The decision was made early on. Anywhere batteries were needed in my studio they’d be rechargeable batteries.
That seems like a good decision. I go through batteries like crazy. My wireless mic and IFB system (so I can hear the anchors in my ear) are all battery operated.
My charger runneth over!
I take no chances. Every other show all the batteries get pulled and swapped for fresh ones. No way I’ll wait for them to start running down. Six off the charger. Six on.
I ordered some higher current AAs from Amazon. As far as I can tell they wear out just as quickly as the standard batteries. The only difference was the cost. Live and learn.
It has become a ritual. As soon as my last show ends I pop out all the batteries and walk them to the charger.
What could be worse than having my mic die as I go on-air? Not much. It’s easier to be disciplined about this than to actually check. Probably safer too.
I don’t want to think about how much I would have spent by now on regular batteries. Too much.
Hi Geoff, But don’t batteries aquire a “memory” of short battery use and recharge? Or am I just an old lady from back in the day when I used my rechargable dust buster for a minute then put back to charge then after a while I could only use the buster for a minute before having to recharge?
NiMH batteries don’t have the memory problem that the older NiCd batteries had. The problem they DO have is if you charge them and then let them sit they will slowly discharge. Don’t charge them and throw them in a drawer expecting them to be ready to go in 6 months. They’ll have to be recharged.
They do make “low discharge” batteries that hold their charge longer, but they are slightly lower capacity.
My go-to place for everything battery related (batteries and chargers) is http://www.thomasdistributing.com/. I have no affiliation – just a repeat customer.