Case in point. Uniden Bearcat BC890XL's memory battery life just a
couple of weeks.
I've run into situations like this with other equipment in the past,
and there was always a "fix" or mod.
Looking everywhere that I can, I've seen no problems mentioned with
this particular scanner.
Has anyone heard of this one, or better yet, got a mod or fix?
Lynn

On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:13:07 -0700 "Lynn Coffelt"
wrote in Message id: :

Case in point. Uniden Bearcat BC890XL's memory battery life just a
couple of weeks.
I've run into situations like this with other equipment in the past,
and there was always a "fix" or mod.
Looking everywhere that I can, I've seen no problems mentioned with
this particular scanner.
Has anyone heard of this one, or better yet, got a mod or fix?
Lynn

Some scanners use a supercap to retain settings, I know mine did. In my
case, (a older Realistic) It would only retain the settings for 3 or 4
days. I opened up the unit and found a .15F cap, and replaced it with a
1.5F cap - now it lasts for several weeks at least.

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
...
Case in point. Uniden Bearcat BC890XL's memory battery life just a
couple of weeks.
I've run into situations like this with other equipment in the past,
and there was always a "fix" or mod.
Looking everywhere that I can, I've seen no problems mentioned with
this particular scanner.
Has anyone heard of this one, or better yet, got a mod or fix?
Lynn



I think the memory battery is a CR2032.....should measure 3 volts. Yours is
probably shot, as the owner's manual states the battery should retain the
memory for 5 years. That may be stretching it some, but it should certainly
hold for longer than 2 weeks. That's where I would check.

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
...
Case in point. Uniden Bearcat BC890XL's memory battery life just a
couple of weeks.
I've run into situations like this with other equipment in the
past,
and there was always a "fix" or mod.
Looking everywhere that I can, I've seen no problems mentioned with
this particular scanner.
Has anyone heard of this one, or better yet, got a mod or fix?
Lynn



I think the memory battery is a CR2032.....should measure 3 volts. Yours
is
probably shot, as the owner's manual states the battery should retain the
memory for 5 years. That may be stretching it some, but it should
certainly
hold for longer than 2 weeks. That's where I would check.

Yes, you're correct, it is a shot battery, but a new CR2032 (after a
battery holder was installed) only lasts a week or two. Several battery
changes and same result.
Originially, the battery was a PCB mounted, solder-in type, and for a
while, I soldered new batteries in, and then later added the battery holder
(socket) to make it easier.
If I was only smart enough to write down the stored frequencies before
they evaporated again, it wouldn't be so aggrivating..... sob.

Lynn

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
. ..

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
...
Case in point. Uniden Bearcat BC890XL's memory battery life just a
couple of weeks.
I've run into situations like this with other equipment in the
past,
and there was always a "fix" or mod.
Looking everywhere that I can, I've seen no problems mentioned with
this particular scanner.
Has anyone heard of this one, or better yet, got a mod or fix?
Lynn



I think the memory battery is a CR2032.....should measure 3 volts. Yours
is
probably shot, as the owner's manual states the battery should retain the
memory for 5 years. That may be stretching it some, but it should
certainly
hold for longer than 2 weeks. That's where I would check.

Yes, you're correct, it is a shot battery, but a new CR2032 (after a
battery holder was installed) only lasts a week or two. Several battery
changes and same result.
Originially, the battery was a PCB mounted, solder-in type, and for a
while, I soldered new batteries in, and then later added the battery holder
(socket) to make it easier.
If I was only smart enough to write down the stored frequencies before
they evaporated again, it wouldn't be so aggrivating..... sob.

Lynn


If a new cell lasts only a couple weeks, then you have other problems. A high
leakage path from the cell is likely the cause. You need to measure the current
being drawn from the cell when it's connected to the circuit. If the current
being drawn from the cell is more than a few microamps, then you need to find
out where it's going.
Most likely a leaky capacitor, but you should really investigate it...
otherwise, you'll be buying those little battery cells for a long time. It
won't fix itself.

--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

"In theory, there isn't any difference between theory and practice. In
practice, there is." - Yogi Berra

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
. ..

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
...
Case in point. Uniden Bearcat BC890XL's memory battery life just
a
couple of weeks.
I've run into situations like this with other equipment in the
past,
and there was always a "fix" or mod.
Looking everywhere that I can, I've seen no problems mentioned
with
this particular scanner.
Has anyone heard of this one, or better yet, got a mod or fix?
Lynn



I think the memory battery is a CR2032.....should measure 3 volts.
Yours
is
probably shot, as the owner's manual states the battery should retain
the
memory for 5 years. That may be stretching it some, but it should
certainly
hold for longer than 2 weeks. That's where I would check.

Yes, you're correct, it is a shot battery, but a new CR2032 (after a
battery holder was installed) only lasts a week or two. Several battery
changes and same result.
Originially, the battery was a PCB mounted, solder-in type, and for a
while, I soldered new batteries in, and then later added the battery
holder
(socket) to make it easier.
If I was only smart enough to write down the stored frequencies
before
they evaporated again, it wouldn't be so aggrivating..... sob.

Lynn



It could be quite a few things, but I'd take a look at C508, a 33uF tant
capacitor (may be leaky). It connects to ground, from the positive side of
the back up battery, through a 10K resistor (R509) and D508. C509, a .047
uF cap is in parallel with C508 also.