Might A Different Set Of Batteries Do

kah22

My friend is in hospital, she'll be there for ten days or so and misses her radio

The hospital say it is OK to bring one in but it has to be battery powered. I assume there are no spare plugs about and/or plugging a radio into a mains socket might interfere with their equipment.

I've resurrected an old Alba radio which as been hanging around the house since Methuselah was a child. It works fine with the power lead connected.

The radio takes 4x LR 20 batteries or equivalent. I bough 4x R20 from a local pound shop but there is not a sound or noise of any sort out of the radio when I try to operate it on batteries.

So to the question

What is the difference between an LR20 battery and an R20 battery, they both appear to be the same size?

If I were to buy a branded battery e.g. Duracell might that make a difference, remember there is not as much as a whisper or crackle when I try to operate on battery power.

Is there anyway I can check to see if the battery connection is broken. And yes I have checked to make sure the batteries were fitted the proper way

As you can appreciate we don't want to have to buy a new radio if it can be avoided

kwikbreaks

LR20 are alkaline and R20 are zinc carbon. Apart from the alkaline lasting longer there is no difference. If it isn't working and you've inserted the batteries correctly then either the radio or the batteries are duff. It could just be bad connections which you could try cleaning up by carefully scratching (sandpaper, nail file, knife etc.).

Pound shops sometimes sell little FM radios that work with earphones. Places like Home Bargains might have something cheap too.

andy2004

It may pay you to buy a cheap new radio for a few quid.
Saying that, how many hours per day will your friend be using the radio, as that will determine how many batteries you'll need to supply them with.
better idea.
Cheap mobile phone with radio built in / mp3. the built in battery should last longer. then to recharge the phone a portable battery charger. emergency charger using 4 AAA batteries, 24 AAA batteries at 99p.
should last at least a week, or better yet if your friend is close to a sunny window a solar powered battery pack or you could alternate.
When you go to visit if going by car, recharge their phone in your car. and use the other means when your not around.
Cant see why you cant plug into the mains though, when i was in hospital I asked when my mp3 player ran out of power and recharge it there.
It could be they want your friend to PAY for the hospital radio via their tv/radio.

forgotmyname

Some hospitals are fussy on electricals, They dont want you to plug something faulty in and wipe their power out.

My FIL had an electric shaver, The nurse was going to call for an electrician to come and test it. Said dont bother and we went and bought him a battery one instead.