Hello Group,
I'm rather tired of burning through alkalines on my portable sets (not
to say that the 7600G & GR aren't easy on batteries) and I'm
interested in switching to rechargeables. I would appreciate any
recommendations. Not surprisingly my concerns are longevity and
reliability. Are NiMHs the way to go? I'm using NiMHs in an AOR
8200MkIII since they were supplied with the unit. Usage time between
recharging is not as impressive as I would have hoped for. But then
I've been spoiled by the Li-ion battery in the R20. Any
recommendations are most welcome.

The latest Ni-Mh have an impressive power and capacity. Just as an example
I've seen some AA 1,2 v with 2900 ma/h of capability. If you find some of
these (even through the internet) you go "green" andsave lots of money. I
think their power has since a couple of years surpassed the most powerful
among alcalines, so there's no point in keepeng to use these last ones. Move
ahead and try the ni-mh with confidence.
73 de ik8vwa

Francesco L. wrote:
The latest Ni-Mh have an impressive power and capacity. Just as an example
I've seen some AA 1,2 v with 2900 ma/h of capability. If you find some of
these (even through the internet) you go "green" andsave lots of money. I
think their power has since a couple of years surpassed the most powerful
among alcalines, so there's no point in keepeng to use these last ones. Move
ahead and try the ni-mh with confidence.

There are two types of ni-mh batteries. The older ones which have a low
internal resitance, and the new higher internal resistance types. The
main differences are the old type has a much higher output current, but
discharges about 1/3 of it's charge in a week. They are good for high
current devices, such as anything with a radio transmitter in it
(cell phone, HT) or a large microprocessor (laptop).

These batteries have a relatively low capacity and about a 300-400
charge cycle life.


The other, newer type are sold as "green" batteries. They take about
a year instead of 3 weeks to discharge, so they are usually shipped
partially (80%) charged. Here they are repackaged by a company called
Great Peak (GP) in Hong Kong as Recyco brand. The cells are actually
made by a Korean company.

These batteries have very high capacity and a long charge life,
up to 1000 charges.

Geoff.



--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM

As a person that is in the Audio Visual industry I'd look at where you
get your batteries from. Why? Well if you can buy them for some
rediculas low price then just keep buying the alkalines. It's just a
lot less fuss!!!

I say this based on the fact we use mainly 9 volters in about 6 radio
mikes on most gigs. We end up paying approx $1.50 per battery. For us
we know we can get 8 - 9 hours straight out of one alkaline battery.
As not many gigs go past this time you simply work on the fact that
each time you use a radio mike you put a fresh battery in.

See Nical Metal Hydride rechargables are the ones that don't develope
memory problems - but they are more expensive than the normal
Alkaline. They also "go flat" faster because they are still only 8.4
volts at best. So when you weigh it all up any rechargable and
especially the old Nic Cads when fully charged aren't really
delivering the volts the mike wants. Yes but it's only 20 cents of
electricy to recharge it up again! True! But it will still go flat
faster than the Alkaline as it is behind the eight ball from the
start. Then if you "kill" it by "over charging" or giving the old Nic
Cads "memory" then your economys are shot. Yes!

Seriously I'm sure the numbers work in the my favour if you do some
sums. Remember rechargables "loose their charge" if let sit too.
Factor that into your sums. You will see i'm right - a lot less fuss -
just get a big box of alkalines and keep feeding them in.

I will echo most of what has already been said here.

The newer generation of NiMH that discharge slowly are the way to go,
in my opinion - even if the overall capacity is lower. Get a good
charger, one that can charge at various rates. Charge at the slowest
rate you can, given the time you have. Do a discharge
periodically....I do one every 4th charging cycle.

I have been really impressed with the Kodak branded NiMHs that have
the low discharge chemistry.

I only use alkalines for devices that I use very infrequently or have
a super low discharge rate (like a quartz clock). Sometimes you may
have a device that simply needs the extra punch that alkalines can
give...as they are rated at 1.5 volts. Although I will say, even
though NiMHs are rated at 1.20-1.25 volts, I reguarly see them charge
up to 1.4 volts or more.

On my high use devices, I simply have gotten into the habit of weekly
replacement with a freshly charged set. It's easy and economical.

I have a LOT of Ever Ready rechargable batteries around here
somewhere,,, A AA B C D, y'all name em.
Thingy is, I misplaced them somewhere, years ago.
I loaded up on them just before the Y2K.I should have loaded up on
wimmins instead.
cuhulin

On Apr 16, 1:42*pm, Joe Analssandrini
wrote:
Dear Junius,

As you may know, I own several Sony ICF-SW7600GR receivers. I power
all of them with NiMH rechargeable batteries. The ones I use are
Eveready and they have 2500 mAH rating. You can buy them at any Home
Depot or Lowe's as well as many supermarkets. To recharge them, I use
the now-discontinued C. Crane QuickCharger; I understand that some
superb battery chargers are being made by the Maha company.

