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GP68 - negative battery contact is a screw - is this correct

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:42 pm
by g8tzl2004
I have just acquired a UHF GP68.

I think the previous owner had bought it from Hong Kong.

The negative -ve battery contact on the body of the GP68 is a screw . Is this correct? I would have expected to see a sprung loaded clip like the +ve battery terminal. Is this a HK factory "mod"?

It looks like the head of the screw is not exactly in line with the recessed -ve connection on the battery - this causes the battery to be slightly forced upwards at the contact point rather than exactly parrallel with the radio body. If I filed down the diameter of the head of the screw the battery would probably fit better.

The charger looks like a fake and has 3 separate LED's rather than the real Moto tri-color LED. I've searched the archives and have established that there is a high/low switch at the back which switches between a fast "5 hour" charge and a slow 10 hour charge - but there is NO change in the LED colours when the charge is finished. Does anybody know if the fast 5 hour charge actually STOPS charging the battery after 5 hours or does it continue at full charge until you remove the battery? Is there a timer/ Delta V circuit or just a resistor?

Thanks

Re: GP68 - negative battery contact is a screw - is this cor

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:08 pm
by RadioSouth
Yes on the screw. Charger sounds like an abomination.

Re: GP68 - negative battery contact is a screw - is this cor

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:36 pm
by g8tzl2004
Just so I'm clear, do all GP68's have the screw? Or is it , yes its a HK factory mod?

Re: GP68 - negative battery contact is a screw - is this cor

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:46 pm
by d119
Every GP68 I've ever seen has a screw for the negative terminal. That has to be the closest thing to a Fisher Price radio Motorola has ever made. The SP series radios were more rugged. Just my $0.02.

Re: GP68 - negative battery contact is a screw - is this cor

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:08 pm
by Squad5
Yes, the negative terminal is a screw. I don't like the quality :/