Etrac battery life...

[spdnj]

How much time are you guys getting on your etrac rechargeables? I detected for about 2 hours today from a full charge and was down in the 2 bar range, seemed kinda quick. I dont remember my ExpII going down that fast.

 

[JCJEXPLORER]

n/t

 

[Ray-Mo.]

I get about 3.5 to 4 hours on a full charge with any of my 3 factory packs.That is non-stop coil to the ground hunting.I would like to get a pack that would last even close to 8 hours,Ray.

 

[Hungry]

Is that the ammount of time before the Detector shuts down, or are you just going by the bars on the indicator. Minelab states in there manual, Page 84, That it should go about 14 hours. I think that the little indicator is inacurate, as mine drops back to 2 bars very quickly, but then just hangs there, and i have often gone 8 hours or more, but normaly every time i come home. i stick the battery on the charger and leave it there until the next morning, sometimes it's there 24 hours or more. HH, Bob

 

[mascard1]

Man I can go at least 7 hours with my SE pack?.....Have e-trac havn"t tried yet?

 

[Reggie]

Try the Sanyo Eneloop batteries with 2000 mh. They are the longlasting NimH batts.

 

[Reggie]

My Minelab Rechargeables will lose their first bar or two fairly soon, but the last two bars will continue to run for a number of hours longer. The Eneloop by Sanyo may be a better choice, as they keep their charge longer after recharging, and they promise to last longer in service, too. I will test them SEVERLY this weekend. HH

 

[Neil]

Mine lasts as long or longer than the Explorer. Just carry your AA pack with you and let it run down. It does seem to top out quick but slows up on the bottom end.

HH
Neil

 

[Rick(ND)]

The Nickle hydrides takes about 3 charges to fully charge, the first one dont seem to last as long, the second one better while the third time will be fully charged or very close to it. Also like others are saying dont believe the bars on the gauge that much as even a fully charge battery sometime will show down one bar in the first half hour or if it sits over night.
I normaly will use my Sun Ray SR 12 charger on all new packs and charge and discharge 2 or 3 times before I send the detector out so the packs have been woke up and fully charged. I notice the first charge and discharge dont take as long as the last one by quite a bit, so see what it is like after you have run the battery down a few times and recharged it. Also remember without using headphone will also shorten the battery time too.

 

[sharpshooter]

[size=medium]Seven hours is the longest I've hunted at one time.

Was showing one bar when I stopped.[/size]

 

[Joe of South Jersey]

.....on first couple of charges. If It continues after the first few charges I would contact the dealer it was bought from.

 

[spdnj]

Thanks for all of the responses, it was the units first run so we will see. I will keep you all posted.
On a side note I took the unit to a newer park just to get the feel of it and I have to say you can definitely see the better separation this unit has. I found several clad coins in the same hole as trash. Can't wait to get it to an old site

 

[Steve from Ohio]

n/t

 

[Ray-Mo.]

n/t

 

[pro778]

I've had mine for three months. I use it for 5 or 6 hours and it's always at 2 bars when I'm done. I recharge after every use. From what I've seen, I figure I should be good for at least 8 hours.

 

[jeff & Maria]

n/t

 

[ISLANDJOE]

I have ran mine down to 1 bar after 8 hours and then if I am still on the beach I switch or change battery packs. Never took the battery all the way down. As far as the book states I have never been gotten that much out of them. bob

 

[digitrich]

The ETrac eats juice like a hog. My guess is the faster processor and the additional software processes it's running cause it to need more juice than the Explorers. I get just about half the time on my ETac out of the nimh pack I get on my SE. Might be a good idea to buy the 1800 nimh, I can get nearly a full 6-8 hours out of that, 5-6 hours on the 1600, depending if I use the back light or not.