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Impress battery and charger question

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N1SQB

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My 6550 battery charger is blinking green and red. Underneath it says that “service life is half”. It’s the first time I’ve ever run into something like this. I just acquired this radio so I’m learning as I go. Does that mean the battery only has half of its life left?
 

IAmSixNine

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The capacity in the battery may still be more then half but its reached its half life time so to speak.
Motorolas way of saying, hey you have an older battery, time to buy a new one from us.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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Sounds like the "feature" worked exactly as designed by Motorola
Sales dept.

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IAmSixNine

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For people like me who 99.9% of the time RX only the flashing red and green LED is merely a novelty. But im sure if people do a lot of TX on their units they will see that performance hit way sooner then me.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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I could see all the flashing at 50% capacity, but at 50% lifetime, that seems a bit premature.
 

IAmSixNine

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I dont have the documentation in front of me so dont quote me on 50%. But it is a way for Motorola to remind you that your battery needs replacing, according to them.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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The Impress thing is a gimmick to keep agencies from buying cheaper aftermarket batteries. It's like the way printer manufacturers keep you buying OEM ink by flashing warnings when you install refilled cartridges or aftermarket ones.


If it is blinking because it has somehow accurately determined the battery is worn out, that's one thing, but if it is just checking date code or ticking off charge discharge cycles, that's a crummy gimmick.

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trentbob

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I agree with the gimmick aspect here. It does matter if you're transmitting and receiving or receiving only of course.

I use the Endura double charger for my apx 7000, works just fine for my Motorola batteries. Starts off solid red then blinks green then solid green when finished. If you're in a hurry once it starts blinking green you're good to go to pull it out of the charger and use it safely.

I can transmit on specific frequencies but mainly use it to receive only p2 simulcast police. I would squeeze every drop out of the batteries you have.

It is correct that the marketing department has a lot to do with these gimmicks included with Motorola brand Chargers.
 
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