FL390
Active Member
My Cobra HH125 drains the batteries even when switch off. I’ve tried different set but the same result each time. Perhaps better on an electronics forum but thought I’d ask if anyone here has seen similar.
Handheld Cobra VHF battery drain
- Thread starter FL390
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PetiteFleur
Well-Known Member
I've found exactly the same thing - I even bought some extra long life Lithium batteries thinking they would last the season but no, dead halfway through the summer. Now I will just insert a set of Alkaline batteries each time we go out and I've now got a rechargeable Standard Horizon with DSC - bought after lockdown as I found that I'd saved a bit of money.
Biggles Wader
Well-Known Member
HH125----useless radio. Mine even failed to float when I chucked it overboard.
Ammonite
Well-Known Member
I have the opposite problem with my 10 year old handheld Cobra VHF. Bloody thing wont ever run down. Must have charged it 3 or 4 times in that time and thats when the charge indicator dropped by one segment or I thought there must be something wrong with it. Brilliant bit of kit 
Edit: thinking about this again, is it discharging when its in the cradle? One thing I have noticed was that if you push the radio fully home it starts discharging (in my case the cradle was on but the same thing may happen when off) and that you need to raise it a couple of mm for it to charge (not discharge) which is easily solved with an adhesive foam strip or similar
Edit: thinking about this again, is it discharging when its in the cradle? One thing I have noticed was that if you push the radio fully home it starts discharging (in my case the cradle was on but the same thing may happen when off) and that you need to raise it a couple of mm for it to charge (not discharge) which is easily solved with an adhesive foam strip or similar
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Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
Storing it with the battery out when not actually sailing and only putting it in when you want to switch it on might help.
You could buy a battery on eBay and see if it performs any better than the original.
As I was writing that the thought occurred to me that there might be dirt/salt deposits between the charging electrodes causing a short. A sailing school where I used to instruct on small keelboats used to insist that the handhelds were rinsed and dried every day before recharging.
You could buy a battery on eBay and see if it performs any better than the original.
As I was writing that the thought occurred to me that there might be dirt/salt deposits between the charging electrodes causing a short. A sailing school where I used to instruct on small keelboats used to insist that the handhelds were rinsed and dried every day before recharging.
ashtead
Well-Known Member
The cobra is not alone in having this self discharge feature as my icom did that. I eventually replaced the battery but continued so now while I still have it have invested in a standard horizon with dsc etc . Mine was icom 31 but might not be available on all models ?
pvb
Well-Known Member
I don't think it's the same situation. The Icom had an electronic on/off circuit which constantly used power. The Cobra has a physical on/off switch so it shouldn't use power when switched off.
ashtead
Well-Known Member
Appreciate that might be different cause but didn’t want The OP jumping out of the Cobra pan into the icom fire hence the warning . Much better off maybe with standard horizon.