Emergency Radio & Charger Recommendations?

[admin]

I have an Eton radio that is questionably reliable at best. The hand crank come loose and will likely break permanently at some point. I need to replace it with something that isn’t made of garbage plastic.

Any suggestions for an emergency radio that is more heavy-duty than the cheap junk? Preferably something that can be recharged without power, via hand crank or solar panel.

[admin]

I’m doubtful about the hand-crank emergency radios. Actually I don’t own one, but I have a number of radios for both home and travel. I use rechargeable batteries most of the time and stock up on alkaline batteries during hurricane season. Last thing I want to do is crank a radio, especially in a situation when I really am needing a radio.

For an emergency AM/FM radio that is small and easily transportable in a pocket or bag, look at the Kaito models. I carried the KA200 (about $13 on Amazon) in my bag every day to work and on travel for a few years until I switched to the Sony ICF-S10MK2. Nothing wrong with the KA200; I just wanted to rotate. Small radios like this go a long time on a set of fresh batteries, and several sets of fresh batteries will get you through most situations, and they (radio and extra batteries) are easily carried. The Sony radio is very compact and picks up distant stations very, very well, but it isn’t made anymore and it is hard to find.

For home I would have a NOAA radio with Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) that runs off household power with battery backup, and a decent portable AM/FM radio that can fill a small or medium room so everyone can easily hear it, but also portable if you need to bug out and take it with you. By decent portable AM/FM radio I’m thinking of something like the Sangean PR-D5BK. I mention that one as example, and plus I have a model like it that I’ve had for many years and no problems. For the NOAA radio I’m thinking of something like the Midland WR120/WR120EZ.

[admin]

I second the ka200. The hand crank and solar ones just all seem to be junk. Pack some extra batteries and save yourself some hassle.

[admin]

To add, Kaito also has the KA210 on Amazon. The 210 is a little larger but includes NOAA weather band in addition to AM and FM. It uses AA batteries. The 200 can easily fit in a shirt pocket, and uses AAA batteries.

I have both, and I like the sound from the 200 better. I used it when traveling, in hotels to listen to local news and traffic radio in the morning when getting ready in the morning. As I say, I carried it in my soft briefcase all the time to the office and likewise on trips until I rotated to a different radio. It’s durable and reliable.

[admin]

Thanks for the recommendations. Kaito products in general look favorably reviewed on Amazon, so I get the feeling the brand is solid.

@aih interesting point about the hand-crank. My Eton is probably a good example of just what is wrong with hand-cranks. Reliability is questionable at best.

How long can those little portables go on a single set of batteries?

[admin]

I still carry my Sony SRF-M37W, I understand its been discontinued. Sure you could find one in the wild.

[admin]

I second the ka200. The hand crank and solar ones just all seem to be junk. Pack some extra batteries and save yourself some hassle.
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I meant the KA210 with NOAA.
The county comm bundle is a nice option if you want it in orange.

[admin]

The KA210 is a satisfactory option if you want one small portable radio with AM/FM and NOAA weather in the same package.

I have a small pocket size weather radio from Radio Shack that must be close to 35 years old now, but it runs on a 9V and will run forever on a battery. The other nice feature is it tunes via a switch from station to station and not a dial, and the audio is clear and loud. If there is a version of this still available this would be a better option, separate from other radio for AM/FM. The KA210 weather band performance is acceptable but could be better.

[admin]

Sangean DT-480W I’ve used for many years with rechargeable batteries. Works well for my needs.

[admin]

The KA210 is a satisfactory option if you want one small portable radio with AM/FM and NOAA weather in the same package.

I have a small pocket size weather radio from Radio Shack that must be close to 35 years old now, but it runs on a 9V and will run forever on a battery. The other nice feature is it tunes via a switch from station to station and not a dial, and the audio is clear and loud. If there is a version of this still available this would be a better option, separate from other radio for AM/FM. The KA210 weather band performance is acceptable but could be better.
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You should preserve that radio as a historic artifact… bygone era … Radio Shack has gone the way of the DoDo!

I wonder what undergrad physics and engineering students will do for part time work now…? 🙁

L’chaim!

Moshe ben David

[admin]

I have a Takashi World Band Radio that my wife bought about 8 years ago and never used it so she gave it to me. I used to take this radio to work everyday and it has decent sound. This little radio came in handy about 6 years ago during a three day power outage. I used some rechargeable AA batteries and we had FM and news to keep us entertained until the power was restored.

I’m hoping to retire the radio mentioned above and store it away for good and replaced it with a hand crank emergency radio that I will be receiving today. The hand crank radio does more of what I will need in an emergency situation than the radio mentioned above.

[admin]

You should preserve that radio as a historic artifact… bygone era … Radio Shack has gone the way of the DoDo!

I wonder what undergrad physics and engineering students will do for part time work now…? 🙁

L’chaim!

Moshe ben David
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Yeah, and it is a shame. We joked about Radio Shack back in the day, but then you could find little jewels sometimes like this weather radio at your local store. I dropped it on a boat deck one time and it came apart. I snapped it back together and it was fine. I still use it occasionally. I would hope there is a variation on this one still available somewhere, but I do doubt it.

[admin]

@Harkness: Thanks for the pics! ahh the memories…!

(is that a remote for a Bose Wavemachine next to the radio? looks like it…)

L’chaim!

Moshe ben David

[admin]

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/en_us/products/two-way-radios/consumer-two-way-radios/t400-series/talkabout–t480.html#
I got this last year for Christmas, T480.
It’s micro usb charging with rechargeable AAAs, no battery pack to mess with, NOAA channels, FM Radio, led light, SAME alert.
I really like it. Expensive around $40-50 but pretty cool!

[admin]

Hand cranks are a bit of a novelty item. Fun to keep kids busy but not really more than that. Just buy a good quality radio that will run off ni-mh, alkaleaks and lithium cells and keep two packs of lithium cells near it. When using it in regular conditions you have the ease of the rechargeable cells and in emergency use you’ll have the lithiums with super good lifetime. The sangean as mentioned earlier is a decent start as a brand. I myself have been using a cheap and cheerful little tecsun but i have not been using it for long enough to be able to tell you anything about its longevity, it does feel decent tho but it is a software defined radio.

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