# need suggestions for an emergency radio and go bag



## lightyearsaway (Nov 2, 2012)

Looking for suggestions for a portable emergency radio. Would need to work off of normal alkaline batteries or be a completely rechargable unit with crank or solar or whatever. Basically I just need a decent radio, don't think I need a flashlight with it or anything, but I am open. My budget would be about $50 say. Is that too low? I know I can get some real cheapos for about $6, but there just that, cheapos. Probably needs to be water proof, or at least resistant to VERY heavy rain. 

Also would be open to suggestions for a go bag, mostly it would need to be used in case of earthquakes.

Thanks.


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## StarHalo (Nov 2, 2012)

We have a general radio thread, but this is a good idea since one of the main reasons folks here look for a radio is specifically for emergency.

Portable radio DXing (long-distance listening) is one of my other hobbies, and I have a modest portable radio collection, so I've got some mileage on the subject - I would recommend an *analog tuned* (needle-and-dial tuner, no digital display) radio, preferably powered by AAs (or larger/more batteries), as these have ridiculously long runtimes. You'll find you don't need a high-dollar super-sensitive unit to pull in distant stations at night, even a bare-bones model will easily pick up bigger AM stations from several hundred miles away. Ideally it should receive the weather band, shortwave is not useful in any local/regional event (aside from being almost impossible to tune, especially in any emergency situation). XM/Sirius radio doesn't cover anything local, and HD stations are exclusively local (you can't hear them from longer distances) and require an expensive/complex tuner. Put your money into a good bang-for-the-buck known-brand-name model that puts the cost into quality more than extraneous features.

My currently available fave choice for an emergency radio is the $50 CCrane Solar Observer - it's analog with weather, runs on batteries or crank or solar, and even includes a light. If you're going to be in a very wet environment, put it in a gallon ziploc bag; it might sound a little silly, but this is how fisherman protect their portable radios (and it'll float if you get enough air into the bag.)


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## silver_bacon (Nov 2, 2012)

I second the CCrane Solar Observer. I am quite fond of mine. You can run it off AA batteries, crank, and solar. The crank and solar panel charge the internal battery and the solar panel is powerful enough to power the radio independently from the internal battery if used in direct sunlight. Not all radios can do that. The smaller Eton's that are Red Cross approved come to mind. The internal battery is replaceable, although I have yet to find this particular battery anywhere. The radio has AM/FM/WX, back-lit display, 3-LED flashlight, and can charge phones via the hank crank. I have charged my old phone with it because I accidentally disposed of the real charger. It worked, but all I wanted was to get the some contacts off of it. It would take a lot of work to charge a phone enough to talk on. The draw backs of the radio is that it is not waterproof and not terribly well made. I don't think it is poorly made, but I hesitate to think would happen should you drop it on concrete and the solar panel is probably the weakest point. It also does not have shortwave, but I don't consider that a problem. US based shortwave stations are actually not allowed to service "Americans." The FCC requires them to service regions outside the US. So none of them have a local presence and I honestly doubt any of them are prepared to deliver emergency information anyway. Being higher wattage than your standard AM/FM, they may not even have generators capable of running during an emergency.

If you don't need it right away, I would do some browsing on sites like Amazon and see what you can find. There are lots of products out there. In my opinion a true emergency radio would use an ultra capacitor. Unfortunately, no such beast exists to my knowledge. I didn't buy the CCrane solar observer with the idea of it being an emergency radio, but I do feel it certainly qualifies. Between that and a Nightstar flashlight, I should be good to go on the emergency radio/flashlight front.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 2, 2012)

Hi all, thank you very much for the suggestions! I am glad that there was value found in the post, I know there were some other threads with some information in them, but I need something specifically for emergencies.

Now that being said, there is something that I probably should have mentioned in my last post. I'm an expat living in Taiwan, so I am not sure those weather bands can be recieved here, can they? Are this standard internationally used bands? 


In addition Sub_Umbra posted a message here at the bottom: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...lp-finding-energeny-crank-charging-Flashlight that concerns me. He/She was talking about flashlights, but because this radio also uses a crank with rechargable battries I am hesitant to buy something like this simply because I may never need to use it until years later, and then I might find out it doesn't work because the batteries inside are messed up. I think the best type of radio would be one that does not need any constant maintence or winding or plug in to keep the batteries charged, so that means that it has to work purely on alkaline batteries. What's your guys opinion about this? Am I worrying too much? It does seem as you said that this radio runs on all three possiblities, crank, batteries and solar, but I may find out years later the internal batteries are messed up, would it matter? I am quoting Sub_Umbra's message here for reference, see below.




