ORIGINAL: djlyon
Battery issues
Out of 5 RDS 8000s I know about, the battery packs will not hold a charge. After being fully charged they will decay down to about 9.6 volts in 3 or 4 days. This happens whether they are fast charged or slow charged in the transmitter or out of the transmitter. 2 of the radios are mine. Also mine cannot be reliably fast charged with either a Cirrus or Triton charger. They don't peak detect 4 out of 5 times. With a Hobbico field charger they peak detect fine. If the batterys are capacity tested within a short time after being charged (same day) their capacity is as rated, 700 milliamp hrs.
Has anyone else experienced this. Maybe this is the result of a battery chemistry change to protect the environment.
My fix has been to use the battery packs from my old Airtronics transmitters.
Denis
I realize what I'm about to say is not a scientific test of anything, just my personal experience. I have owned my RDS8000 since 5/14/08 and have had approximately 50 uneventful flights. This means the radio has functioned flawlessly. When Denis mentioned the battery issue (which I personnally have not experienced) I thought I would check my transmitter voltage reading as displayed on the transmitter visual screen. At the time it read 10.4 volts.
I had charged my transmitter via the airtronics wall wart on 09/03/08. I charged the battery for approximately 12 hours. When Denis posted the above message my transmitter displayed a battery voltage of 10.4 volts when I flipped the switch to the on position. I did not check it at the time I removed it from charge. Today at the time of this writing I checked it again. The transmitter still displayed a battery voltage of 10.4 volts. The transmitter had been sitting on the shelf, unused, for approximately seven (7) days. I would not hesitate to take it out tomorrow and fly my planes without a recharge (not my normal practice) I have that much confidence in the airtronics system.
For info, I have been flying since 1969. All my previous gear has been Kraft, Futaba, and Hitec. This is my first Airtronics radio system.
I will be the pround owner of a Airtronics 10 channel 2.4 radio the day it hits the streets.
I do not doubt what you are saying Denis. I am merely sharing my experience with you to give you food for thought.