batteries

[+pyro07]

what knid batteries do you recomend for a GPSr

[M.TEX]

sorry if Im wrong on this....BUT if your GPS use AA the best it will be

ENERGIZER LITHIUM...it's working wonders with my etrex....

Like I said I don't know your GPS Im new to this but just in case you

want to try , this is the Beast !

[+StarBrand]

I use the Rayovac hybrid NiMH rechargeables with a high quality charger.

[+pyro07]

i have a dakota 10 but im on a tight budget and lithiums are a bit expensive would regular alkaline suffice i just got the unit and its my first one

[M.TEX]

PYRO

I don't know what is your top price but I got a pair of LITHIUM on

WALLMART for , I think 6.00 and have been holding longer than

alkaline Batts so far...Give a try and I bet you will love it.

( if you need AA this is my pick )

Maybe I will buy a AA charger for Xmas....

[+Team Cotati]

i have a dakota 10 but im on a tight budget and lithiums are a bit expensive would regular alkaline suffice i just got the unit and its my first one

 

While it is true that the lithium batteries are more expensive, their life span more than off sets the cost. If you use the alkalines, and you certainly can, your overall cost is going to be greater.

 

Try Thomas Distributing for really great rechargables. The newer low drain types seem to be the best these days. Get the ones with the highest mAH rating. Of course you'll need a charger so the initial outlay will be higher but in the long term, you'll save.

 

I have been using my original rechargables for over four years now and they are still going strong. Not a single non-rechargable used during that time. Good for the environment too.

Edited December 23, 2009 by Team Cotati

[+pyro07]

hmm are lithiums rechargeable cause im not a huge fan of NiMH

[+Team Cotati]

hmm are lithiums rechargeable cause im not a huge fan of NiMH

 

I have yet to see rechargeale AA or AAA lithiums on the market.

 

Trust me, go to Thomas Distributing and check them out, you won't be disapointed.

 

When it comes to rechargable batteries, they've got it all.

Edited December 23, 2009 by Team Cotati

[+Chrysalides]

I never did the calculation for lithium vs. alkaline, but I did some calculation for NiMH vs. alkaline, and even for really pessimistic estimates about how long the NiMH lasts, they come out to be cheaper than alkalines in the long run. A lot depends on how much you use your GPSr. Start with a set of 4 alkalines if you don't have any NiMH.

[+pyro07]

ok i just had a thought if i got some rechargables would they charge when the unit is hooked up to my pc just a curious thought

[+Chrysalides]

ok i just had a thought if i got some rechargables would they charge when the unit is hooked up to my pc just a curious thought

Most likely not. What GPSr do you have? None of the Garmin handhelds will recharge through USB. Usually, devices that charge through USB comes with a non removable rechargable lithium battery.

[Tahosa and Sons]

Lithium work real well especially in real cold weather. And I relied on them till I went to rechargeable about 3 or 4 years ago. And that is the way to go.

What I do to alleviate any misconceptions of what has been recharged I use a standard label and name the batteries #1 #2 etc. then I know what two are in the GPS and what two are in need of recharging. And when it comes to keeping the 4 batteries ready to go for my headlamp they work fine there also.

[+SkellyCA]

I buy the 36 packs of Energizers from Home Depot

[+cycler48]

what knid batteries do you recomend for a GPSr

 

I use Powerex 2700 mah rechargeable nimh batteries and charge them in a La Crosse charger. They last a long time and I'm not constantly throwing batteries in the trash. I would definitely recommend them.

 

http://www.greenbatteries.com/

Edited December 23, 2009 by cycler48

[+Harry Dolphin]

I've found caches in two batteries. Virtual caches because they're in Gateway National Recreation Area, which is NPS.

[+kunarion]

I use Powerex 2700 mah rechargeable nimh batteries and charge them in a La Crosse charger. They last a long time and I'm not constantly throwing batteries in the trash. I would definitely recommend them.

