Lithium batteries for GPS

NorthBorder

New member
I have a Garman Oregon 400 or 450 and I have been using rechargeable batteries, specifically the Duracell NiMH. The batteries are not even 2 years old and have been recharged at most 4 times. I think they are a waste. I charged them 4 days ago, used them for maybe several minutes. Today, when I attempted to use the GPS the batteries would not keep it on for even a minute. My question is, does anyone use lithium or lithium ion batteries for their electronics like e-callers, GPS, or whatever?

Thanks
 
I use energizer e lithium batteries in my garmins and they work excellent. In the set up menu on your gps asks what batteries you use, make sure you set it to that also.
 
Like you , I use rechargeables. I have both high end and harbor freight, they both serve their purpose. When not in use, they need to either be on a trickle charger or stored and recharged monthly. They lose about 1% a day from what I understand. If left drained for long they will stay that way. I have a garmin oregon 600 and put fresh batteries in each morning when I am hunting. Lasts me all day, but not much more. Works for my application anyway. If I was going on a multi day pack trip I would not use the rechargeables though.
 
The lithium in my rangefinder is supposed to be good for about 6000 measurements. Will a lithium in the GPS last for a long hunt? Not quite sure how to ask that question. If I were on a several day hunt and they performed well for 4 or 5 days, then in my estimation they would be worth the cost.
 
Originally Posted By: AzDiamondHeat If left drained for long they will stay that way.

I guess this pretty much explains what happened to mine. I left them alone for about 6-8 months.
 
go to battery space and look at the 2600mah rechargeable batteries that only loose about 1% a year 17.00 for 12 or 33.00 for 24 they have cases that store them.i have used them for 5yrs or so great batteries they really work great.i have had one battery that was bad nothing is perfect but these are the best i have tried for the money
 
My Garmin Montana 650T came with a 3.7 Volt Li-ion Battery. 2000 mAh 7.4 Wh
It can also use three AA batteries. Alkaline or the NiMH type AA rechargeable.

If you go and buy AA rechargeable batteries make sure you get the kind that won't self discharge fast. Some are made to last for about a year without losing all their charge. And get the ones with the highest mAh ratings. I like the ones that are 2500 mAh or so.

Duracell makes some PRECHARGED batteries. Look inside the package on the batteries themselves before buying the package and make sure that you can see the rating on the end or side of the battery case. It should say 2000 or greater mAh on the battery. Not all of them are labeled so if they are not labeled then don't buy them. This is important IMHO

And lastly get a good battery charger that can slow charge at least 8 batteries at once and control each battery's charging separately for all 8 batteries. Get one that has the CONDITIONING cycle or mode. That way it can maintain the batteries by slowly charging them up, resting to let them cool down and then fully discharge them and then rest again before slowly charging them back up again. They will last a lot longer if you do this. I'm talking about the NiMH type batteries.

I have about 20 to 30 of the AA NiMH rechargeable batteries and a lot of them were not the Pre-charged type so I had to recharge and maintain them or condition them each month or they would go bad. Now the Pre Charged Duracell will last longer than a month so they don't need to be conditioned as often but I do it anyway.

Charging them up too fast and getting them hot will take some of the life out of them. Keep them from getting hot by slowly charging them up over time as a lower amp rating.

The MAHA Energy Corp makes some good charges and I highly recommend the MH-C801D model. It is an eight cell charger with a computer controlled circuits. Don't ever use the Fast Charge method unless it's an emergency and you need to charge the batteries up fast. Press the Slow charge button within a few seconds after inserting the first battery on the left side of the unit. That way it will charge them up slowly without over heating and destroying the batteries.

I last charged up my Garmin Montana 650T about two months ago and I got it out yesterday to check it's battery condition and it was at about 63% charged. So I got the Garmin Charger out and Charged the Li-ion battery back up to 100%. I have to do this ever so often. Maybe once a month or less.

Li-ion batteries will slowly discharge over time too. But they seem to work better in the cold weather from what I've read.

I have a new FoxPro Shockwave that I've yet to use in the field and plan on buying the FoxPro Li-ion battery for it before it gets too cold here in IN. The nights are already dropping down into the low 50's already and it's not even Oct yet. One more day until Oct. I love this time of the year. Warm days and cool nights are great for camping trips and hunting. Right now I'm using ten AA Alkaline batteries in the FoxPro. But I'll switch them out later with the fully charged up Pre-Charged Duracells that are at least 2500 mAh rated.
 
Sometimes you can recondition them back to life. The MAHA MA- C801D might be able to get them working again.

One thing that I recommend NOT to do is charge them up too fast with too much current/voltage. I highly recommend to NOT get then too hot when charging them back up. That will lake the life out of them. And don't let them sit on the self too long without charging them up each month or reconditioning them.

The MAHA charger above will do this for you.

Always try to slow charge these NiMH AA and AAA type batteries to extend their life.

Another important thing to remember is that some times new batteries may need to be fully charged, discharged and then fully charged back up again for two or three times before they work their best. This is where a good battery charger comes in handle. It can do that for you with eight batteries at one time. I have some older Ever Ready AA NiMH rechargeable batteries that won't stay charged up like my Duracell Pre-Charged AA NiMH batteries. So I have to condition the Ever Ready batteries once a month if I remember them. Sometimes I don't charge them up for three months at a time and I have to recondition them or they won't work anymore. They are going on about three years now. I may have to get rid of some of the Ever Ready Batteries and they will fail some day. The Duracells are newer and hopefully will last a while longer.
 
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