Drain battery in short time

[R0ck5]

I have Garmin Oregon 600. I use AA ALKALINE batteries. I could not believe battery drain fast. They were new batteries. I tested with volt meter - It was 1.6 Volt. So I am thinking maybe time to look other kind of battery like recharagable battery. But problem is rechargeable battery average 1.2 volt. What type of battery do you recommend?

[Rock Chalk]

I've been using Sony Cycle Energy Rechargeable AA batteries in my Garmin 600 for the past few years and they've been great for me.

[+Die Nemos]

I use just these ones:

Click

Very satisfied with them.

[+noncentric]

I also use eneloop rechargeable batteries.

 

To the OP: You may want to double-check your battery settings (Setup -> System -> Battery Type) to make sure it's set to the same type of batteries you're using in the device. You'll want to make sure the unit is set to Alkaline and not one of the other choices, Lithium or Rechargeable NiMH.

[+lee737]

I bought a pair of Eneloop Pros, I get a full day caching out of them, without a problem, tend to have 2-3 bars left at the end of the day too. Alkalines will very shortly cost a lot..... I just keep some lithiums in my pack in case I forget to charge the thing.....

[+Scratch Ankle]

I use an Etrex 20 (Garmin) with AA alkaline. I am just on my second set of batteries after 3 years. I don't use it a lot as we don't spent a huge amount of time caching -- we only have 95 finds and quite a few DNFs. When we do cache I use my car GPS to drive to the cache site. When I arrive at a parking spot I turn the Etrex on until I hit Ground Zero and then it's turned off so it has little duty cycle for caching although several of the hikes to GZ entailed a couple places where we hiked a couple miles. I also use the ETrex on the boat sometimes. You didn't say what a day of caching consists of and how much you have it turned on but if you do like I do I suspect you might have an issue with the unit. Hopefully it's as simple as changing a setting to match the type of battery you're using as was suggested above.

[+lee737]

I turn mine on a 7am, leave it on, navigating with map display most of the time, then turn it off at 4pm or so..... I guess I use mine differently!

[+Mudfrog]

Rechargeables are the way to go!

 

Eneloops are good but for the lower costs, the Energizer Recharge nimhs (the ones that are precharged and hold a charge) work great. I haven't bought a battery in over 3 years now. Heck, i'm still getting good service from batteries bought over 5 years ago. Imo, the key is to use a good charger. The LaCrosse BC-700 that i have now has kept my batteries in good shape. There are many others that are good but i would stay away from those cheapies sold at the local department stores.

[+kunarion]

I have Garmin Oregon 600. I use AA ALKALINE batteries. I could not believe battery drain fast. They were new batteries. I tested with volt meter - It was 1.6 Volt. So I am thinking maybe time to look other kind of battery like recharagable battery. But problem is rechargeable battery average 1.2 volt. What type of battery do you recommend?

There's a bunch of battery info here:

https://garminoregon6xx.wikispaces.com/Power+Sources

 

I usually have Eneloop Pro (NiMH), or lithium batteries, and I bring extras on the hike. I haven't changed settings for power savings, but the above link has suggestions on what to change.

Edited May 12, 2016 by kunarion

[+The A-Team]

I could not believe battery drain fast.

Can you define "fast"? Are we talking an hour, a couple of hours, etc.?

 

I'm currently using some fairly-worn rechargeable Duracells with my backlight always on and almost always on the map screen. I can usually get something like 4-5 hours out of them.

 

I've bought some Eneloop Pros but I'm waiting on a smart charger to arrive before I start using them.

[+colleda]

We use rechargeables we buy from Aldi. Last all day in our Etrex 20s. If you cut screen brightness by say 50% they can last much longer.

[R0ck5]

I also use eneloop rechargeable batteries.

 

To the OP: You may want to double-check your battery settings (Setup -> System -> Battery Type) to make sure it's set to the same type of batteries you're using in the device. You'll want to make sure the unit is set to Alkaline and not one of the other choices, Lithium or Rechargeable NiMH.

 

yes i already did. thanks

[+Scratch Ankle]

9 continuous hours of use seems like you shouldn't have anything to complain about as far as battery drain.