In my '7600s, these batteries last a VERY long time and then, why I
just recharge them. It takes only an hour or two (for a complete
reconditioning). (I also have a Ray-O-Vac "Fast Charger" which can
recharge a set of four in just a half-hour or, usually, even less. But
this fast charging heats up the batteries and, I am sure, shortens
their life somewhat. I only use this charger "in an emergency.")

These batteries are not the newer type which hold their charge for a
year or more; I have never tried that kind. But I find these Evereadys
are just fine.

One nice thing about the ICF-SW7600GR is that, when you remove the
batteries, even for a very long time, any memories you have programmed
into the radio will remain there. When you reinstall the batteries,
the only thing you have to reprogram is the clock. Even the alarm
times (if you've set them) remain in memory without battery power.

By the way, these Eveready batteries cost about $10.00 for a pack of
four.

Best,

Joe

On Apr 16, 11:24 am, junius wrote:



Hello Group,
I'm rather tired of burning through alkalines on my portable sets (not
to say that the 7600G & GR aren't easy on batteries) and I'm
interested in switching to rechargeables. I would appreciate any
recommendations. Not surprisingly my concerns are longevity and
reliability. Are NiMHs the way to go? I'm using NiMHs in an AOR
8200MkIII since they were supplied with the unit. Usage time between
recharging is not as impressive as I would have hoped for. But then
I've been spoiled by the Li-ion battery in the R20. Any
recommendations are most welcome.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

FWIW - I like the Over-Night NiMH AA Battery Chargers
Buy Two Sets of Batteries and have one being 'charged'
while the other is in the "Device" :
* Keyboard & Mouse
* Digital Cameras
* Radios

Here is a 'sample' of some of the NiMH Batteries and
Chargers that are out-there :

Eveready Energizer 2500 mAh Rechargeable Batteries
"AA" NiMH Rechargeable Batteries
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/e...-batteries.htm

Energizer NiMh 15 Minute Smart Charger for 1~4 AA
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ180233489378
http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-15-M.../dp/B000BS6Z6Y

Energizer Charger for Rechargeable NiMH Battery
Plus 8 AA Batteries and 4 AAA Batteries
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ370041278654

Energizer E2 Charger for NiMH Rechargeable Batteries
comes with 4 AA Batteries
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ260229205088
http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ320240556246

~ RHF

On Apr 16, 6:48*pm, RHF wrote:
On Apr 16, 1:42*pm, Joe Analssandrini
wrote:





Dear Junius,

As you may know, I own several Sony ICF-SW7600GR receivers. I power
all of them with NiMH rechargeable batteries. The ones I use are
Eveready and they have 2500 mAH rating. You can buy them at any Home
Depot or Lowe's as well as many supermarkets. To recharge them, I use
the now-discontinued C. Crane QuickCharger; I understand that some
superb battery chargers are being made by the Maha company.

In my '7600s, these batteries last a VERY long time and then, why I
just recharge them. It takes only an hour or two (for a complete
reconditioning). (I also have a Ray-O-Vac "Fast Charger" which can
recharge a set of four in just a half-hour or, usually, even less. But
this fast charging heats up the batteries and, I am sure, shortens
their life somewhat. I only use this charger "in an emergency.")

These batteries are not the newer type which hold their charge for a
year or more; I have never tried that kind. But I find these Evereadys
are just fine.

One nice thing about the ICF-SW7600GR is that, when you remove the
batteries, even for a very long time, any memories you have programmed
into the radio will remain there. When you reinstall the batteries,
the only thing you have to reprogram is the clock. Even the alarm
times (if you've set them) remain in memory without battery power.

By the way, these Eveready batteries cost about $10.00 for a pack of
four.

Best,

Joe

On Apr 16, 11:24 am, junius wrote:

Hello Group,
I'm rather tired of burning through alkalines on my portable sets (not
to say that the 7600G & GR aren't easy on batteries) and I'm
interested in switching to rechargeables. I would appreciate any
recommendations. Not surprisingly my concerns are longevity and
reliability. Are NiMHs the way to go? I'm using NiMHs in an AOR
8200MkIII since they were supplied with the unit. Usage time between
recharging is not as impressive as I would have hoped for. But then
I've been spoiled by the Li-ion battery in the R20. Any
recommendations are most welcome.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

FWIW - I like the Over-Night NiMH AA Battery Chargers
Buy Two Sets of Batteries and have one being 'charged'
while the other is in the "Device" :
* Keyboard & Mouse
* Digital Cameras
* Radios

Here is a 'sample' of some of the NiMH Batteries and
Chargers that are out-there :

Eveready Energizer 2500 mAh Rechargeable Batteries
"AA" NiMH Rechargeable Batterieshttp://www.thomas-distributing.com/energizer-aa-nimh-rechargeable-bat...

