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[David Sumrall]

We use Duracell Pro Cell all the way.

I have a standing order each month with the Battery Bank of 288 9v and 288AA for production use only.

When we get to Easter, Christmas and other special things that usually doubles.

We also adjust the numbers or place another order if we are getting low on something etc.

Motorola CP200's are rechargeable and our Cell Com Body Packs are too.

Wireless mics and ears are not something I take a risk on. We change them before each Service or two services back to back.
We may leave them in for the next rehearsal or small event that comes in, but it depends.  When in doubt, we change em.

We use Shure UHFR, UHF, ULXP for mics and Sennheiser G1 and G2 for ears.  24 channels of rf mics and 8 channels of ears in the largest set up. The other rooms are between 2-6 channels of mics and 8 ear rf ear mixes if they have ears. Then we have lots of rooms with one or 2 channels of rf mic.

We may look at trying the Sennheiser rechargeable setup for the g2 ears sometime soon.

Yes there is an expense on all the batteries but we do not take a chance of there being a problem because of a battery issue.

Like I said on the Sennheiser ears we may try something there that they actually make, but we won't put anything into use in a major way until we know that it will work no questions asked.

I'm actually a lot more concerned about the rf changes and how that will affect us. We have already started phasing out stuff in the 700mhz range. Anybody want some old VEGA!?!

My 2 cents! Good Luck!

David Sumrall
Technical Director/A1
First Baptist Orlando

[Sean LaRussa]

We recently made the change to rechargeable AA's for all of our Shure (U4 system) mics and have been very happy with the results.  We were spending $500 plus for just AA's each year.  We found out about these Ansmann Energy 16 chargers (http://ansmann.us/batterychargers/smartbatterychargers.html) at a Bay Area Tech Coalition meeting we attended last year.  We returned this year to see how they held up and found out they were working great.  What really sold us was the fact that Cirque du Soleil uses these same chargers for their shows (which include 30 plus wireless mics, if it is good enough for the pros...).  We went with 2900MaH Accupower AA batteries and three of the Energy 16 chargers.  This allows us to be able to swap out batteries between services if needed (which we have found isn't needed most of the time).  We have been able to run our mics for 5 hours each Sunday (that is rehearsal and 2 services) without needing to change the batteries.  Initial cost was about what we pay each year for batteries ($500), but we expect these AA's will not need to be replaced for at least 3 years, so the cost savings is significant.

As for 9V's, we have not yet tried any rechargeables but plan to soon for our in-ear wireless units.

Finally, as a California church, I can confirm that we can no longer just dump used alkalines in the trash, we have a special bin we put them in for recycling now.

[Andy Peters]

Michael Shuemaker wrote on Mon, 18 February 2008 20:25

There has GOT to be an alternative to using standard 9V batteries in wireless mics -- in-ears -- etc....

(Donning my "Master Of The Obvious" hat here ...)

Eliminate all wireless mics and such, and go with standard old-school wired stuff.

Do you REALLY need wireless mics?

-a

[Jason Gill]

Andy Peters wrote on Mon, 25 February 2008 20:00

Michael Shuemaker wrote on Mon, 18 February 2008 20:25 There has GOT to be an alternative to using standard 9V batteries in wireless mics -- in-ears -- etc.... (Donning my "Master Of The Obvious" hat here ...) Eliminate all wireless mics and such, and go with standard old-school wired stuff. Do you REALLY need wireless mics? -a

I was thinking the same thing.  While reading alot of posts here, I thank God that my church is small.  Granted, small does not mean less problems as the big guys, just smaller problems...

Some of your guys' AV budgets are probably bigger than our church's entire budget.

[Sean LaRussa]

Jason Gill wrote on Tue, 26 February 2008 09:05

I was thinking the same thing.  While reading alot of posts here, I thank God that my church is small.  Granted, small does not mean less problems as the big guys, just smaller problems... Some of your guys' AV budgets are probably bigger than our church's entire budget.

