JRC JHP-520 Handheld Nav/Com Transceiver
 

I've had one of these hand held nav/coms for over a couple of years and have been happy with it. A few months ago, I dropped it and cracked the display. Since the plane was in annual a few weeks ago, I sent this unit back to the factory with a letter asking them to fix it and explaining that it was out of warranty (one year warranty). Also explaining that the Nicd battery was not holding a charge very long.

I followed up with a phone call, and they said it wouldn't be any more than $50, plus whatever I paid for shipping. They'd ship it back at their expense.

Yesterday, I received a package back from them with a letter explaining that it was easier for them to replace it rather than fix it. A brand new unit, battery, antenna and warranty.

The price? $0. No charge. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Kudos to these folks!

Cheers,

Keven
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ShaggMyPussy

Keven:

On the battery, let me make a suggestion: always let a NiCad drain down to zero or near-zero charge before recharging. Otherwise, it develops "memory" and eventually can only hold a charge equal to the one it's been used to before recharging.

The problem with following this advice is that sometimes you go on a flight with a low-charge battery, which can get you in trouble if all of a sudden you need the unit for an extended period. The solution is either to use Nickel Metal Hydride or Lithium batteries (which don't develop "memory", so can be recharged after every use) or have a holder with alkaline batteries backing up your NiCad's.

Ernie

Ernie:

I thought I had addressed the "memory" problem. When I knew that I was going to be flying soon, I would keep the radio on until battery was all the way drained and then would fully charge the night before. Any suggestions of other ways to handle it? (Other than getting the other types of batteries?) BTW I do have another battery backup (with 9 AAs) for the unit, so it was never THAT nerve racking, but a hassle none the less.

Notwithstanding, it was great service from these folks!

On a side note, I've got to find an excuse to get to Panama. Jerry's stories are killing me!

Cheers,

Keven
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Pinto Engine

Keven:

That's one way of doing it (discharge fully before charging) and exactly what you should do if you don't carry a spare alkaline set. However, since NiCad's have a life of roughly 500 charge/discharge cycles, if you do have the spare alkaline sets I recommend taking off with a partly charged unit. What I do is check the unit the night before flight to see if there's any indication of a low battery (my Icom IC-A3 unit has a low-battery indicator); if it's low I discharge fully and recharge overnight, otherwise I fly as-is, knowing that the alkaline set has several times the endurance of the fully-charged NiCad's.

Ernie