GPS - worth it?

[andrew_s]

I get about 3 days from a pair of long life NiMH - something like 20h - in my Vista HCx.
If you are only getting 6 to 10 hours, I'd blame the battery, and by extension the charger.

Although long life NiMh are meant to be usable direct from the packet, it's not uncommon to find one cell that doesn't give very much on first use and doesn't perform properly until it's had 2 or 3 charge cycles through it. If those cycles have been done with one or more other cells and you use a standard cheap 2 or 4 cell charger, you end up further damaging the cells and never get a decent duration out of them.

You should use a charger that has 4 separate channels and will charge a single cell on its own. This ensures that cells don't get over-charged because a part-discharged good cell is paired with a completely flat bad cell.
It's better if the charger will report on what it's doing, and has additional discharge and cycle functions so that you can put new cells through their initial few charge/discharge cycles separately and unattended, and then pair up cells that have as near the same actual capacity as possible. The Technoline BL-700 is the most popular, the Maha MH-C 9000 is nicer, but more expensive.

If you want to carry spare cells for occasional "emergency" fallback use, the disposable lithium cells last longer than NiMh, store for longer, and are only half the weight. Not cheap though.

[maxglide]

Thanks for the info. I never considered the charger as a weak link in the chain. Mine's an Energizer compact charger that takes 4 batteries (AA, AAA, 9V) but, it won't charge a single cell on its own - only 2 or 4. Time to spend some money on a BL-700.

[ossie]

Apologise if already mentioned but have you considered AA lithium's? I got a 10 day tour in France plus several months of day rides afterwards on a pack of six.

Three to four days solid on a pair is the norm with these. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Lithi ... aa+lithium

edit..see they are mentioned above

[chris_suffolk]

Not withstanding all the debate on batteries, which I agree with (I have an eTrex Legend)

I've found one of the best uses of GPS is to get a grid reference of where I am, so I can use a good old fashioned map - or to navigate through strange towns where there are too many roads to keep track of easily. In this instance the GPS only needs to be switched on for a relatively short time, and thus battery life is much less of an issue.

Chris

[Ayesha]

A lot of Audax UK riders do 'DIY by GPS' where the Garmin's recording is their Proof of Passage. Battery life is critical.

Have a look on YACF forum.

[nickpaton]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Lithi ... aa+lithium

Rather than buying (anything) from Amazon as they won't pay UK taxes, better to buy from a company not associated with them, e.g. Battery Force. However I do empathise with the company who are using Amazon as their shop front - it's a bad situation all round, and the small guys end up suffering because of their greed and immoral accounting practices.

On topic - Li-ion are great for both high and low current applications, but be aware that if the case is punctured or damaged the cell will instantly combust.

[ossie]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Lithi ... aa+lithium

Rather than buying (anything) from Amazon as they won't pay UK taxes, better to buy from a company not associated with them, e.g. Battery Force. However I do empathise with the company who are using Amazon as their shop front - it's a bad situation all round, and the small guys end up suffering because of their greed and immoral accounting practices.

On topic - Li-ion are great for both high and low current applications, but be aware that if the case is punctured or damaged the cell will instantly combust.

Thanks for the lecture but i will continue to buy from them..you do as you please

[Sweep]

nickpaton's was a fair point.

[Vantage]

Completely off topic, but given that the UK government is full to the brim with and run by greedy immoral thieving scumbags, why do you continue to pay them taxes but not shop at amazon who you say are guilty of the same charges?

[meic]

There isnt much choice about that, is there?

Unless you are Amazon.