I'll second the Powerex. But I also have some high mAh Energizer and Duracell NIMH cells, and they're fine. And I pack a set of brand new Alkalines just in case. GyPSy eats battery power for a snack.

 

Write the date on your rechargeable batteries, to keep track of how old they are. They won't last forever, and I'd swear they don't charge nearly as many times as advertised. Various ancient rituals keep them good as new, I'm told. Obvously I'm doing it wrong

[+cycler48]

I use Powerex 2700 mah rechargeable nimh batteries and charge them in a La Crosse charger. They last a long time and I'm not constantly throwing batteries in the trash. I would definitely recommend them.

I'll second the Powerex. But I also have some high mAh Energizer and Duracell NIMH cells, and they're fine. And I pack a set of brand new Alkalines just in case. GyPSy eats battery power for a snack.

 

Write the date on your rechargeable batteries, to keep track of how old they are. They won't last forever, and I'd swear they don't charge nearly as many times as advertised. Various ancient rituals keep them good as new, I'm told. Obvously I'm doing it wrong

 

One of the nice things about the La Crosse charger is that it performs those ancient rituals for you. Model number BC-9009

[+fegan]

what knid batteries do you recomend for a GPSr

I use Powerex 2700 mah rechargeable nimh batteries and charge them in a La Crosse charger. They last a long time and I'm not constantly throwing batteries in the trash. I would definitely recommend them.

 

ditto

 

The LaCrosse charger claims mine charge between 2800 and 3000 mAh each...I get a full day of caching on one pair of batteries with my Colorado 400t.

 

Make sure you condition new batteries to get the best results. The first couple of times these batteries were cycled they were only getting 2000 to 2500 mAh. The charger is as important, if not more important, than the brand of battery you get. Get quality NiMH batteries and they will economically outlast the same number of Alkaline batteries time and time again...well worth the investment.

[+Right Wing Wacko]

hmm are lithiums rechargeable cause im not a huge fan of NiMH

 

Only if you like big explosions

[+pyro07]

not all lithiums will explode look at the battery in you cell phone i would bet that is a Lithium Polymer or Lithium Ion battery and it obviously hasnt exploded

Edited December 23, 2009 by pyro07

[+SD Marc]

NiHM Hybrid rechargeables and a LaCrosse recharger will give you great life on your GPS, and provide for many other uses in the household. A LaCrosse will refresh old batteries, and my hybrids last many days of geocaching before I have to replace them. Plus, the LaCrosse comes with AA and AAA batteries.

[+bittsen]

hmm are lithiums rechargeable cause im not a huge fan of NiMH

 

Only if you like big explosions

 

The explosions aren't THAT big. Just like Duracells, they just pop and make a mess.

 

My vote is for rechargables. I have 8 of them I rotate. If I put a regular energizer in I get about 75% of the life I do out of one charge on the rechargables.

For some reason the rechargables (1150mah) out perform the energizers. They match Duracells pretty even.

[+searchjaunt]

As mentioned in http://searchjaunt.idizaai.be/batteries-included/, I’m rather happy about these GP Recyko batteries. These rechargeable combine the benefits of Alkaline and rechargeable batteries. The most important benefit is that they retain their power and don’t loose power already when they get out of the charger

[knowschad]

A pair of NiMh AA's will last me all day, recharge within 45 minutes (at home, or in the car, should I carry the charger with me), and will stay in rechargable condition for a year. I don't understand why anybody would use anything else. I also use them in my camera, and if I need to, I will use them as spares for the GPS.

[+StarBrand]

hmm are lithiums rechargeable cause im not a huge fan of NiMH

Just to be clear - if your afraid of NiMh because they start losing charge immediately after being taken out of the charger - look into the newer Hybrid ones. They hold nearly a full charge for 6 months or more.

