br330t Problems

[claurel]

I will try to be very specific so you can let me know if this is normal or what.

I just got my br330t and inserted the batteries and set it to charge. After about an hour I unplugged it and drove home and set it back to charge. It started getting pretty warm. I was going to bed so with about 1 hour of charge time left (the manual stated to charge the batteries 14 hours before first use) I unplugged it. The next morning I finished the charge and started to play with it.

I noticed that when you use the close call feature, about every 2 seconds there is a break in the audio. Being new to this I looked in the manual and noticed that with close call turned on it set itself up every two seconds. With close call off it recieved continuously. Is that normal?

I then set it to close call only and left it turned on hoping to pick up any local traffic. After several minutes I noticed the low battery light came on. I picked up the br330t and noticed it was extremely hot. I took the battery cover off and took out the bateries. They were so hot that I could not handle them. It literally burned. The br330t was similarly hot, mostly in the battery compartment region.

I let the batteries and the br330t cool down then put the batteries back in. It would not turn on. The bateries were dead. I plugged in the ac adapter to verify the br330t was still working and it was. It seems to be charging the batteries up again.

Does any of this sound normal?

I hate to be one of those paranoid people but I don't seem to have the best of luck with new electronics purchases.

 

[lostdog19]

I will try to be very specific so you can let me know if this is normal or what.

I just got my br330t and inserted the batteries and set it to charge. After about an hour I unplugged it and drove home and set it back to charge. It started getting pretty warm. I was going to bed so with about 1 hour of charge time left (the manual stated to charge the batteries 14 hours before first use) I unplugged it. The next morning I finished the charge and started to play with it.

I noticed that when you use the close call feature, about every 2 seconds there is a break in the audio. Being new to this I looked in the manual and noticed that with close call turned on it set itself up every two seconds. With close call off it recieved continuously. Is that normal?

I don't charge my batteries in the Scanner. But from what I've read it does get warm. I can answer for the Close Call cutting out. That's the way it works. Same if you have priority channels set up. WX Priority cuts out every 5 seconds.

I then set it to close call only and left it turned on hoping to pick up any local traffic. After several minutes I noticed the low battery light came on. I picked up the br330t and noticed it was extremely hot. I took the battery cover off and took out the bateries. They were so hot that I could not handle them. It literally burned. The br330t was similarly hot, mostly in the battery compartment region.

I let the batteries and the br330t cool down then put the batteries back in. It would not turn on. The bateries were dead. I plugged in the ac adapter to verify the br330t was still working and it was. It seems to be charging the batteries up again.

Does any of this sound normal?

I hate to be one of those paranoid people but I don't seem to have the best of luck with new electronics purchases.

Maybe someone else can answer this.

 

[hiegtx]

The battery charger in the BR330T (as well as the BCD396T) is not a "smart" battery charger. It's a timed charger, set for 14hrs. Every time you unplug power from the unit, then plug it back in, whether a few minutes, an hour or more, a day, whatever, the radio restarts trying to charge the batteries. Does not matter if you are using the ac adapter, or a dc power cord. It's the interuption in power to the unit that restarts the cycle, not battery voltage state. A power interuption to your house (lights going out briefly) would have the same effect.

Yes, the batteries, especially when first used, can get very warm. That's why many people prefer not to charge batteries in the scanner, and instead buy some extra rechargeables and a good external recharger. You could have one bad one, especially if it would not turn back on, even briefly. PIck up an 8-pack of the 2500mah Energizer Nimh's at Walmart. They're about $18 in my area. They'll last longer anyway.I believe there are some even higher capacity cells available, but I haven't seen a store around me carrying them.

Look, or search, through the forums here. Multiple threads on external chargers. Here's one example.

lostdog19 covered the cutting out with Close Call enabled. The new 996 has "Close Call-Do Not Disturb", where Close Call does not interupt a current transmission. Nice upgrade to the feature.

 

[claurel]

Thanks for the help. After sitting plugged in for awhile it did power on with the batteries again. Maybe they need to be 'conditioned'?

I have a couple NImh chargers. Would any of these be okay with the Nimh batteries that came with the unit? One of the chargers has a 'conditioning' feature where it charges and discharges the batteries a few times. Maybe that would help.

I will go out and buy a new set as well and use only an external charger. Thanks.

 

[hiegtx]

From what I've read (I don't claim to be a battery expert), it does take a few cycles for a new battery to reach it's maximum charge capacity.

If you already have a Nimh charger, try it. There's nothing unusual about the batteries that came with the scanner. Just be sure it can charge an odd number of cells (the three in the 330); some only do pairs (twos or fours). That won't be an issue if you get some extra batteries.

 

[nyscan]

The battery charger in the BR330T (as well as the BCD396T) is not a "smart" battery charger. It's a timed charger, set for 14hrs. Every time you unplug power from the unit, then plug it back in, whether a few minutes, an hour or more, a day, whatever, the radio restarts trying to charge the batteries. Does not matter if you are using the ac adapter, or a dc power cord. It's the interuption in power to the unit that restarts the cycle, not battery voltage state. A power interuption to your house (lights going out briefly) would have the same effect.

Are you saying that the 14 hour charging cycle will start every time the power is interrupted? Will it detect if the batteries are fully charged and stop charging?

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Are you saying that the 14 hour charging cycle will start every time the power is interrupted?

Yes.

Will it detect if the batteries are fully charged and stop charging?

No. The cycle is always 14 hrs regardless of the charge in the cells.