Do not scrap VHF radios
Sartech says that it is developing a new range of batteries that to replace those used in older hand-held VHF radios which owners may otherwise have been forced to scrap because replacement batteries were not readily available. According to Satech, replacement batteries for Japan Radio Company’s popular JHS-7 handheld VHF have had limited production in Japan. As a result, the batteries have been very difficult to source in Europe and North America.
The shortage of replacement batteries has prompted some shipowners and operators to buy entirely new handheld VHF radios, including all the associated brackets and chargers, when the primary battery in their original unit needs to be replaced, usually after about three years. This can be a costly and unnecessary business, especially for larger fleets with multiple GMDSS suites.
Sartech is undertaking a collaboration with JRC to develop a second manufacturing facility for the hard to source NBB389 battery packs. Sartech is also developing lithium and rechargeable batteries for the popular Sailor SP3110 radio which is no longer in production. These batteries will be direct replacements for the SP3901 and SP3905 packs, which are no longer available from the original manufacturers.
“Our new batteries are manufactured to the original type approval specifications using exactly the same cell types as the OEM versions,” explains Peter Forey, managing director of Sartech.