[+pyro07]

that and i think its NiMH that have a memory cause i tend to recharge things when they arent totally dead yet so on some battery types it remembers that and the chrage doent last long

[+StarBrand]

that and i think its NiMH that have a memory cause i tend to recharge things when they arent totally dead yet so on some battery types it remembers that and the chrage doent last long

Nope - your thinking ni-cad batteries. NiMH hybrids paried with a quality charger (I use a lacrosse) gives you lots of life for little money and no memory effects.

[+pyro07]

ok cause i would probably end up throwin the batteries on the charger as soon as a get home dead or not

[+Packanack]

A battery is a battery, just make it rechargable , move on.

[+Chrysalides]

A battery is a battery, just make it rechargable , move on.

Thank you for sharing this profound piece of wisdom

 

Back on topic, the BC-9009 goes for around $40 and comes with 4 AA and 4 AAA. It's a great charger (essentially the same as the BC-900 which was discontinued, some rumors that firmware bugs on the 900 is fixed with the 9009) and the AAs are 2600 mAH and work great on my Oregon 300. They last for more than a week when used for an hour or so each day (lunchtime walk / geocaching). The other highly regarded charger is the Maha MH-C9000. Both of them have LCD displays and multiple modes. But to recharge your battery in normal mode (might take 12 hours or more for high capacity, fully drained batteries), just plug it in and insert battery. The BC-9009 can be used with 220V so can be used when you're travelling, as long as you have the right plug adapter.

 

You can top it up batteries immediately after getting home, but you'll probably find that gets tiring really fast. With the Eneloops you can keep a set on standby and know you can rely on them when the ones in the battery dies. I only top them up when I'm going on a long geocaching trip. Otherwise I swap them out when it drops to 2 bars on the Oregon.

 

One thing I do for keeping track of what battery is charged and what is drained is that drained batteries go into the battery holder with one battery flipped around the wrong end. So if I see a pair of batteries neatly aligned, they're fresh. If they're not, they're drained. Easier than having separate cases for charged and drained.

 

Rapid charging is useful in an emergency, but reduces the life of your batteries. There's another poster (can't remember name right now, but his avatar shows him holding a RC plane) has a very good post about that, the summary being that it is the heat generated that destroys the chemistry of the battery.

[+Team Cotati]

not all lithiums will explode look at the battery in you cell phone i would bet that is a Lithium Polymer or Lithium Ion battery and it obviously hasnt exploded

 

And it isn't AA or AAA either.

[+Team Cotati]

A pair of NiMh AA's will last me all day, recharge within 45 minutes (at home, or in the car, should I carry the charger with me), and will stay in rechargable condition for a year. I don't understand why anybody would use anything else. I also use them in my camera, and if I need to, I will use them as spares for the GPS.

 

And these are NOT the Hybird slow discharge types? Pretty hard to believe otherwise.

[+smstext]

i use duracell 1700mh in my etrex h and seems to last just as long as a normal set of alkaline batteries and 2650mh ones in my oregon and in the oregon they seem to perform better than duracell plus that i had been using.

[+Bodaway]

 

Back on topic, the BC-9009 goes for around $40 and comes with 4 AA and 4 AAA. It's a great charger (essentially the same as the BC-900 which was discontinued, some rumors that firmware bugs on the 900 is fixed with the 9009) and the AAs are 2600 mAH and work great on my Oregon 300. They last for more than a week when used for an hour or so each day (lunchtime walk / geocaching). The other highly regarded charger is the Maha MH-C9000. Both of them have LCD displays and multiple modes. But to recharge your battery in normal mode (might take 12 hours or more for high capacity, fully drained batteries), just plug it in and insert battery. The BC-9009 can be used with 220V so can be used when you're travelling, as long as you have the right plug adapter.

 

You can top it up batteries immediately after getting home, but you'll probably find that gets tiring really fast. With the Eneloops you can keep a set on standby and know you can rely on them when the ones in the battery dies. I only top them up when I'm going on a long geocaching trip. Otherwise I swap them out when it drops to 2 bars on the Oregon.

