Standard Battery Holder
1. The standard battery holder holds eight “AA”
cell batteries equalling 12 volts total. Alkalines are
recommended for use with this model. During
normal searching conditions you can expect about
40 hours of hunting time from a quality set of eight
alkaline batteries.
2. Non-alkaline batteries can be used in this holder.
When non-alkalines or rechargeable “AA”
cells are used, detecting time (before replacement/
recharge) may be reduced to about 30-35
hours.
3. The battery voltage appears automatically on the
display when the Gain is used to turn the MXT
"ON". Once the batteries become weak (8 volts)
"Lo Bat" will automatically appear on the display
during searching. At that point the batteries should
be replaced. Alkalines provide some reserve time
after "Lo Bat" appears, rechargeable do not.
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
You can modify you regular pack to be a rechargeable pack. If you use good rechargeables 2500 mah or higher they will usually outlast alkaline batteries and save you some money in the long run. Here is a link for the conversion: http://www.hdwt.net/batterypack.html
My mine lab manual says not to use rechargeables because that can actually be over their rated voltage. my four double AA's I use make six volt normal. If they are charged to let's say 1.8 volts each now you have 7.2 volts in a 6 volt system. It can't be good for it.
I have a Whites MXT and use only alkaline AAs. They last forever. Initially I was going to get rechargeable batteries but realized that most are 1.2V so times 8 would be 9.6V. This is less than the 12V I get with regular 1.5V alkalines.
I tried re-chargables along time ago. They did not last nearly as long as Alkalines and when they go, they go quick. When alkalines start getting weak they hang on quite awhile and they last a looooong time. The alkaline battery life in the MXT is quite amazing.
As far as the life of the rechargeables, it will depend on the mha rating of the cells. Usually the ones you find that are inexpensive have a low mha rating maybe about 700. Most alkaline battery are around 1800 mha but it is usually not shown on the cell. So to get equal or better life you will need to purchase rechargeables with a mha number greater than 1800. You can usually find good deals on name brand 2500 mha cells at Walmart or other retailers. I have seen some rated as high as 3000 mha. These numbers refer to to the capacity or storage of the cell (how long they will last).
So pay the money once for a good set of rechargebles and a good charger. It will save you a bundle in the long run.
Don't buy Energizer...they suck...all of them. recently a local police department bought several tasers and over half of them didn't work. they were all shipped from the factory with Energizer batteries. The police department replaced the batteries with Duracell and guess what...they all worked perfectly. True story
i went ahead a brought some e2's. they are 1.5 volts just the same as the normal energizer's. they are just very high tech batteries. they are suppose to endure temp -14 to 140 f. they are suppose to last 7 times longer than standard energizer's. i put them in one of my detectors, i am going to find out if they last like they say, and if they are worth the extra cost. i did test them on my meter and they read just a little higher voltage than the standard alkaline. standard's read--1.55. the e2's read--1.60. just a tad higher, don't know if that little bit of extra voltage can harm anything. as soon as a load is put on them from the detector's electronics they will probably go down a little in voltage i would think. i use Duracell's alot also. i haven't seen them preform any better than the energizer's. i buy both, i think they are the same. i have never had any trouble with either of them.