7
Using the Battery Safely
Misusing a lithium-ion battery may cause it to
get hot, rupture, or ignite and cause serious injury;
or result in loss of performance and shortened life.
The KXBT2 battery pack weighs only 4.8 oz, and can
provide up to 8 hours of typical transceive operation
and up to 10 W power output. To ensure safe
operation, please take a moment to read the
information sheet supplied with the battery.
The pack is fitted with a 2.1 mm DC barrel plug. The
KX2 has two DC barrel jacks: one inside, and one on
the left side panel. These jacks are isolated from each
other, but either can power the KX2. You can plug in
an internal battery and an external supply, and the
radio will operate from whichever is higher in voltage.
Battery Charging
The battery must be charged using only the
matching KXBC2 smart-charger.
To charge the battery, you must first remove it as
described on the previous page. It cannot be charged
while inside the KX2. The power jack on the left side
panel is isolated from the internal power jack, and
cannot supply power to the battery.
Plug the battery into the jack on the charger, then plug
the charger into a 120 VAC outlet. The charger’s LED
will be red during charging, and GREEN when charge
is complete. A full charge cycle typically takes 1 to 2
hours depending on the state of charge.
Amp Hour Metering
The KX2 includes an amp hour meter function that
allows you to better estimate remaining battery life.
See pg. 16 for the associated special display function,
as well as the AMP HRS menu entry.
Preserving Clock Time During Charging
The KXIO2 option module includes a real-time clock
(RTC), useful for logging (see LOGGING menu
entry). RTC circuitry is powered by the battery or
power supply connected to the KX2 (internal or
external).
When no power supply or battery is connected, the
RTC’s time registers are preserved for up to 2 hours by
a supercapacitor on the KXIO2. In most cases this
allows sufficient time to remove the battery from the
KX2, charge it, and reinstall it without losing the time
setting.
Utility Mounting Points (Bottom Cover)
The KX2’s bottom cover has two threaded fasteners
(4-40 PEM nuts) for light-duty applications. For
example, they could be used to attach the transceiver to
a clipboard for field logging, or for storage of a
counterpoise wire (see pg. 10, right column).
CAUTION: These fasteners are not intended
for use with a mobile mount. Also, do not allow
screws or other hardware to protrude more than
0.1” into the interior of the KX2.
