Railfan Technology > Vertex VX-150 scanner question

I have a Vertex VX-150 that's not charging anymore. I've had it probably 4-5 years and has served me well. When I put it on the charger the red light comes on for only a few seconds then goes off. Prior to that the red light would come on and stay on till it went green signifying that it was charged.  Has the battery just served its life? Are they replaceable and if removed would the channels be erased and have to be reprogramed? Thanks

I don't know what the problem is but I will tell you that you can get replacement battery packs.  They are a bit expensive but if that is the problem, it's not bad for a battery that will last 5 years or more.  When you remove the battery pack you should not lose what you have in the memory.

I wonder if the problem was all of a sudden or was this something that started slow and advanced to the condition you have today.  I suspect it was all of a sudden.  You might try removing the battery and checking the contacts and reinstalling the battery.  Just a guess.

John

I'm having something similar happen, but when I put the radio into the charger multiple times the battery eventually gets charged. this would be the second time it's happened and both the transformer and the stand are only sold as a set. Since, in my case, the battery holds a charge similar to before I would think it's not the battery. I have a second transformer and stand that works as advertised, once again the batteries hold their charge.

Note that Vertex amateur radios and accessories are now sold under the Yeasu brand. I was able to get replacements at a HAM Outlet store that happened to be nearby. They have a website, Yeasu can also be found on Amazon website. Yeasu lists replacement battery packs, charger sets and also an interesting battery holder that makes use of regular alkaline batteries.

The story that I've been told about the transformer and charger is that California requires the charger to shut off when the battery is charged. Ergo the stand and the circuitry.

Could be something as simple as cleaning the contacts on the scanner and charger stand. also, if the battery has taking a 'set', that is no llonger charging to full capacity, it will fake out the charger as to be fully charged and shuts down the charger. I had this happen to numerous tool batteries over the years.

Happened to be on Amazon and the Yeasu charger appeared in the recommendation stack, went to look at it and found some comments about chargers being extremely susceptible to ESD. Apparently they have a particular MOSFET as the last stage, people are reporting it can be blown out by merely touching the charger contact with your finger, like if you were looking for a loose contact. Some people report being able to have the charger replaced under warrenty. Some of the reports include the red/yellow/green monitor light not showing any color.

Not sure how this effects the battery life or it's 'memory'. I have a second charger at another location that appears to be working fine, so I'll cycle everything through there and see how the batteries act, they had been discharging quickly and reading odd voltages when the radio was turned on. I'll get a charger on order shortly as I like to have a back-up, I also have an alkaline-style battery holder and a car style power supply so I think I'm covered for now.