New batteries in the beacon, please

**Hacksaw** · 09-15-2007, 10:14 PM

Well, it was a GREAT afternoon of doing Nerf Ball avalanche transceiver practices today....

Avalanche season isn't too far off.......

**P_McPoser** · 09-15-2007, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by Hacksaw

Well, it was a GREAT afternoon of doing Nerf Ball avalanche transceiver practices today....

Avalanche season isn't too far off.......

Or non-avalanche season?

**Alpine Dreams** · 10-20-2007, 06:43 AM

Just a reminder.

**hutash** · 10-20-2007, 12:25 PM

And an reminder to not use rechargeable batteries

BLOOD SWEAT STEEL · 11-14-2007, 04:21 PM

87654321

**Shaggy** · 01-29-2008, 06:22 PM

Bump, because I suspect many people here have already put 200 hours on their beacons this season.

It's a bad season to be out there with a half-firing beeper, so change those batteries people.

**rideit** · 01-29-2008, 06:23 PM

And don't buy batteries at the Dollar Store!

**tsondaboy** · 01-29-2008, 06:33 PM

I ve also found that the Tracker cant take the new generation high-power alkaline like the Panasonic Oxyride and Duracell PowerPix.

It works fine in transmit mode, but it mess up the search mode. I was doing a search and was getting 55 m reading even if the other beacon was placed next to the tracker.

**Art Shirk** · 11-26-2008, 03:25 PM

Bump dawg

**Moss-Back** · 11-26-2008, 03:49 PM

I was just thinking about this thread yesterday...

This one, and "A Dozen More Turns". That one needs a bump too.

Watch your step out there, folks.
Please.

.

**El Chupacabra** · 12-24-2008, 12:20 PM

Bump. It's time.

**Franz** · 12-24-2008, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Hacksaw

If you want to check out Nerfball transceiver practice check out this thread:

http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=23614

Cheers,
Halsted

im tottally doing this this summer and also hollowing out enough room for a beer can in there and then having competitions to see who can find the beer.
Thanks!

**TeleAl** · 03-10-2009, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by Cirquerider

You will get an alarm when the batteries are below 20%. you should be able to operate 20 hours in transmit and 2 hours in receive as i recall at 20%. I change out anytime its below 50% at startup. In normal mode, it can transmit for a long time. A lot of people change out at 70 or 80 percent, but there is really no good reason to do so.

Originally Posted by Ripzalot

how quickly does a beacon eat batteries in search mode? i always change out when it gets below 70% and rotate the old batteries to my mp3 player or something.. i keep thinking i might need that extra 30% searching someday.

btw, is the extra cost of lithium batteries justified?

Well, I had some 20% batteries in my beacon (b/c I left it on all night),
and before I changed them, I figured I should perform an experiment.

So, I got another beacon, and I turned it on.
Then I took my 20% beacon, put it in search mode, placed it 5m away, left it.
45 minutes later, I shut it off b/c it was annoying me. It still had 11%.
Energizer alkaline batteries in BCA Tracker.

Anyone else with data, post it up.

**Red Peekay** · 03-10-2009, 01:08 AM

Originally Posted by hutash

Does my stud detector even need batteries?

Was that stud or dud detector?????

**grapedrink** · 03-10-2009, 01:11 AM

Originally Posted by hutash

And an reminder to not use rechargeable batteries

why not?

**Ripzalot** · 03-10-2009, 01:36 AM

Originally Posted by TeleAl

Well, I had some 20% batteries in my beacon (b/c I left it on all night),
and before I changed them, I figured I should perform an experiment.

So, I got another beacon, and I turned it on.
Then I took my 20% beacon, put it in search mode, placed it 5m away, left it.
45 minutes later, I shut it off b/c it was annoying me. It still had 11%.
Energizer alkaline batteries in BCA Tracker.

Anyone else with data, post it up.

that is an excellent experiment! now i don't feel so bad going out last weekend with only 26%. but i'm going to change anyways.

Originally Posted by grapedrink

why not?

because the battery level indicator on your beacon won't give an accurate reading with rechargeables. it may say 50%, but it may actually be closer to 5%.

**Scottish_Skier** · 03-10-2009, 05:22 AM

that is an excellent experiment! now i don't feel so bad going out last weekend with only 26%. but i'm going to change anyways.

Most batterys have a very non-linear discharge....
So the output voltage stays flat-ish for most (90%) of the battery life. Then towards the end of its life, the chemical process stops releasing electrons - and the voltage tends to plummet.

The non linear discharge makes accurate measurement of expected battery life very difficult. And a good reason to always change batteries when you get down to even 50%. Especially since avy beasons go out in the cold - which further degrades performance.

**grapedrink** · 03-10-2009, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by Ripzalot

that is an excellent experiment! now i don't feel so bad going out last weekend with only 26%. but i'm going to change anyways.

because the battery level indicator on your beacon won't give an accurate reading with rechargeables. it may say 50%, but it may actually be closer to 5%.

i've never experienced anything like that, why would this happen with rechargeables and not alkalines?

**Ripzalot** · 03-10-2009, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by grapedrink

i've never experienced anything like that, why would this happen with rechargeables and not alkalines?

i think it has something to do with differing discharge rates, as scottish_skier posted, but i'm not an electrical engineer.

FYI, per BCA: “Batteries: Three AAA/LR03 alkaline batteries. Do not use rechargeable, lithium, Oxyride or any other non-alkaline battery.”
http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69591

And this one is an interesting read:
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=70152

**Scottish_Skier** · 03-10-2009, 11:30 AM

yup - ripz is correct...
All batteries have a constant output voltage for 90% of their life time.
Then the output voltage decays rapidly during the last 10% or its life cycle.
This non-linear effect is even more pronounced in rechargables.
So while it might look like your battery has '20%' left it could be just on the verge of dieing, and you actually only have a few hours left

Battery life meters are notoriously inaccurate (they measure voltage, which on the output of a battery doesnt change much during its normal working life)

**grapedrink** · 03-10-2009, 12:04 PM

interesting, thanks for the info

**TeleAl** · 03-10-2009, 03:29 PM

I've got another 11% left in those batteries.
I will have to test out the non-linear theory under 10%.
And, I will do it outside, in the cold.

Then I won't have to listen to it.

The more data, the better. Don't waste your old batteries, record some data.

**Scottish_Skier** · 03-10-2009, 04:23 PM

I've got another 11% left in those batteries.
I will have to test out the non-linear theory under 10%.
And, I will do it outside, in the cold.
Then I won't have to listen to it.
The more data, the better. Don't waste your old batteries, record some dat

Look forward to the results!

To estimate remaining 'battery life' your beacon simply measures the voltage across the battery and does some maths - however the measured voltage doesnt vary much until its nearly dead... so the % 'battery life' figure your beacon quotes is probably highly inaccurate. Same thing happens on an IPOD - ever had it suddenly die when you thought there was plenty charge left ?