Portable Radio Chargers in Trucks

[Dave404]

I am looking for some help in finding truck bank chargers that will hold Ht1250 motorola radio. I have found the Motorola bank charger, but they are large and radio's could bounce out. What is everyone else using?

Thanks

[WFD999]

I am looking for some help in finding truck bank chargers that will hold Ht1250 motorola radio. I have found the Motorola bank charger, but they are large and radio's could bounce out. What is everyone else using?

Thanks

We are using Kenwood TK-270 's all we've done is screw down the original charger that comes with into a interior cabnet and have no problems. Our Rescue's air ride maybe thats the differnce? Good luck finding a solution.

[oneofmany]

We are using Kenwood TK-270 's all we've done is screw down the original charger that comes with into a interior cabnet and have no problems. Our Rescue's air ride maybe thats the differnce? Good luck finding a solution.

Velcro....

[FitSsikS]

Dumb question. Do you really need to have battery chargers on the trucks?

It may be easier just to aquire a model for the stn where size and safety aren't an issue.

[irsqyu]

Dumb question. Do you really need to have battery chargers on the trucks?

It may be easier just to aquire a model for the stn where size and safety aren't an issue.

I have had it both ways. In the past we had radios with NiCad batteries, it was always a problem tying to find a way to rotate the batteries properly. They always developed a memory as you couldn't let them go down to nothing. We tried scrubbing them and it didn't work all that well either.
We are now using Nickel Metal Hydride or Lithium batteries. We can now keep all the radios in chargers on the truck. I can't remember ever having a battery go dead on me since we got the chargers.
With the old ones, we would do radio checks, they would be fine then would go dead on the first call. We always had a couple of spare batteries in our pockets.

Now the moral is it's not about where the charger is but about the type of battery one is using. Unfortunaetly NiCad batteries must be cycled and recharged, which never worked all that well in the fire service when you always want a fully charged battery on the radio.

[WFD999]

Velcro....

Only for shoe laces

[irsqyu]

Only for shoe laces

Actually velcro does work great for the mike(cell) phone, keeps it in place right in front of you on the dash or engine housing. The plastic holders usually last about a day!

[NWOPCP]

We have taken a couple of the single chargers for the HT750 and HT1250's
and placed them into a self designed aluminum "tray" with holes in the back
for the power cords to feed in. The 4 sides of the tray are the same height as
the charger base. The chargers are velcro'd into the bottom
of the tray, and nylon webbing with long velcro sewn in was created to pass overtop
each charger. The straps are long enough that they can hold
either a full radio or a single battery into the charger should the cab
be tilted up or something worse happens.
I can get you a photo if need be, but can not do it for a week or so.
Just let me know.

[CKL958]

Our chargers are held down with velcro. I haven't bounced a radio out of them yet. Believe we are running HT1250's

[Arkster]

If anyone is interested, I have designed a product that secures the portable radios while in the truck. Message me if you would like more info.

DL

[AxeInHand]

The real solution here is a proper battery maintenance program with conditioning per the manufacturer's recommendations. If you do opt to go with apparatus mounted chargers, here are some things to keep in the back of your mind:

-- Use original equipment manufacturer's equipment. They manufacture the batteries, and different batteries use different charging patterns (rates, times, voltages, etc). While it might be cheaper to buy a no-name brand now, it isn't in 12 months when you have to replace all your batteries

-- If you are connecting it to your apparatus's electrical system, use a 12volt connection that is always live (not through the ignitian system). If it is connected to shore power, everytime you plug the truck in you will get a top up charge, which kills nickle-based batteries

-- Batteries still do not last forever. Three years is an excellent life span for a battery, and depending on use it can be closer to 24 months. Charging batteries with only 60% life left is slapping a bandaid on a sucking chest wound - just don't work.

-- Your best bet might be having a battery in the radio, a spare in the truck, and one being maintained. Perform regular conditioning/analysis cycles, and once the battery performance drops to the point where it is no longer reliable, replace it. It is a pain, it is expensive, but communications are one of those things you don't want to slack on.

P.S. Lithium Ion batteries do not have a memory as has been mentioned, but they are reportedly tempermental under temperature extremes, where our radios spend a good chunk of their life (especially our cold winters). In all batteries you can expect a significant reduction in performance when cold.

Hope that helps.