Whats the best battery for two-way radios?
Most two-way radios use nickel-cadmium. These batteries are durable and forgiving if abused. But nickel-cadmium batteries have only moderate energy density and are environmentally unfriendly. Environmental agencies have been discouraging its use, especially in Europe. The recommended alternative is nickel-metal-hydride, a battery that has higher energy density and contains no toxic metals. nickel-metal-hydride has been tested in two-way radios for a number of years but the results are mixed. Shorter than expected service life is the major drawback. For two-way radios, nickel-metal-hydride has a cycle life, which is half that of standard nickel-cadmium. nickel-metal-hydride prefers a moderate discharge current of 0.5C or less. A two-way radio, on the other hand, draws a discharge current of about 1.5A when transmitting at 4W of power. High discharge loads and sharp pulse currents shorten presario nx9000 battery life. To compare the longevity of nickel-metal-hydride under different load