Can You Use the Radio When it is Charging?

Got a customer question said, "My HD1 is having difficulty doing TX and RX while it is charging, it is noisy and with QRM, it has a problem, if I have a problem charging my device if there is an improvement from the charger, please broadcast it, because I have these problems when the radio is working in the charging station, it will make a bigger problem with QRM." 

Before we give an answer "NO, please don't use the radio when charging the battery". He got some other customers answers said this is not a right mind to use radio when on charge. 

Why cant use the radio when it is on charging? 

1. it'll shorten the life of the attached battery  but also damage the radio components,The noise your getting is the charge circuit a radio isn't designed to be used while charging.

2. Nearly all manufacturers will advise you to turn your radio off while it’s charging. If you don’t, the radio is both drawing current and charging at the same time. This can shorten the life of the battery.

3. Li-Ion batteries are very sensitive to overcharge, they may cause a fire. Those batteries are charged by carefully monitoring their voltage, once they exceed a certain level being measured very precisely, charging must stop.
If a device is turned on while charging the battery, the voltage might fluctuate quite a lot; especially for a HAM radio, e.g. transmitting. So the charging circuit may turn off prematurely or not turn off when it's supposed to.

How to protect your battery? 

1. Read the manufacture's manual charging instruction before you begin to use the radio.

2. Make sure turn off the radio when charging. If dont turn off the radio when charging, it will shorten the battery life. 

3. 3. Don't use the charge as a stand. we often see some people keep the radio stand in the desk charger even the radio is already fully charged. keeping it in the charger could shorten its battery life. Only put the radio in the charger when it needs recharging!

4. New batteries need a long overnight charge before you use them for the first time. This is known as “initializing”, and it will help you obtain the maximum battery capacity.

5. Place the battery in the charger correctly.   Line up the grooves on the battery and the charger – you should almost feel it “click” into place if it’s sitting correctly. If it’s not, it will affect the charging process.

6. Buy an new battery. Even with the best care, your rechargeable battery will eventually need to be replaced.