Emergency Radio & Charger Recommendations?

[admin]

Guess I’m in the minority here.

I’ve got an older Eton hand-crank radio (mechanical tuner, don’t recall the model number) that I keep under the sink in the kitchen for power outages (not frequent, but they do happen). So long as you don’t beat up on it like some WWII crank field phone you’ve seen in old movies, it holds up just fine. The first time I used it, I was really impressed with the play time I got, at a respectable volume, with a modest amount of cranking. So impressed that I don’t even keep any batteries in it (it does have that option). Reception was pretty good, too. The area I live in is notoriously bad for receiving FM radio and this unit worked just as well, if not better, than a couple of higher-end receivers I’ve got.

edit: Looked up the model, it’s the FR200

[admin]

Guess I’m in the minority here.

I’ve got an older Eton hand-crank radio (mechanical tuner, don’t recall the model number) that I keep under the sink in the kitchen for power outages (not frequent, but they do happen). So long as you don’t beat up on it like some WWII crank field phone you’ve seen in old movies, it holds up just fine. The first time I used it, I was really impressed with the play time I got, at a respectable volume, with a modest amount of cranking. So impressed that I don’t even keep any batteries in it (it does have that option). Reception was pretty good, too. The area I live in is notoriously bad for receiving FM radio and this unit worked just as well, if not better, than a couple of higher-end receivers I’ve got.

edit: Looked up the model, it’s the FR200
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Someone has to be in the minority. But I think those of us who are thinking about this are in the minority. The smart minority, I believe, but minority nonetheless.

As far as preferences, if it is working for you that’s all that matters.

[admin]

I have a Midland ER310 which is AM/FM/NOAA. It has a built in rechargeable battery that can be charged by USB, solar or handcrank ; but can also take regular AA. It seems to get pretty good reception, but I also have not tested it in the deep woods middle of nowhere. I mainly got it because it did have the NOAA alerts and all the power options which ensure I should be able to power it somehow.

I also have a Grundig Mini300 AM/FM/SW that runs off AA. SW isn’t that popular nowadays, but depending on the emergency it could come in handy.

I thought about getting one of the Kaito’s that has AM/FM/SW/NOAA all in one but haven’t been able to really justify it when it wouldn’t give me any additional capabilities.

[admin]

A basic HAM radio will easily fill this role. Some models will also charge through micro USB.

AM / FM reception
NOAA frequencies
plus full access to 2m & 70cm bands

[admin]

Deleted member 81972 Guest
I carry a Yaesu VX-3 with Widebanded Modification.

Very small, reliable and powerful (specs not output).

It uses a widely available cell phone battery.

But also has a 3 x AA battery housing.

Before Modification

RX 0.5 – 999.99MHz (continuous)

TX 144 to 146 MHz
TX 430 to 440 MHz

After Modification

RX 0.5 – 999.99MHz (continuous)

TX 140 to 174 Mhz
TX 420 to 470 Mhz

Also, the VX-6, which is waterproof and can run AA’s.

#20 Deleted member 81972, Aug 30, 2018

[admin]

Despite a dedicated (small, portable, runs on AA batteries) pocket radio for AM/FM (no NOAA here in Europe AFAIK) at home, I choose to have a smartphone with built-in FM radio – also FM radio will be shut down in some years and replaced by DAB (digital audio broadcast) it’s better then nothing in case mobile phone coverage goes down and/or Internet is unavailable during a “special event”.

[admin]

Guess I’m in the minority here.

I’ve got an older Eton hand-crank radio (mechanical tuner, don’t recall the model number) that I keep under the sink in the kitchen for power outages (not frequent, but they do happen)
Click to expand…
Under the sink you could get a leakage, ruining your emergency radio. So you could store this radio here in a water-tight container.

[admin]

A basic HAM radio will easily fill this role. Some models will also charge through micro USB.

AM / FM reception
NOAA frequencies
plus full access to 2m & 70cm bands
Click to expand…
Portable HAM-radio’s that also have regular news-radio reception are too heavy IMO, to carry in a Bug Out Bag. Under ten ounce would be preferable for that purpose.

[admin]

Despite a dedicated (small, portable, runs on AA batteries) pocket radio for AM/FM (no NOAA here in Europe AFAIK) at home, I choose to have a smartphone with built-in FM radio – also FM radio will be shut down in some years and replaced by DAB (digital audio broadcast) it’s better then nothing in case mobile phone coverage goes down and/or Internet is unavailable during a “special event”.
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I expect that at least local radio-stations will broadcast on FM for years to come. A smartphone with built-in FM-radio offers considerable weight-saving in a Bug Out Bag, compared with a separate radio receiver plus smartphone.

You could combine it with a safe NiMh-powerpack with USB-output. But a smartphone-radio needs a vulnerable headset, which is not suitable for radio-listening in a group.

[admin]

But a smartphone-radio needs a vulnerable headset, which is not suitable for radio-listening in a group.
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Some smartphones offer to use the loudspeaker instead of the headset for audio output. So a (small) group of people could listen to the FM radio news – the headset acts as an antenna only in this use-case.

Local FM radio stations will loose their license to use a part of the FM frequency band when FM shutdown happens and all need to either switch to DAB or go silent, IIRC what the law says.

For those who choose to carry a smartphone w

[admin]

Portable HAM-radio’s that also have regular news-radio reception are too heavy IMO, to carry in a Bug Out Bag. Under ten ounce would be preferable for that purpose.
Click to expand…
Really?

[admin]

Does anyone have one of those C. Crane radios? I remember back in the day, Art Bell use to recommend those radios and claim those radios have great reception. The Solar Observer model seems to have the built-in hand crank, while the Skywave model is battery only. The C. Cranes are a little pricey though.

[admin]

Is the WIRES a vendor specific format or a pure implementation of a standard – C2FM?

[admin]

Is the WIRES a vendor specific format or a pure implementation of a standard – C2FM?
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I have no idea at all,this is a feature that I do not use.

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