[Kenwood] thg71a charging question

[Eric Lemmon]

Roy,

It is not a good idea to use a bench power supply to charge ni-cad
batteries.  Most chargers that come with a radio are designed to control
both the voltage and the current based upon the internal impedance
and/or temperature of the battery.  If the individual cells are not
designed for rapid charging, you should not try to speed up the
process.  Cells that can handle a three-hour charging cycle are designed
to absorb the gases generated, and they can handle the higher
temperatures.  If a rapid-charge battery pack is not available for your
radio, you might be able to use NiMH cells in your dry cell holder.  Of
course, you'll need a separate charger that is designed for NiMH cells.

Re your other question, you should not have the radio turned on while
charging the battery.  To do so diverts some charging current to run the
radio, lengthening the time it takes to fully charge the battery.  Some
radios draw enough standby current that the battery will never charge if
the radio is turned on.  Since the charging current does not need to be
filtered much, the ripple will modulate the carrier if the radio is
keyed while in the charging stand- a big no-no!

73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY

Roy Nickelson wrote:
> 
Can I use the Radio Shack power supply as a charger and still run the
radio at the same time?  Will it take 15 hours to charge it this way?

> Roy
>