Customer Reviews

Garmin Alkaline Battery Pack for Rino 520 and Rino 530 (010-10571-00)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The alkaline battery pack is a must have for the Rino if you're without power to recharge the main battery. The battery pack takes 4 AA batteries and lasts for several hours. With moderate use, it will last a 2-3 days. It does add a little bulk versus the main battery, and it reduces the radio range to 2W (which made me drop one star), but an excellent insurance policy if you're miles from nowhere. I used it in the arctic with no problems.

This is a must have for Rino 530 users that are away from power for extended periods. No need to worry about having your rechargeable pack die on you on a back-packing trip or long excursion. Just bring a pack of batteries.

This adapter uses normal AA batteries to run the garmin 530, which uses 2 Li-Ion cells at about 7.5-8.0 volts to transmit. With 4 rechargable AA cells, you get about 5-6 VDC. That loss in voltage translates to a loss in transmit power - you are confined to the 2W setting while this is installed.

Skip down a few products and you will find the original battery that came with your garmin 5xx series radio - 2 Li-Ion hi capacity cells with about a day's runtime. Best part is you get the full 5W transmit when you really need it.

A good formula for transmit distance is 2x watts = miles (and that's it)
2W = 4 miles
5W = 10 miles
(I know they say 12 miles, but that is under ideal conditions, believe me - 10 miles is doing really good for a 5W radio with built in antenna)

Now, knowing this - if you're way out there and calling for help - do you want 2Watts or 5Watts when you press the PTT button? The small difference in price now could be substantial gain later.

This is a great accessory and an alternative to the high priced original battery for general hiking and hunting use. My friends and I use the 500 series of Rinos for hunting, so we usually run the radio at 1/2 watt because we are generally within 1 mile of each other. In this mode the lithium batter will last for days, but the AA pack is there if you really need it. It also provides a nice way to carry backup batteries for other AA items like headlamps or cameras. If you are really worried about having access to 5W of power in an emergency, you could use the AA pack as your main battery and "save" the original for emergencies. If you're using this for mountaineering where you want to be in contact with a base camp several miles away, a spare original battery or two would be better choice.

Great backup for the stock rechargeable battery. I keep this loaded with fresh batteries in my pack as a backup. Just in case I run out of charge in the stock rechargeable.
Must have! It has saved my but a few times.

This will be awesome to go along with my husbands Rino. So far it stays charged for a long time.

This battery pack does not work with the newer 530HCx. I didn't realize it until it was too late to return it. It does latch on, but the electrical contacts do not match up. Update: Please see correction below. Somehow, in spite of different numbers of contacts, the unit does work with the 530 Hcx. Von

i had no need to use it but look forward too my next outing in canada so it will definitely be of great value there, arrived quickly in perfect condition

I have had a GPS for years and never truly appreciated how much better the rechargable batteries were until i spent a week backpacking. The double AA batteries only last a day at most so it adds a considerable amount of weight to take enough for the whole trip. With 2 of these rechargables i can make it 5-8 days depending on the amount of talking and "tracking" i do. This battery really is worth its weight. Especially in my backpack!

How can it not work?

If I'm away from a charging source for more than 2 days, this pack goes and the rechargeable pack doesn't. Weight adds up in a back pack. If I could design my own, I'd get rid of any plastic tabs because they can be broken off. It might be tough, but they will break. Tabs should be on the rhino instead. If it weren't for the tabs, I'd take both battery packs because the alkaline one can store AA batteries for other uses.