STS radio battery - USA

Where can I buy, in America, a replacement battery
for an 'STS' brand hand-held radio?

I think 'Batteries Plus' can get one for about $70.

I've e-mailed 'Tropic Aero', asking if they have the
batteries. I think I bought my last couple from them
several years ago, but I don't know if they still carry
them.

Are there any other options?

Thanks,

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

I find STS Batteries at a reasonable price at EAA Oshkosh and Sun 'n Fun from
"The Battery Man".

I looked for his card - but no luck. I'm going to Oshkosh to manage the SSA
Booth from July 28 to August 3. "Battery Man" is on the next aisle in our
building A. Let me know if I can grab some for you - or I'll be able to get
his card again and you can order direct.

Burt Compton
Marfa Gliders, west Texas
cellphone on the road to OSH: 1-800-667-9464

I have slit the battery case open, replaced the NiCad cells, and taped
the case back together.

Ray Lovinggood wrote:

Where can I buy, in America, a replacement battery
for an 'STS' brand hand-held radio?

I think 'Batteries Plus' can get one for about $70.

I've e-mailed 'Tropic Aero', asking if they have the
batteries. I think I bought my last couple from them
several years ago, but I don't know if they still carry
them.

Are there any other options?

Thanks,

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA



Michael I Green

_____
|
`-----------( )-----------'
'
mighty gorilla
Duo Discus N175DD
PW-5 N80MG

I cut open about 3 bad battery packs and made provision for closing
screws. I buy the welded cells from batteries plus for aboout $30 and
solder them into my re-usable packs. There was also an optional
alkaline battery pack that takes 6 standard AA cells. I keep one in
the glider for landouts.

Since there seem to still be STS owners out there, does anyone have a
circuit diagram or other service information. I have 3 of these
radios but 2 of them have low receiver sensitivity. Tropic no longer
services STS.


Andy (GY)



Ray Lovinggood wrote in message ...
Where can I buy, in America, a replacement battery
for an 'STS' brand hand-held radio?

I think 'Batteries Plus' can get one for about $70.

I've e-mailed 'Tropic Aero', asking if they have the
batteries. I think I bought my last couple from them
several years ago, but I don't know if they still carry
them.

Are there any other options?

Thanks,

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

On 11 Jul 2003 12:35:12 -0700, (Andy Durbin)
wrote:

I cut open about 3 bad battery packs and made provision for closing
screws. I buy the welded cells from batteries plus for aboout $30 and
solder them into my re-usable packs. There was also an optional
alkaline battery pack that takes 6 standard AA cells. I keep one in
the glider for landouts.

Since there seem to still be STS owners out there, does anyone have a
circuit diagram or other service information. I have 3 of these
radios but 2 of them have low receiver sensitivity. Tropic no longer
services STS.


Andy (GY)


I have an STS and the receiver sensitivity gradually got worse until I
could no longer get the local weather staion at the airport 3 nm away.
I took it to the local avionics shop where it showed about zero
response to inputs on the bench. I thought about it for a while then
opened it up to look for anything obvious and the little wire from the
output stage to the center of the antenna connector had come off the
circuit board. Re-soldered and instant fix!. Now picks up the local
weather station downstairs inside the workshop and generally works
great.

If you open the battery case to repalce the cells you could usefully
consider replacing the nicads with Ni-MH which now come in up to 2 A-h
type in same physical size. I think the original nicads were 600mA-h
so you will get 3 times the battery life. Have you also done the mod
to put in a switch to turn the battery off? Otherwise the internal
clock runs the battery down in storage. Alternatively remove the
battery pack for storage.

Mike Borgelt

I received an answer from Tropic Aero (www.tropicaero.com):
They still have nicad batteries for the STS radio:
$49.00.

This beats the $70 (plus or minus) quoted from 'Batteries
Plus' for a nicad.

I do like the idea of a NiMH instead of the nicads.

Thanks,

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, NC, USA

"Ray Lovinggood" wrote in message
...
I received an answer from Tropic Aero (www.tropicaero.com):
They still have nicad batteries for the STS radio:
$49.00.

This beats the $70 (plus or minus) quoted from 'Batteries
Plus' for a nicad.

I do like the idea of a NiMH instead of the nicads.

Thanks,

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, NC, USA

If someone has an old battery case from a broken STS, I'd be interested. I
normally run mine from a 12v supply, but might like to resume portability
sometimes. Rebuilding a pack with NiMH sounds like an good idea.

Frank Whiteley
Colorado

Can the Ni-MH batteries use the same charger?


"Mike Borgelt" wrote in message
...
On 11 Jul 2003 12:35:12 -0700, (Andy Durbin)
wrote:
If you open the battery case to repalce the cells you could usefully
consider replacing the nicads with Ni-MH which now come in up to 2 A-h
type in same physical size. I think the original nicads were 600mA-h
so you will get 3 times the battery life. Have you also done the mod
to put in a switch to turn the battery off? Otherwise the internal
clock runs the battery down in storage. Alternatively remove the
battery pack for storage.

Mike Borgelt

rather different, not difficult

Heading for the garage to look for my STS case....

"F.L. Whiteley" wrote in message
...
Likely not. Difficult charging profile I suspect.

FWIW, here in the US, Sam's Club has had 8*Ni-MH AA+charger kits for US
$19.88 since last Christmas. The charger has a toggle for NI-CAD and NiMH
cells. Works great for my digital camera and Ni-MH supposedly good for
1000
cycles.

Frank

"Basil Fairston" wrote in message
...
Can the Ni-MH batteries use the same charger?


"Mike Borgelt" wrote in message
...
On 11 Jul 2003 12:35:12 -0700, (Andy Durbin)
wrote:
If you open the battery case to repalce the cells you could usefully
consider replacing the nicads with Ni-MH which now come in up to 2 A-h
type in same physical size. I think the original nicads were 600mA-h
so you will get 3 times the battery life. Have you also done the mod
to put in a switch to turn the battery off? Otherwise the internal
clock runs the battery down in storage. Alternatively remove the
battery pack for storage.

Mike Borgelt