.

We've tried a couple of options for solar panels before we settled on our current solution.  The first option we tried was a low cost, somewhat portable briefcase sized ~10 watt set of panels by a company called Topray which we bought off of eBay.  In full sun they supply a total of 560ma which is enough to trickle charge your batteries or run the radio in receive mode.  On a budget this wasn't a bad option however they do not fit in a backpack and is not enough to transmit though anything adding power to the system helps.

The panels we settled on are Connecticut Solar's 32.2w Backpack Folding Solar Panels which folded measure 12"x15", weight about 6lbs, and can supply 2.8Amps in full sun which is enough to run the 817 in any mode and charge just about any 12v battery option.  They are semi-rugged expedition class panels that amongst other things are also rain proof.  I chose a little over kill in capacity to provide faster charging but more importantly the extra efficiency and capacity proves its worth on cloudy days or in the shade; lacking direct sun they will not put out full current however they typically do put out 300-800ma under these conditions which will at least trickle charge the batteries.  One note of caution however: The specifications of weight and dimension listed on CT Solar's website are not correct, they list this unit at 4.4lbs and 9x15" folded.