These were supposed to be the major reason for staying with the Locus receivers.

For those using the PM2's, have any of you ever had any problem with the antenna cables? Just curious. Thanks!

Running four units here with no cable problems to date.

Battery life is a big plus with Locus as well. I have never returned to find a dead battery on a locus unit.

No problems with cables. No problems with batteries, either, since I went to Panasonic charging system.


Panasonic charging system post


Ian
Modified By D. Ian Wilson on 1/5/2004 at 8:55 PM

I use Promark Xcm's(plus, now, Promark2 too).

6, yes, count them 6 brand new, high quality alkaline batteries last about 2 hours. Now multiply that times 5 units and that's 30 batteries every two hours.

Now, I know all about the Locus stamina, but you pay for it in weight(4 D-cells or 4 C-cells) and bulk . . . and let's not forget about adding the 48 for kinematic too.

No . . . these Promark2's are complete dreams(2 damned little relatively cheap, 8-hours use batteries . . . what the hell's the complaint?) all around and in every way.

"Locus stamina"??

Are you suggesting that ProMark owners have their batteries delivered in an unmarked package via the US Mail?

I recently did a little experiment with the rechargeable batteries mentioned by Robert Snow in his post on this message board.

They provided longer service than I expected and adequate power for the external antenna. With that six battery external pack that Robert described I think even cold weather surveyors might have a solution that soothes their ecologic sensitivities and lets them get a day's work done.

I really don't want to talk about times because it does not get very cold here. The cost to try Robert's solution is modest. I will let you folks in the snow tell me how well they really work.

. . . I . . . don't . . . know.

hmmmmmmmmm . . . I guess I don't get the question

Doowackadoowackaday

It really depends on temps as far as PM2 battery life goes. I was out recently at -5F and I can tell you from past experience, lithium AA or 12V battery packs are the only answer when it's cold.

I tested the IC3 rechargeable AA batteries last night. In Western PA the temperature dropped to below 10 degrees F. It was 20 degrees at the start (4:00 PM) and 5 degrees when they shut off (1:00 A.M.).

I got 9 hours of operation with two internal AA's using a standard antenna cable on one unit and a 20-foot cable extension on a second unit. Both units were set in the static mode, 1-second recording interval, and used over 90% of the memory. These results are similar to my earlier tests in November when the temperatures were in the 30's and 40's.

I haven't had any work setups longer than 8 hours since buying the PM2's and never ran out of power or had bad data at a setup due to power problems with the rechargeables.

I'm more than satisfied with this setup and returned my stockpile of 150 alkalines and a dozen lithium’s over the holidays.

You've got my ear, IC3 rechargeable AA batteries? I must have missed previous posts regarding these babies.

more info please.

Paul in PA

Check my post above, in this thread, regarding Panasonic Rechargables from Costco.

Got that, trying to nail down the IC3 nomenclature.

Paul

Rechargeable Battery - PM2
Posted By Del Brown on 11/28/2003 at 1:23 PM
After Robert Snow's thread about the Ray-O-Vac IC-3 rechargeable batteries I've been trying two of them in a Promark2. I've consistently had 9 hours of operation on a recharge without reportable cycle slips.

The temperature (F) in this area has ranged from the low 20's to high 50's.

Results so far

Start End Record Operation
Date Temp Temp Interval Time

11/25 23 41 1 sec 9h-02m
11/26 40 56 20 sec 9h-21m
11/27 31 53 5 sec 9h-20m
11/27 31 52 1 sec 9h-01m
11/27 52 43 2 sec 9h-07m

It looks like the temperature and recording interval have only a minor effect on battery life.

When the temperature was below 30 on 11/25, two regular alkaline batteries only ran for 3h-35m.

I still want to try them when the temperature is in the low 20's or teens throughout a setup and with a 20 foot extension on the antenna cable.

A four cell charger with two batteries was less than $30. A 4-pack of IC-3 AA's was $13, not much more than the lithium ions. The IC-3's can be recharged 1000 times and they don't have memory.

Thanks for the tip Robert.



I found them at Walmart and KMart.
Modified By Del Brown on 1/7/2004 at 9:43 AM

Ray-O-Vac IC-3, will try them specfically.

Do you believe they are reliable enough, to keep only disposables for backups and emergencies or do you have at least 2 sets for each unit.

Thank you

Paul
Modified By Lawrence Paul Lopresti on 1/7/2004 at 10:47 AM

Paul,

I have extra IC3's and now use them for back ups and to power my metal detector, flash light and other gear. The charger will also recharge AAA's. I wish it would also do C's and D's. Unlike the alkalines and lithums rechargeables will lose power over time when not in use. I dont know what that loss is yet. And I still have a set of lithiums and a few left over alkalines in the Jeep.

The IC3’s are 2000 mAh, slightly less than the 2100 for the Panasonic, but they recharge in 15 minutes in an IC3 charger and can be recharged 1000 times. There is no “memory” problem with them. The Panasonic is a two-hour charger. It looks like they both will operate in the 9-hour range. I think all rechargeable batteries are 1.2 volts vs. the 1.5 volts for the alkaline type. This was the initial concern because the PM2 antenna specs call for 2.5 volts.

The IC3 charger comes in two and four battery models and is more expensive than the Panasonic. You get 2 batteries with each IC3 system and you can recharge any NiMH or NiCd rechargeable battery in it, but not rechargeable alkalines. All the other brands will recharge overnight in the IC3.

There was a problem reported in an earlier post by about a rechargeable battery overheating in a PM2 and a handheld GPS unit. It appeared to be caused by a damaged battery. I check the batteries after each use and am careful when reinserting them. Read the follow-ups in this post:

Rechargeable Battery - PM2
Posted By Del Brown on 11/28/2003 at 1:23 PM

and Robert Snows post:

New Battery Pack for ProMark2 External Power Option Posted By Robert Snow on 11/13/2003 at 2:40 PM

The use of antenna extensions was also of concern due to expected power loss. Their use is not supported by Thales. Some of the PM2 users, including me, have been using them for some time without problems. I don’t use them very often but they are handy when needed. On one job I located about three miles of off road trails in heavy brush using stop-n-go. I attached an extended rod to the back bumper of my Jeep so the antenna was above the brush height. With the receiver in the cab I took 15-second shots every 50 feet or so as I drove the trails. I only lost lock a couple of times. The hardest part was looking out for overhanging branches.

Del

Modified By Del Brown on 1/7/2004 at 11:43 AM