TRX-1 bad battery life

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ben-scan

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I was just wondering if I'm the only one not happy with the battery life on these things. I understand that all the digital decoding of protocols will probably drain the batteries at an even faster rate but still.. For high Mah rechargeable batteries I get 2-3 hours max. With Duracell AA around 4-5 hours max. Scanner and software are all updated to the latest versions. I'm monitoring around 700 conventional frequencies with analog, DMR and NXDN systems. Thanks a lot for any input!
 

troymail

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There are tons of variables that go into battery life - starting with the type and age of the batteries.

I can tell you that I get many, many hours of batteries life with my Eneloops (I have older white and newer black styles). The older the batteries I use, the less times I get. But that's just a start.

I have multiple sets of batteries for my handhelds and at least one set is always being charged.

Other likely factors:
- backlighting: I have the backlight set to high but only lighting during transmissions
- recording: I tend to record everything
- analog vs. digital: I suspect digital voice causes more battery drain than analog; I have a good mix of analog and digital in my typical monitoring
- amount of activity: if the radio is constantly talking, it will certainly wear the batteries down much more quickly than sporadic activity

Anything you can do in these areas can help to extend your battery life. Beyond that, your best bet is to get a couple of good sets of NiMH batteries (I recommend Eneloops), always have one set charging, plug the radio in whenever possible, use the built-in trickle charge* to help keep the batteries charged, and check your backlight settings.

* in the past, I would never use the in radio charger but with the TRX, I use it all the time and have never had a problem.
 

ben-scan

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If you are getting longer battery life with alkaline batteries then when using high mAh rechargeables then either your batteries are bad or you are not fully charging them.
You aren't making the mistake of trying to charge the batteries inside the scanner, are you?
http://forums.radioreference.com/whistler-scanners/338334-batteries-charging.html#post2625421
No of course I'm not trying to do that. I'm also sure I charge the batteries correct, they are new, high mAh and I've always tested battery voltage with a multimeter
 

ben-scan

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There are tons of variables that go into battery life - starting with the type and age of the batteries.

I can tell you that I get many, many hours of batteries life with my Eneloops (I have older white and newer black styles). The older the batteries I use, the less times I get. But that's just a start.

I have multiple sets of batteries for my handhelds and at least one set is always being charged.

Other likely factors:
- backlighting: I have the backlight set to high but only lighting during transmissions
- recording: I tend to record everything
- analog vs. digital: I suspect digital voice causes more battery drain than analog; I have a good mix of analog and digital in my typical monitoring
- amount of activity: if the radio is constantly talking, it will certainly wear the batteries down much more quickly than sporadic activity

Anything you can do in these areas can help to extend your battery life. Beyond that, your best bet is to get a couple of good sets of NiMH batteries (I recommend Eneloops), always have one set charging, plug the radio in whenever possible, use the built-in trickle charge* to help keep the batteries charged, and check your backlight settings.

* in the past, I would never use the in radio charger but with the TRX, I use it all the time and have never had a problem.
Yes I did found out that the light is making it drain incredibly fast. I already looked into the factors you mentioned and lately have been using earphones to reduce drain as well. What do you guys typically get in terms of hours? Regards
 

sibbley

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I get 8-10 hours from EBL 2800, white enloops, or the black enloops. That is with backlight on low all the time and scanning 2 NXDN trunked systems. Volume usually at 17-19.
 

Ed6698

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I get 8 to 10 hours with Eneloop Pro rechargeable, I also use a Powerex MH-C9000 charger. Get yourself 2 sets of good new rechargeable batteries and good external charger and your battery life will be much better, and you always have a set ready to go.

I have been using the Powerex charger and Eneloop Pro batteries going on 3 years, best investment I ever made for powering my scanners, that is why I bought a 2nd charger.
 

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Anderegg

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For a month, I ran my TRX1 mobile, scanning and continuously actively receiving at high volume, with the light on permanently, and I could not get it fully drained in an extended 10 hour shift with black Eneloops.

Paul
 

SCPD

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Im geting ready to mount a 5 volt,USB phone charger on the back of mine!The battery sucks like a V8 on the open road.
 

Wackyracer

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All batteries are NOT created equal, I use tenergy rechargeable nimh and get about 8hrs hacked pro-668 (charged right in the scanner) with my settings tweaked in the scanner for charging, my mother has some cheap brand bought off ebay and she doesn't get but a couple hrs on a good day with the same settings as me.
 

ben-scan

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Thanks for all of the feedback. I will definitely try professional grade rechargeables and see how it goes.
 

DJ11DLN

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Also bear in mind that new rechargeable batteries will need several cycles to reach max capacity. The first few cycles will be downright dismal, or so has been my experience with lithium-ion batteries. Being patient with them through break-in is usually rewarding.
 

RadioJonD

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Does anyone else's TRX-1 eat batteries while the unit is turned off?

As recommended in this thread, batteries are charged outside the radio with a decent charger and afterward installed into the TRX-1. By the third day of no use, dead. When I noticed this occurrence , I spot checked the TRX-1 on the second day and observed battery drain without use.
 

BrianG61UK

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Also bear in mind that new rechargeable batteries will need several cycles to reach max capacity. The first few cycles will be downright dismal, or so has been my experience with lithium-ion batteries. Being patient with them through break-in is usually rewarding.

But you can not and must not use lithium-ion batteries in these scanners.
There shouldn't usually be any similar problem with the correct Ni-MH cells.
 

Wackyracer

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Does anyone else's TRX-1 eat batteries while the unit is turned off?

As recommended in this thread, batteries are charged outside the radio with a decent charger and afterward installed into the TRX-1. By the third day of no use, dead. When I noticed this occurrence , I spot checked the TRX-1 on the second day and observed battery drain without use.

If you don;t have the clock displaying while off...You either have failing cells/ or poor quality ones.
 

BrianG61UK

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If you don;t have the clock displaying while off...You either have failing cells/ or poor quality ones.
That's odd. My WS1088 only shows the clock when off while connected to external power. I assumed the TRX-1 would be the same.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

budevans

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That's odd. My WS1088 only shows the clock when off while connected to external power. I assumed the TRX-1 would be the same.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

It is.

RadioJonD said:
Does anyone else's TRX-1 eat batteries while the unit is turned off?

Nope. When turned off, it's only powering the clock. I'm not seeing any evidence of the batteries being drained.

FYI: Once a month I do a Discharge/Recharge cycle to keep them fresh. As others have posted I have two sets of batteries for each scanner.

I use the Duracell 2400 with a LaCrosse charger. I get 10 plus hours per charge.
 

ben-scan

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As an update to this thread. It turned out (after months of issues with my TRX-1) that it had some kind of electronical defect. I received my replacement unit three days ago and battery life has at least doubled!
 
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