Batteries

[+Lineman101]

No way would I try to promote a product on these forums but I just thought some cacher out there would be interested. I purchased a couple of Energizer Lithium double A's in Alaska on May 28 and I'm just now replacing them after 230 caches and 7 days short of 3 months. I use an eTrex 20 and seldom get more than a month out of regular batteries. A little pricey but what the heck.

[+Lineman101]

I'll stick with my rechargeable NiMh

How long do they last on a full charge?

[+Viajero Perdido]

Two full caching days (2 x 8hrs) on a 60CSx. Your mileage may vary.

 

You pay up front, then it's basically free free free.

[jholly]

Two full caching days (2 x 8hrs) on a 60CSx. Your mileage may vary.

 

You pay up front, then it's basically free free free.

2-3 days of 8-10hours each on my etrex 30. Bought them a couple years ago, still working fine, haven't spent a dime on batteries since. Not to pricey, but what the heck.

[+scrapcat]

NiMh would great in my camera, but I can't get thru one caching day In my Magellan Explorist GC

[jholly]

NiMh would great in my camera, but I can't get thru one caching day In my Magellan Explorist GC

Turn your backlight off.

[+Lineman101]

Two full caching days (2 x 8hrs) on a 60CSx. Your mileage may vary.

 

You pay up front, then it's basically free free free.

 

 

Ok, you made a believer out of me. Thanks for the response.

[+scrapcat]

NiMh would great in my camera, but I can't get thru one caching day In my Magellan Explorist GC

Turn your backlight off.

 

Do you have a GC? We tried that, but then we couldn't see squat. Any suggestions?

[+Glenn]

NiMh would great in my camera, but I can't get thru one caching day In my Magellan Explorist GC

Turn your backlight off.

 

Do you have a GC? We tried that, but then we couldn't see squat. Any suggestions?

 

• Makes sure you have the proper type of batteries selected. This has no affect on the batteries themselves. It adjusts how the bettery meter functions. It can cause the meter to show the batter is low when it really isn't or the other way around.
   
  
• Set the backlight timer to something very short. How long do you spend CONTINUOUSLY looking at the screen? Set the timer for a little longer than that. This will have the effect of turning the backlight off when you look away. The backlight timer resets every time a button is pressed and the backlight automatically turns back on whenever you press any button.
   
  
• Set the brightness based on condition. Brightness can easily be adjusted by quickly pressing the power button and adjusting it from the menu that appears.
   
  
• Set the Suspend Timer or manually suspend your GPSr. Quickly pressing the power button will bring up the menu to allow you to manually suspend. The GPSr will continue to track but the screen will be turned off. I use this when I know I am not going to be looking at the GPSr for a while but I want to continue tracking. Like when I know I have a mile or two of trail walking before reaching the next cache. Quickly pressing the power button will wake the GPSr up from suspend mode.
   
  
• Set the Power off timer. We've all forgotten to turn our GPSr off from time to time. Just make sure you set this to something reasonable. The timer starts from the last key press of joystick movement so don't be afraid of setting this something small like 1 hour or even less. If you are like most people you fondle with your GPSr more than you realize.
  

[+Lineman101]

NiMh would great in my camera, but I can't get thru one caching day In my Magellan Explorist GC

Turn your backlight off.

 

Do you have a GC? We tried that, but then we couldn't see squat. Any suggestions?

 

• Makes sure you have the proper type of batteries selected. This has no affect on the batteries themselves. It adjusts how the bettery meter functions. It can cause the meter to show the batter is low when it really isn't or the other way around.
   
  
• Set the backlight timer to something very short. How long do you spend CONTINUOUSLY looking at the screen? Set the timer for a little longer than that. This will have the effect of turning the backlight off when you look away. The backlight timer resets every time a button is pressed and the backlight automatically turns back on whenever you press any button.
   
  
• Set the brightness based on condition. Brightness can easily be adjusted by quickly pressing the power button and adjusting it from the menu that appears.
   
  
• Set the Suspend Timer or manually suspend your GPSr. Quickly pressing the power button will bring up the menu to allow you to manually suspend. The GPSr will continue to track but the screen will be turned off. I use this when I know I am not going to be looking at the GPSr for a while but I want to continue tracking. Like when I know I have a mile or two of trail walking before reaching the next cache. Quickly pressing the power button will wake the GPSr up from suspend mode.
   
