Q700
13
BP-700
Beltpack Batteries
Battery Information
The BP-700 operates from six "AA"
batteries in a removable battery pack.
Only alkaline or NiMH (nickel metal
hydride) cells should be used. For non-
rechargeable use, Duracell™, Eveready™
and other premium quality alkaline cells
are recommended. Zinc carbon batteries
generally cannot supply the required
current and provide only very limited
life. Off-brand alkalines also may
provide only a fraction of the life
available from premium batteries. Vega
has determined that Duracell Ultra™
batteries provide longer life in the BP-
700 than regular Duracell™ batteries and
Eveready™ batteries. However, they are
also more expensive.
Alkaline cells gradually lose capacity
over time. When stored at room
temperature (approximately 68 degrees
F, or 20 degrees C), typical capacity loss
is 30% to 40% over 4 years. However, if
the storage temperature is higher or the
storage location has high humidity, the
rate of loss is much higher. Under poor
conditions, more than 50% of initial
capacity can be lost in as little as 18
months.
For rechargeable batteries, only NiMH
"AA" cells should be used. NiCad
batteries are subject to the "memory
effect", which gradually reduces
capacity and life if the cells are not fully
discharged each time they are used.
NiMH batteries do not have this
problem and are not significantly more
expensive. They also provide somewhat
longer operating life in the BP-700 than
NiCads of the same rated capacity. "AA"
size NiMH batteries are available in
several capacities ranging from as little
as 800 milliampere hours to about 1600
milliampere hours for industrial-quality
cells. Obviously, the higher capacity
batteries will provide much longer
operating life than low-capacity
consumer cells.
All rechargeable batteries gradually
lose capacity as they are repeatedly
charged and discharged. The rate of loss
depends upon a number of factors,
including the recharging method and
maximum charge rate, operating
temperature, battery construction, depth
of discharge and maximum discharge
rate. Even quality NiMH cells can be
expected to lose at least 25% of initial
capacity after 400 to 500 charging
cycles. Even if the reduced capacity is
acceptable, their useful life will normally
be no more than 750 to 1000 cycles.
One significant practical problem with
using rechargeable batteries is simply
making certain that fully-charged
batteries are available when needed. It is
all too easy to forget recharging, often
resulting in embarrassing failures. Even
fully discharged batteries will often
work for only a few minutes if allowed
to sit overnight, making it appear that
they are ready for service. The best
solution is to develop and maintain a
regular routine for recharging batteries.
However, this often worsens the
"memory" problem for NiCad batteries.
This is one of the reasons that NiCads
are not recommended.
Mistakenly recharging alkaline cells
can cause overheating, battery venting
and even fire. To help avoid this
problem, Vega provides two types of
battery packs for the BP-700, one for
use with alkaline cells and one for use
with NiMH cells. The version for alkaline
batteries does not have operational
battery charging contacts, so inserting
the pack into the optional changer will
not cause any problems. The NiMH
version is marked in red and the cells
will be charged if the pack is inserted
into the charger.
WARNING: Never install alkaline
batteries in a red-marked battery
pack.
The optional QBC-1 battery charger
will fully charge multiple BP-700 battery
packs in less than 4 1/2 hours. It is
optimized for NiMH cells rated at 1500
to 1600 milliampere hours. Lower
capacity cells may not be able to
accommodate the high charging rate of
the QBC-1, and their life may be
shortened. This charger is a "smart"
design that monitors the charging
process to optimize results and
maximize battery life. Simpler chargers
can be used, but the charging process
will take considerably longer and the
number of usable charging cycles is
likely to lower.
In the continuous transmit mode, you
can expect battery life to be 9 to 10
hours for new, fresh Duracell™ or
Eveready™ batteries. Battery life will
usually be 1/2 to 2 hours less for cells
that have been in storage for some time.
Duracell Ultra™ batteries can be
expected to last 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer.
NiMH batteries rated at 1600
milliampere hours can be expected to
last 7 to 8 hours when new and fully
charged. However, the operating life will
slowly decline as the batteries are
repeatedly recharged. Battery life in the
RF Push-To-Talk mode will be
considerably longer, especially if
transmissions are infrequent.
Installing Batteries in
the BP-700
1. Turn off the BP-700 via the main
volume control on its top panel.
2. On the bottom of the BP-700, slide
the battery compartment latch near
the whip antenna towards the
antenna.
3. Holding the latch open, grasp the
battery pack grip on the bottom of
the BP-700 and carefully pull it out
of the unit.
4. For alkaline cells, remove the
discharged batteries and replace
with new, fresh ones.
5. Carefully note the polarity marking
on the battery compartment to
make certain the cells are correctly
inserted. All cells on one side are
inserted in one direction, and all
cells on the other side are inserted
in the opposite direction.
Note: The compartment has
spacers to prevent the battery
terminals from touching the
contacts if incorrectly inserted.
For this reason, a reversed cell
will prevent the pack from
operating.
6. While holding the latch open,
reinsert the battery pack. Then
release the latch to lock in the
pack.
For NiMH cells, insert the entire
pack into the QBC-1 charger. If
spare packs are available, they may
be used in the BP-700 while the
other packs are recharging.
