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My FT-60 battery
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýMy experience has been the opposite, sort of, re: camera batteries. I¡¯ve been using Vivitar-label batteries for my two Nikon bodies. They¡¯re roughly $15-18 each. Compared to $50-something for the Nikon battery. That, and the Nikon is 1900 mAh, whereas the Vivitar are 2500 mAh. The Vivitar cost less than half of the Nikon and have 50% more capacity.
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I dug through my stash, and it appears I bought a Yaesu FBA-25 at some point. It was still new in the plastic.
I've been using Panasonic Eneloop Pro AA NiMH rechargeables in the field for about a year and a half now, from -16F, into the 130's F temperature range, without issues. I charge them once a week, when they get down to about 25%. Specs here: I bought a new 6-pack: Just to put into the FBA-25 case. The rating is 1,100mAh over the stock OEM FNB-83. I'll let the group know how it works out in a while. Kurt |
I bought a new 6-pack: Received Eneloop Pro AA's yesterday, once my FNB-83 depletes, I'll charge/top off the Panasonic cells, place them in the Yaesu battery box, then do what I can to document usability. I don't transmit much at all, so for the time being, it'll just be receive time compared to a new FNB-83. Kurt |
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Wise decision, good purchase.
In a message dated 5/16/2025 11:29:04 AM Eastern Daylight Time, facility_406@... writes: ?
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On 5/16/2025 08:44, John Thacker via groups.io wrote:
Wise decision, good purchase.My only concern is tolerances of the battery box. I'm currently using a few dozen Eneloop AA's in the field, rotating them weekly, and if inserted in certain boxes, in certain ways, the polymer sheathing gets torn and folds over. At the very least, I pull it off the end of the cell, all it does is uncover the cell vents, at worst, if I don't see it, it folds over, and covers the positive contact, preventing a pack from working. The FNA-25 case is VERY tight against the cells. The Eneloop batteries are very good, certainly better than the last rechargeable batteries I used, those bright purple NiCd batteries that Price Club (Costco) sold in the mid-90's. I did some research, they are very highly recommended in numerous fields. Based on the charged battery count on my two chargers, compared to the Energizer Lithium AA I was using, at $25 per eight pack, I've saved roughly four thousands dollars in batteries in a little over a year, along with roughly 1,300 less batteries tossed in the trash. I have not had any issues with the Eneloop AA, which are NiMH, but there is talk out there of "reconditioning" them if they start to loose capacity, or use time. My chargers have a recondition option. I am using a pair of these chargers: There are other chargers, but I figured better to go with a charger designed for the battery type, from the same manufacturer, rather than a random $5 special from WalMart. Pricey, but, so far, very much worth it. Kurt |
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Hi All,
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Just as a matter of interest, I would suggest using Eneloop Standard batteries instead of the Pro series. The Standard series have a Charge Retention of around 10 YEARS whilst the Pros only stay charged for around 1 YEAR. Also the number of Charge/Discharge cycles are higher on the Standard series than the Pro series. The ONLY advantages of the Pro series is that they have a slightly higher Ma/Hr Capacity and slightly higher maximum discharge current. Neither of these "advantages" add up to any real advantage when used with the FT-60. Do a search on "eneloop specs" and check this info out for yourself. From one who has, after the fact:-( I decided to use rechargeables in several of my "spare" batteries for various pieces of kit in my "go bag" and the first time I needed to use the Pros, they were almost flat:-( HTH Someone...Bob VK2ZRE On 17/05/2025 1:28 am, Facility 406 wrote:
I bought a new 6-pack: |
Just as a matter of interest, I would suggest using Eneloop Standard batteries instead of the Pro series.By standard, do you mean non-rechargeable lithium batteries, which claim to hold a charge for at least a decade? I use those as well, for some things, but my field application, and radio usage, would mean 13 6-packs per week, at ~$25 per pack (slightly less online), for a cost of $325/week, or $16,900 per year, opposed to the initial cost of about $400 for the Pros and chargers (spread out over a year), with an estimated service life, based on the claim of 500 charges, or, roughly 9 years, 10 months of use, a savings of about 165 thousand dollars in the same time frame over non-rechargeables. I still have to swap batteries once a week, but I think I've saved a few bucks. The Pros were chosen after extensive research, part of which I'll go into later. As for using the FNA-25 AA pack, it was a total clusterf--k which lasted less than one minute to know the design is a complete failure, and I'll never know how Eneloop Pro works compared to the OEM FNB-83. I'll write that up as well, and offer the case, free of charge, to whomever wishes to whack it with a hammer, drop a deuce on it, then send it to Yaesu, postage due.... Or, just stare at it for a few seconds (something Yaesu clearly never did), then corner the global market by designing one good AA case for the FT-60. Kurt |
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Hi Kurt,
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The Eneloop cells come in 3 grades, Pro (black), Standard (white) and Light (don't know colour). They are all NiMH chemistry. My Yaesu FT-60 AA adapter works fine with ordinary AA primary alkalines or Eneloop NiMH rechargeables. Cheers...Bob VK2ZRE On 19/05/2025 10:18 am, Facility 406 wrote:
Just as a matter of interest, I would suggest using Eneloop Standard batteries instead of the Pro series.By standard, do you mean non-rechargeable lithium batteries, which claim to hold a charge for at least a decade? |
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I have older Eneloops, both Sanyo and Panasonic.? The nominal 2000 mAh cells are a tight fit but they work.? Higher-capacity Eneloops may be too big to fit in the AA battery case.
