Harry
SolarFry wrote:
>My experience with a West Marine handheld VHF has been:
>
>Range - optimal conditions 5 miles at max 5 Watt output channels. (It is
>limited to 1 Watt power on certain channels. Battery life with Alkys
>(1.369V) = 5 hours before range deteriorates (voltage after 5 hrs is 1.3V).
>After 10 hours batts not usable for VHF. Remember that when you transmit,you
>suck 6 to 8 Watts/hr. out of 4 batteries rated to put out 3 Watts/hr. (750
>MAH each). With Rechargeable Alkalines (RA - 1.4V output) I get
>approximately 10 hours of full time reception use. But only 7 hours if I use
>transmit a lot. ON gps they seem to last forever. You must recharge after
>every 10 hours of use if you want them to last forever.. I recharge after
>each other use (2 uses)
>