{"id":30832,"date":"2018-02-12T10:51:01","date_gmt":"2018-02-12T14:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=30832"},"modified":"2018-02-12T10:51:01","modified_gmt":"2018-02-12T14:51:01","slug":"guest-post-battery-testers-dont-get-caught-without-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/guest-post-battery-testers-dont-get-caught-without-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: Battery Testers–Don\u2019t Get Caught Without One!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who shares the following guest post:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Battery Testers; Don\u2019t Get Caught Without One!<\/h2>\n

by\u00a0Mario Filippi, N2HUN<\/strong><\/p>\n

(All photos by author)<\/p>\n

Ever consider what life today would be like without the humble dry cell battery? Old timers know the term \u201cdry cell\u201d as opposed to \u201cwet cell.\u201d The dry cell is your garden variety battery for sale composed of a semi-dry composite or paste of chemicals designed to make electrons flow when the circuit is complete, such as in flashlights, radios, remotes, watches, etc. \u201cWet cells\u201d on the other hand have fluids, such as sulfuric acid that work in conjunction with lead plates. But let\u2019s stay with dry cells for now. Walk into any house and you\u2019ll find some form of battery powering a plethora of devices that contribute to the quality of daily life. In short, life without the humble battery would be unfathomable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Electronic Menagerie: Radios, Timepieces, Flashlights, Remotes, Test equipment, Mouse.<\/p><\/div>\n

Batteries, like humans, unfortunately expire due to age or use. True, they toil tirelessly while out of sight and mind, hidden behind plastic compartment panels somewhere in the bowels of a device and for the most part are ignored or taken for granted. That is until the device they are powering ceases to function. We\u2019ve all been there and done that countless times in our lives with an array of consumer products. Most instances of battery failure tend to occur at the most inconvenient times, that is when the device they are powering is needed most (a corollary of Murphy\u2019s Law hi hi). A good example is the toolbox flashlight. It can sit amongst the tools quietly and ready to go (at least in our minds) until we switch it on while working in some dark, cramped location. Or late at night when under the covers and the bedside shortwave radio starts spewing out distorted audio. To boot, the radio\u2019s convenient dial light is too weak to determine where you are in the shortwave spectrum.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Motley Crew of Cells in Author\u2019s Armamentarium Awaiting Call to Duty.<\/p><\/div>\n

Well, all is not lost my fellow hobbyists; it is time to do some cell (dry cell that is) soul searching and plan for future failures. I propose a useful acquisition for the home, shack, Go-Bag (or what have you) that won\u2019t break the bank; a simple battery tester that\u2019ll be the end to your power problems.<\/p>\n

At this QTH an AMPROBE BAT-200<\/a> was purchased a few years back from Amazon and has proved its worth and utility many times over. This simple tool, which ironically needs no batteries, will test many of the common batteries around the shack and home such as AAA, AA, C, D, 9V, and button batteries.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Pocket-size BAT-200. A Snap to Use.<\/p><\/div>\n

Since purchasing the BAT-200, life in the battery cosmos has become a lot less complicated. Armed with one of these, you can immediately rule out battery failure when troubleshooting myriad devices. You can also test outdated batteries to determine their status.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Flashlight, Magnifying Light, and Head Lamp…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

…Test meter…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

…And Various Remotes Use A, AA or Button Batteries.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

AA Battery from Remote Tests \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

An item such as the BAT-200 can be found for less than five dollars<\/a> if you shop around, and will pay for itself by taking the guesswork out of the bad battery scenarios. You\u2019ll wonder how you ever did without one!<\/p>\n

\n

Thank you very much for sharing this post, Mario!\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