 

One thing I do for keeping track of what battery is charged and what is drained is that drained batteries go into the battery holder with one battery flipped around the wrong end. So if I see a pair of batteries neatly aligned, they're fresh. If they're not, they're drained. Easier than having separate cases for charged and drained.

 

Rapid charging is useful in an emergency, but reduces the life of your batteries. There's another poster (can't remember name right now, but his avatar shows him holding a RC plane) has a very good post about that, the summary being that it is the heat generated that destroys the chemistry of the battery.

 

Chrysalides,

Very informative post, thanks for taking the time to do it.

 

Do you see any drawbacks to the Maha charger compared to the LaCrosse? I have been looking at the Maha and this is the first that I have heard of the LaCrosse.

Thanks

[+CacheFreakTim]

Consumer Reports did a study awhile back and they found the best price per power is the Energizer Lithiums.

 

I dont remember who came in second but every test I ever see has them come out on top. They may cost more up front but will last far longer.

[+cycler48]

hmm are lithiums rechargeable cause im not a huge fan of NiMH

Just to be clear - if your afraid of NiMh because they start losing charge immediately after being taken out of the charger - look into the newer Hybrid ones. They hold nearly a full charge for 6 months or more.

 

Or you can store them in your freezer. They lose charge at a substantially slower rate when stored at low temperature. Just make sure they are returned to room temperature before using ... it doesn't take long.

 

Edit - From greenbatteries,com "NiMH and Nicad batteries, start to lose power when stored for only a few days at room temperature. But they will retain a 90% charge for several months if you keep them in the freezer after they are fully charged. If you do decide to store your charged NiMH cells in the freezer or refrigerator, make sure you keep them in tightly sealed bags so they stay dry. And you should also let them return to room temperature before using them."

Edited December 24, 2009 by cycler48

[knowschad]

A battery is a battery, just make it rechargable , move on.

Thank you for sharing this profound piece of wisdom

 

Back on topic, the BC-9009 goes for around $40 and comes with 4 AA and 4 AAA. It's a great charger (essentially the same as the BC-900 which was discontinued, some rumors that firmware bugs on the 900 is fixed with the 9009) and the AAs are 2600 mAH and work great on my Oregon 300. They last for more than a week when used for an hour or so each day (lunchtime walk / geocaching). The other highly regarded charger is the Maha MH-C9000. Both of them have LCD displays and multiple modes. But to recharge your battery in normal mode (might take 12 hours or more for high capacity, fully drained batteries), just plug it in and insert battery. The BC-9009 can be used with 220V so can be used when you're travelling, as long as you have the right plug adapter.

 

You can top it up batteries immediately after getting home, but you'll probably find that gets tiring really fast. With the Eneloops you can keep a set on standby and know you can rely on them when the ones in the battery dies. I only top them up when I'm going on a long geocaching trip. Otherwise I swap them out when it drops to 2 bars on the Oregon.

 

One thing I do for keeping track of what battery is charged and what is drained is that drained batteries go into the battery holder with one battery flipped around the wrong end. So if I see a pair of batteries neatly aligned, they're fresh. If they're not, they're drained. Easier than having separate cases for charged and drained.

 

Rapid charging is useful in an emergency, but reduces the life of your batteries. There's another poster (can't remember name right now, but his avatar shows him holding a RC plane) has a very good post about that, the summary being that it is the heat generated that destroys the chemistry of the battery.

Excellent post that sums up very well what I've read from the experts in the GPS and Tech forum and on other battery-related web sites.

 

I DO do the rapid (15 minute) charging, and am aware that it may shorten the life span somewhat, but I just started on my 3rd set in as many years (actually, that would be two sets in two years), so that is a trade-off that I can live with.

 

And - no... NiMh does NOT have a memory.

[knowschad]

A pair of NiMh AA's will last me all day, recharge within 45 minutes (at home, or in the car, should I carry the charger with me), and will stay in rechargable condition for a year. I don't understand why anybody would use anything else. I also use them in my camera, and if I need to, I will use them as spares for the GPS.

