VHF Battery Problems

[Guest]

I own a Swiftech M198 handheld VHF radio with a 700mAh 9.6 volt battery. According to the instructions this can be powered externally by a 12 v battery or charged with 240 volts. As my boat has no onboard battery I have (after discussion with our local chandler/electronics man) used a De Walt rechargable drill battery rated at 12 volt 1.25 Ah this worked fine until I tried to charge the radio's internal battery which is now dead and will no longer accept a charge. have I somehow damaged the internal battery? and if so what is the difference between a drill battery and a "normal" 12 v unit I hope someone can shed some light on this one

 

[Guest]

It seems unlikely that your use of a drill battery could have caused any damage, after all 12Volts is 12 Volts. I wonder if the socket on the radio is faulty - there is often a switch mechanism built into the socket to disconnect the internal battery when the external supply is being used. Have a close look and see if there are two contacts which are pushed apart as the plug goes in, and if so check that they make contact again when it is removed. Good Luck.

 

[Guest]

I have a Swiftech the same as yours and regularly operating plugged into a 12 volt supply on the boat. You will notice that when charging the battery from the mains charger that the radio will not work as a radio! There is a difference in the charger plug and the 12 volt connection plug to cause this. You might still be able to buy replacement batteries from Simpson Lawrence should any other solutions fail. As a final note - have you tried "Electrical Contact Spray" down the socket on the back of the battery? Might be you've got salt in there or something.

 

[Guest]

The changeover switch is operated by the external supply socket and this is a constant problem,switch cleaner might do the trick,if not you will have to open it up and clean it.You can use any 12v battery with a capacity of .7A or 700mA or more as an external supply.disconnect the internal battery before you work on the innards.

double trouble