‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  
HERE IS KNOWN AS V2.  AS WE WERE WRAPPING UP THIS REVIEW, A NEWER MODEL,
V3, WAS RELEASED.  THE NEW MODEL USES THE SAME FIRMWARE, BUT HAS BEEN
REDESIGNED TO BE SMALLER AND LIGHTER.  V3 RECEIVES GLONASS AS WELL AS GPS
SATELLITES, PROVIDING A QUICKER, MORE ACCURATE POSITION FIX.  IT ALSO USES
A DIFFERENT BATTERY AND CHARGER.  ITS EASY TO IMAGINE THIS PRODUCT WAS THE
RESULT OF A PERSONAL CHALLENGE TO MAKE THE SMALLEST POSSIBLE SELF CONTAINED
APRS TRANSCEIVER.  APRS TRACKERS HAVE BE

USING THE YETI 400 LITHIUM I FIRST CHARGED THE BATTERY USING THE WALL
CHARGER.  IT TAKES ABOUT 7 HOURS TO FULLY CHARGE A DEPLETED BATTERY.  THEN
I RAN A TEST WITH MY WEST MOUNTAIN RADIO CBA IV BATTERY ANALYZER, WHICH IS
NOT CALIBRATED, BUT IT GIVES A BASIC IDEA OF THE PERFORMANCE AND CAPACITY
OF THE BATTERY.  FOR MY TEST, I HAD PURCHASED A 6 FOOT CABLE WITH A
CIGARETTE LIGHTER PLUG ON ONE END AND ANDERSON POWERPOLES ON THE OTHER.  I
SELECTED A 10 A LOAD ON THE CBA IV, AND IT TOOK ALMOST 4 HOURS FOR THE
BATTERY TO DISCHARGE TO THE CUTOFF VOLTAGE.  THAT INDICATES A 38R4 AH
CAPACITY, VERY CLOSE TO GOAL ZEROS RATING OF 39R6 AH.  NEXT, I PUT THE
BATTERY TO PRACTICAL USE WITH MY ICOM IC 7300 TRANSCEIVER, NOTING THAT THE
RADIO IS RATED TO WORK WITH A MINIMUM OF 11R8 V DC 13R8 V 15.  I ALSO KEPT
IN MIND THAT THE MAXIMUM LOAD RATING OF THE BATTERY AND CABLE IS 10 A AT 12
V.  THE IC 7300 DRAWS 17 A OR MORE AT FULL RATED RF POWER OUTPUT OF 100 W,
SO I OPERATED IT AT REDUCED POWER.  I MONITORED THE VALUES ON THE YETI 400S
FRONT PANEL METER AND ON MY OWN INLINE VOLT/AMMETERS TO ENSURE THAT I DIDNT
EXCEED THE SPECIFIED LIMITATIONS.  THE BATTERY PERFORMED WELL WITH MY
RADIO.  THE RADIO SHUT OFF WHEN THE BATTERY OUTPUT VOLTAGE DROPPED TO 11R4
V.  FINALLY, I PLUGGED A FLOOR FAN INTO THE 120 V AC OUTLET.  ACCORDING TO
THE METERING, THE FAN REQUIRED 223 W WELL WITHIN THE 300 W RATING.  WITH A

FULLY CHARGED BATTERY, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO RUN THE FAN FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS.
A BLINKING RED LIGHT ON THE 120 V AC BUTTON MEANS THAT, AT THE CURRENT
LOAD, THE INVERTER WILL BE SHUTTING OFF SOON ITS TIME TO RECHARGE THE
BATTERY TO KEEP YOUR AC DEVICE RUNNING.  SIMILARLY, A BLINKING LIGHT ON THE
12 V BUTTON INDICATES THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER PORT HAS BEEN SHUT OFF TO
PROTECT THE DEVICE FROM LOW VOLTAGE DAMAGE TIME TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY.
THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL IS WELL DONE AND, THANKFULLY, BRIEF.  IT CONTAINS
SOME GOOD INFORMATION ON POWER USAGE AND EFFICIENCIES, OR INEFFICIENCIES,
SUCH AS ADDING A LAYER OF INEFFICIENCY BY PLUGGING A PHONE CHARGER CUBE
INTO THE AC OUTLET, RATHER THAN CHARGING THE PHONE FROM A USB PORT.  THERE
ARE ALSO GOOD SECTIONS ON BATTERIES 101 AND SOLAR 101.  BOULDER 50 SOLAR
PANEL WE ALSO BOUGHT ONE OF THE RECOMMENDED GOAL ZERO SOLAR PANELS, THE
BOULDER 50.  THIS 50 W PANEL MEASURES ABOUT 22 X 27 INCHES AND IS 1R75
INCHES THICK.  IT WEIGHS 12R4 POUNDS.  THE PANEL IS WELL BUILT, WITH
ALUMINUM RAILS AND A SET OF HEAVY DUTY, EXTENDABLE LEGS FOR QUICKLY SETTING
UP THE PANEL AND ANGLING IT TO TAKE BEST ADVANTAGE OF AVAILABLE SUNLIGHT.
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