What's the best bet for my radio batteries? Can I use rechargeables?

I was using AA 1.5v alkalines in my JR racing radio until they went dead; then I replaced them w/ rayovac rechargeable NiMh 1.2 volts and the transmitter and car went nutz on me. When I got it under control, the rayovacs came out and new alkalines went in; no more problems.

The guys at the LHS said any AA rechargeables would work, but now I wonder? Is there a rule of thumb and is there a 1.5 rechargeable available? The radio beeped at me, showed 9.6v, and flashed 'batt' for 15 seconds or so, but I didn't quit in time. Is there a drop dead limit for voltage that you should never go below? I am full of not knowingness.

All rechageables only put out 1.2 volts, compared to 1.5 on an alkaline. An alkaline will give you a 12 volt reading, but for a very short time. I know that the recargeables should only read 9.6v. But, on a fresh set my JR reads 11.0 volts. It will hold that for a long time. Since it was meant to run on 12 volts, if it drops below 10.0v it will beep at you.

Yes you can use rechargeables, in your RCs. But, I would suggest you look into a higher mah rating.

I bought 4 1800 mah AAs for my digital cam about 2 years ago. They worked great. I then thought about my RCs. I did some more searching and bought 16, 2200 mah AAs. 8 for the TX and 8 for my 2 RCs. This was before RX hump packs were common, so this leaves me with two sets for the JR TX I have. I can go a long time on one set. About three times as long as the RX pack.

The mah rating is what you want to look at. If you can get them over 2,000 they should work well in both the RX and TX.

when charged fully, NImH are 1.4-1.49 volts. this is the level of half flat alkalines. i found a site on the internet you can get rechargeable alkalines (1.5v). i can also get 2500mah AA's for 50p each (thats a quarter in yankee money. folkes ) from lidl (cheap german supermarket chain that has specials every 3 or 4 days). they're about £10 for 4 on the net, not including P+P.

I should have worded it a little different. If you look at the battery it says 1.2 V on a Ni-cad, 1.25 V on your NiMh. That's what it says. If you actually test them, you will get a higher reading. Yes, around that 1.4? volts. The Ni-cads will not give you the same results.

This is why my radio reads 11.? volts. You'll get a little difference in each and not the full 12 volts. But it will operate the radio fine, because it can hold that voltage for a longer period of time than your Alkalines.

Yes, my transmitter read something less than 12 volts, but it only stayed consistent for a few moments, then it just started cascading wildly, mostly down, but sometimes back up. Meanwhile the truck was going crazy. The charger is one of those automatic things from Ace Hardware; it shows batteries are charging or not, so I don't know where they actually were, voltagewise. It is either off or on. I'm a little freakey about trying another set though