As an enthusiastic radio amateur, you are always looking for innovative solutions to operate your station efficiently. I asked myself: Why not use the tried and tested Einhell 18V batteries to supply my transceiver with maximum performance? An experiment that is not only practical, but also offers a lot of learning potential! This DIY amateur radio power supply shows how you can use simple means to create a powerful and portable energy source for radio operations.
The challenge: optimally adjust power and voltage
A transceiver usually requires a stable supply voltage of 13.8V with sufficient current to operate, especially when working with high transmission power. The Einhell batteries each deliver 18V, which is not ideal. So a solution was needed: a powerful DC-DC converter!
The implementation: Two batteries and a 40A DC-DC converter
I connected two Einhell 18V batteries in parallel and reduced the voltage to the required ~12V using a DC-DC converter (40A). This allows me to achieve a high current carrying capacity and a stable voltage supply for radio operation. The parallel connection ensures that the load is distributed evenly between both batteries, which significantly extends the running time.
The pictures show the structure:
What can you learn from this?
This experiment impressively shows that you can create powerful power supplies for amateur radio using common batteries from the DIY sector. You learn:
- The practical handling of high-current circuits
- The importance of an efficient voltage converter
- How to optimize portable power solutions for wireless operation
- Which safety aspects need to be taken into account in high-current applications
With this technology you can remain independent of mains power even in emergency radio mode and still be QRV at full power!
Conclusion
The combination of Einhell batteries and a DC-DC converter is a powerful, flexible and portable power supply for radio operation. I am very happy with the results and am excited to share this knowledge with the community. Maybe it will inspire one or two OMs or YLs to test new energy sources too!
Vy 73 de OE8ROQ, Roland