Short and Medium Capacity batteries on Astro Sabers

jmr061 · Post by **jmr061** » Sat Jan 05, 2002 11:31 am

Wondering if anyone uses the short or medium capacity battery on their Astro Saber and what type of life they get out of it before having to recharge.

Thanks

Jason

Post by Pj » Sat Jan 05, 2002 2:42 pm

Granted that the consumption rates are a bit different, our analog sabers go thru the short batteries like crazy. MAYBE 12 hours, on/off. My PD relies quite a bit on the protables.

However, the trade off is the smaller footprint. Some of the guys don't care, others, its a union grience

radioEd · Post by **radioEd** » Sat Jan 05, 2002 3:07 pm

maybe 12 hrs. we'v been having major battery problems. We returned about 200-250 before a year was up! Either its a bad batch? Or they don't make um like they used to. (I'll go with no. #2) Ed

Tom in D.C. · Post by **Tom in D.C.** » Sat Jan 05, 2002 5:01 pm

My experience, using analog Sabers and the 4592 Nicad battery, has been entirely negative with that short battery. It's only rated at 600 mAh and between the low amperage and the memory problems it just doesn't cut it. The W&W 1000 mAh NiMH 4592 is almost 100% better, but the best short battery is probably the new Motorola NTN8818R Li-Ion which is rated 1700 mAh and is almost as short as the 4592, but more like a 4593. If you feel like lugging the big battery around there are some NiMH units now available which claim to be 3000 mAh!

Tom, W2NJS
...in D.C.

Elroy Jetson · Post by **Elroy Jetson** » Wed Jan 09, 2002 7:58 am

I've found the short (straight sided, 2 inch tall) battery to be adequate for use on my UHF radios, where there's little traffic and I don't transmit on most days. I'll get better than 8 hours' life out of my only shorty battery, and I know it's on its last legs. By preference, though, I use the full sized batteries. The size doesn't bother me, in fact it enhances the radio's potential for use as a bludgeon if that should turn out to be necessary.

Elroy