Pro-106 Enercell adapters

[skatertj]

Just got the 106 today and am looking to get the wall and car chargers since i have 70 dollars worth of coupons to use at the shack. I see they have a good wall charger which i plan to get with the C adapter but the car charger seems to have bad reviews. They one i am referring to is the enercell 9 volt 1000ma dc charger. Who else uses this in their vehicles and has had good success with it?? just wanting to see if its a good adapter or not.

 

[SENCland]

I've had one for about 3 or 4 months and have had no issues. Works as it should.

 

[jaspence]

Pro 106 chargers

I would buy a good NiMH battery charger first. Adapters are fine for running the radio, but charging the batteries in the radio is not a good idea, as many have written in various threads. I almost destroyed a Pro 96 when one of the cells shorted and melted the case. Use the alkaline case even with rechargeable batteries for the best results. A good charger that charges each battery individually will give better results than charging them in series as they would in the radio.

 

[aps_ak]

I have an Enercell charger in my car. I also have the scanner plugged in to my car speakers, so having it run off of car power also gives me the annoying high pitched whine. So for now I just use it to strictly charge the receiver when it is turned off/with radio jack unplugged.

Your results, of course, may vary.

 

[skatertj]

Ya i heard about the charging with radio. I dont plan to do that, only looking to get the adapters to run the scanner while on trips in the car or just using the scanner in the house. I plan to get a sanyo eneloop charger with the batteries since i hear they are the best to use for scanners.

im mainly interested in the dc adapter that radioshack has. See 3 reviews with 1 star so im looking to hear about others experience with it from here.

 

[morrisr3nd]

Don't charge!!!!

I would buy a good NiMH battery charger first. Adapters are fine for running the radio, but charging the batteries in the radio is not a good idea, as many have written in various threads. I almost destroyed a Pro 96 when one of the cells shorted and melted the case. Use the alkaline case even with rechargeable batteries for the best results. A good charger that charges each battery individually will give better results than charging them in series as they would in the radio.

I did that with my 106 and a black holder. It tried to charge the batteries anyway and melted my case and battery cover. I had to steal a case and cover off of my 97 to get it to look right. The scanner still works good

BTW. I use a standard car adapter that I got from Walmart. It works great.

 

[RDGDigital]

I have this and it works fine. However if I had to get another one I'd opt for the one made for the GRE PSR-500 from Scannermaster.com...

GRE Cigarette Lighter Charger Coiled Cord

The cable on the Enercell is very thin and extremely stiff. I worry that it would be very easy to break. And the stiffness makes it nearly impossible to control how it lays. For me it's always in the way of the gearshift, cup holder or extending under the passengers feet. I also don't care much for the adaptaplug adapter. It will come loose sometimes when removing it from the scanner and if you're not careful you can reverse the polarity when putting it back together.

The GRE model (which works fine for the 106) has a dedicated plug so there is no chance of reversing the polarity and the cable is a thicker, coiled cable design that is much easier to control, and I wouldn't worry about it breaking.

And as others have stated you can find compatible chargers at other places, like WalMart. Just remember it must meet the following specs from the PRO-106 User Manual:

External Power

You can power your scanner using a Class 2 power source that supplies 9V DC and delivers at least 500mA. Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must fit the scanner's PWR DC 9V jack. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the scanner or the adapter.

 

[skatertj]

I did that with my 106 and a black holder. It tried to charge the batteries anyway and melted my case and battery cover. I had to steal a case and cover off of my 97 to get it to look right. The scanner still works good

BTW. I use a standard car adapter that I got from Walmart. It works great.

Ok, you had NiMH battiers in the black holder and had it plugged in and this melted your parts? Im kinda confused on what you said about charging anyway. I have read the black holder can not charge batteries in any way so how did you manage to melt the holder and cover?

RDG- I plan to pick up the enercell wall mart for now because i have 10 dollars off anything in radioshack. I actually have a total of 70 bucks of anything, just in $10 coupons. I will look into ordering the GRE car cord instead. I also plan to pick up the 800mhz antenna since thats all the 106 will be scanning.

 

[skatertj]

Another quick question, I never ever plan nor do i want to charge batteries in my scanner. Looking at the metal tabs on the scanner, would it be bad to just push the charging tab in alittle bit so its flush with the plastic body? What i mean by this is, the metal battery tabs in the scanner are pushed out to contact the battery case. Would it be bad to just push the charging tab in some til its flush with the plastic surrounding the metal tab? Or should i just leave it how it is and set the charge time to 00 so it wont try to charge?

