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Yaesu VX-8r extended battery comparison

Moleculo

Ham Radio Nerd
Apr 14, 2002
9,194
1,674
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I finally purchased the 1800mAh extended life battery for the Yaesu VX-8r this week. I now realize that this is probably the single most important accessory for this radio, and I should have purchased it right from the beginning. I take the HT to work with my fairly often, using to listen to music in the background from local broadcast FM stations or the local police, repeater, whatever. With the GPS disconnected and APRS modem turned off, the standard battery would only last from about 9 AM to 4 PM. With the extnded life battery, I get another 5 hours or so out of the radio, and I don't even bother disconnecting the GPS now.

The size of the 1800mAh battery isn't all that much bigger, either. Sure, it fattens the radio a little bit, but it's really not obtrusive. Here are some pics that show the size comparison of both batteries:

Standard Battery
554-1246558467-679344b6f0afe87afc302e64846d1afb.jpg


Extended 1800mAh Battery
555-1246558467-b264d0d07b39ac5729d691ff89c32b61.jpg
 

Nice write-up. I've been using my VX-8R quite a bit lately. Like you, I take it to work to listen to and participate in some ragchew in the morning and during lunch. The battery barely lasts a workday for me, so this is my biggest complaint in regards to the VX-8R. I may have to invest in one of those extended batteries.
 
The standard battery is a backup battery now too. Looks like you have about 20+ hrs of operation now. BTW, the cd-41 cradle can charge the battery without the radio attached.
 
Batteries America 2000 mAH battery

I just purchased the slightly larger (2000 mAH vs. 1800 mAH), and less expensive ($46 vs. $80) version of the FNB-102Li from Batteries America. The battery works great, and the (optional $7) spring-loaded belt clip is much superior to the Yaesu one, but there is one note of caution. Their battery is very slightly thicker (maybe 1mm?) than the Yaesu battery, which causes the radio not to seat fully in the CD-41 fast charger. You can still charge the battery by itself, just not attached to the radio.

Batteries America was unaware of the problem, and apologized. Not much they can do, though, and I still think the battery was a good deal. They also reported their plan to offer a 4000 mAH battery for the Yaesu VX-8, as they do for the Kenwood FH-6A. They are designing a fast charger with a deeper "cup" area for the radio that will accommodate this larger battery, which would of course also handle the 2000 mAH version.
 
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I pretty much just use the extended battery. The exception is if I'm going out to dinner and want to be able to stuff the radio in a pocket -- then I'll use the standard battery.

Tom N7ROK
 
Good to know about this after market battery. I don't use the rapid charger anyway, so this is a good option for me.

Thanks for the report!
 
I had the same problem with a third party 2000mAH battery purchased here in Europe for use with my VX-8GR. I wasn't sure if the battery was thicker or the VX-8G because people with the -8R or -8DR said they had no trouble charging the extended battery in the desk charger.

Anyway I solved the problem by bending the contacts in the charger so the contact point is higher. This is easily done after removing the plastic cover with a bit of trial and error. You will probably then find that the standard battery won't charge as it drops down past the contacts. The solution to that is to put some packing in the base of the charger (I used a couple of strips of self amalgamating tape) which holds the radio up at the same height as when the extended battery is used.
 
I found it very difficult to find a compact belt wearable case that would fit both my VX-8DR and Thunderbolt cell phone - in addition to TB and VX accessories.

TB accessories include the extended battery+back, USB cable, and stereo head phones+mic. VX accessories include the standard antenna, antenna extension, and wrist strap. Antenna is removed and sits in the case beside the VX when not in use.

The Tamrac 5214 case works with the standard thin battery, but can not fit with the extended battery, or clip. So, I just keep a spare standard battery in my pocket. Thin is very important for such usage, but maybe someone will come out with a slightly larger case that can allow use of the extended battery.
 

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