What you need to know about radio battery life

When the battery runs down on the TETRA radio, people usually blame ... the batteries. But you have a lot of control over how long your batteries work.

Here are seven tricks that can make your TETRA radio battery last longer:

1. Use the radio wisely. Idle radios use less power than those that are transmitting or receiving information.

2. Switch off the GPS receiver. The integrated GPS receiver uses battery power. You can extend the life of your battery if you set the radio to turn the GPS receiver on and off automatically. Another option is to let your dispatcher or field commander activate your GPS only when your position is needed.

When the GPS receiver is off, the radio uses less power.

3. Turn out the lights. Illuminated screen uses battery power. Extend the life of your battery and turn the screen light off. Just use the radio menu to adjust the display's illumination settings.

Check if your radio supports automatic screen light-off when in a holder. Many radios will detect if they are put into a holder and will automatically turn off the lights. When you pick the radio up again, the lights are turned back on, also automatically.

4.Turn accessories off. Active accessories consume battery power. Turn them off if you're not using them.

5. Use "energy economy." This is a special feature in TETRA system and radios from Airbus. Energy economy allows the terminal to sleep until the network has something to send. That helps extend the battery's operating period.

6. Choose the right battery. A standard radio battery should last through a regular working shift. If you need to use the radio a longer time, you should choose a bigger, longer-lasting battery. Genuine lithium-ion batteries can be recharged often without significantly shortening overall battery lifetime.

7. Field strength also matters. When you are near a base station, your radio can operate on lower transmission power. Inside a vehicle, a special car kit for your handheld can save a lot of battery power. This is because the car kit connected to the long antenna of the car will get you a better, stronger signal. 

The better the signal and the network, the longer the battery life.

These 7 tips can save you battery life. Now take a look at the other savings you could achieve! Did you know that there are five special TETRA radio features that could save you money?