From the moment I purchased the new Kenwood TH-D72, I've been comparing it to the Yaesu VX-8r series of radios in practically every way. If you've followed some of my posts, you've already seen my thoughts on the two radios. One aspect of comparison that I haven't discussed yet is the battery life and size comparison.
From left to right, here are the Kenwood TH-D72, Yaesu VX-8 extended life, and VX-8 standard batteries:
The dimensions of the batteries are all pretty much the same with the exception of the width. The standard VX-8 1100 mAh battery is about half the width of the TH-D72's 1800 mAh battery.
So at this point you're figuring that the standard Kenwood 1800 mAh battery will last a lot longer than the VX-8 1100 mAh battery, right? Well, I did too, but I was dead wrong. I've compared these two radios extensively running and found that they both run about 8 hours with the standard batteries. These tests were performed with the GPS on and both VFO's monitoring active frequencies.
For reference, KA3GYI recently posted these findings on the power consumption of the TH-D72:
Whatever Yaesu is doing to manage the battery, they are doing it MUCH better than Kenwood. With a battery that is about 1/2 the width and 700mAh smaller, they are matching Kenwood's battery performance, making the overall unit smaller and easier to carry.
I know you're wondering how the Yaesu VX-8's 1800 mAh extended life battery compares. With the 1800 mAh battery in the VX-8, I get about 5 hours longer life than the Kenwood TH-72's 1800 mAh battery!
I hope you find this comparison useful!
From left to right, here are the Kenwood TH-D72, Yaesu VX-8 extended life, and VX-8 standard batteries:
The dimensions of the batteries are all pretty much the same with the exception of the width. The standard VX-8 1100 mAh battery is about half the width of the TH-D72's 1800 mAh battery.
So at this point you're figuring that the standard Kenwood 1800 mAh battery will last a lot longer than the VX-8 1100 mAh battery, right? Well, I did too, but I was dead wrong. I've compared these two radios extensively running and found that they both run about 8 hours with the standard batteries. These tests were performed with the GPS on and both VFO's monitoring active frequencies.
For reference, KA3GYI recently posted these findings on the power consumption of the TH-D72:
Here are my Kenwood's power measurements using Fluke 177 through DC in plug @14.2V, no battery attached, battery save off, no audio being RX
Single Band 113 ma
Single + GPS 137 ma
Single GPS + TNC 165 ma
Dual band + GPS + TNC 215 ma
Dual 162 ma
Whatever Yaesu is doing to manage the battery, they are doing it MUCH better than Kenwood. With a battery that is about 1/2 the width and 700mAh smaller, they are matching Kenwood's battery performance, making the overall unit smaller and easier to carry.
I know you're wondering how the Yaesu VX-8's 1800 mAh extended life battery compares. With the 1800 mAh battery in the VX-8, I get about 5 hours longer life than the Kenwood TH-72's 1800 mAh battery!
I hope you find this comparison useful!