bc396t d.c. power cord

scannerdaddy · May 14, 2006

does anyone know the radio shack part number for the above mentioned scanner. the local store geek could not answer me on the phone. any help is appreciated. thanks.

hiegtx · May 14, 2006

scannerdaddy said:
does anyone know the radio shack part number for the above mentioned scanner. the local store geek could not answer me on the phone. any help is appreciated. thanks.

I'm using this one for my BR330 & my BCD396. Also works on my 246T. Get the adaptaplug 'B' tip for it.

pwscott · May 14, 2006

Works great- but tight in lighter socket

I picked one up this afternoon- it was at a reduced price so the cord at $18.99 and the B Plug at $4.99 rang up for total of $18.99- bonus. Anyway, works great although the plug fits VERY tightly in the back seat socket of my car where I regularly plus either a Verizon BlackBerry charger or Motorola E815 charger. Thanks for the info!

hiegtx said:
I'm using this one for my BR330 & my BCD396. Also works on my 246T. Get the adaptaplug 'B' tip for it.

hiegtx · May 14, 2006

pwscott said:
I picked one up this afternoon- it was at a reduced price so the cord at $18.99 and the B Plug at $4.99 rang up for total of $18.99- bonus. Anyway, works great although the plug fits VERY tightly in the back seat socket of my car where I regularly plus either a Verizon BlackBerry charger or Motorola E815 charger. Thanks for the info!

That's the way it's supposed to work on the receiipt. They charge you for the adaptaplug, then it "minuses" back out. You're supposed to get one 'free' with the dc adapter. If you needed a second, it would have been an additional $4.99. In the "old" days at Radio Shack, they gave you 4 or 5 with each adapter.

schriber · May 15, 2006

Thanks for the tip (literaly). I'm going to pick up a RS 6v 800ma AC adapter becuase I can't bear paying $31 for Uniden's (with shipping). I wasn't sure what tip I needed but now I know!

I wonder how much the radio really needs if you switch the battery mode to alkaline so it dosen't try and charge. I bet we could get away with the 300ma version.

Mike

RISC777 · May 15, 2006

The AC requirement stays the same whether you're charging or not.

ka3jjz · May 15, 2006

hiegtx said:
I'm using this one for my BR330 & my BCD396. Also works on my 246T. Get the adaptaplug 'B' tip for it.

Solid information here - to the Wiki pages it goes. I have no doubt that this question will come up again. 73s and thanx Mike

schriber · May 15, 2006

Hmmmmm.... do you have any data or tests to back that up? The radio is going to pull more current if it's charging batteries. That's pretty much a given with all devices.

RISC777 said:
The AC requirement stays the same whether you're charging or not.

Mike

hiegtx · May 15, 2006

schriber said:
Thanks for the tip (literaly). I'm going to pick up a RS 6v 800ma AC adapter becuase I can't bear paying $31 for Uniden's (with shipping). I wasn't sure what tip I needed but now I know!

I wonder how much the radio really needs if you switch the battery mode to alkaline so it dosen't try and charge. I bet we could get away with the 300ma version.

Mike

I never tried switching my 396 to alkaline to disable the charger. However, one time I accidentally plugged it into the ac adapter for my BC246, which is 500ma/6vdc. Got an error message "illegal voltage". They're both 6volts, so I'm sure it was the lack of current available. That probably made the avaiilable voltage drop & caused the error message. No damage done. Switched to the correct adapter and back in business immediately.

I bought a couple of these ac adapters to use with my 396 & BR330. More ma's than necessary, but the adapter is a slimline, takes up much less space on a surge protector than the standard oversized wall-wart. Bought the extras since I use my scanners in more than one room, mainly between my bedroom & my home office/digital darkroom.

69stiles · May 15, 2006

I have a 9 volt that I was using for my RS radios. Just got a br330t. Would it work or does it have to be 6 volts?

hiegtx · May 15, 2006

69stiles said:
I have a 9 volt that I was using for my RS radios. Just got a br330t. Would it work or does it have to be 6 volts?

The Uniden's (330, 396, 246) are 6 volt. I suspect you'd get the "illegal voltage" error message with a 9 volt adapter.

don333 · May 16, 2006

When using the RS dc adapter what is the correct polarity for the adaptaplug? I know this is important. Thanks.

pwscott · May 16, 2006

Polarity

Look on the side of your radio itself just above the power input jack. There is a diagram there showing you the polarity.

schriber · May 17, 2006

Illegal voltage? Wow, that's an interesting one! I may just have to do some experiments.

Since it was only a few bucks difference, I got the RS 6v 800ma AC adapter last night. It'll come in handy to charge the radio anyway. I didn't know about the slimline one (which I could use right now trying to get this one into an open plug under my desk). Opps!

Mike

schriber · May 17, 2006

Well, well well...

I just tried the RS 6v 800ma adapter I bought. The 396T says "Illegal Voltage" and that's all there is. I put the supply on a meter and it puts out 7.5v with no load. I'll have to test the Uniden one.

So, that slimline one work eh? Very strange. I've love to know what the no load voltage is!

Mike

hiegtx · May 17, 2006

schriber said:
Well, well well...

I just tried the RS 6v 800ma adapter I bought. The 396T says "Illegal Voltage" and that's all there is. I put the supply on a meter and it puts out 7.5v with no load. I'll have to test the Uniden one.

So, that slimline one work eh? Very strange. I've love to know what the no load voltage is!

Mike

Mike,
I've two of the slimline's in use. They both work like a charm. Haven'nt put a voltmeter on them though.

pwscott · May 18, 2006

Slimline AC

I bought the slimline one also and it works fine.

Codeman · May 18, 2006

schriber said:
...
I wonder how much the radio really needs if you switch the battery mode to alkaline so it dosen't try and charge. I bet we could get away with the 300ma version.

Mike

I wouldn't want to run my 396 with NiMH's loaded and the switch set to alkaline. After all, NiMH are 1.2V nominal, while alkies are 1.5V. It might cause some problems. Just a thought...

schriber said:
Hmmmmm.... do you have any data or tests to back that up? The radio is going to pull more current if it's charging batteries. That's pretty much a given with all devices.

Mike

With the 396T using just a straight 14-hour trickle charge, it won't be much of an increase.

hotdjdave · May 18, 2006

MadCatz PSP Video Game Charger

I have been using my daughter's charger for her Sony PSP for my BCD396T. It is a MadCatz charger, model 8502, that came with the PSP Mobile Kit. It is 5 VDC / 2A. The connection fits perfectly. I have not gotten any error messages and it seems to charge the supplied rechargeable batteries just fine and operate the radio when it is turned on. So far, no problems.

I hope that this voltage/amperage is not ruining my radio or batteries. Does anyone know if it will or could?

The side of the radio reads 6 V 800 mA.

http://www.madcatz.com/Default.asp?Page=201&CategoryImg=PSP_Accessories

Codeman · May 18, 2006

If you're using NiMH, they are best charged fast with a charger than maintains the cell temp below about 140°F. Because of their chemical makeup, trickle charging them tends to cause crystal formation, which can lead to limited life and reduced capacity. See Battery University, and specifically Charging nickel-based batteries, for more info.

bc396t d.c. power cord

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