Andy wrote:
How long does the Ni-Cads take to charge in the MFJ-259B and how long will
they run for?

IMO, Ni-Cads are a royal pain in the neck. Instead,
I use a YUASA gell cell NP1.2-12 at ~$20. I Velcro
it to the MFJ-259B as it has almost the same form
factor. It is easily recharged using an Astron 12v
(13.8v) power supply, i.e. no "battery charger"
required. After using the NP1.2-12 to power the
MFJ-259B, I would NEVER go back to standard batteries.

If one removes the battery holder, the NP1.2-12 will
almost fit inside the MFJ-259B. When I get time, I am
going to modify the MFJ to accomplish that feat. MFJ
missed a selling point by not making the 259B case a
couple of mm larger to accommodate a standard gell cell.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com