Hello,
I'm setting up a BC780XLT to use as an emergency radio. It will be stored at a vacation home that is often vacant for weeks at a time. I personally visit there about twice each year. My plan for emergency power is a 10 AA cell battery holder with 10 Eneloop NiMH cells in it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZTUI7Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The Eneloops will hold their charge well, but I will also top them off every six months or so. At about 1.3 volts each they should work great. But in case those die, my backup plan is 9 Energizer primary Lithium cells, and one AA 'dummy' cell (that passes current).
My concern is that the Energizer L91's, which have an initial voltage of as much as 1.83 volts each, might damage the scanner if I use nine of them (16.5 volts). The thing with the Lithiums though is the voltage supposedly drops very quickly when a load is applied. But I don't know how long that high initial voltage would last, or if it would do any damage to the BC780. I assume since the 780 was designed to be installed in a car, that it can function under a fairly broad range of voltage. But I'm not trained in electronics, so I'm just guessing. I also wonder if low voltage could harm the radio, as in an emergency the radio would likely be used until it completely drained the batteries. But I'm guessing low voltage is less of a concern, again because it was designed for mobile use and probably just shuts down when the voltage is too low.
Anyone have any thoughts on how robust the 780 is with regard to these voltage issues?
FYI, I've looked at other power options, such as gel-cell, Li-Ion, and lead acid 'jump-starters', but for various reasons I have ruled those out.
Thanks for the help!
Gordon
.
I'm setting up a BC780XLT to use as an emergency radio. It will be stored at a vacation home that is often vacant for weeks at a time. I personally visit there about twice each year. My plan for emergency power is a 10 AA cell battery holder with 10 Eneloop NiMH cells in it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZTUI7Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The Eneloops will hold their charge well, but I will also top them off every six months or so. At about 1.3 volts each they should work great. But in case those die, my backup plan is 9 Energizer primary Lithium cells, and one AA 'dummy' cell (that passes current).
My concern is that the Energizer L91's, which have an initial voltage of as much as 1.83 volts each, might damage the scanner if I use nine of them (16.5 volts). The thing with the Lithiums though is the voltage supposedly drops very quickly when a load is applied. But I don't know how long that high initial voltage would last, or if it would do any damage to the BC780. I assume since the 780 was designed to be installed in a car, that it can function under a fairly broad range of voltage. But I'm not trained in electronics, so I'm just guessing. I also wonder if low voltage could harm the radio, as in an emergency the radio would likely be used until it completely drained the batteries. But I'm guessing low voltage is less of a concern, again because it was designed for mobile use and probably just shuts down when the voltage is too low.
Anyone have any thoughts on how robust the 780 is with regard to these voltage issues?
FYI, I've looked at other power options, such as gel-cell, Li-Ion, and lead acid 'jump-starters', but for various reasons I have ruled those out.
Thanks for the help!
Gordon
.