  
• Set the Power off timer. We've all forgotten to turn our GPSr off from time to time. Just make sure you set this to something reasonable. The timer starts from the last key press of joystick movement so don't be afraid of setting this something small like 1 hour or even less. If you are like most people you fondle with your GPSr more than you realize.
  

 

 

All good advice. Thanks.

[team tisri]

NiMh would great in my camera, but I can't get thru one caching day In my Magellan Explorist GC

 

So take a second set of batteries. When I'm on a long stint with the Montana I take two batteries (both fully charged) and a set of AA NiMH batteries. In theory that should last me something like 50 hours of continuous usage.

[+crunchewy]

I highly, highly recommend using Sanyo Eneloop pre-charged rechargeable batteries. They are soooo much better than standard NiMH batteries. The pre-charged bit is because they retain their charge far longer than normal NiMH batteries so they can even ship them charged. NiMH does fine if you are constantly using something, but if you are intermittently using a device, which is true for almost any device, Eneloops will last way longer between charges. Plus you can charge multiple sets of them and carry them with you without needing a charger for even longer because the charge will be retained for months. There are other brands of pre-charged batteries, such as Duracell, and they are good too, but I'm partial to Eneloop in part because they are white and thus easy to distinguish.

Edited July 23, 2012 by crunchewy

[+BlackRose67]

I'll stick with my rechargeable NiMh

Same here.

 

I use Duracell Pre-Charged (relabelled Sanyo Eneloop) batteries and keep a spare charged pair and a pair of Lithium AA cells in my pack.

Edited July 24, 2012 by BlackRose67

[+DonB]

I use them too ... and also find them superior to any other NiMh battery I've used in the past

+2, especially the latest models that claim to hold an 85% charge for up to a year. I have been using them in my flashlights also.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I highly, highly recommend using Sanyo Eneloop pre-charged rechargeable batteries. They are soooo much better than standard NiMH batteries. The pre-charged bit is because they retain their charge far longer than normal NiMH batteries so they can even ship them charged. NiMH does fine if you are constantly using something, but if you are intermittently using a device, which is true for almost any device, Eneloops will last way longer between charges. Plus you can charge multiple sets of them and carry them with you without needing a charger for even longer because the charge will be retained for months. There are other brands of pre-charged batteries, such as Duracell, and they are good too, but I'm partial to Eneloop in part because they are white and thus easy to distinguish.

 

+3

 

You can't beat the Eneloops.

You need a good charger to get the most out of your NIMH Eneloops......I've had great success with several of the MAHA chargers over the years.

Check www.thomasdistributing.com

[+kwcahart]

+ 4. The Eneloops and a Maha charger works really good for me.

[+doug_hollyNKC]

I'm in with the rest of the bunch on the Eneloops.

 

However to add to that, make sure they are 2500mAh. They make quite a bit of difference over the 2000 and 1500's.

[+ras_oscar]

I'm in with the rest of the bunch on the Eneloops.

 

However to add to that, make sure they are 2500mAh. They make quite a bit of difference over the 2000 and 1500's.

 

I have had my 3 pair of enloops for several years and they are beginning to show their age. Do the "new" eneloops have any self discharge issues? When I used other brands of NiMH rechargables that were a higher capacity they seemed to have a much higher self discharge rate.

[+Glenn]

I'm in with the rest of the bunch on the Eneloops.

 

However to add to that, make sure they are 2500mAh. They make quite a bit of difference over the 2000 and 1500's.

 

I have had my 3 pair of enloops for several years and they are beginning to show their age. Do the "new" eneloops have any self discharge issues? When I used other brands of NiMH rechargables that were a higher capacity they seemed to have a much higher self discharge rate.

 

Not all NiMH batteries are low self-discharge (LSD) NiMH. Your standard NiMH batteries self-discharge up to 20% in the first 24 hours after charging, then as much as 15% per month. LSD NiMH (like the ones sold under the eneloop brand name) can take up to a year to self-discharge 20%.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Glenn