Radio Mic Batteries

[Furryface]

I was given the advice many years ago which I still adhere to now.

Dont lose a £1000 a week gig for a £2 battery that someone else is paying for !

Change them every show.

 

+1 on that & Procell everytime

 

FF

[paradoxism]

An am-dram company I work for regularly has up to 16 radio mics on the go at once (with the majority of chorus etc all with mics). We replace principals every two performances and then use the 'dead' cells for another single show in the chorus mics and for rehearsals.

 

Have also used rechargable AA cells on smaller shows (schools and smaller am-dram events) but would have two sets so you are only doing a single performance before recharging, even with matinees.

 

For paid work I would itemise the cost of batteries within my fee and give the option to replace every performance or every other performance to the client - giving the advice that two performances would usually be fine but not guaranteed and let them make the cost/benefit decision.

[Ali2580]

Personally, it depends on what the mic is. If the mic is only switched on for 5 minutes of the show then I will happily run it a more than a few nights. However, if it's a radio mic that is on the whole show and the show is on for a week or two, then I have also been taught to change every night, just to be on the safe side.

 

I see everyone is different though B-)

[johndenim]

2 bars minimum, then I will change.

(Senn G2, AA duracell)

 

I find the performance drops with batteries that are going, I used to use Nicads but they don't last 5 minutes!

It does help though if they are removed when the mic is not in use.

[Noizeboy]

I usually use a battery in my Evolutions for a show and a half. One 9v battery will easily last a 2.30 musical, then up to the interval - and have enough juice left for testing before and after. but it all depends on how hard you are working the compressors in the transmitter pack.

[Ynot]

One thing to note is that from my experience (and I think a couple of others have alluded to here) is that there's a marked difference between the EW100 G1 beltpacks at 9v and the G2 beltpacks at 2 x AA.

(That's not to say we don't get at least 2 shows per 9v...)

[Pyramid]

For the record I was always taught to use a new battery for every performance, but that was about 15years ago!

 

Technology has moved on since then, over the 4-5 years that we have been running the Senn G2 300s we have proved to ourselves time and again that we do actually know when we need to change the battery. In these mics, using fresh Duracell Procell we know that even when there are 'no bars' and the red is flashing you still have 30mins+ to change, even 1 hr+!

 

Most jobs we do are ones where the mic is not in prolonged use so we put new batts in when there is a very important or critical application and use the other batteries until they really do need changing.

 

I cannot stand it when people say "oh well, someone else is paying!" Gratuitous waste, in my mind is unconscienable, whoever is paying financially.

 

There is no piont buying a branded battery that is manufactured to high standards and tested if we are going to treat it like an unbranded cell in the 80s or 90s.

 

Andy

Fighting against waste in many areas of life! B-)

[Ynot]

I'm also a little bemused that the votes aren't quite reflecting the number of people who are saying they get more than 1 show per set...

[JamesC]

I am currently running EW100 G2s on 3 shows per set of Procells. Even with this there are still 2 bars left on the battery meters.

 

On the other hand, I have a Freeport that will just about last 3 hours on a GP Alkaline Battery.

 

Josh

 

I wouldn't expect much out of a GP Alkaline Battery. In my opinion 'cheap' batteries are a false economy.

 

2 bars minimum, then I will change.

(Senn G2, AA duracell)

 

I find the performance drops with batteries that are going, I used to use Nicads but they don't last 5 minutes!

It does help though if they are removed when the mic is not in use.

 

NiCd batteries won't last long. NiMh should be better! Approximately 800mAh for NiCd AAs vs. 2800mAh for good NiMH AAs.

They still lose their charge over time though so need charging shortly before use and can't be relied upon if they haven't been charged for a few weeks.

 

James

[timtheenchanteruk]

generally I use NI-MH batteries, charged every night, new set every 2 years, if im borrowing one or two from work (senn 300G2) 2 performances minimum on procells, 3 in smaller halls

[mattn]

Personally I would still change before every show, based on the idea that you need to allow time for radio checks, mic'ing up and then the performance. Add to that the fact that battery meters are nto always that accurate and cells drain quicker at the end of the life time from my experience. With Zaxcom which seems to be becoming the theater standard batteries last about 4 hours if your lucky

[Rob_Beech]

It worries me if something like that is becoming the Theatre standard and they're only lasting half as long as Procells. Are they half the cost? (Ie around 8-9p per cell?)

 

Rob

[Ynot]

It worries me if something like that is becoming the Theatre standard and they're only lasting half as long as Procells. Are they half the cost? (Ie around 8-9p per cell?)

Did you think (like me at first) that Zaxcom were a brand of battery?

 

Because (in my meagre experience as a predominantly amateur tech) this is a pretty new name to me in the world of radio mics - Google returns (mainly US) links to rather costly digital radio kit and other items....

 

There are other mentions here on the BR, but not one I've seen before in the general run of things...

[Bobbsy]

Slightly OT, but in my experience Zaxcom are trying to break into the theatre market but their penetration is relatively small compared to the SK50/SK5012s you see almost everywhere. Certainly over on the Theatre Sound list there are some concerns about sound quality. If those battery life figures are accurate that would be a big worry for me too.

 

Pyramid is right when he says technology has moved on. My old Micron radio mics were lucky to get 4 or 5 hours from a nine volt battery...but the Sony 805s I bought a while back would typically do around 11 hours on a single AA! Obviously with the Microns it was "new battery every show" but it would have been silly to keep doing that with the Sony system.

 

Bob

[adam2]

I voted "before every show" but that is for one off corporate events not theatre type shows, I dont often have any involvment with such, but when I do I would certainly not risk my reputation for £2 worth of battery.

 

In the case of venues that use large numbers of batteries and replace them frequently I would hope that the many nearly new batteries resulting are not wasted but given away to someone who wants them.