E-Trac battery charge question

[Barry NY]

had my E-Trac battery charging (only the second time charging since initial charge) for about 3 days. after swinging for an hour one bar on the scale out of the 4 was already gone...
does the battery take a few charge-up's to get to the point where it shows the 4 full bars after a good 2 day charge?

 

[Jason in Enid]

Staying longer on the charger won't change the charge level.

The forth bar only means that it is fully charged. Obviously after an hour of use, it's not fully charged anymore. I'd be more worried about the total detecting time you get off the battery, instead of how long each bar lasts.

 

[Jackalope]

Barry:

The 1600 NiMH rechargeable battery only charges full to approx. 11.2 VDC according to the manual on page 85. Notice that in the first hour or two, it drops quickly to a bit above 10 VDC. That initial drop is normal and it stays around 10 VDC for 8 to 10 hours. I checked the voltage on it after charging and it was 11.2 VDC.

Ron

 

[Johnlightning]

n/t

 

[NiagracountyNY]

The 1st bar will drop fast but then it takes awhile for the next.Ive hunted a full 8 hrs straight NP with the stock battery.I always have the sleeve with regular batteries with me just incase.

 

[C&RHunter]

I never use the AA battery pack...I put the rechargeable on in the evening before a next days hunt, and take it off about 12-15 hours later, just before leaving for the hunt. I pay no attention to the bars showing amount of charge...The overnight charge lasts one or two hunting trips. I have not had charging problems with the standard rechargeable batteriesand I've been using them for 8-9 years..

 

[terrywl]

I went to Costco and bought an inverter (less than $20). Now I can charge all my handheld devices in the vehicle W/O needing a special adapter for each one. Works great on road trips. Terry

 

[John - Maryland]

I have found that the first 2 bars go faster then the last 2. For me when the first 2 bars are gone, it takes a longer time for the 3 bar to go away.

 

[onemore]

I use the Energizer AA 24xx rechargables in the AA pack as my primary battery pack. I always charge them once, disconnect the charger, then charge them again to ensure full charge.

After a couple use/recharge cycles, they are good. They outlast the sealed 1600 or 1800 battery packs. If I get one bad AA battery that can't hold the charge as long as the others, then I can replace that one.

I typically detect for 6-8 hours, so I always carry an extra pack for backup.

 

[Barry NY]

thanks for all the great feedback.