BCD436HP/BCD536HP: They Don't Seem To Make Rechargeable Batteries As Well Anymore

[iMONITOR]

The Eneloop Pros aren not necessary the best choice if you look at the number of times you can recharge them. The Pros do provide more current so they last longer in use between charges.

The Eneloop Pro battery has a higher capacity than the regular Eneloop with 2500mAh vs. 1900mAh. The Pro can be charged up to 500 times while the regular Eneloop up to 2100 times. The PRO batteries can provide more current than the regular Eneloops.

 

[ArloG]

Some months ago I watched a review of AA rechargeable lithium on youtube Project Farm.
Energizer nimh batteries are the tops for their type. But like most if not all only start out at 1.2 volts.
I've used them for years in my Nikon flash, Mag Lights. They just don't like to sit. And don't appreciate partial "top off" charges.
A good charger is a plus. Out in the field or on the job an extra set or 2 is smart.
I always ran my Dewalt down as flat as I could. Even held the trigger and grabbed the chuck to drag it down to run the pack down more.
NiMH batteries just need to be run down before charging to stop the memory effect. Working with other guys who constantly swapped packs before they were drained seemed to have faster run-downs than me.

I put a Dakota Lithium in my Harley. I got peed off with eveyone else's FLA and AGM "warranties". Even though I baby-sit my batteries on a battery tender in my pantry over the winter. 2 years max. The lithium is going 4 years strong and I even run my R8600 off of it.
More expensive? Yup. Less expensive than 2 or 3 batteries that puke on you when you least expect it and 2 weeks out of warranty.
And start? Its like the HD gets a shot of starting fluid on very push of the button. I like that.

I made a plunge and bought 8 of the Vapcell AA mAh. Expensive? Oh hell yeah. Took a gamble. Funky little USB ports to charge. So a regular charger was out of the question. But I use a power bank anyway. They start out at around 1.4 volts fully charged.
And they like partial 'top off' charges. For the flash batteries (I never leave them in the unit) they can sit for months at a time and when plugged in for a top off are ready in like...15 minutes.
My AA Mag Light is ready to go anytime. No niMH surprises. It just starts out bright and keeps on going.
I left a Lebo 3 AA cell light on all weekend and when I went looking for it, was still lit up pretty bright.

I'll probably buy some more. But not that crazy expensive. They behave well. I can forget to the turn the flash off. Even though it goes to sleep if you don't. Nickel batteries just seemed to die fast. I don't tend to run the lithium's flat. They don't really like it so much I hear, repeatedly.
A good investment? Look at the Lipo reviews from folks like us. Perhaps a good choice for HT radios?

 

[Benkasey]

About two years ago I purchased new AA Energizer Rechargeable batteries for my Bcd436. I always waited until they fully drained before fully recharging my scanner. However I notice that they just drain much faster than if I were to put disposable (regular) AA Energizer batteries in scanner. With the rechargeable batteries, I get 2 to maybe 3 hours of non stop run time. However, with the single use AA Energizers, I can get a good 10-15 hours out of them before they drain completely. Therefore, now I only use the single use, non rechargeable battries when I know I'll be out and about for an entire day and not near any chargers, and just use my rechargeable batteries while at home. Has this been others' experience too? Many years ago, those rechaegeable batteries seemed to last much longer.

Is the Bcd436 designed to run off rechargeables? I have an old Radioshack CB portable that can take either regular or rechargeables. It requires two more "AA" if you are using rechargeables (like 10 vs 12) due to lower rechargeable voltage.

 

[iMONITOR]

Is the Bcd436 designed to run off rechargeables? I have an old Radioshack CB portable that can take either regular or rechargeables. It requires two more "AA" if you are using rechargeables (like 10 vs 12) due to lower rechargeable voltage.

Yes the BCD436HP even comes with three NiMH rechargeable batteries.

 

[dave3825]

Is the Bcd436 designed to run off rechargeables?

Being that Uniden ships them with rechargeables, I would say so.

 

[gmclam]

My experience has been the opposite. I did get one of those separate wall battery rechargers from Home Depot when I first bought the scanner, and not only did the batteries get very hot, I noticed they never fully charged. However, when I started charging them inside the scanner itself, they would fully recharge (and still do), but drain faster now. Most likely the separate charger I purchased was just a poor quality one.

Just because there's a place for each battery doesn't mean each charges separately. The Maha charger (pictured below) is the one I use and has been mentioned here by others. You get what you pay for. One place that sells them

 

[bearcatrp]

I tried rechargeable batteries with my 1st 436. Sold that to fund the R30. Picked up another years later. Wasn’t going to deal with rechargeable batteries again. Bought an external usb battery. Haven’t looked back. Get over 24 hours of continuous scanning.

 

[oldgoat25]

I use Duracell rechargeable batteries. I recently received a charger adapter for the radio. It works ok. I get a full 7-8 hours of radio use with a full charge of 4.10 volts. I don't know how many volts I can charge the 3 batteries up to and I don't want to fry the radio. Alsp the newer the batteries the longer the charge holds. I have two 4 battery chargers that I use to charge all the batteries when hurricane season starts.

 

[KK4JUG]

The Eneloop Pros aren not necessary the best choice if you look at the number of times you can recharge them. The Pros do provide more current so they last longer in use between charges.

The Eneloop Pro battery has a higher capacity than the regular Eneloop with 2500mAh vs. 1900mAh. The Pro can be charged up to 500 times while the regular Eneloop up to 2100 times. The PRO batteries can provide more current than the regular Eneloops.

