"Rob Malkin" wrote in message news:Mum8b.425179$Ho3.67600@sccrnsc03...
Hello all:

I have a Standard Horizon HX260S hand-held VHF marine radio which, along
with a supplied NiCad battery pack, can take 6 AA batteries. The NiCad
battery pack takes 15 hours to re-charge. I would like to use 6 AA
rechargeable NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries instead of the regular AA
batteries but my owner's manual says it's 'not recommended'. I couldn't find
anything at their website explaining this further. Has anyone done this?

NiMH batteries are little more tolerant of rapid charging than Ni-Cads
and have slightly better power density. But rapid charging of either
should only be done on a smart charger. I recall having a "rapid
charger" from a certain amayeir radio manufacturer that wasn't so
smart - just had a timer. Problems occurred if the house power went
on and off - constantly resetting the timmer and cooking the cells.

One issue your radio manufacturer may have is reliability with NiMH.
NiMH cells have poorer "shelf life". It can be significant - like
10-15% of the charge per week. If you charge the cells and then let
them sit for a couple of weeks - you might grab that radio and find
out that you don't have as much operating time as you may need.