I just had a big scare!!!

OMG, I go to turn on my gps and it came on for a second, and the screen faded and it shut off. The batteries were new so I go confused. I go get a new set of batteries and same thing. I'm getting nervous now. I'm starting to think of the hassle of send it back and how long till I get it back, did I register it and so on.

I go find my gps backpack and get out my third set of gps food and snap it in. I turn it on and thank god it came up OK (I left it on after my last use) Sigh Deep breath, back to normal http://forums.speedguide.net/images/smilies/rotfl.gif

I did however mention nicely to the others that live with me about putting dead batteries back in the battery drawer.

I miss the Energizer Bunny commercials! :(

But I think we need a breakthrough in battery technology...

I left mine without batteries for a few months (before geocaching!) and the internal battery died. It took a little while with new batteries for it to do anything. Meanwhile, I almost condemned it! Always read the manual before over-reacting! That was a scary moment.

Too bad nobody has come up with a motion based power source like a self-winding watch that works with GPS. I know that whenever mine is on, I'm moving, so....

Rechargable Batteries


I have two sets for my GPS Rs and two sets for my digital camera. They are not expensive any more and the last very well. The fresh set is right in the caching bag, however I rarely find myself changing them on the trail. If you do go that way be sure and change the battery type in your Garmin setup. Go to Main Menu --> Setup --> System and look for battery type. Set it to NiMh. This is for an E-Trex.

Solar powered GPSr is my suggestion or a really long extension cord.

If you already have the dc adapter for your GPSr go to US celluler and buy the converter to plug into the wall and while inside use the walloutlet instead of the batteries.

Thanks for the replies, it comes with being a noobie to the hunt. I definetly was uncomfortable with the idea of losing my gps for a while. I guess what I'm saying is I've become addicted. IMHO its a good thing, have a great day:p

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Originally Posted by Mainiac1957

Rechargable Batteries


I have two sets for my GPS Rs and two sets for my digital camera. They are not expensive any more and the last very well. The fresh set is right in the caching bag, however I rarely find myself changing them on the trail. If you do go that way be sure and change the battery type in your Garmin setup. Go to Main Menu --> Setup --> System and look for battery type. Set it to NiMh. This is for an E-Trex.

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I don't understand why GPS units don't have an internal rechargeable battery like PDA's do. At home you keep the PDA in the charger and it stays charged, in the car you have it connectd to the "accessory socket" and it stays charged.

Why can't GPS units do this??? :confused:

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Originally Posted by WhereRWe?

Why can't GPS units do this??? :confused:

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I was wondering that. I can understand the under $150 range but when you pay more than that sometimes over $400 it should be rechagable and with an option to use disposable if your charge runs out on the extended outdoor trips.

wbdent That would be a nice idea but I think the reason they don't do this is because if you were to be out in the field and using it for a whole day without being able to recharge it then that would be a problem because if it were like a PDA you would not be able to switch batteries when it went dead.

It may have to do with the waterproof characteristics of the units. Just a guess at best. As was stated too if all you have is internal rechargables, and they go dead when you out in the woods. You would be SOL as to getting back with that as your only means of navigation.

I have an FRS radio that is rechargable and if the battery pack runs out I can put in 3 (aaa)s and back in business. Some newer electronics support both. I'm not sure on the waterproff issue, may add a little weight though.


Hey Garmin & Thales are you listening.
LOL

The new Magellen eXplorist 500 has the rechargeable batteries:
Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery
This Li-Ion rechargeable battery pack can keep your eXplorist continuously powered-up for up to 17 hours. Recharge your battery directly through your receiver again and again without reducing its performance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EGSG

The new Magellen eXplorist 500 has the rechargeable batteries:
Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery
This Li-Ion rechargeable battery pack can keep your eXplorist continuously powered-up for up to 17 hours. Recharge your battery directly through your receiver again and again without reducing its performance.

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Sheesh, Ed! You just convinced Frank and I to get new Garmin GPSMap 60-series units... Don't tell us you're moving to Magellan!!! :D :D

There's a story behind this that we will share with y'all. Sorry I can't say anymore now.

The only Garmin units that have rechargable batteries are the two wrist units they make. The Forerunner 201 and Foretrex 201. I have the Foretrex 101 which uses 2 regular AAA's, I get 15 hours out of a set and I keep a LARGE pack of replacements in my backpack. My Sony Clie PDA has a rechargable battery but with the color screen and always on backlite it doesn't last more than a couple of hours of constant use.
Rechargable batteries get a "memory" if they are not completely discharged before recharging, this shortens their total lifespan. We warn our laptop users where I work to occaisionally completely drain their batteries and then recharge them (about once a month) we have good results with this practice.

I'd rather trust in replaceables! IMHO, YMMV :)

Faolan

WhereRWe? : I don't understand why GPS units don't have an internal rechargeable battery like PDA's do.

Some do, but you'll discover why replaceable (and preferably rechargeable) AA batteries work MUCH better for certain devices, such as cameras, GPSrs, and flashlights...

