Radio Shack 960-1943 Cordless Phone Replacement Battery 2.4V 1200mAh

Radio Shack 960-1943 Cordless Phone — 2.4V Ni-MH Replacement Battery (23-9086)

This is a 2.4V, 1200mAh Ni-MH battery pack for the Radio Shack 960-1943 cordless handset. It replaces OEM part number 23-9086. The battery fits the handset directly and communicates with the base station charging circuit as the original does.

• 960-1943 and variant model compatibility: Models 960-1943, 239086, 9601943, and CS90260 all use the same 2.4V two-cell NiMH pack with this connector and footprint. The base station charging circuit expects this voltage range — a mismatched pack will trigger a charge error or refuse to seat correctly.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this pack through the 960-1943 base station charging circuit and confirmed the NiMH acceptance threshold was met. The BMS on the base recognised the pack within the first charge cycle and transitioned from trickle to full charge without error.
• First charge on a NiMH cordless handset: After installing, place the handset in the base for a full 16 hours before first use. NiMH cells coming out of storage are partially discharged, and a slow first charge lets the cells reach rated capacity evenly across both cells in the pack.

Why the 960-1943 base station shows a charge error on a new NiMH pack

NiMH batteries lose voltage during storage. If the pack voltage drops far enough, the base station's charge acceptance circuit may flag it as a fault instead of beginning a charge cycle. This happens because the base checks cell voltage before committing to a full charge. In most cases, placing the handset in the base and waiting 30 minutes allows the trickle charge to raise the pack above the acceptance threshold, at which point the error clears and normal charging begins. If the error persists beyond an hour, check that the handset contacts are clean and making full contact with the base cradle terminals.

Talk time shorter than expected after the first few uses

NiMH cells do not deliver full rated capacity immediately after installation — this is normal cell behaviour, not a fault. Rated capacity at 1200mAh is reached after three to five full charge-and-discharge cycles. Each cycle should be a complete discharge through normal use followed by a full 16-hour charge in the base. By cycle five, the pack stabilises and talk time matches the original battery specification.