I ask because I know i will be using the scanner indoors and in my car, both times being plugged into a 9v source. I worry the charging contact will some how touch the metal tabs on the black holder since it has happened to others. If no one can answer then i may start a new thread on this.

 

[ampulman]

Another quick question, I never ever plan nor do i want to charge batteries in my scanner. Looking at the metal tabs on the scanner, would it be bad to just push the charging tab in alittle bit so its flush with the plastic body? What i mean by this is, the metal battery tabs in the scanner are pushed out to contact the battery case. Would it be bad to just push the charging tab in some til its flush with the plastic surrounding the metal tab? Or should i just leave it how it is and set the charge time to 00 so it wont try to charge?

I ask because I know i will be using the scanner indoors and in my car, both times being plugged into a 9v source. I worry the charging contact will some how touch the metal tabs on the black holder since it has happened to others. If no one can answer then i may start a new thread on this.

\

I had a near miss with my 106. I won't bore you with the details of how I wound up with alkalines in my yellow holder, but while at home listening, I notices a small amount of 'liquid' on my desk, under the radio.

After cleaning up the mess (no damage, thankfully), I decided to do something about it. I permanently disabled charging by removing the inner-most tab which supplies power to the yellow holder's charging circuit. Simply pry it upwards slightly, then grab it with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and wiggle it up and down until it breaks off. Problem solved.

Now, I keep 2 holder filled with batteries without regard to type, and when mobile, can quickly change them on the fly.

Amp

 

[Spitfire8520]

After cleaning up the mess (no damage, thankfully), I decided to do something about it. I permanently disabled charging by removing the inner-most tab which supplies power to the yellow holder's charging circuit. Simply pry it upwards slightly, then grab it with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and wiggle it up and down until it breaks off. Problem solved.

I'm not sure if this would prevent melting batteries. I remember coming across several stories of black battery holders melting just like the yellow ones. A linked example follows:
http://forums.radioreference.com/radio-shack-scanners/252787-i-almost-screwed-up-my-pro-106-a.html

 

[morrisr3nd]

I'm not sure if this would prevent melting batteries. I remember coming across several stories of black battery holders melting just like the yellow ones. A linked example follows:
http://forums.radioreference.com/radio-shack-scanners/252787-i-almost-screwed-up-my-pro-106-a.html

That was my thread. I posted it not long after it happened.

 

[skatertj]

Yea i heard about the black holder melting stories but i figure it has to do with that extra metal tab that is used to charge. My pro-106 is already acting funny so im getting a replacement. Certain frequencies have a ringing or high pitch noise to them which doesnt happen on my other scanner so i went to the shack today to get a new one. Nearest one to Tulsa, OK was in el paso tx haha, have to wait like 5 days...

 

[morrisr3nd]

Yea i heard about the black holder melting stories but i figure it has to do with that extra metal tab that is used to charge. My pro-106 is already acting funny so im getting a replacement. Certain frequencies have a ringing or high pitch noise to them which doesnt happen on my other scanner so i went to the shack today to get a new one. Nearest one to Tulsa, OK was in el paso tx haha, have to wait like 5 days...

That's no good. How long have you had yours? I got mine from someone on Craigslist for $175. It works great.

 

[skatertj]

Since christmas day haha. Atleast i can get a replacement still. Should have it by monday, i hope!

 

[ScanWV]

I purchased a wall charger for my Pro 106 not long after I got the 106 a few years ago and havent had a problem with it. I bought another one to have for my Pro 97 and it lasted a month.

 

[ampulman]

I'm not sure if this would prevent melting batteries. I remember coming across several stories of black battery holders melting just like the yellow ones. A linked example follows:
http://forums.radioreference.com/radio-shack-scanners/252787-i-almost-screwed-up-my-pro-106-a.html

After reading your post, I checked my battery compartment. By following my procedure, the tab was completely removed, i.e., nothing to bend and short. Looking into the spot where the tab was is an empty hole. Be sure to wiggle straight up and down.

Currently, there are NIMHs in the black holder which have been in place for months (only used on short mobile trips). The radio (whether on or off) is receiving power for about 16 hours per day.

The only warmth I feel is when the backlights are on.

Amp