Only 1 watt with alkalines?

[Archangel]

I just received my cool new Standard Horizon HX460S handheld VHF. I bought it to, among other things, populate my ditch bag.

I got the optional FBA-23 alkaline battery case figuring if I happened to ditch when the rechargeable lithium-ion battery needed a charge I would have the case and a bunch of alkalines in the bag.

The HX460S's owner's manual states:

"Alkaline batteries can be used for transmission in an emergency, but power output will only be 1 watt, and battery life will be short."

Hmmm. It would seem that it is exactly *during* an emergency that full power would be a really good idea, even for a very brief transmission (Mayday).

I installed some fresh alkalines and attached the battery pack. When I switch on the radio I am able to switch between low (1 watt), medium (2.5 watts), and high (5 watts) power just like with the lithium-ion battery.

Does the radio really know which battery is installed? Did the owner's manual, perhaps, simply want me to *consider* 1 watt to prolong battery life?

Any thoughts/help appreciated.

-Carty

[J.B. Cornwell]

To transmit 1 Watt, your transmitter uses all the power the alkalines can supply.

If you set it for 5 watts it will still only transmit 1 Watt.

Suggest you carry a spare, fully charged Lithium in your ditchbag instead of the alkys.

Red sky at night. . .
JB

[Mumblerone]

I just took a look for Icom www.icomamerica.com I looked at the 1C-M3A Handheld...quote: 5 watts of talk power (when using the included Ni-Cd rechargeables)
The implication is certainly there to use Ni-Cd if you want 5 watts, also. Will your unit accept Ni-Cd Vs akaline? Just a thought.

Boston Whaler, "MUMBLER", 24' Outrage (1996), twin 175 HP Evinrude Ocean Pros. Snowball, the cat...

[Thom]

I think you'd have to give Standard a call to see if somehow the radio senses that you have the alkaline batterys hooked up and if it then automatically limited itself to the lowest power output no matter what other setting you may have selected, but it really doesn't matter.

I say that because the limiting factor for transmission distance, if you are out there with your head and that hand held bobbing just above the water, isn't going to be its power output, its going to be the antenna height. 1 watt will easily transmit as far as an antenna that is wave height plus about one foot will allow, and an additional 4 watts won't make any more difference than an ice cube in hell. Even if you happened to be in a life raft of some sort you wouldn't have the height necessary for any appreciable transmission distance greater than the 1 watt would handel. Of course if they are looking for you with an airplane the antenna height issue would go away and power would become a factor - but let's get real here fellows. They won't send out the airplanes looking for your missing butt until long after your battery (no matter which one you happen to be using) is as dead as gray matter in Washington.

Thom

"The amount S&P 500 corporations owe to their employee's retirement benefits plans for which they have set aside no funds: $458,000,000,000"