And these are NOT the Hybird slow discharge types? Pretty hard to believe otherwise.

Oops.. I see that I said 45 minutes. My recharger does a full charge in 15 minutes (the fan continues for about another 15 minutes to cool them down). Nope, nothing special. My last set was Energizer 2450mAh, and my current set (which doesn't seem to last quite as long) are Duracell 2650. Why would you not believe that? I have no motive to lie about that.

[+AbMagFab]

A pair of NiMh AA's will last me all day, recharge within 45 minutes (at home, or in the car, should I carry the charger with me), and will stay in rechargable condition for a year. I don't understand why anybody would use anything else. I also use them in my camera, and if I need to, I will use them as spares for the GPS.

 

I've tried a few rechargables (or rather, wasted money on a few), and even fully charged they show only about half a charge in my Oregon 400t. Sure, I suppose I would end up spending less money if I used them diligently, but the very low per-set use time is really annoying, and just not worth it, IMO.

 

The lithiums are fairly cheap at Home Depot - I think $2 each or each pair - and last 20 hours+ of constant use in the 400t.

 

Each to his own though.

[knowschad]

A pair of NiMh AA's will last me all day, recharge within 45 minutes (at home, or in the car, should I carry the charger with me), and will stay in rechargable condition for a year. I don't understand why anybody would use anything else. I also use them in my camera, and if I need to, I will use them as spares for the GPS.

I've tried a few rechargables (or rather, wasted money on a few), and even fully charged they show only about half a charge in my Oregon 400t. Sure, I suppose I would end up spending less money if I used them diligently, but the very low per-set use time is really annoying, and just not worth it, IMO.

The lithiums are fairly cheap at Home Depot - I think $2 each or each pair - and last 20 hours+ of constant use in the 400t.

Each to his own though.

My experience sure is much different from yours!! Do you keep the backlight on with the Oregon? Even if not, that is a different GPS (I use a 60CSx), so that could account for the difference. I cache probably 100 days a year, so those lithiums would cost me about $50. I can get a pair of four Energizer NiMh 2450's for $15 (less online). Even if I had to swap out mid-day (which I don't), that would be considerably cheaper than the lithium alternative.

[jholly]

I've tried a few rechargables (or rather, wasted money on a few), and even fully charged they show only about half a charge in my Oregon 400t.

 

No doubt because you did not go to your system memu and switch the battery type to NiMH.

[+AbMagFab]

I've tried a few rechargables (or rather, wasted money on a few), and even fully charged they show only about half a charge in my Oregon 400t.

 

No doubt because you did not go to your system memu and switch the battery type to NiMH.

 

I did... they still last about 1/3 as long (or less) as the lithiums. For a weekend cache day, that means changing them at least once if I started fully charged, which is rare.

 

They also don't hold their charge that well when in a device. They seem to drain fairly fast even when the Oregon is off.

[+cycler48]

I've tried a few rechargables (or rather, wasted money on a few), and even fully charged they show only about half a charge in my Oregon 400t.

 

No doubt because you did not go to your system memu and switch the battery type to NiMH.

 

I did... they still last about 1/3 as long (or less) as the lithiums. For a weekend cache day, that means changing them at least once if I started fully charged, which is rare.

 

They also don't hold their charge that well when in a device. They seem to drain fairly fast even when the Oregon is off.

 

Hmmm ... my Powerex nimh rechargeables last for at least two days of geocaching. I'd say about 12 hours or more in my Oregon 400t and they don't lose charge rapidly when stored in the turned off unit. When I was using Energizer nimh batteries in an Energizer charger, I was experiencing short battery life.

[+Team Cotati]

I've tried a few rechargables (or rather, wasted money on a few), and even fully charged they show only about half a charge in my Oregon 400t.

 

No doubt because you did not go to your system memu and switch the battery type to NiMH.

