+VMIScot Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 I have a Magellan SporTrak Pro that seems to go through batteries at different rates. I have used Duracell, Rayovac and Energizers and have noticed they are all drained at different rates. The battery draining is not consistent among the same battery types (i.e. one Duracell dies faster than another Duracell). I am left to guess that the different use up rates are due to the function of the GPS unit. Does anyone know what processes use up the most power in a GPS unit? I would imagine it would be the interfacing with the satellites to get a fix. I also think changing the displays wold be a power sucker too. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make my batteries last longer which doesn't require my turning it on for 15 seconds and then off for an hour as I hike? Quote Link to comment
peter Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Use of the backlight is the only thing that will significantly affect battery life. Get a few sets of good NiMH rechargeables (2300 mA-hr ones are readily available) and this will cease to be an issue since you can always start with a fully-charged set and carry a spare set 'just in case'. Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Rechargeables are definetly the way to go. I just picked up four Energizer 2500 mAh NiMH batts in the camera section at Wally World last week for $10. Get a good recharger...it will pay for itself many times over. Good ones can be found at Thomas Distributing. Quote Link to comment
+phantom4099 Posted December 6, 2004 Share Posted December 6, 2004 The backlight is a big drain on the batteries, this becomes a problem with later firmwares that turn on the backlight when ever an alarm goes off. If this happens during the it is difficult to tell that the backlight is on. I also second rechargable batteries. I have gotten 12 hours of use on my meridian platinum and 2100 maH batteries. Wyatt W. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted December 6, 2004 Share Posted December 6, 2004 The backlight is a big drain on the batteries, this becomes a problem with later firmwares that turn on the backlight when ever an alarm goes off. If this happens during the it is difficult to tell that the backlight is on. I also second rechargable batteries. I have gotten 12 hours of use on my meridian platinum and 2100 maH batteries. Wyatt W. A trick someone told me was to put the unit up to your ear. If you hear a high frequency, the backlight is on. Quote Link to comment
tttedzeins Posted December 6, 2004 Share Posted December 6, 2004 It would seem that when the unit is searching for satellites or collecting data more power is used Quote Link to comment
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