At the SWLing Post HQ, we keep all of our loose batteries in a “battery box.” All new cells stay in the packaging where we mark the date purchased (although many alkaline cells now have a “best by” date). We recently pulled all of the loose\/orphan batteries out of the box–there must have been 40+–and tested the voltage of each one. I used the test meter from my toolbox to do this, but I’ve just ordered one of the BAT-200 chargers from Amazon and will now keep this in the battery box permanently.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks for enabling me, Mario! Ha ha!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Click here to check out the BAT-200 in Amazon.com (affiliate link).<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who shares the following guest post: Battery Testers; Don\u2019t Get Caught Without One! by\u00a0Mario Filippi, N2HUN (All photos by author) Ever consider what life today would be like without the humble dry cell battery? Old timers know the term \u201cdry cell\u201d as opposed to \u201cwet cell.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4199,3194,3],"tags":[6840,486,6841,4342,4311],"class_list":["post-30832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accessories","category-guest-posts","category-news","tag-amprobe-bat-200","tag-batteries","tag-battery-testers","tag-guest-posts","tag-mario-filippi-n2hun"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-81i","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40730,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/mario-acquires-an-index-labs-qrp-general-coverage-transceiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":30832,"position":0},"title":"Mario acquires an Index Labs QRP++ general coverage transceiver","author":"Thomas","date":"November 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who shares the following guest post that was originally published on the Delaware Valley Radio Association (DVRA) website: Amateur Radios from the Past: The Index Labs QRP++ The Index Labs QRP ++ was an intriguing little radio manufactured back in the mid-\u201890\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/qrpplus_may96.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/qrpplus_may96.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/qrpplus_may96.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51037,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/12\/mario-finds-a-monophonic-earphone-with-6-foot-cord\/","url_meta":{"origin":30832,"position":1},"title":"Mario finds a monophonic earphone with 6 foot cord","author":"Thomas","date":"December 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes: Attached is a picture of a recent purchase of mine from eBay, a six foot long monophonic earphone for use with my Panasonic RF-2200. Single mono earphones of that length are not easy to find. Most are too short\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/white-earphone-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49008,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/circa-1959-spectra-radio-spectacles\/","url_meta":{"origin":30832,"position":2},"title":"Circa 1959 Spectra-Radio Spectacles","author":"Thomas","date":"May 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi, who writes: While perusing through a 1959 Lafayette Radio sales flyer, this hybrid radio\/sunglasses radio was spotted (see image above). Put a huge smile on my face--a three-transistor, germanium diode model hihi. Runs on a Mercury battery which were common years back.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/radioglasses1959-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50790,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/radio-applications-for-an-oiiwak-digital-endoscope\/","url_meta":{"origin":30832,"position":3},"title":"Radio applications for an Oiiwak Digital Endoscope","author":"Thomas","date":"November 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes: Hi Thomas, I recently purchased an Oiiwak Digital Endoscope [affiliate link] for household use. It consists of a 33 foot optical cable and handheld four inch monitor It has an internal battery that can take photos and videos of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_1450.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_1450.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG_1450.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54356,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/mario-reminds-us-to-log-10-meter-cw-beacon-activity\/","url_meta":{"origin":30832,"position":4},"title":"Mario reminds us to log 10 meter CW beacon activity!","author":"Thomas","date":"October 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who shares the following guest post: Recent 10 Meter CW Beacon Activity Mario Filippi, N2HUN The 10m band has been coming alive lately and it\u2019s time for all hams and SWLs to take advantage of it.\u00a0 For several years I\u2019ve been listening to 10m\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Beacons"","block_context":{"text":"Beacons","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/beacons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/10-Meter-Beacon-SDR-Sharp-Mario-Filippi-Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/10-Meter-Beacon-SDR-Sharp-Mario-Filippi-Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/10-Meter-Beacon-SDR-Sharp-Mario-Filippi-Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/10-Meter-Beacon-SDR-Sharp-Mario-Filippi-Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/10-Meter-Beacon-SDR-Sharp-Mario-Filippi-Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17965,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/guest-post-using-the-hackrf-one-for-dgps-beacon-reception\/","url_meta":{"origin":30832,"position":5},"title":"Guest Post: Using the HackRF One for DGPS Beacon Reception","author":"Thomas","date":"April 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN) for the following guest post: Receiving \u00a0with a HackRF One, SDR#, and MultiPSK by\u00a0Mario Filippi (N2HUN) The HackRF One is a Software Defined Radio manufactured by Great Scott Gadgets (www.greatscottgadgets.com) and has been on the market for a few years. Having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"h1-preliminary1-445","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/h1-preliminary1-445.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}