Is there a NiMH batery pack that fits into the FT-817?
YES. (1) Radio Shack has a 9.6 volt / 1600 mAh battery pack (NiMH) designed for radio controlled vehicles. The number is 23-331 and it fits perfectly into the battery compartment of the FT-817. Price is $25. (2) Maha Energy (www.mahaenergy.com) will offer in April the new MH-FNB-72 NiMH battery pack specifically for the FT-817. The MH-FNB-72 is reported to offer 1800 mAh at 9.6 V. It will also include a special charging cable that will allow the pack to be directly pluged into the Molex connector on the MH-C888 charger (the MH-C777 should work also). Price is $60. Also, see TOPIC – CONNECTORS to find source for connector to the FT-817. (Ed.: A transition cable can be made to minimize the amount of wear and tear on the FT-817 internal power connector. One approach is to replace the rather large connector on the RS battery pack with a Molex plug 03-06-2024 with 3 A pico fuses in each leg (see TOPIC – FUSE). Next make the transition cable using a Molex receptacle 03-06-1022 and the little
