Devo 7E battery drain

I used my 7E for maybe 2 hours in total, and the AA batteries are down to 4.8v already. I put a 2S, 600mAh Lipo in instead and the power dropped by 0.1v every few minutes.
Is it normal for these transmitters to suck batteries dry at such a rate?
I have a A7105 module installed and did the range mod.

Same thing here ! I switched the powerpack to a LiFePo 700mAh battery . I do have to recharge more often, but at least it costs me next to nothing.
What version of deviation are you using ? I thought I read somewhere that 4.0.1 or maybe the nightlies had things a little improved, but I might be wrong.

I'm using the latest nightly.

600 or 700 mah batts are pretty small. The Tx itself is labeled to use 1300 mah nicads, so you guys are halving the normal expected batt capacity.

It's pretty easy to find AA NimH batts today > 2000 mah -- over the counter, so why not go that route?

NimH are heavy and take forever to charge.
Also, in my experience LiPos last longer at the same mAH.
I'm actually considering if I can get a 2200 mAh Lipo in there, by removing the plastic frame that usually holds the battery "stick". Anyone tried that? I won't be able to remove the battery, but that's not an issue, as both balancing and power cable are accessible from the battery door.