Am looking to buy a charger for batteries to be rotated through a Uniden bcd396xt. I did some looking through old posts here and it seems the two main chargers people like are the Powerex and LaCrosse products. It has been a while since the topic has come up, so I am wondering if anyone in the same boat as me has recently bought a charger. Which make/model did you choose?
Best charger?
- Thread starter Gator596
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I have a Powerex Maha MH-801D, which I think is a great unit. Charges and conditions 8 AA or AAA batteries. In fact, I am finding I don't have much use for it any longer, and have been seriously considering putting it up for sale. Be that as it may, I've been very happy with it.
Maha MH-C801D: Introduction
Maha MH-C801D: Introduction
Thanks folks, but it is now a tie! Can anyone else help out?
Lacrosse or Maha, both are very good. I have several Mahas, love 'em
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The MH-C9000 WizardOne Charger-Analyzer for 4 AA / AAA does it all!
I will personally vote for the MH-C9000 .... I have had it for a while now and I LOVE it. I cannot think of anything that I would want to add to this charger. Seeing as how the scanners now all use usually 2-4 AA batteries, this is the perfect charger. It makes a perfect accessory for your scanner.
I would also add that there have been several people here on RR that have destroyed their scanners by charging inside their scanner. Getting this Powerex charger makes the wrecking of your scanner a non issue. I know there will be people that will say "I have been charging my batteries in my scanner for years and have had no problems". Don't kid yourself ... I am not making this up, the destruction of scanners from batteries does happen.
I am in Canada and paid double for it than the US price. If I was looking for a charger today, I would buy the MH-C9000 again. I think that says it all about this charger.
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puzzleriddle
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I'm with DDan , Have had the c9001 for for about 2 years well worth th $$. here's the link Rechargeable Batteries Battery Chargers Rechargeable Lithium Digital Camera Batteries Maha Ansmann Energizer Sanyo ZTS
nitetrain5
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I have been charging my batts through my 396t for several years now, but after reading this thread I'm seriously considering buying a charger. it would be much more convenient. I am curious about " destoying a scanner by charging through it" why / how does that happen?
I have been charging my batts through my 396t for several years now, but after reading this thread I'm seriously considering buying a charger. it would be much more convenient. I am curious about " destoying a scanner by charging through it" why / how does that happen?
Powerex MH-C9000
As an avid handheld scanner listener I have a set of batteries charging at almost any given time. I originally bought the LaCrosse BC-9009 and it worked fine for about 3 months, then quit working altogether. I replaced this with a Powerex (formerly MAHA) MH-C9000 and could not be happier with it. The best feature is the adjustable charging rate. I generally will charge at 20% of the rated battery capacity. For example, if the rated capacity is 2500 maH, I would generally charge at 500 maH. That would typically result in a 4 or 5 hour charge. If I want to speed that up I can adjust the charging current up a bit. Another great feature is that you can perform different operations on all four batteries independently if you would like. About the only complaint I would have about the MH-C9000 would be that the backlight on its display is very bright and stays on through the entire operation on the batteries. There is no way to turn it off. My wife has taken to putting a towel over the display every night!
73 de NO3U,
Otto
As an avid handheld scanner listener I have a set of batteries charging at almost any given time. I originally bought the LaCrosse BC-9009 and it worked fine for about 3 months, then quit working altogether. I replaced this with a Powerex (formerly MAHA) MH-C9000 and could not be happier with it. The best feature is the adjustable charging rate. I generally will charge at 20% of the rated battery capacity. For example, if the rated capacity is 2500 maH, I would generally charge at 500 maH. That would typically result in a 4 or 5 hour charge. If I want to speed that up I can adjust the charging current up a bit. Another great feature is that you can perform different operations on all four batteries independently if you would like. About the only complaint I would have about the MH-C9000 would be that the backlight on its display is very bright and stays on through the entire operation on the batteries. There is no way to turn it off. My wife has taken to putting a towel over the display every night!
73 de NO3U,
Otto
slicerwizard
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The failures are quite rare, so I wouldn't worry about it. Sure, it can happen if an internal component just up and dies or if a battery manages to leak its guts, but it just doesn't happen very often. If it did, we'd all know about it.
The valid reasons for using a good external charger include:
- ability to recharge cells in one to two hours
- ability to properly charge cells (no overcharging)
- ability to do periodic break-in cycles
- ability to periodically fully discharge cells down to 0.9V
Not killing your scanner really doesn't belong on the list.
The LaCrosse's lower price is attractive, but it matches the device's cheap hardware and firmware. You get what you pay for, and with LaCrosse you get marginal MOSFETs, sub-par battery contacts, missing filter caps and microprocessor lockups that lead to total destruction of batteries and the charger itself.
How many links to meltdown failures are on this page? LaCrosse BC-9009 / BC-900 - The Melt-Downs Continue... - CandlePowerForums
And that only covers a few months in 2009-2010. There were so many reports, Amazon suspended sales. That should be enough of a red flag for most consumers.
You can reduce the odds of a meltdown by adding the missing filter caps and a cooling fan, plus always running from a clean UPS supply, but you can't fix the way the LaCrosse physical design jams your warm cells together, unlike the Powerex and its air gaps, both under and around each cell. Nor are you likely to fix the problems with the LaCrosse battery contacts.
I like the per-cell dedicated displays on the LaCrosse, but the charger's design and implementation are sorely lacking. Powerex, on the other hand, have better designs and components, and their reliability reflects that.
Photo: Typical destruction of cells and LaCrosse charger. More meltdown photos at the above link on pages 2 and 6; cooling hack photo on page 3 (many users report that the compact design has poor airflow and runs too hot); melted battery contact on page 5.
Thanks everyone! I just ordered the Powerex and Sanyo eneloops 2000mahs!
scannersnstuff
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i have the maha mh-801d and plenty of eneloops low discharge batt's. very happy with the situation. however, don't get much use out of my hand held scanner's anymore,as i prefer a commercial ht or ham ht.
It can happen ... and does happen. Don't get me wrong .. its your money, and your scanner. You can take the risk if you like. Personally .. its Maha and Eneloops all the way for me.
To see what may happen when you take the chance and charge your batteries in your scanner, check this link:
http://forums.radioreference.com/gr...-battery-holder-melted-radio.html#post1313191
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The vast majority of comments I recall seeing on this subject were along the lines of people not liking the heat generated from the charging process happening inside of the scanner. Basically, why subject the scanner to that heat build up when you really don't have to. Besides, you can have batteries in the scanner for operation, while also having a second set in the charger. Additionally, as already mentioned, having an external charger (depending upon the model), allows you to perform battery conditioning, which you cannot do inside the scanner.
I set the charge time to 6 hrs. on my 396XT and monitored it for heat for a few weeks. I thought I was OK. The batteries didn't get hot but they didn't last long either. Charging them in the XT destroyed them after a short time. Back to the Maha.
Eng74
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I have a Powerex MH-C9000, add another vote for it. I even use the Powerex 2700 AA batteries.
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I have the Lacrosse BC-700 and love it. Far less expensive than the Mahas, better made than the BC900 and I have had absolutely no problems with it with more than two years' use. Its charging capacity stops at 700, but I would never use a higher setting than that anyway.
Jeff in Boston
Jeff in Boston
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