those are some great radio's the sound clarity is great... if you talk to someone they will think they are listening to a crystal clear telephone call.....
the 217 only has an output power of 2.5 watts... newer radios put out more power.. but seeing you have them keep them...
just so you know... all rechargeable batteries are 1.2 volts ( 10 X 1.2 volts = 12 volts )
.......................................all alkaline batteries are 1.5 volts ( 8 X 1.5 volts = 12 volts ) this is with the two dummy batteries supplied with the radio installed.
of my 50 plus handheld CB's these and my Maxon models have the tightest battery compartments..... I love the size of the 217.. it feels good in your hand... but all rechargeable batteries are thicker than alkaline batteries ( like Duracell and Energizer ) so once you put 10 rechargeable 1.2 volt batteries into it you will not be able to get the cover on!... I have three of them and always found this to be the case.....
I spent months contacting EVERY rechargeable battery company to find a thin rechargeable battery.... and it's not possible!!!!!! the NI-CAD's are thinner but have less than half the power!
even the Duracell's are VERY tight and you just about have to break the battery cover to get it off once you install the batteries and cover.
I bought 20 NI-CAD batteries just to use in these radios... I thought I would just leave them in and use the radio's chargers to recharge them.... but NI-CAD batteries are terrible!!!! really not worth it.... NI-CAD's go dead fast... if you over charge them they are junk.. if you let them get too far discharged they will no longer take a charge.... they also don't last very long or have much power... I used EBL NI-CAD's and they are only 1100 MAH.... most rechargeables are over 2000!!!! most of the new rechargeable batteries are 2800 or even 3000... that's a LOT OF POWER!!!!! I can talk all day on my handhelds with the newer 2800 MAH batteries and they don't go dead.... the 1100 NI-Cad's are only good for a few hours if that... also the NI-CAD's take 14 hours to recharge.
but again... the newer better 1.2 volt rechargeables will not allow you to put the cover on with them in there.
so I would buy 8 of these batteries click the blue link
EBL 1.5 volt rechargeable with charger they are Lithium Ion
they are the most powerfulest batteries and don't lose their voltage... they start at 1.5 volts from full charge until they die... if you use 8 of them in each handheld and two dummy batteries ...keep the dummy batteries where the cover goes on and you may be able to get the cover on????? the dummy batteries should give a little room for the cover ...
I just went and tried it... it WORKS!!!!!!
I have been playing with those 217's for a year and always leave the cover off with my 1.2 volt rechargeable batteries in it as I know I will break the cover trying to get it on or off... but I'm not buying alkaline's every time I use my 217's ( I have about 300 rechargeable batteries... so I'm not going to buy disposable alkaline's)
so I just took some pictures.... and as I said the covers go on nicely and the radios work GREAT!
you asked about the charger... I took a picture of the Radio Shack optional Charger they sold for that TRC 217... it is only good for NI-CAD Batteries!!!!
the 1.5 volt Lithium Ion batteries I am HIGHLY suggesting you buy, needs its own special charger... but the link I supplied is 8 batteries and the special charger... for $35 bucks ...... you will be able to charge them 1200 times !!!!! so basically if you charged them every 10 days... that would be 37 charges a year.... ... so they will last 32 years!!!!! ..so those will last you a lifetime!
I know you have 2 of them so you would need two sets of batteries....so $70 bucks... but still for the rest of your life those batteries can power your handheld radios....
word of caution... all rechargeable batteries need to be used or they die.... you can't just charge them and leave them on a shelf or they will be garbage.... so you have to let the two radios discharge every few months and then recharge them ... NEVER leave them discharged or their junk..... so if you put them in your closet and forget them and the batteries go dead... for a few weeks.... you will be throwing out $70 bucks worth of batteries.... so once you buy them you are committed to using them a few times a year.
good luck let us know how it works out.
PS I did a couple power tests..... dead key low and dead key high... then I put a tone on the radio and used my peak meter and did high and low power outputs to see what they peaked at
... not great but they are super nice little radios.
