Why You Need to Recondition Two-Way Radio Batteries

Reconditioning is a process where a rechargeable battery undergoes several cycles to bring it back to a better capacity and reset its memory effect. Batteries have what’s called a memory effect where it “memorizes” each charge cycle and if the battery is not fully depleted when it’s placed on the charger, it remembers this cycle the next time and doesn’t allow it to fully charge. In turn, you’ll notice a shorter operating time. Reconditioning batteries helps eliminate and fix this memory effect.

It's important to note that even though reconditioning chargers help prolong the life of your battery, it’s not a permanent solution and two-way radio batteries should be replaced every 18 to 24 months.

Motorola Impres Reconditioning Charger

It’s important to properly care for your two-way radio battery to be sure you get the longest life and best performance.

How Reconditioning a Battery Works

When you first place your radio battery on a reconditioning charger, like the Motorola Impres Reconditioning Charger or Waveband WI-80 Analyzer, it fully depletes your radio battery of any power. It then starts the recondition process where it goes through several charging cycles, each time bringing it to a better capacity than before.

When a battery is placed on a reconditioning charger, the charger determines if the battery needs to be reconditioned, and automatically starts the process. This helps eliminate unnecessary reconditioning charges and helps the battery's cycle life.

To manually recondition batteries, within 2 ½ minutes after placing your battery on a reconditioning charger, take the battery off the charger and immediately place it back in. This will start the reconditioning process and your charger should indicate a steady orange light.

Only manually recondition batteries when you feel it’s absolutely necessary, excessive use of the manual recondition process can significantly reduce the cycle life of your battery.

When you take it off the charger your battery is fully charged and reconditioned.

The reconditioning process can take up to 8-12 hours to complete depending on the capacity of the battery. Capacity is defined as Mil Amp Hours or Mah for short. The higher the Mah the longer the reconditioning process takes.

Motorola battery in rapid charge on reconditioning charger

Features and Benefits of Reconditioning Batteries

  • Eliminates memory effect
  • Restores it to its full capacity
  • Maximize operating times between charges
  • Preserves its life cycle
  • Will not overheat the battery regardless of the time on the charger

Using reconditioning chargers helps eliminate the need for additional reconditioning equipment and training maintenance on how to properly track and record battery use, conduct manual reconditioning cycles, or remove batteries from a radio.

Reconditioning also saves you money by not having to purchase replacement batteries more frequently. Reconditioning charger analyzers, like the Waveband WI-80, will tell you the true state of your battery so you know exactly when its time to replace.

The reconditioning charger will monitor and track battery usage patterns and store information within your battery and only reconditions it when necessary.

How Often Should You Recondition Batteries

Reconditioning too often can result in wasted battery cycles while reconditioning not enough can reduce battery performance and have a shorter life span. A reconditioning charger will have the ability to determine when is appropriate to recondition batteries.

Next Steps:

Looking to purchase a reconditioning charger for your two-way radio fleet? Waveband Communications offers charger analyzers that recondition batteries and provide you with critical data on the life of your battery. Shop now or contact sales to find the right solutions for your team.

Taylor Thomas is a Marketing Manager at Waveband Communications. With her experience in critical communications, she helped public safety clients enhance their team communication through the help of two-way radio accessories.

BatteryChargerMotorola impres battery analyzer

1 comment

Guillermo Bonilla

Guillermo Bonilla

i need a battery reconditioner for motorola two way radio cp200 NNTN4497CR

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