Energizer NiMh 15 Minute Smart Charger for 1~4 AAhttp://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ180233489378http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-15-Minute-Charger-NiMh-Batteries/dp/B...

Energizer Charger for Rechargeable NiMH Battery
Plus 8 AA Batteries and 4 AAA Batterieshttp://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ370041278654

Energizer E2 Charger for NiMH Rechargeable Batteries
comes with 4 AA Batterieshttp://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ260229205088http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ320240556246

~ RHF
*.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

-IF- 9 Volt DC is your thing {use} try these two together :

Titanium Smart World Wide Use 9V
Rechargeable Battery Charger (TPEC-TTP9V)
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tpec-ttp9v.html

Pair of Titanium 9V (9.6V) 260 mAh NIMH
Rechargeable Battery(s) (TPEH-T9.6V260)
http://batteryjunction.com/tpeh-t9-6v260.html
* Instead of 8.4 Volts they have an 'extra' cell
and put-out 9.6 Volts DC
* Plus they are Rated at 260 mAh's

FWIW - These really work great in several of my 9 VDC
applications : Giving Full Power and Lasting Extra Long.
Usually Much Better than the Standard 9 Volt Alkaline
Batteries did for me.
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/522.pdf

-Or- 9 Volt HiTech 1200 mAh Lithium Battery
http://www.onlybatteries.com/showitem.asp?ItemID=14416
Lower 8.4 Volts to start with but 1200 mAhs

ABOUT - Testing 9 Volt Alkaline Batteries
http://www.powerstream.com/9V-Alkaline-tests.htm

on a scale of 1~10 . . . it's a 9 ! ) ~ RHF

On Apr 17, 1:38*am, Bart Bailey wrote:
In posted on
Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:55:50 -0400, Bob Campbell wrote: Begin *



The important point is to get a good charger. * The best will have 4 (or 8
or whatever) INDIVIDUAL charging circuits, so batteries are NOT charged in
pairs. * Charging in pairs results in 1 or both batteries not completely
charged.

That was always an issue back in the days of awkward three cell
flashlights and NiCADs.

MAHA is a good brand. * The one I have has 8 slots, so 1 to 8 AAs or AAAs
can be charged in any combination. * It has settings for a "soft" charge
which takes longer but does not heat up the batteries so much, or a higher
current charge if you are in a hurry, but the batteries get quite warm. * It
also will do a complete discharge and recharge to "condition" batteries.
This takes about 12 hours.

That would be this one;http://tinyurl.com/4rqtax
It's very versatile, easy to use, and effective. If you have a spare
counter top to use as a charging station, this should be on it.
Only complaint, and a minor one at that, is the angle for best viewing
of the LCD readout could be improved.

I also have the one they make for battery packs on the handy talkies;http://tinyurl.com/6tpuj

- I can endorse and recommend the Powerex/Maha units
- as being the best consumer grade (smart) chargers I've
- found, plus are stocked by the local HRO for convenient
- availability.
- From cruising their site, I notice they too have the newer
- formula slow discharge nimmies (IMEDION),
- I'll have to get a few.

? IMEDION ?

2100mAh 4-Pack AA IMEDION
"Ready When You Are!" Rechargeables
http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/view...?idproduct=426
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZHAUM6
http://www.thomasdistributingshop.com/_p_199-1080.html

junius wrote:
Hello Group,
I'm rather tired of burning through alkalines on my portable sets (not
to say that the 7600G & GR aren't easy on batteries) and I'm
interested in switching to rechargeables. I would appreciate any
recommendations. Not surprisingly my concerns are longevity and
reliability. Are NiMHs the way to go? I'm using NiMHs in an AOR
8200MkIII since they were supplied with the unit. Usage time between
recharging is not as impressive as I would have hoped for. But then
I've been spoiled by the Li-ion battery in the R20. Any
recommendations are most welcome.
My 8200 came with 1800 mAh batts; not very high capacity. I use an
external charger (the 8200 charger is not designed for NiMHs) and
Duracell or Energizer green NiMHs. These are in the 2400 mAh range,
give or take. I use the batteries in all my uncorded electronics,
except the remote controls.