BCD325P2/BCD996P2: Battery for BCD325P2

[10-43]

Whenever batteries are discussed, it always sparks controversy. Everyone will defend their choices no matter what.

Yeah. I don't have a dog in this race. I have no idea what brand the bad ones were. I suppose I could try and figure it out, but I have no interest in it. The only reason I mentioned the noise was because I had a negative experience with lithium AA cells that was obviously due to the voltage regulation circuitry. I imagined it was a characteristic of Lithium AA cells, so I decided not to try any other. I imagined they are fine for flashlights, but not radios. If there is a brand that works fine, that's good. I decided to stick with one of the popular NiMH brands that retain a charge a long time in storage.

 

[n1chu]

Whenever batteries are discussed, it always sparks controversy. Everyone will defend their choices no matter what.

Yea, but what gets me are those who make claims a particular battery and can’t even remember the brand name. Why even bother commenting if they can’t identify the battery they say is no good, and then group all rechargeable lithium batteries into that same category? And then comes the defensive posture… it’s as if to say How dare I question them, when in fact I don’t disagree with their findings concerning the batteries they were using, how could I when I don’t even know what brand they had?

 

[10-43]

Well I know for certain they were not Tenavolts, so no need to defend. Dog died, I'm leaving this track.

 

[BinaryMode]

It's called a truth, not a fact. It doesn't need facts to back it up other then living proof someone had EMI (?) with them. So to this end its manufacturing name is really not needed, though would of course be nice, but still. We can call this a truth and leave it at that.

 

[StoliRaz]

#1- Ikea Ladda/Panasonic Eneloop.

They're likely the same thing, made in the same factory in Japan. They last the longest in my experience. The Ikea ones are much cheaper, if you have one nearby. Make sure they're in stock before going, at least at my store the AA ones are hit and miss, the AAA ones are always available.

#2- run it off an external battery pack.
I use a 20,000mAh pack sometimes. Lasts for days, especially if you're holding on a single frequency and battery saver is "on" in the scanner settings. This works best if you're stationary without access to power, I.E. sitting in your yard. I personally don't do this on the go, too cumbersome and worry about wear and tear on the connection.

That said, battery life with any batteries seems atrocious with this radio when compared to the 3 battery models like the 436hp.

 

[wtp]

the one thing i told my neighbor is not to let them go totally dead and leave them for any time that way.
he has gone through 100's doing that in a years time.
he has many of those electric candles around his house.
and when he is up to it he would get them all together and charge them.
get any rechargeables and just keep them charged with a good smart charger.

 

[n1chu]

the one thing i told my neighbor is not to let them go totally dead and leave them for any time that way.
he has gone through 100's doing that in a years time.
he has many of those electric candles around his house.
and when he is up to it he would get them all together and charge them.
get any rechargeables and just keep them charged with a good smart charger.

Yes, letting a lithium ion battery deplete to nothing will kill it. My understanding is there’s no “spiking” it with a higher voltage, an instantaneous jolt that burns “whiskers” which form over time and short out a cell. The Li battery is just junk once totally depleted. I’ve replaced the SLA battery on a motorcycle with an Li but that battery had built-in protection… when it got down to a certain point it would trip an internal switch, causing the battery to “open”. In order to reset the switch to recharge it you needed to attach the Li trickle chsrger and then apply 12 volts across the terminals (exactly like giving it a “jump” as in using jumper cables and a good SLA battery) for a few seconds, then remove the the jumper cables and let the Li trickle charger do its thing. The battery cost more but it’s still going strong in that same motorcycle, a 2009 HD Classic Electra, commonly referred to as a “Full Bagger”. The original SLA battery lasted 3 years as did the second replacement SLA battery, which is when I bit the bullet and dropped in the more expensive Li battery. I’ve got about 9 years on the Li battery which is rated at aprox 10 yr lifespan. It’s going to need replacing soon but I got my moneys worth, cheaper than buying 3 more SLA’s! Besides, I gave the bike to my son… it’s his problem now!

 

[n1chu]

#1- Ikea Ladda/Panasonic Eneloop.

They're likely the same thing, made in the same factory in Japan. They last the longest in my experience. The Ikea ones are much cheaper, if you have one nearby. Make sure they're in stock before going, at least at my store the AA ones are hit and miss, the AAA ones are always available.

#2- run it off an external battery pack.
I use a 20,000mAh pack sometimes. Lasts for days, especially if you're holding on a single frequency and battery saver is "on" in the scanner settings. This works best if you're stationary without access to power, I.E. sitting in your yard. I personally don't do this on the go, too cumbersome and worry about wear and tear on the connection.

That said, battery life with any batteries seems atrocious with this radio when compared to the 3 battery models like the 436hp.

I have an external battery pack and intended to do just that while attending an upcoming air show this year. But I took it one step further and wired my mobility scooter to provide power for my scanners. I also upgraded the mobility scooter to Li batteries, which have come down in price since when I upgraded the motorcycle.

 

[bearcatrp]

One question about batteries. Mine came with rechargeable batteries. I use external USB battery though. I don't have the internal batteries in when using the external USB battery. Can I leave those rechargeable batteries in the radio while using the external battery? Will it damage the radio if I do?

 

[n1chu]

You have the choice of leaving the batteries in or out when using an external power source. You can even charge them inside the radio while using the external power source.