Gps

[trekmom]

Does anyone else have trouble with the gps draining the batteries. We have used both rechargable and regular. Do you have any advice.

[+briansnat]

Some GPS's eat batteries like potato chips. Most come with a battery saver mode, so if you use that you can squeeze more time out of them. Or you can splurge for a Garmin 60CS, which gets 30 hours out of a pair of batteries .

[+BlueDeuce]

What kind of GPS do you have? Does it have an electronic compass?

[trekmom]

I have a garmin etrex. This is my first gps, so I don't know that much about it.

[+briansnat]

I have a garmin etrex. This is my first gps, so I don't know that much about it.

If its a Vista, it does go through batteries fast. I know the Vista and Legend have a battery saver mode. I assume all the eTrex units do.

[+strikeforce1]

Some GPS's eat batteries like potato chips.  .

Hey trekmom,

If you are going to use rechargeables,

always get the highest “mAh” rated you can find.

 

“mAh” stands for milli-amp-hour.

 

The higher the number, the better, the longer it should last!

 

Ex: some are 1800 and others are 2100.

The 2100 will last longer than the 1800.

 

Feed it pretzels, they last longer!

 

Hope this helps explain it some.

SF1

 

[+IVxIV]

Make sure you don't accidentally leave the backlight on.. it's an easy oversight during the day, and will drain the batteries real quick!

[+the hermit crabs]

Some GPS's eat batteries like potato chips.  .

Hey trekmom,

If you are going to use rechargeables,

always get the highest “mAh” rated you can find.

 

“mAh” stands for milli-amp-hour.

 

The higher the number, the better, the longer it should last!

 

Ex: some are 1800 and others are 2100.

The 2100 will last longer than the 1800.

 

Feed it pretzels, they last longer!

 

Hope this helps explain it some.

SF1

 

Apparently, the brand is significant too. We've tried two brands of AA Ni-MH rechargeables: Vanson (2250 mAh) and Energizer (2200 mAh).

 

The Vansons never lasted very long; as soon as we'd put them in, the battery strength only read about 50-75% and declined fairly quickly while in use. The Energizers, even with a slightly lower mAh rating, start at close to 100%, and drain very slowly. They last hours longer than the Vansons did.

 

Plus, the Vanson's "ultra-fast" charger took a couple of hours to charge the batteries; the Energizer takes 15 minutes or less.

[+AuntieWeasel]

I use Hama 2200's in my Legend, and I get a whole caching day out of them. Splendid battery.

 

Last Spring, I was in the grocery store, and they were selling rechargables cheap. So I calls my other half and I asks him if it sounded like a good deal. "Awwww," he said, "you've ruined your birthday surprise!"

 

Yep. Rechargable batteries. He's the romantic type.

[+danford1]

I bought some 2300 mah Panasonic batteries with charger at Costco. They last an incredibly long time ! I have an old Garmin GPS12, it would eat AA alkaline batteries. These 2300's last ALL day. I snowmobile a lot. I turn the GPS on at lets say 8AM. I Never turn it off all day and use the light after dark. At 8 PM it is still going strong. AA alkalines couldn't handle this. The 2300's do...

They also last way longer than anything I tried in my digital camera, which eats alkalines in short order too.

Cheers

Danford1

[+stu_and_sarah]

Yes. Decent NiMH rechargables are definitely the way to go.

 

Pair them up and put a different coloured sticker on each pair. If you use and charge in pairs you'll extend their life.

 

Cheers,

 

Stu

[+fratermus]

Does anyone else have trouble with the gps draining the batteries. We have used both rechargable and regular. Do you have any advice.

A good peak detecting charger makes a huge difference in battery life.

Easier on the battery, and it gets topped off perfectly.

[+Team Cotati]

Does anyone else have trouble with the gps draining the batteries. We have used both rechargable and regular. Do you have any advice.

It is just criminal that the manufacturers don't have to disclose such deficiencies, isn't it? Return it as defective and get a better unit.

 

Looks like that Garmin 60CS at 30 hours per pair would be a good one. I wonder if that 30 hours is on lithiums?

Edited February 12, 2005 by Team cotati697

[+BigHank]

I have only had my 60CS for two weeks now. I have had it on for a long time just learning the features, and I had it on last Sat. for about six hours straight while out caching. I also had it on for a several hours total while commuting (1 hour each way) just so I could play with it and get an idea of how the track features, speed, and other things worked. So far the battery indicator is still showing a full charge. This is on Alkaline batteries that are some off brand I had handy at the time. Just as an aside, this is my first Garmin after having a Magellan for nearly five years. I am pretty satisfied with it, although I wish it had more memory for map data. It has a steep learning curve, in my opinion, as far as all the features, but it is very intuitive if you just want to put in a waypoint and go find a cache.