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Tech Tips!
Battery Problems and Their Causes!
One of the biggest problems we encounter as a radio dealer are problems customers have with their radio batteries. Particularly the batteries providing poor service and short life spans. Batteries will last for several years if properly cared for. The single biggest reason for battery failure is improper charging methods.
Today's radio batteries are generally one of three types - Nickel Cadmium (NiCD) , Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), or the newest Lithium Ion (LiION). Each type of battery has it's special needs when it comes to charging them properly. The single biggest problem we see is when the customer uses the wrong type of charging system for a particular battery type. It is essential that you use the recommended charging system for a particular type of battery.
For instance putting a NiMH battery in an older NiCD charger can cause problems shorting the life of the battery. NiCD batteries prefer constant current charging whereas NIMH and LiION batteries prefer pulsed charging with temperature and voltage being monitored to prevent overheating
Another problem comes from not reading the charger instructions! Many of the newer chargers are based on timers and not battery charge levels. For instance if you put a battery on charge and fully charge it for the timed period of say 6 hours, then only use it for 15-20 minutes it is still pretty much fully charged. The problem comes in when you put it back in the charger for the full time cycle again. This definitely overcharges the battery and shortens its life drastically due to over heating.
NiCD batteries, though much improved can still have memory problems due to repetitive charging before the battery's capacity is fully exhausted. Memory is where batteries will remember the previous level to which the battery was drained and then recharged. If this is done repetitively the battery will reach this point and then quit. Totally draining the battery prevents the problem. A battery cycler charging system is a good investment
Water damage and corrosion associated with water or chemicals are also problems to watch out for. This can short a battery out and cause permanent damage.
If you maintain a large group of portable radios, rotating the batteries with spares and giving them proper charging is highly recommended. The use of battery maintainer systems and cycler is also recommended.
Battery capacity is directly related to the batteries temperature. Batteries that are either too hot or too cold will either fail or temporarily lose capacity. Many batteries have thermal circuit breakers that open when it becomes too hot to prevent damage.
Grey Market Radios - Alert For U.S. Buyers!
If you have been looking for better prices on radio or communications equipment (and who doesn't!) through the Internet be careful! Many people have been buying new equipment from unknown dealers via the Internet and from other sources such as auctions on EBay, Inc. ® This practice can be dangerous in the long run.
If you find radios or other equipment via any means, Internet, auction or magazine ad and the price is substantially better than you have found through and authorized or known dealers beware! This equipment can be either Grey Market type equipment or possibly stolen or black market equipment from countries other than the USA.
Grey market equipment is equipment that has been distributed/sold in other areas of the world and sold in the USA at substantially reduced prices. Prices in other market areas around the world can be greatly lower than in the US. These radios are then resold in the US at what seem like great prices - UNTIL - you go to get them serviced, programmed or repaired, or go to take advantage of warranty policies.
One way to verify this situation is to check the model numbers. The same radio sold in various parts of the world may have two or more model numbers depending on the geographic region it was intended for. For example a Kenwood TK-860 UHF radio sold in the USA might have the model number TK-863 if distributed elsewhere and imported into the USA. If you have any doubts, call your local dealer to confirm this.
This equipment can only be serviced, programmed or repaired in the country of its' origin, not the USA. Local dealers such as us are prohibited from providing these services under our dealer agreements. In the worst case scenario, if you were to go to a dealer for service work, and the serial numbers were checked as required, you could have legal problems if the equipment is black market, stolen, or in some cases grey market. Mfg. hot sheets (stolen items lists) are common and easily available to all authorized dealers. This type of activity has been around for years in the camera and stereo markets, but is fairly recent to professional radio markets due to the Internet.
As a word of warning, the price savings is not a good deal considering the fact that when the radio needs repair work or parts, you're out of luck! Many of these radios require programming to function, and if no one will program it for you, you're stuck with no deal at all!
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