Icom BP120 Replacement Battery 4.8V 1200mAh Ni-MH

Icom IC-T7A / IC-T7H Series — 4.8V Ni-MH Replacement Battery (BP120 / BP150 / BP180 / BP250)

This is a 4.8V, 1200mAh Ni-MH battery pack for the Icom IC-T7A, IC-T7H, IC-T22A, IC-T42A, and compatible handheld transceivers. It replaces OEM packs BP120, BP150, BP180, and BP250. The cells match the voltage rail and connector footprint the IC-T7 platform expects.

• IC-T7A / IC-T7H / IC-T22A / IC-T42A platform fit: These radios share the same 4.8V four-cell Ni-MH voltage rail and identical battery bay connector. One pack covers all listed models because the BMS handshake and contact pinout are common across the series.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this pack through full charge and discharge on an IC-T7A body. The BMS accepted charge normally from the dock, PTT transmit drew current without triggering overcurrent cutoff, and the radio held RX standby without voltage collapse.
• First insertion into the dock: Ni-MH packs ship at partial storage charge — typically 3.8–4.2V. If the dock shows a fault LED on first seating, wipe the gold contact strip with a dry cloth, reseat the pack firmly, and wait 10 seconds. The Icom dock requires a clean contact cycle to recognise the BMS before it begins charging.

Why the IC-T7A cuts out mid-transmission on a new battery

Transmit current on the IC-T7A spikes sharply the moment PTT is pressed — the RF output stage draws significantly more current than RX standby. A new Ni-MH pack at storage voltage has higher internal impedance, so that initial spike can cause a brief voltage sag. If the pack voltage dips below the radio's low-voltage cutoff threshold during that spike, the radio drops TX before the cell has warmed into normal operation. Running one to two full charge-discharge cycles lowers cell impedance and the cutout stops. If it persists past three cycles, check that the contact strip is clean and fully seated.

Bar indicator showing one fewer bar than expected on a fully charged pack

The IC-T7 series reads voltage thresholds directly — there is no fuel gauge chip. A new pack straight off the charger can sit at a resting voltage just under the threshold for the top bar, because the cell voltage settles slightly after charge termination. This is not a fault with the pack. Key the radio for a short transmission cycle, let it rest five minutes, then recheck — resting voltage will stabilise above the threshold. If the indicator stays low after two full charge cycles, measure open-circuit voltage at the contacts; a healthy fully charged 4.8V Ni-MH pack should read 5.4–5.6V.