Rebattery, Restoration and Repair

Rebatterying Transmitting Equipment

All of AVM's Radio transmitting equipment (collars and modules) can usually be rebatteried by AVM at least once. Many applications have been rebatteried successfully eight to ten times.

Please note (especially turtle and tortoise researchers): If you have added large amounts of epoxy, acrylic or other adhesive substances to your module, you must remove these materials before returning your transmitters to AVM or we may have to make an additional charge for removal.

Prices for rebatterying modular transmitting systems are normally based on approximately 50% of the current replacement cost of a new module. Prices for rebatterying neck collars is generally the price of a new collar, with a $75 credit given for the use of your old transmitter.

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Restoration of Used Transmitting Equipment

AVM is generally fairly liberal in defining "rebatterying transmitters." We generally replace antennas, retune transmitters, replace reed switches and re-encapsulate the package for the price of the rebattery job.

If you would like transmitters from one application built into an application of another type, for instance, if you would like your flying squirrel collars made into owl tail-mount modules, it's no problem for us. Just make certain that the battery you select for your new application is from the same voltage group as the battery which originally powered the transmitter.

Charges for alteration are based on the $75 credit rate, just like the rebatterying of collars. Module alterations involving only the change in the size of the battery, within the same battery group, for instance, replacing the CR1632 cell in your juvenile tortoise carapace-mount module with a BR3032 to use on an adult pond turtle, are considered as just rebattery jobs, and charged at the 50% of replacement cost rate.

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Doing it Yourself

If you would like to rebattery your own equipment, as many people who use smaller modules often do, request AVM's Techniques of Radiotransmitter Package Construction. This manual takes you through extraction of the original battery, how to solder, how to check your work, and even how to select your hand tools. We offer most of the materials you will need: batteries with solder tabs, antennas, and encapsulants. See our price list for a complete listing. We will try to give you all the help you need. We find, however, that as the years progress, fewer and fewer researchers wish to attempt to change their own batteries.

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Receiver Service and Modification

If your receiver needs service, send it to us. We can repair all receivers ever made by AVM. We still repair the LA 11 and LA12 series of receivers, which were produced between 1968 and 1980. Because these receivers are still as sensitive as any radiotelemetry receiver made today, many people like to keep them on hand as backups to the more sophisticated receivers of the 21st century. Please return the instrument's charger with all receiving instruments returned for repair, service or modification of any kind.

If you would like modifications to your receiver, such as frequency bands added or changed, it's a good idea to contact us first to find out how long it will take. We often have to order special parts for receivers no longer in production.

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How to Send the Equipment to AVM

When sending equipment to be repaired, please provide us with the following information, using the handy form will help!:
  1. Statement of the nature of the problem, or
  2. Instructions for the work that you wish us to do
  3. Phone/Fax/e-mail addresses where you can be contacted should we have questions.
  4. Address for billing or credit card number, expiration date and name of cardholder.
  5. Address for Return Shipment
Within the USA, United Parcel Service (UPS) is the most reliable method of shipping. UPS comes to AVM at least twice every day. UPS overnight service is delivered to AVM before 10:00 AM, daily.

Outside the USA, we recommend return shipment via Air Mail not Air Freight. Be sure to mark all boxes as follows: If you fail to do mark the package properly, it will cause customs duties to be charged. If you send equipment via Air Freight instead of Air Mail, you risk having your package delayed in customs at the San Francisco Airport. Although we can usually get it through customs without duty, we will have to charge you for paperwork and brokerage fees.

All requests submitted to AVM for rebattery, restoration, repair, or replacement, whether retrofit or warranty, must be accompanied by a credit card number to cover the return shipping.

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