Can the U1525B accept an alkaline 9V battery (obviously without charging it)?
Yes, as I don't like the NimH cell for those 9V battery, as they're lousy and high self discharge. ![ThumbsDown :--](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/icon_thumbsdown.gif.pagespeed.ce.D027Y9gZ7m.gif)
It depends on the battery. The one that came with the meter does OK with holding a charge. I don't use my U1252B for prolonged measurements since I have bench meters for that, so I'm also in the "occasional use" category. The last time I charged the 8.4V battery was October, 2016. The battery level indicator currently shows about 70% charge remaining.
Addendum:
The battery mentioned above is a Powerex Imedion, 8.4V NiMH, 250mAh.
For my transistor tester, I got a Ray-o-vac Recharge Plus 8.4V NiMH, 200mAh. It was last recharged in October as well. Putting it in the U1252B, the battery level indicator shows 75% charge remaining.
Of course, this isn't a true test of the self-discharge rate. Just some anecdotal information.