First, sorry for the hijack as this discussion is a bit off the topic of 9V batteries...

I remember when we were smaller but we have always had wireless mics at least for the pastors.  I remember those mics with 12v batteries and the mics were three inches long on a lanyard that went around the pastor's neck!!  Those were the good old days...

I guess the fact that we are in Silicon Valley requires us to keep up with technology in order to keep the attention of the people we are trying to reach, which really should be the goal, right?  I agree that no one NEEDS to have wireless or projections or lighting or big sound systems to reach the lost, but in today's society which is constantly blasted by media from all directions, it makes it a bit easier.  You do not need a huge budget to do this either (our AV budget is about $3k/year of our over $1.2 million general budget).  Now to be fair equipment purchases of over $1k are not included in our budget as they are capital expenses, but you get the idea.  Can you do the same without a huge budget or general fund - YES.  Just use what you have and what you can afford to the best ability you can.  This could be a long discussion so if anyone is interested please open a new thread so we can all pitch in...

[Kent Thompson]

We might be trying those 9.6v rechargeable batteries. Will see how they work out and for how long. Will be using them in hand held audio techica wireless mics.

[Kent Thompson]

Well 9.6 volt batteries turned out to be around 11+ volts. They were used for the whole service and still registered over 9 volts when we removed them. These batteries are ever so slightly larger than regular 9 volt batteries which made them a snug fit in some of our wireless microphones but, that was a good thing since the other 9vs were kinda loose in the microphones. So they have the juice, now how will they hold up over time.....

[KevinKeen]

So I hear that Energizer and Panasonic are built together?  Is that true.  What's the difference between the industrial and regular?
To me and my test, it seems like the Energizer last longer than Duracell everytime.  Does anyone have any hard facts?

[Tony Fortenberry]

We were using about $500-600 per year on batteries.  About 6 months ago, we went to the Lithium-Polymer rechargeable 9V batteries.  They have been great.  We can charge them as much as we like without worrying about memory.  They have never failed us during a service.  We just rotate the batteries between our wireless mics & the recharger every Sunday & so far it's worked great.  It's sooo much better than dealing with the Procells or other regular 9V's.

[John Profetta]

I have made the switch to rechargeable 9V and haven't had a problem. I first ordered one of those "9.6V" units and tested it in a crappier Shure LX body pack.  It worked for a long time, 10-12 hours maybe.. but I got nervous about the 11.2 voltage coming off of them so I emailed Shure and asked them and this is what they said:

"(ME) I have heard that the transmitter units basically see a dead battery at 7V.

** Incorrect. The transmitter shuts down at 6 volts.

(ME) Can the transmitters take this much voltage?

** No. The ULX transmitters have a maximum of 9.6 volts. The batteries that you found are 8 cell batteries that are rated at 9.6 volts, but charge higher than that. Instead, use a 7 cell battery that is rated at 8.4 volts. A six cell battery that is rated at 7.2 volts will also work fine."

The "8.4v" 9V batts meter at 10V right off the charger but the guy from Shure said:

"They will be fine right out of the charger. You are measuring them with no load, so it is not a realistic measurement."

And indeed, they have been.  We use upwards of 8 wireless units and 5 IEM for 2 services.  I used to use a procell for one service and then replace it for the next.  Such a waste.  I have been using the rechargeable 9V for over a year and I have only had 1 cell go dead right off the charger.  Chucked it and have had no problems with them since!

I have 22 rechargeables on hand for those super long all day conferences where we are using mics for 14 hours and I have 2 10 cell smart chargers.  I only use these  http://www.zbattery.com/Batteries/9V_2/AccuPower-8-4V-270mAh -NiMH-Rechargeable-9V-Battery batteries on these  http://www.zbattery.com/Chargers/9V-Only/Maha-PowerEx-Rapid- Intelligent-9V-Charger chargers.

This has saved us lotsa duckets!

[ProSoundWeb Community]