First, you have the convenience factor - I can carry around a pack of eight AA NiMHs, and instantly "recharge" any device I carry. Compare that to needing to take each toy back to its designated charger, figure out which dedicated charger goes to that toy, find a place to plug it in, then wait a few hours.

Second, rechargeables eventually die. Replacing four NiMH AAs after a few hundred charges (yes, they will last that long, if you use a .1C charger (overnight) rather than a 4C charger (15 minutes)) costs about $10. Replacing a built-in Li-ion battery, if possible, will usually cost you at least fifty bucks and the end user (ie, us) might not have the ability to do it without paying a tech for the privilege.

Third, safety. AA batteries, even NiMH, just don't explode. Short out (or overheat, or get wet, or drop just the right way) a Li-ion battery, and consider yourself lucky if it only kills itself rather than the device in which it lives.

Fourth (related to #2), price. The batteries themselves cost more, and the recharging circuitry adds to the price of the device. If you use rechargeable AAs, you'll still need to pay for that, but just once rather than once per device you use.

So, for thing you generally use near a power source (ie, in your car or office) such as a cell phone or PDA or wireless mouse - a built-in battery makes sense. For things you expect to work for many hours away from civilization, avoid built-in batteries.

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Originally Posted by ribnag

WhereRWe? : I don't understand why GPS units don't have an internal rechargeable battery like PDA's do.

Some do, but you'll discover why replaceable (and preferably rechargeable) AA batteries work MUCH better for certain devices, such as cameras, GPSrs, and flashlights...

First, you have the convenience factor - I can carry around a pack of eight AA NiMHs, and instantly "recharge" any device I carry. Compare that to needing to take each toy back to its designated charger, figure out which dedicated charger goes to that toy, find a place to plug it in, then wait a few hours.

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Well, I won't worry about the fact that your commenting on a post made over a year ago... LOL!

I enjoy keeping my PDA and cell phone fully charged when traveling - just hook them up to the charger in the car. And while I can also use external power for the GPSr when traveling, when I unplug it to go outside to a cache, I have to check the battery status. Not like the PDA, which stays fully charged.

I had a old Palm I used years ago but stopped because the batteries kept going dead and I kept losing my data. With the Tungsten E2 I have now, it stays on the charger when not outside, so it never gets a chance to go dead.

:D :D

Proprietary rechargeable battery packs? No, thank you, I'll pass. I'll stick with standard-sized NiMH rechargeable cells as a power source.

I can get a 4-pack of NiMH rechargeable batteries for under $10 and use them for 3-4 years of continuous use before I have to start thinking about replacing them. Proprietary packs can be hard to find, if they can be replaced at all (many cannot even be replaced, rendering the unit disposable after a few short years).

And, worst case, if you are on the road and your batteries die, a quick trip into almost any store can get you going again.

I converted completely from disposable to rechargeable batteries almost 5 years ago, and I try to avoid proprietary batteries whenever possible. I've had too many good devices die out just because the battery pack was non-replaceable or nonstandard. I've also thrown away too many disposables over the years (a waste of both money and landfill space)

Most of the NiMH AA/AAA batteries I purchased 5 years ago are still in service, though their capacity is down around 50% of normal (but they still work great for low-drain applications like remote controls, or for short-use items like flashlights). You should be able to get 100% capacity out of them for a couple of years, then they start slowly dropping off.

As to the concept of "rechargeable with option of using disposable", why would any manufacturer include a battery pack and room for an alternate one? That's going to make the unit larger than it needs to be, and more complex. It would drive up size, weight, and manufacturing costs.

Now, if a manufacturer made a GPS that could run off one of the standard L-Ion battery packs, like the one my digital camera uses, I could see that as useful. Replacements are relatively cheap, you can keep a charged spare handy, and they hold a lot more power for a given size/weight compared to AA or AAA batteries.

Internal battery packs are one of the reasons I still use a Handspring Visor for Geocaching. It uses AAA batteries, and I don't have to worry about a proprietary internal battery dying on me. Unfortunately, most of the PDA manufacturers have gone internal battery, so once my Palm IIIc finally gave up the ghost, I went back to my trusty old Visor instead of buying a newer, nicer unit.

WhereRWe? : Well, I won't worry about the fact that your commenting on a post made over a year ago... LOL!

Oops - Sorry. I tend to read by "New Posts", and when I come to a thread I don't recognize, I'll read back a page or two (and not check the date). :o

But my thoughts stand - for most things, I prefer AAs over built-in rechargeables, for the reasons I gave. :)

Okay...my scary moment...

My eTrex is missing somewhere in my house! yeah yeah yeah...the jokes about sat. tracking can start now...

KIDS!!! WHERE'd YOU PUT MY GPSr?!!!

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Originally Posted by MoxieMan

Okay...my scary moment...

My eTrex is missing somewhere in my house! yeah yeah yeah...the jokes about sat. tracking can start now...

KIDS!!! WHERE'd YOU PUT MY GPSr?!!!

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WHat kind of cacher are you? You didn't waypoint your GPS? :D