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I'm kind of a noob here and to radios at all. Strangely I bought two GP300 3 months ago and somehow now I have 9 Motorola radios
A lot that I bought all had dead Ni-Cd Batteries (memory effect) so I bought six Ni-Mh batteries since they don't have this effect.
The problem is since my rapid chargers are made for the Ni-Cd battery pack, How do I charge my new packs?
I don't want to mess up my new packs since I'm a poor student and money isn't falling from trees
There is a second option for you to look into here.
The charger I am referring to is called a MAHA, and it reliably charges/recharges and conditions NiMH, NiCd, Li ion and a host of other chemistries.
They are not overly cheap, but at under $100.00, they are an excellent deal. They also come with a plug with alligator clips for oddball battery configurations.
The model is: MH-C777PLUS-II, Universal charger and analyzer.
You can buy them at HRO, AES and most other amateur radio stores and catalog vendors.
I've had mine for 5 years and never had any troubles, and it is in use all the time.
I've looked for that MAHA charger but it's not only expensive, it has bad review also. I'd rather use the original charger. Any tips for the required charge time? Thanks!
Had LOTs of problems with the MAHA chargers and all of them were scrapped. Had to buy new batteries.
Most are using the ATC AT2000FD conditioning charger by Advanced Tec Industries Inc. available from Motorola at a very good price. Even less that from Tessco, ect.
Btw: Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department uses the ATC chargers and got rid of their Motorola chargers.
So we use the ATC in almost every case. They just work....
You are going to have to cycle the batteries. You already charged them up, use them till the radio beeps on transmit, low battery indication. Then charge them again. It takes several cycles to get full capacity out of them.
Will wrote:You are going to have to cycle the batteries. You already charged them up, use them till the radio beeps on transmit, low battery indication. Then charge them again. It takes several cycles to get full capacity out of them.
Will,
Thanks you for helping! I am still looking for your mod here; I've searched for 30 minutes without any results
Please read carefully: There is NO mod for making the NiMH batteries charge in the NiCd charger. You just put them in and let 'em go. If you get the green light immediately it MIGHT mean that the battery is fully, or nearly fully, charged. If the batteries don't last long with the green light on, then run them down in the radio until they're well used and then put them back in the charger. You should get a red light which will eventually change to green. When using this battery series it usually pays to have both a slow charger and a fast charger; the chargers are really cheap these days and in many instances you will need the flexibility that having both types will give you. You will also find a digital voltmeter very useful. The nominal voltage of the battery, which usually said to be 7.2 volts, is actually in the area of 8 to 8.4 volts when fully charged, and reading the voltage with the meter will show you exactly what condition the battery is in.
You will find tons of information on this subject on this Board as well on similar sites via the search function.
Tom in D.C. In 1920, the U.S. Post Office Department ruled
that children may not be sent by parcel post.
Will wrote:
Most are using the ATC AT2000FD conditioning charger by Advanced Tec Industries Inc. available from Motorola at a very good price. Even less that from Tessco, ect.
Will is right. These chargers are available under the Advance Tec name or Motorola. Over the last few years I have picked up a dozen or so used at hamfests for $3 each. Mine were made for the Nextel Lingo, but if you buy the correct adapter plates [which "M" sells], you can actually use the charger for almost any radio. Plus, since they run off 12 volts, you can use them in the car, & they use the normal 3.5mm plug. Last Orlando Hamfest I picked up a 4 bank charger for free, so look for these. GARY N4KVE
