Are you sure you're not using heavy duty batteries? I went through the same kind of thing, getting about the time you are getting, and it turned out I was using heavy duty batteries. I was informed here on the list that heavy duty doesn't mean long-lasting. Bruce, and maybe one other person, suggested Rayovac 15-minute rechargeable batteries. I have 6 batteries now so can rotate three sets at any given time. Battery life is great now and as of right now I'm pretty much using exclusively audio files. Caroline Caroline Congdon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin mailto:carolinecongdon@xxxxxxxxx Check out my blog at http://ccongdon.wordpress.com or add me to your Livejournal friends list with username tazcat