"Chris W" wrote in message
...
Casey Wilson wrote:

Quote all the 'documents' you want -- my real-life experience proves
to
me that NiMH are by far superior to alkaline batteries.

That's like saying aluminum is far superior to steel. In reality it
depends on
the situation.

No, your metaphor doesn't work. We are talking about batteries.

I'm not trying to say NiMH are worthless. In fact in the situations you
describe they are an excellent choice. However for something that is only
used
briefly at very rare intervals, such as a hand held Tx that is carried for
the
sole purpose of back up for when the panel radio dies, non rechargeable
batteries are the way to go. Stick them in the radio today, and 18 months
from
now when I need it, I can be confident that they are still going to work.

I think part of the trip planning check list should include checking
the spare (read emergency) radio. Particularly if it is an item you might
want to depend on in a critical situation. Stashing it somewhere for months
doesn't seem like a safe idea.
I plan on using mine every time I go flying. Like, listening to ATIS or
calling ground before cranking the engine. Seems to me that would save some
time on the Hobbs.

As a side note; when it comes to rechargeable batteries, I don't know why
every
one dismisses NiCd's so quickly. In many applications I think they are
arguably
as well suited as NiMH. They are cheaper, have a greater number of cycles
before they die, and the memory effect which is no longer as bad as some
would
have you believe, is rather easily managed with the right charger and by
using 2
battery packs.

My post was aimed at alkaline batteries. But since you mentioned them,
my personal experience with NiMH versus NiCad is pretty much the same. NiCad
batteries have not lived up to the heavy power drain of my camera. I don't
expect them to work any differently in a handheld Xceiver.
I used to use NiCad in my RC equipment. Same thing. Memory effect
aside, NiCads just have not performed as well as NiMH. Also, I've tossed a
lot of NiCad batteries that went kaput before NiMH went on the market. I'm
still using every NiMH I've ever bought. No, I take that back.... a thief
stole a camera bag along with eight batteries last month. I did replace
those.
Maybe my experience is enigmatic. Do what feels good for you. I don't
condemn you or NiCads.

Regards,

Casey