In my work we go through a lot of alkaline batteries.  About ten years ago something changed and all the main brands Duracell, Eveready, Ray-o-Vac (pro and consumer lines) became very prone to leaking.  I've received new batteries that were already leaking in the package!

A ham I know who retired from Ray-o-Vac told me that this is likely due to the adoption of a vent that is meant to supposedly prevent alkaline batteries explosions.  I've never seen an alkaline battery violently explode (I'm sure it is possible) but the batteries from these companies are completely untrustworthy now. 

I've switched to using non-alkaline "heavy duty" batteries in some applications.  In situations where an alkaline is really needed, I use either the Harbor Freight Thunderbolt or Amazon Basics alkalines.  So far we've not experienced any leaking from those two brands, but we've not been using them as long as we did the more widely known brands.


Steve WD8DAS

sbjohnston@aol.com
http://www.wd8das.net/
http://af4k-crystals.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Radio is your best entertainment value.
--------------------------------------------------------------------


-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-request@mailman.qth.net
To: milsurplus@mailman.qth.net
Sent: Sun, Feb 26, 2023 2:45 pm
Subject: Milsurplus Digest, Vol 226, Issue 21

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Today's Topics:

  1. Re: Original TBX radio (Ken Kinderman)
  2. Re: Original TBX radio (mstangelo@comcast.net)
  3. Re: Original TBX radio (KD7JYK DM09)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2023 12:23:30 -0500
From: Ken Kinderman <scr274@gmail.com>
To: Robert Downs <wa5cab@cs.com>
Cc: Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI@salisbury.edu>, mrca@mailman.qth.net,
    milsurplus@mailman.qth.net, MMRCG@groups.io
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Original TBX radio
Message-ID: <88E6E35E-97D4-4F75-9D32-734531EC7D4A@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Robert?s comments about Duracell reminded me of a recent thread here that discussed pro?s and con?s of various brands.

Can anyone point me to that thread, or summarize it for me?

Bought a box of AA?s at Costco recently. I put them in a drawer for a month or so and later found that they were out of date and beginning to leak  Made in China. Can?t recall the brand.

Re parallel cells? I have a Western Union ?self-winding? clock that uses two 1.5 volt telephone cells for 3 volts total. Instead of hunting them down, I use four D cells, 2x2 in series-parallel but I put a diode in series with each cell. Sure, I lose half a volt but it works OK. Have not paid attention to the brands I use, but  in future I guess I should.

So anyway? brands to avoid?

Thanks

73

Ken
W2EWL

Thomas Edison:
?I never trust anything that works the first time?

> On Feb 26, 2023, at 2:32 AM, Robert Downs via Milsurplus <milsurplus@mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
> ?
> Ray,

> I offer a reprint of the TBX-5 manual.  Go to wa5cab.com.  There is very little difference from TBX through TBX-6.

> TBX-7 was to be the same as TBX-8 (no change to the transmitter but the receiver is nearly the same as in the BC-1306 (7-pin miniature tubes).  The order for TBX-7 was apparently  cancelled.  The only place that I have seen it mentioned is in the manual for the 12VDC vibrator power supply.

> If you plan to run the receiver filaments off of parallel D-cells, don?t use DuraCell.  Two or more in parallel get very hot very quickly.

> Robert Downs

> From: milsurplus-bounces@mailman.qth.net [mailto:milsurplus-bounces@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ray Fantini
> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2023 09:03
> To: milsurplus@mailman.qth.net; mrca@mailman.qth.net; MMRCG@groups.io
> Subject: [Milsurplus] Original TBX radio

> I will soon be picking up a new to me Navy TBX transceiver. I did have a TBX-6 about twenty years back that I had operated at Dayton and a couple other events but traded that away years ago. Problem was way back then used all printed material so don?t know how much of the old paperwork I will be able to locate
> The new radio is a 1939 straight TBX (NOs-65704 16 Mar 1939) CG-43005 That?s not a TBX-8, never wanted an eight and always liked the ?Old School? design of the radios before that was interduce. I remember that the six that I had before used all 34 tubes along with something like a 1C4 in the receiver and the entire receiver only drew around fifteen or twenty mills at 90 volts during normal operation and was always amazed that any receiver can operate with that low a demand. Also, the non-eight all just have one tube in the transmitter that?s suppressor modulated, think it was an 837
> The new plan is to build up a battery pack with a couple D cells and a stack of nine-volt cells for supplying the 90, 1.5 and bias needed by the receiver and get that working first and then throw something together for the transmitter for the five hundred volts required for that.
> The problem will be that I am now in need of a couple things, first the schematic for a TBX, any TBX up to the seven series will do but the schematic for the eight is of little to no use, have that anyway and I will need the correct name and identifier for the two power plugs on the front of the radio. Think they are all the same on all the TBX family.  I now have to come up with another set of plugs for the radio.
> Somehow over the years this radio has lost its case, think that may be a huge issue in the future but for now not a big problem, kind of like the way they look when you operate them outside their case. I have an RCA AVR receiver and a old command set transmitter that I intend to be running for the WW2 3885 AM Net out in Dayton this year and the old RCA looks way cool with all its aluminum cans and tube shields exposed.

> Ray F/KA3EKH

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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2023 12:36:10 -0500 (EST)
From: mstangelo@comcast.net
To: mrca@mailman.qth.net, milsurplus@mailman.qth.net, MMRCG@groups.io
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Original TBX radio
Message-ID: <489368702.46588.1677432970989@connect.xfinity.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

I've had leakage from Ray-O-Vac and Energizer alkaline batteries as well as Duracell. I believe it has to do the chemical composition. They are probably made in the same factory these days.

I now use Energizer Ulitmate Lithium batteries in my test equipment, flashlights and equipment where battery access is difficult.

Mike N2MS

> On 02/26/2023 12:23 PM Ken Kinderman <scr274@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Robert?s comments about Duracell reminded me of a recent thread here that discussed pro?s and con?s of various brands.
>
> Can anyone point me to that thread, or summarize it for me?
>
> Bought a box of AA?s at Costco recently. I put them in a drawer for a month or so and later found that they were out of date and beginning to leak Made in China. Can?t recall the brand.
>
> Re parallel cells? I have a Western Union ?self-winding? clock that uses two 1.5 volt telephone cells for 3 volts total. Instead of hunting them down, I use four D cells, 2x2 in series-parallel but I put a diode in series with each cell. Sure, I lose half a volt but it works OK. Have not paid attention to the brands I use, but in future I guess I should.
>
> So anyway? brands to avoid?
>
> Thanks
>
> 73
>
> Ken
> W2EWL
>


------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2023 12:45:04 -0800
From: KD7JYK DM09 <kd7jyk@earthlink.net>
To: milsurplus@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Original TBX radio
Message-ID: <5942b9ee-73c5-8866-da76-5806afad2341@earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed

> So anyway? brands to avoid?

Duracell is the #1 brand to avoid.

Kurt



------------------------------

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End of Milsurplus Digest, Vol 226, Issue 21
*******************************************