Firmware and battery type

[webley445]

Is it truly detrimental to get updated to the latest firmware for the 500?

My friend and I purchased of 500's relatively same time, I got mine pre owned here, he bought his from an online retailer.
Previous owner had upgraded mine but my friend's has never been updated. So far I cannot tell any real difference between the performance of the two scanners.

Concerning the setting for battery type. Does this actually affect the way power is consumed by the scanner, or is it mainly for controlling the recharge function? Basically would it be harmful in any way to have the scanner set to "alkalines" when actually it has "Nihms" in it.
this question is mainly in reference to when the scanner is operating on batteries, not plugged into a wall outlet.

 

[K2QI]

The latest stable firmware will correct certain issues that affect specific operations. However, if you have a scanner that works just the way you want it to without issue, then no, it is not necessary to upgrade.

 

[ampulman]

Alkalines, only

When I owned my PRO-96, I used alkalines only in both battery holders, as I didn't want to use the radio as a charger. It was very convenient, when mobile, to have an extra holder pre-loaded, ready to go.

I'm sure that your radio works the same as my BCD396T, in that switching to alkaline only disables the charger.

Amp

 

[GTO_04]

When I owned my PRO-96, I used alkalines only in both battery holders, as I didn't want to use the radio as a charger. It was very convenient, when mobile, to have an extra holder pre-loaded, ready to go.

I'm sure that your radio works the same as my BCD396T, in that switching to alkaline only disables the charger.

Amp

In the 396 there is a switch in the battery compartment that you are supposed to set according to the battery type that you are using. It may also affect the setpoint at which the low voltage warning is displayed.

As far as the PSR-500, the battery settings affect the voltages at which the low battery warning icon
is displayed and when the low battery audio alert goes off.

GTO_04

 

[mikey60]

In the 396 there is a switch in the battery compartment that you are supposed to set according to the battery type that you are using. It may also affect the setpoint at which the low voltage warning is displayed.

As far as the PSR-500, the battery settings affect the voltages at which the low battery warning icon
is displayed and when the low battery audio alert goes off.

GTO_04

The battery setting in the PSR-500 will also enable/disable the charging circuit depending on the setting. Setting that to Alkaline will disable the charger, and setting it to NiMH or NiCAD will enable it.

Mike