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I have repaired the insulation on the metallic Eneloop cell case with Scotch tape (cellophane tape). 73, Nick, AA3T On 5/19/2025 3:34 AM, Bob Ecclestone via groups.io wrote:
Hi Kurt, --
Sent from laptop |
My Yaesu FT-60 AA adapter works fine with ordinary AA primary alkalines or Eneloop NiMH rechargeables.Link? The OEM battery box has two major, and unresolvable design flaws which prevent the radio from being used either, always clipped on a belt, or, always held in the hand. There was a 3rd design flaw, that actually prevented it from being installed on an FT-60, but a knife fixed that. Kurt |
I have repaired the insulation on the metallic Eneloop cell case with Scotch tape (cellophane tape).Another, in my opinion, much better, much stronger, with better insulating properties, and less prone to scuffing, would be Kapton tape. Also very thin, and used in automotive, aerospace, and general electronics industries for insulation, isolation, and protection. Here is a random listing pulled from the web as an example: The sellers spiel around the middle of the page provides info on the general qualities of the material. Plenty of resources online, but that page gives the gist of the material, and shows different sizes. For additional excitement, look up Faraday Tape! Kurt |
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Please elaborate on your complaints.? I have two OEM battery boxes and never had a problem with either of them.? I use 2000 mAh Eneloops, both Sanyo and Panasonic.? The belt clip has always been attached and I also use a leather case all the time.? Look in the archives for information about the leather case.
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73, Nick, AA3T On 5/19/2025 11:03 AM, Facility 406 via groups.io wrote:
My Yaesu FT-60 AA adapter works fine with ordinary AA primary alkalines or Eneloop NiMH rechargeables.Link? --
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So true.? All the extra expense for the Pro, and then within not-so-many cycles (50? 100?) they're down to standard levels.? I guess if I were actually a professional, using them for a camera flash or stage equipment, I might find it worth it.? Otherwise, the only reason to get them is that they look cool.
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Thanks for the tip.
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Scotch tape was a "field-expedient" solution <hi hi>. 73, Nick, AA3T On 5/19/2025 11:18 AM, Facility 406 via groups.io wrote:
I have repaired the insulation on the metallic Eneloop cell case with Scotch tape (cellophane tape).Another, in my opinion, much better, much stronger, with better insulating properties, and less prone to scuffing, would be Kapton tape. ?Also very thin, and used in automotive, aerospace, and general electronics industries for insulation, isolation, and protection. --
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Yes, I looked up Faraday tape. One website has inspired some ideas for a new and improved tin foil hat <hi hi>.? 73, Nick, AA3T
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On 5/19/2025 11:18 AM, Facility 406 via groups.io wrote:
I have repaired the insulation on the metallic Eneloop cell case with Scotch tape (cellophane tape).Another, in my opinion, much better, much stronger, with better insulating properties, and less prone to scuffing, would be Kapton tape. ?Also very thin, and used in automotive, aerospace, and general electronics industries for insulation, isolation, and protection. --
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please share your ideas with me.
Thanks
In a message dated 5/19/2025 12:24:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time, rylatt.nm@... writes: ?
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On 5/19/2025 08:46, radellaf via groups.io wrote:
So true.? All the extra expense for the Pro, and then within not-so-many cycles (50? 100?) they're down to standard levels.A brief response, 500 charges, perhaps more, per the minimum spec, 2,100 for the standard, and higher current with larger capacity for the pro. In the field, my application is roughly 150mA every ten seconds for about 15 hours, and from 0 to about 1800 instances of use, with about 1500mA of draw for the remaining 9 hours out of a day. I get two weeks out of that, but swap them within a week to eight days to avoid down time. Regarding using with an FT-60, I don't have my manual in front of me, but how often is it used, how many transmissions, at how many amps draw? Anyone doing APRS with an FT-60 and AA pack filled with Eneloop Pro with ten second updates to compare? Someone said 136 cycles, assuming that's charges, I haven't hit that yet, but I have about 75 so far, use from -16F to the +130's temperature range, no fluctuations in use, no charge problems, no decline in operating time. I suppose, they could just spontaneously fail, and should that happen, I'll go from there. Kurt |
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On 5/19/2025 08:18, Nick Rylatt via groups.io wrote:
Please elaborate on your complaints.? I have two OEM battery boxes and never had a problem with either of them.? I use 2000 mAh Eneloops, both Sanyo and Panasonic.? The belt clip has always been attached and I also use a leather case all the time.? Look in the archives for information about the leather case.No problem, give me a couple of days. Does the list allow pics? If so, pics would REALLY help show the issues I ran into. I'll have to check into the leather case. One MAJOR problem I have, is the keypad only lasting a few weeks. I have a half dozen on-hand, because the numbers keep rubbing off. Turns out, the seatbelt in my truck lays right across the face. If the FT-60 had the button info on the body, like the -50, it'd be a non-issue. The -50 had it's own issue with the power button failing once or twice a year, as well. Somewhere I have a stash of those. Another trick is to swap the FT-50 VFO/step knob to the -60, since the -60 knob is so high it blocks the power/volume knob. Kurt |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýTry using a dab of clear fingernail polish over the keypad numbers.?Jardy Dawson WA7JRD Message sent by....Nobody cares!! On May 19, 2025, at 19:46, Facility 406 <facility_406@...> wrote:
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radellaf
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