Posted by Keith Frick -
MERRAG is issuing new batteries for all of their Motorola SP-50 two-way radios. All of the batteries are being renewed at one time because MERRAG is switching to a new more powerful battery chemistry.
What's the best battery for two-way radios? Most two-way radios use nickel-cadmium batteries (NiCAD). These batteries are durable and forgiving if abused. The recommended alternative is nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH). These batteries have a higher energy density and contain no toxic metals.
Comparing the two, nickel-cadmium Two Way Radio batteries have the advantage of maintaining steady high capacity and low internal resistance through most of their service life. A nickel-metal-hydride Two Way Radio battery, on the other hand, starts with good capacity and low internal resistance but the resistance increases after a few hundred cycles.
Nickel-based two-way radio batteries are high in maintenance. Periodic discharge cycles are needed to prevent crystalline formation on the cell plates, also known as "memory." Nickel-cadmium is more receptive to memory than nickel-metal-hydride because both nickel and cadmium plates are affected by memory. Memory causes the battery to deliver less than its rated capacity. The user is surprised when the battery that they thought was good suddenly and unexpectedly fails in the middle of a shift.
What are the charging cycles of nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride two-way radio batteries? Nickel-cadmium two-way radio batteries should be exercised once every one-to-two months, whereas nickel-metal-hydride two-way radio batteries can get by with a deliberate full discharge once every three months. Without proper maintenance, the advantage of nickel-cadmium over nickel-metal-hydride in terms of cycle life cannot be realized.
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