You depend on your two-way radio to keep you connected to your team.

So if your two-way radio doesn’t work, you can’t either.

This why it is important that you choose a battery that is best suited for your work environment.

There are four common types of two-way radio batteries.

It is up to you to decide which one is suitable for your usage.

Four main types of two-way radio batteries:

• Nickel Cadmium
• Nickel Metal Hydride
• Lithium Ion
• Motorola Solutions IMPRES batteries

Nickel Cadmium Batteries

Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) two-way radio batteries are ideal for high performance users who work under extreme temperatures ranging from -30C up to +50C.

These batteries also give you more watt-hours per shift than other battery chemistries. However, they are susceptible to the “memory effect”.

The “memory effect” is a condition where the battery charge will get progressively shorter after each time you recharge it.

The battery loses its ability to accept a full charge, which means a shorter time working time and more recharging.

Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries can offer superior operation life between charges.

They provide up to 40% longer operation time than NiCd, but they don’t operate as efficiently in extreme temperatures.

In addition, NiMH two-way radio batteries are less susceptible to the “memory effect” that NiCd batteries have.

Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium Ion (Li-ion) batteries are the most common type of battery used in two-way radios because they provide a high energy-to-weight ratio and are 30% lighter than their counterparts.

These batteries tend to be the industry’s most expensive chemistry, and they offer a major advantage of not experiencing the “memory effect”.

Lithium Ion batteries are also considered environmentally friendly because they do not contain harmful metals such as Cadmium or Mercury.

Motorola Solutions IMPRES Batteries

Motorola Solutions has designed IMPERS batteries unique to their two-way radios. They can be charged 150 more times than standard batteries, and on average they work 43% longer than their non-IMPRES counterparts.

Download the whitepaper to see how Motorola Solutions batteries compare to other brands.

With IMPRES technology, you can know battery capacity instantly using the display on your two-way radio or IMPRES charger.

This allows you to more efficiently manage your batteries with real world data not available with other manufacturers.

The unique IMPRES Battery Reader and IMPRES Battery Fleet Management systems also let you know if there is enough capacity in a battery for a full shift, alert you to low capacity batteries so you can remove them, prevent downtime and eliminate throwing batteries out prematurely.

Download the Motorola IMPRES Battery Brochure and find out more.

Hazardous Environments

It is important to note that if you work in a hazardous environment, you need to make sure that the batteries you purchase are intrinsically safe for your working conditions.

Each intrinsically safe battery and radio has its own rating depending on the type of environment that you are working in.

This can include working with hazardous materials, near flammable materials or toxic chemicals.

Conclusion

Now that you know the difference between the four common two-way radio battery types, you should be able to make an informed decision as to the type of battery you need to purchase.

Lithium Ion and Motorola IMPRES batteries are currently the most popular for commercial environments, while workers in hazardous environments require special two-way radio batteries.

Contact our two-way radio experts to purchase batteries for your two-way radio.

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