Railfan Technology > NiMH batteries in an old Regency HX1500 scanner

I have an old Regency HX1500 scanner. Apparently the best went I bought the first one many years ago and it lasted 22 year. This one is used. A rear end car accident severed my cigarette lighter adaptor from Radio Shack. Now all Radio Shack stores mearby have closed. On line searches have revealed no replacements.

So i have to use re-chargeable batteries. The last ones I got from radio Shack are Ultralast Rechargeable Ni-Cd 1.25 AA's. I have a four battery re-charging AC plug in but it takes 4 or more hours to recharge four of them then I have to do it over because the scanner takes eight batteries. These batteries have been re-charged almost every night for a half year or more, but still show 1.2 V on a testor. But they only last.....all eight after recharging....about 4 hours total.

A local store had a re-charger and four Rayovac NiMH 1.25V batteries and an AC plug in. They re-charge in four hours. So could buy a second one to charge all eight batteries while I sleep? But will the NiMH batteries work in this old scanner? I do not have a manual for it. I will not have it plugged into anything.

I also bought a new BC125AT scanner after dealing with a seller of railroad radios that advertises in a popular magazine. I had no luck there with used RR radios. Could not lock out channels in a band. So I gave up and bought the BC125AT on line much cheaper since I have been told new scanners are no more receptive than old ones.  But it is so complicated for this old man I cannot deal with it. Maybe a busy friend can help me or my son-in-law in a week or so. I am not 'electronically gifted'.

Until I get the new scanner running, if it is any good, can I use eight NiMH batteris in the old Regency, or can I use four NiMH and Four NiCd's in it? Does the scanner care what kind of batteries are in it?

 

The NiMH batteries have twice the capacity of the NiCads.  Mixing the two together will be limited by the lesser capacity of the NiCads.  I suggest going with 8 of the new NiMH and buying two chargers.  The radio is likely to go several hours longer on a charge with the NiMH batteries.
 

I agree with radar.  It's usually not a good idea to mix types of batteries.  As a matter of fact, it's usually a good idea to keep the sets together and let them wear out equally.  If one battery is weaker than the rest, they can continue forcing current through it even if it is completely discharged.  Generally, that's not a good thing to do to the batteries.

I don't know what kind of tester you checked the battery with but it if is a general purpose meter, a "VOM," or Volt- Ohm- Milliamp Meter or Volt-Ohm Meter then it's not really a good test.  You can take a virtually dead battery and measure voltage of the battery and it will usually show 1.2 or 1.25.  The battery has a potential voltage but when you put a load on it, that voltage will drop.  Your car battery might measure 12.5 volts but when you try starting the car it may drop to 9 volts.  That's why your lights dim when you start the car.  The test of a battery is how much voltage will it supply when it's under a normal load.

I would suggest you go to your local Wally*world (Wal*mart) or other outlets and buy two chargers with 4 NiMH cells in them.  The radio usually doesn't care what kind of batteries you have.  Some of the really new stuff might but the older stuff isn't as picky.

John
 

Why not repair the plug in adapter? New plugs for the cigarette lighter receptacle can be found easily then the wires from the scanner plug can be spliced onto it.

Posted from iPhone

Yes, you can use NiMH, NiCd, alkaline, etc. batteries in the HX-1500, just don't mix them.  I bought a NiMH battery for my old HX-1000 and it lasts 26 hours per charge on the average.  However, it is a battery pack, not individual batteries.  You should still get a long time between chargings with NiMH batteries in the HX1500 !