CHARGED UP REVIEW: Lanch HG-UV98 Battery & Cradle Charger

Way back in October 2019 was my original review of the Lanch HG-UV98 dual band VHF/UHF analog APRS radio. 

Now it is time for a little bit of an update regarding the battery life.

Since my original review and a bunch or other related articles, I have purchased a second radio because it is good to have a spare on hand just incase.

This obscure but affordable radio has proven to be a great "field friendly" radio for times where the more expensive APRS capable Kenwood TH-D74 is not worth taking a risky drop while scrambling up a hill or in the snow.

While the vendor website is no longer in operation for Lanch, its distributor Venus Information Technology has provided excellent support even during COVID times and has many in stock and offers the software for programming too, which can also be found on HVDN as well.

Included with the original Lanch HG-UV98 purchase was a USB car and wall charger plus one USB micro cable.  To charge the radio battery, you simply plug in the charge to the port on the rear of the battery. 

As you can see below, these accessories never even left the box since I had many other chargers to use already on hand!

24 Months:  Battery Review

There are not many amateur radio's that can charge over USB power even in 2022, so considering that Lanch offered this feature in 2019, this was a major benefit feature to have for interoperability.

Just before Winter Field Day 2022, my original HG-UV98 battery decided to "puff out" which meant it was time to order up some spares. 

The below photo shows my disassembled battery which inside is a pair of 3.7V 2500 mAh capacity cells held in place by adhesive tape as found in many other battery packs. Only one of the cells seems to have malfunctioned though so I have plans for the remaining good cell.

Two series 3.7 Volt 2500 mAh LiPo cells can be found inside the Lanch HG-UV98 battery
(Source: Steve Bossert K2GOG)

The insides of the battery also includes a USB micro converter and charge controller so these will likely find use in some other DIY project later on, so DO NOT throw out your old battery when it eventually fails! 

A USB micro charge converter can be found inside the battery along with a charge controller
(Source: Steve Bossert K2GOG)

Talking about the new charge cradle

In mid 2021,  my contact at Venus Information Technology let me know they had developed a charging cradle for the radio and were offering that plus a battery for sale for only $32.60 USD.

On February 22nd I placed the order and on March 6th the package of charger and a few extra LC-01 batteries arrived from China. Lets now look at what arrived!

Recognize the logo?  A former smartphone vendor must have had a
surplus of USB cables that Lanch has found a second life for!
(Source:  Steve Bossert K2GOG)

Lanch HG-UV98 Battery Cradle Details

Here are three photos of the new cradle, clearly showing it is designed to be charged with USB micro connections.  You can charge the battery without attaching it to the radio if needed.

The cradle only comes with a USB micro wire and no USB charger, but that is ok as I already have left over ones from past or other purchases.

The label on the bottom of the charger helps validate that the battery does the conversion from 5V USB standard up to 8.4V needed to charge the battery.  

But, interestingly the inside of the charge cradle has its own voltage converter. When the battery is charged in the cradle, the internal battery converter is bypassed.

Extra Bonus Details

Electronic devices these days often have shorter life cycles so that vendors can sell new equipment, but that is sometimes wasteful.  

The good news is that the Lanch HG-UV98 will soon be joined by a new radio which combines the APRS and radio programming into one common MCU.  

This means no need for two separate computer  programming applications.  Both radios will use the same battery which is the major extra bonus!

Support these products!

Normally, I do not outwardly endorse a vendor product, but in this case I will.  Based on the behind the scenes support from Venus Information Technology and a lack of other reliable low cost analog AX.25 1200 baud radios, the Lanch HG-UV98 will be a great addition to anyone looking for a first or additional APRS radio.