It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum
Topics => TEOTWAWKI => Topic started by: Pandora on February 20, 2011, 02:43:18 PM
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Hand-crank radio
Post by Pandora on Nov 12, 2010, 2:17am
I'm looking for a line on a good hand-crank/solar radio; AM/FM, Weather Band, Shortwave.Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by sectionhand on Nov 12, 2010, 2:59am
I've had two and neither one was worth a damn . Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by Pandora on Nov 12, 2010, 3:01am
Do you remember what kinds? It'd be good to know what to run away from. ;DRe: Hand-crank radio
Post by sectionhand on Nov 12, 2010, 3:08am
I'll dig the last one out of the closet and let you know later today .Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by Pandora on Nov 12, 2010, 3:10am
Thanks, SH.Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by sectionhand on Nov 12, 2010, 6:23am
Pan ...
Stay away from ETON . I went from a small crappy one to an up-graded crappy one . They are uniformly unreliable , difficult to operate , instruction booklet hard to understand and the 800 customer service number is worthless ... never anyone there . Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by glock32 on Nov 12, 2010, 6:38pm
I have a Grundig that works well.Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by charlesoakwood on Nov 12, 2010, 9:04pm
The hand crank radio is not a high end item. I read as many reviews as I could and decided on this:
Quote:
Eton® Dynamo Base Radio. A real lifesaver! It's an AM / FM / Weather Radio Alarm Clock SOS Beacon GMRS 2 - way Flashlight... all in one!
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=594996
1-800-888-3006
I first picked the radio which is an Eaton FR-1000 it has max legal watts and also will operate as a base station for GMRS and FRS. You can purchase handheld radios GMRS / FRS with 5 watts of power. (I have, so far only found one brand with bona fide 5 watts)
I've had it about 6 months and have not field tested it. Reception is good for NOAA, and standard AM & FM.
libertas has an interesting alternative to the handheld at:
http://itsaboutfreedom.proboards.com/ind....1199&post=28866
Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by libertasinfinitio on Nov 15, 2010, 7:44am
Yeah, these hand-cranker's can be a little flimsy. I have an Eton model of some sort, has the crank and solar panels. I let it sit in a sun-lit room to charge. Has AM/FM/Weather, Flashlight, USB adapter for charging cell phones. It is what it is. I have a older Grundig with all SW bands that has an antenna extension on it, battery-powered, runs on 2-C's, but if used sparingly could last quite a while with a pack of CostCo batteries. Also have an older Radio Shack handheld scanner, gets a ton of bands - all police, marine, air, weather...I've even picked up the occassional stray phone call. Have some short range FRS/GMRS radios as well as the mobile Yaesu ham radio. Multiple options are best. I may look at putting a higher-watt field radio together sometime, once I get my license.Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by glock32 on Nov 17, 2010, 12:32am
I also recommend a general purpose solar panel adapter. You can pair one of these with a battery charger and keep radios, etc, powered indefinitely. I have a good battery charger made by LaCrosse and a bunch of Sanyo Eneloop NiMH batteries. IMO those are the top of the line rechargeable batteries because they have a very low rate of self-discharge. They're available in AAA and AA, with spacers for C and D applications. Those are pretty neat, you just slip a AA battery into the spacer and then use the whole thing like it's a C or D cell battery.Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by libertasinfinitio on Nov 17, 2010, 7:39am
Thanks G32, other rechargeable brands I've tested seem to have issues holding their charge, I'll check those out.Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by glock32 on Nov 17, 2010, 1:14pm
Sanyo developed a new chemistry with very low self-discharge. If you charge a Sanyo Eneloop and stick it in a drawer, it will still have 85% of its charge a year later. If you see any NiMH batteries advertised as Pre-Charged, it means they're low self-discharge batteries and are the better choice vs. normal NiMH.Re: Hand-crank radio
Post by libertasinfinitio on Nov 17, 2010, 10:07pm
http://www.eneloopbatteries.com/