Icom M91D VHF battery

[Graham W]

Wanted - replacement battery for my radio.  Icom have discontinued it, leaving my VHF in an unusable condition, which I'm not happy about. The battery model number is BP275.

[Sea Simon]

Hmmm.
This must be very disappointing?

Looks like a fairly recent, and high spec radio,  from a a major manufacturer.
Hoped for better?

[Graham W]

I expect that batteries are exempted from the Right to Repair law but I complained to Icom anyway.  Their reply was as follows:
"Unfortunately Icom Japan could no longer source component/materials to continue to manufacture the BP275/M91D battery.
There have been major global issues with electronic component supply chain [for manufacture] effecting viability.
M91D went out of production in 2016.
I understand far from ideal, but if it helps at all  - I am happy to offer you our latest handheld DSC/AIS/VHF at a discounted price."

2016 would mean that the M91D was discontinued more than seven years ago, which is one of the cut-off points mentioned in the Right to Repair law.  The other one is ten years but I don't have the energy to wade through the law to see which, if any, is applicable to batteries.  I think getting a secondhand battery on eBay is the way to go.  I'm not tempted by a new M94DE at a discount.

[Sea Simon]

Are you aware that there are several firms out there that will insert new generic cells into proprietary housings/carriers?
V common for cordless power tools.

There used to be a good one in Plymouth.

I went down the DIY route with a dead Metabo cell pack for a site radio, but a new spare turned up at a sensible price, so the bits are still in my roundtoit pile...new generic cells off ebay.
That said, a site radio is not an emergency comms device!

Personally, I prefer to keep my AIS/GPS and VHF comms separate. One reason being that the combi units are reputed to be very hard on batteries.

[Graham W]

Are you aware that there are several firms out there that will insert new generic cells into proprietary housings/carriers?
V common for cordless power tools.

Thanks, I wasn't aware.  I'll try that if the eBay route fails or gets too expensive.

[MarkF]

Not sure if you have seen these, but you can get battery packs from these two companies:
https://uk.farnell.com
https://uk.rs-online.com

Depending on what is in your Icom batter pack, you may be able to get the separate or pre-packed replacements.  They generally have a solder tag spot-welded to the battery. You just need to be careful not to allow it to heat up too much when soldering.

I'd be cautious about sourcing batteries from any but a reputable dealer to avoid risk of charging fire / general poor quality.

[Graham W]

Thanks Mark - I'll look into these too.  As the original battery is completely shot, I won't lose anything by having a look inside the casing.