65 Ah VRLA battery for ham radio power supply!

This is my new 65Ah VRLA battery for my DIY ham radio power supply. Actually this battery was suggested to me by VU2KOC a few months back, though I bought it only now. VRLA stands for valve regulated lead acid battery. It is also known as SMF (Sealed Maintenance Free) and SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) battery. The electrolyte inside is in a gel form unlike in the liquid form of flooded lead acid batteries. As the battery will be inside my home, I am not happy with the acid fumes, though mild, from flooded lead acid batteries. Hence the choice of SLA over flooded lead acid battery, though the battery life is lower and cost more! 65 Ah was chosen by the weight as this is probably the maximum which I can shift myself from downstairs to upstairs, even though it is not very light. Battery terminals are colour coded black for negative and red for positive. Corresponding signs are also there near the terminals.

Though it is called a ‘maintenance free’ battery, special care is needed to control the charging current and to keep the battery at around 27 degree Centigrade. Technically these are batteries meant for online UPS. Of course, it will be hard to find a battery made specifically for ham radio in this region. 12 V, 65 Ah would mean that the nominal voltage is 12V, though a fully charged battery can go up to 13.6 V, the standard operating voltage of most modern ham radio equipment. 65 Ah is the charge holding capacity in that it can provide say, 6.5 amperes of current for 10 hours or various combinations which hold a product of 65. Battery terminals should not be short circuited, nor should it be connected to a high drain circuit.