I'll start with what I use for my sabers, I have two multiplier "shorter" batteries, their version of the NTN4593 (3.25" & 1200mAh) that I bought new in February of 2006, they still work fine, and I charge them correctly as needed. I also have two motorola 4" batteries that I got used at various times, one with a $5 parts radio I bought (and that battery lasts a long time) and another I got with a radio.
At the time I got the Multipliers for a sale price of $30 each, drop shipped direct from the factory. They are the only brand battery I would buy for the motorlolas besides factory.
remod said:
Thank you for the replies and help.
Another question I had...What would you suggest on what I am looking for? $35 does sound alot cheaper than $175. I do need some power for transmitting. Not much...I am looking for something small but that will give me some transmit as well as some monitoring. I don't want to have to carry 2 extra batteries, one extra would be good to carry.
Well I'm not really sure how much is "not much transmitting" or how you are using a battery. Do you listen to something that talks non-stop for hours, or just a little. Are you away from a charger for days or a week and need constant comms?
If you are really trying to keep the weight off, the LiON NTN8818A would do the trick. You'll just really pay for the weight savings. I'll see what kind of price I can get, just to be curious.
remod said:
I am also not sure I understand the difference between the Impress versus the standard Moto Astro Saber battery charger which I have.
The Impres charger and battery system is just about a fool proof way to keep a battery charged and in tip-top shape. The battery has a chip inside that tells the charger about itself "Hi, I'm steve, feel me up big daddy".
Ok not quite, but the charger can tell when the battery needs to be reconditioned, and automatically does it. You can also do a partial charge, say if you use the radio for a few hours but you need it fully charged again later, just pop it in the Impress charger with no worries about memory issues. Some later radios have a "fuel gauge" that will actually show what the cap of the battery attached is.
Also, the chargers with a display will show the condition of the battery, and other info. It is only one of the gang chargers, but there is a mod to add it to a regular single position Impres charger as well.
Basically, it's cool, and works, and somewhat pricy for fooling around/ham use, but if you really depend on your gear (or are a ham like me who also does not want to screw around with half-baked stuff), then the Impres system is a good way to go.
Here is some more stuff...
http://www.wellscomm.com/impres_faqs.htm
Now the bad, the only IMpres battery for the saber family is 1800mAh, and heavy. It's a nicad, so it's something to drag around. The XTS boys get the cool 4150mAh LiIon Impress battery while the saber toting boys get left out in the rain :lol: If I would have kept my XTS5000, I would have bought one, but I like a sexy slim radio like the sabers.
Funny, I like my women just the opposite, bring on the fattys
