firmware to make batery last longer?

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friedthat

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hey,
i was wondering ifthere is a firmware upgrade for the 296D that will make the battery last longer or maybe in my case, make it last the PROPER amount of time.. i am sure i don't havthe most current firmware,
any help with this would be great
ALSO where can i buy a new/used pc interface cable for the 296/ 250 scanner?
thanks
 

rdale

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Firmware won't help an old battery's life - a new battery will though ;>
 

friedthat

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rdale said:
Firmware won't help an old battery's life - a new battery will though ;>
1:yea i got a NEW battery AND it seems like the scaner is jsut sucking the juice right out of it..
any way ( now i would need very specific instructions) on how to measure with an multimeter, the amperage and such it is taking from the battery ?

2:also with having the cord for the scanner is there "mods" out there like there are for cell phones that you can tweak it in various ways i.e unlock it etc?
thanks
 

friedthat

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Concrete1 said:
thanks, BUT i don't think you see what i wrote:
"1:yea i got a NEW battery AND it seems like the scaner is jsut sucking the juice right out of it..
any way ( now i would need very specific instructions) on how to measure with an multimeter, the amperage and such it is taking from the battery ?"
That new battery is a 2500 NiMH
now back to the initial 2 questions
thanks
 

Raven95150

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The battery pack in the 296 doesnt last very long, although the battery pack shown in that link above says it has 50% more capacity than the original. This was one of the biggest problems with the 296. If you really want more battery life, you might want to upgrade to the 396.
 

friedthat

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Raven95150 said:
The battery pack in the 296 doesnt last very long, although the battery pack shown in that link above says it has 50% more capacity than the original. This was one of the biggest problems with the 296. If you really want more battery life, you might want to upgrade to the 396.
yea, but i mean comon, i have read other ppls posts on this site that have custom battery packs (2500 mAh) and last at laest 8.3 hours... i am not even getting 30 mins with out it beeping.. on my NEW 2500mAh. what gives? lol and wit the original 1500 it beeps after 10 mins.. i think that something is wrong with my unit
Actually one thing i don't get is with the new 2500 mAh , it will go ~30 mins without beeping. THEN it BEEP for a good 1.5 hours there after then shuts off.. why it the beeping part of the battery life longer than the none? does that make sense?
 
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John_M

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To make the scanner beep it doesn't take as many ma as it does to make it scan. You should send it in. Something in the scanner may be drawing more ma than it should.
 
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bwhite

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Are you charging the new battery in the radio? if so, and the new battery is 2 1/2 the capacity of the old, make sure you charge it 2 1/2 times longer than the original pack to ensure that it's topped off. (A common problem)
 

friedthat

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bwhite said:
Are you charging the new battery in the radio? if so, and the new battery is 2 1/2 the capacity of the old, make sure you charge it 2 1/2 times longer than the original pack to ensure that it's topped off. (A common problem)
yes , i believe i stated that i charged the battery in an external charger300 mA 9 hours. and i have charged it in the scanner for about 26 hours .. both yeild the same amount of run time.

and for when it is beeping, it still is working, like i can hear talk groups but i jsut want to know why it last longer when it is "complaining" it is low then the very first 30 mins..
 

bwhite

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friedthat said:
yes , i believe i stated that i charged the battery in an external charger300 mA 9 hours. and i have charged it in the scanner for about 26 hours .. both yeild the same amount of run time.

and for when it is beeping, it still is working, like i can hear talk groups but i jsut want to know why it last longer when it is "complaining" it is low then the very first 30 mins..
You did not mention how you were charging it, just that you were.
 

friedthat

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i don't charge them in the scanner, and when i have they got slightyl warm. they actually get warmer out side in an external charger.. and beleive me it is not the charger because i have tried 3 different ones and i have tried 3 different packs with varying age.. of course was the newest 2500mAh tthat was jsut made soo i KNOW it is the scanner that is sucking too much juice from the batterirs. jsut don't know why.
 
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