The higher the mAH, the fewer the recharges you can get out of the battery. That true of all batteries of this type, not just Eneloops.

 

[Scannerfreak6743]

I use Duracell rechargeable batteries. I recently received a charger adapter for the radio. It works ok. I get a full 7-8 hours of radio use with a full charge of 4.10 volts. I don't know how many volts I can charge the 3 batteries up to and I don't want to fry the radio. Alsp the newer the batteries the longer the charge holds. I have two 4 battery chargers that I use to charge all the batteries when hurricane season starts.

I am curious how long the rechargeable Duracells will last until you stop getting the full 4.1 Volts when fully charged? My issue with rechargeables is not only are they much more expensive, but tend to lose max voltage juice after only a year of use.

 

[Ensnared]

My gold standard, for many years now. Eneloop batteries.

 

[dave3825]

I am curious how long the rechargeable Duracells will last until you stop getting the full 4.1 Volts when fully charged?

Where are you getting 4.1 volts? Industry standard for AA NiMH cell is 1.2 volts. Times 3 (bcd436) is 3.6

 

[FrensicPic]

Where are you getting 4.1 volts? Industry standard for AA NiMH cell is 1.2 volts. Times 3 (bcd436) is 3.6

Right off the charger (before "resting")you are going to see something more than 1.2v per cell.

 

[Scannerfreak6743]

Where are you getting 4.1 volts? Industry standard for AA NiMH cell is 1.2 volts. Times 3 (bcd436) is 3.6

Whenever I put brand new fresh AA batteries into my Bcd436, the scanner always shows 4.1 or 4.2 V when pressing down on volume knob

 

[gmclam]

Where are you getting 4.1 volts? Industry standard for AA NiMH cell is 1.2 volts. Times 3 (bcd436) is 3.6

What I see in the Maha charger is that each cell reaches between 1.44 & 1.45 volts before charging is considered done. Out of the charger (no load) they'll measure ~1.41 volts. 1.41 x 3 = 4.23. Once the batteries are out of the charger and under load, certainly the voltage will drop more.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Just because there's a place for each battery doesn't mean each charges separately. The Maha charger (pictured below) is the one I use and has been mentioned here by others. You get what you pay for. One place that sells them

View attachment 139063

This is the best battery charger on the market.

Own both it and its previous iteration.

 

[palmerjrusa]

The Eneloop Pros aren not necessary the best choice if you look at the number of times you can recharge them. The Pros do provide more current so they last longer in use between charges.

The Eneloop Pro battery has a higher capacity than the regular Eneloop with 2500mAh vs. 1900mAh. The Pro can be charged up to 500 times while the regular Eneloop up to 2100 times. The PRO batteries can provide more current than the regular Eneloops.

You should note, higher capacity NiMHs are intrinsically more fragile than lower rated NiMHs and are far less tolerant of misuse.
Also, as the batteries age, their ability to take a full charge will decline.

Regular Eneloops (approx 1900 mAh) are the gold standard for NiMH cells and will tolerate a lot of abuse and keep on ticking.
I've regular Enenloops that are 15 years old and still going strong.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Whenever I put brand new fresh AA batteries into my Bcd436, the scanner always shows 4.1 or 4.2 V when pressing down on volume knob

The voltage rapidly falls when the cells are being used.
NiMHs have a nominal volatge of 1.2 v.

 

[bobmich52]

I use powerowl aa Batts for my hp 2's & my senior scanner 396T (still kicks Azz)

1.2 volt hr6 2800 mah

About a 6/7 hr run time on full

They work great, about a 2 hr charge from low on a tenergy super universal ni-mh charger modelT-9688

Have had to replace very few over the yrs

 

[palmerjrusa]

I use powerowl aa Batts for my hp 2's & my senior scanner 396T (still kicks Azz)

1.2 volt hr6 2800 mah

About a 6/7 hr run time on full

They work great, about a 2 hr charge from low on a tenergy super universal ni-mh charger modelT-9688

Have had to replace very few over the yrs

Those Powerowl "2800" mAh AAs don't have a capacity of 2800 mAh, they likely have a maximum capacity of around 2500 mAh.

Chinese manufacturers regularly inflate the capacity of their batteries relying on the fact that most users do not possess a smart charger which can evaluate the actual capacity via a discharge cycle.

EBL also list some of their AAs at 2800 mAh, in reality they're 2500 mAh. EBL list D cells supposedly rated at 10,000 mAh. I needed a set of D cells for an LED lantern and wanted a set of the Amazon Basics brand batteries. Since they were out of stock at the time I purchased 4 EBL cells and evaluated their capacity in my Powerex C9000Pro Charger-Analyzer. I determined their actual capacity to be around 7,500 mAh, a full 25% below the listed rating.

When the Amazon Basics Brand D cells (rated at 10,000 mAh) were back in stock I purchased a set of four. Using my Powerex charger I determined their capacity to be around 11,500 mAh. Amazon was actually significantly underrating the capacity of these D cells. I've found this to be the case with their other NiMH cells too. The Amazon Basics brand NiMH batteries are a good choice, alongside the Eneloops, they're also cheaper.

Current technology only allows a maximum capacity for AA cells of 2700 mAh, and the only manufacturer I'm aware of producing AAs that are accurately rated for this are the Powerex Pro AAs, which are made in Japan and more expensive than other AA cells (Eneloop cells are also manufactured at the same Japanese plant).

Be very skeptical of manufacturers claims of their NiMH cells' capacity, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...