 

I did... they still last about 1/3 as long (or less) as the lithiums. For a weekend cache day, that means changing them at least once if I started fully charged, which is rare.

 

They also don't hold their charge that well when in a device. They seem to drain fairly fast even when the Oregon is off.

 

Hmmm ... my Powerex nimh rechargeables last for at least two days of geocaching. I'd say about 12 hours or more in my Oregon 400t and they don't lose charge rapidly when stored in the turned off unit. When I was using Energizer nimh batteries in an Energizer charger, I was experiencing short battery life.

 

Those things are pretty sweet, aren't they? What mAh rating batts are you using?

[+cycler48]

I've tried a few rechargables (or rather, wasted money on a few), and even fully charged they show only about half a charge in my Oregon 400t.

 

No doubt because you did not go to your system memu and switch the battery type to NiMH.

 

I did... they still last about 1/3 as long (or less) as the lithiums. For a weekend cache day, that means changing them at least once if I started fully charged, which is rare.

 

They also don't hold their charge that well when in a device. They seem to drain fairly fast even when the Oregon is off.

 

Hmmm ... my Powerex nimh rechargeables last for at least two days of geocaching. I'd say about 12 hours or more in my Oregon 400t and they don't lose charge rapidly when stored in the turned off unit. When I was using Energizer nimh batteries in an Energizer charger, I was experiencing short battery life.

 

Those things are pretty sweet, aren't they? What mAh rating batts are you using?

 

Yes, they are pretty sweet. I'm using the 2700mAh variety. When I ordered those along with the LaCrosse charger, I also received (with the charger) four 2600mAh AA and four AAA (I forget the rating) LaCrosse rechargeables. I haven't done a comparison of the two brands, but the Powerex batteries are definitely awesome.

[+pyro07]

i tried some rayovac alkalines and i put them in on tues when i got my reciever and they finally died today i had thee unit on for most of the day every day since then i even left it on overnight one night so i am happy with them but i will probably invest in some rechargeables eventually but the price was right on the rayovacs 6 dollars for 8 of them at wally world

[M.TEX]

rechargeables are good but if you try the NEW energizer , I know you

will love it. Just do the same test and you'll see.

[+maggi101]

One of the nice things about the La Crosse charger is that it performs those ancient rituals for you. Model number BC-9009

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I was wondering what to use my amazon birthday gift on! It arrived tonight!

[knowschad]

rechargeables are good but if you try the NEW energizer , I know you will love it. Just do the same test and you'll see.

How will I know a "NEW Energizer" when I see it? (vs. the old Energizer) Edited December 25, 2009 by knowschad

[+Chrysalides]

Do you see any drawbacks to the Maha charger compared to the LaCrosse? I have been looking at the Maha and this is the first that I have heard of the LaCrosse.

I've not had any experience with the Maha, unfortunately. There's a reviewer on Amazon who apparently has experience with both and his review is worth reading. Ultimately, what decided it for me is that the Maha is more expensive, does not come with batteries (which I didn't think I need, but ended up using as they work pretty well). I figured that even if it doesn't pamper the batteries as well as th Maha (and I haven't seen any convincing proof either way) I'd still come out ahead. And the LaCrosse looks significantly smaller so easier to pack for traveling (links to photo I found on Google Image Search).

 

The Maha might be easier to use. The LaCrosse is a little cryptic and I needed to read the manual to figure out how to change the charge rate and select different modes. Of course, most of the time I just use the default 200mA recharge mode, which doesn't require pushing any buttons. The LaCrosse will show status of all 4 batteries at the same time, however. The Maha only shows one at a time.

 

I just looked at the MH-C9000 at Maha's site. It's definitely more flexible and easier to use. At Thomas Distributing, the price difference for a similarly packaged MH-C9000 is about $25 ($36 for the Maha, $61 for the MH-C9000 with bag and 4 x 2700 mAH AA. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. This is my first LaCrosse, but I have a very old Maha - a MH-C204F. 10 years now and it still works beautifully.