Battery management for the outdoorsman can be a pain. In the public safety, LEO, Wildland fire community there has been a steady change in portable radio technology in the late 1960’s. Radios eat batteries and at first there were factory non-rechargeable batteries that were/are costly. Fire crews were using three or four batteries per shift. A very costly part of fire fighting when you have a 50 or 1000 fire fighters on the line. The question was how to power this hand held radios and still maintain the same configuration as the factory radio. The answer was the AA battery holder. It provided higher voltage then the old factory battery and cost less per load.
The next item to change was the battery powered headlamp. The old headlamp had a metal, belt case, later updated to a plastic case. The case held 4-D cell batteries. (I did not like the plastic case model because it came open around midnight and I was feeling around for my batteries on a face of a cliff.) Originally this setup was good for one night shift. With the improvement of batteries when the alkaline batteries came into inventory they are good for a couple of shifts.
http://www.westernfireequipment.com/lights-head-lamps-c-4_65.htmlAA-batteries became a common stock item, and they have progressively improved. For twenty years I have used a headlamp that takes AA batteries. The headlamp is in my back pack when I head into the woods.
My Midland handheld CB uses AA batteries, the same as my two Midland FRS/GMRS radios. I have owned four different gps units; all four units use AA-batteries. I must be fair and say my Garmin 530HCx comes with an excellent 8.4 volt 2400 mAh Li ION re-chargeable battery. The radio works at five watts when using this long lived battery. For emergency backup I purchased the AA battery pack. The radio drops down to 2-watts when this is used. I would rate it at 6 volts when alkaline batteries are used. I have considered purchasing Lithium AA batteries which would jump it to 7 volts.
A hunting partner showed up in camp with a couple of FRS radios which use AAA batteries. He had not used them for two or three years and on the way out of town purchased AA batteries. I was happy to let him use one of my radios.
I prefer the headlamp, but I also have a number of AA powered Mag lights. I can pull the head off one and use it as a candle.
I have avoided products that take AAA batteries, and my AAA chargeable batteries have gone to my granddaughters. I need to buy a new package because I now have AAA powered shooter hearing protection.
My Nikon 800 Rangefinder takes Lithium CL2 batteries which match up with a couple cameras I have. During hunting season I carry a spare battery in my glove box. I get a year or more out of a battery. This is a good reminder to buy a new one.
I do have an issue with the higher NiMH batteries. As the manufactures upped the rating of these batteries they grew slightly fatter. My original NiMH batteries could be used in my Mini Mag-lites. But the new ones have fatten up and will not fit.
At one time I had in my unit re-chargeable and AA battery packs for two different portable radios, AA batteries for my headlamp. And extra batteries for my Surefire flash light. I was happy to turn in my agency owned Surefire flashlight on retirement. I grew tired of the short lived light in critical situations; I consider it the Turtle and Rabbit in the light business. It starts with a bright light, but it lacks staying power. It can leave you in the dark. The other gripe was from the agency Bean Counters every time we bought batteries.
Future battery development will focus around the gorillas of the consumer market. Cellphones, PDA’s and IPODS have been and will drive the market. I got a new cellphone last year and because of the nature of my retirement job I needed a longer lasting battery. I ended up buying a fatter battery that has exceeded by expectations. My wife also needed a new battery and did the research and I did the buying.
http://www.batteries4less.com/At the same time a Chief needed a new battery and purchased an off brand battery that supposedly met the original equipment specifications from another source. That battery did not work out and the Chief bought a larger battery from my source. The Chief is happy. When you head for the woods and away from cellphone coverage turn off your cellphone because it will keep searching for cell towers and kill the battery.
Manufactures of today’s toys try to make them short and slim. The 123 battery is short and fat.
I know that I cannot go over to the local grocery store and buy, a CL2 battery or 123 batteries. A trip into town will get me a 123 or CL2 camera battery. The little country store will have a limited range of batteries.
I do the best to match most of my battery needs around AA, D, and the CL2. It would not take much to upset the balance. Oops I forgot my #13 hearing aid batteries. The other day the wife was saying she needed fresh batteries for her Jeep remote. I was ahead of her on that one and had two of them. The next time we were down the hill we restocked. The Jeep remote battery is different than my pickup remote battery.
As I scroll across the screen the light went on, my mouse is powered by two AA batteres.
Help!