> Re: Meed help finding energeny crank charging Flashlight
> The most common complaint with this genre is that if they sit around long enough without being used the cells totally discharge *and cannot be recharged by cranking.* Perhaps there is a model with user serviceable cells that may be replaced.
> 
> They tend to work better in places where there is no grid and they get cranked up nightly. [/quote}​


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## StarHalo (Nov 3, 2012)

lightyearsaway said:


> but I may find out years later the internal batteries are messed up, would it matter? I am quoting Sub_Umbra's message here for reference, see below.



Sub Umbra is a Hurricane Katrina survivor who sat out the entire event in the middle of New Orleans without assistance, so he's an authority to put it mildly; here too he is correct, a crank-only radio is a bad idea because there's always the offhand chance something will go wrong with the crank or the internal cell - that's why a good emergency radio will have _more than one way to power up_. And that's one of the prime reasons the Solar Observer is such a great choice, it has an internal battery AND accepts regular batteries AND has a DC jack AND can be run directly from solar. A whole lot can go horribly wrong with this radio and you'd still have multiple options to power it. Aside from that, CCrane is exceptionally good at providing parts for their radios, newer or older, and you could probably order spares of the internal battery if you wanted.

I don't know if Taiwan has weather band, probably not, but in the US it's in the 162Mhz range.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 3, 2012)

StarHalo said:


> Sub Umbra is a Hurricane Katrina survivor who sat out the entire event in the middle of New Orleans without assistance, so he's an authority to put it mildly; here too he is correct, a crank-only radio is a bad idea because there's always the offhand chance something will go wrong with the crank or the internal cell - that's why a good emergency radio will have _more than one way to power up_. And that's one of the prime reasons the Solar Observer is such a great choice, it has an internal battery AND accepts regular batteries AND has a DC jack AND can be run directly from solar. A whole lot can go horribly wrong with this radio and you'd still have multiple options to power it. Aside from that, CCrane is exceptionally good at providing parts for their radios, newer or older, and you could probably order spares of the internal battery if you wanted.
> 
> I don't know if Taiwan has weather band, probably not, but in the US it's in the 162Mhz range.




I have no doubts he is an expert, that is why I take what he wrote very seriously about the crank flashlights and radios. I had no idea yet of his prediciment before, but it is great that he is here teaching the rest of us what we can expect and how to prepare! I love it! And I can see now that this radio has everything and many ways of backup if one of them fails which is excellent.  I like that. What I am trying to find is the weather bands in Taiwan, I assume those cannot be changed on the radio, they are preset on the boards right? I will very much consider this radio provided I can find the weather bands here, so far with a simple search I have turned up a whole lot of nothing. 

Thanks again for the advice.


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## StarHalo (Nov 3, 2012)

lightyearsaway said:


> What I am trying to find is the weather bands in Taiwan, I assume those cannot be changed on the radio, they are preset on the boards right?



Correct; I'm not seeing anything mentioning that there is a weather band in Taiwan. If there is, I would think it'd be easiest to have it on the same frequency as the US' since so many radios are shared between the two countries, and are manufactured there in Taiwan. If you know for sure there is a weather band and it's on a different frequency than the US, you may have to buy a locally-sourced weather radio and then pair it with your "main" emergency radio, so you have all your bases covered. The other option is to buy a scanner radio that simply receives as many frequencies as possible, which gets into the $200-and-beyond category, and requires quite a bit of technical knowledge.


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## Sammy_boy (Nov 3, 2012)

For a cheap, simple but good radio I'd recommend the Degen DE-321. Runs for ages off 2 AAs, though has a DSP chip which can impact on runtimes. However means it's a very sensitive radio for it's size and price, best on FM and SW. After reading comments on batteries on wind-up radios may be best getting rechargeables and recharging via a solar panel. Edit: Or a Tecsun PL-310 - runs off 3 AAs and has a built in charging circuit. I've managed to charge mine from a 7W solar cell.

With regards to weather bands, they aren't used in all parts of the world, we don't have anything like that in the UK AFAIK, don't know if Taiwan does or not.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 3, 2012)

I'll have to do a bit more checking here to see if they have weather bands or not. It could just be listed in Chinese so I haven't found it yet. 

It is very possible that the bands would be the same as the US, but many things here have also been influenced from England and other parts of Europe, so it's possible they don't exist either. I beleive most radio stations have backup generators, might take a few hours for them to be back up and running, but I don't think everything would down completely, though it is possible.

The only thing that CCrane does not have that would be nice is SW. At least maybe I would be able to pick up something from China or Japan if everything local goes down. I am not familar with SW that much though, so perhaps I can pick up the whole world with that. 

Did Sub Umbra use the CCrane radio during Katrina? or did he have something else?


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 3, 2012)

Actually, in addition to the above, upon doing just a bit more research, I am starting to think because I am living overseas that something like the Tecsun PL-660 AIR/FM/SW/MW/LW World Band Radio might not be a bad investment. It looks right around 88 bucks, but it does everything. The only problem is that I don't know how long it can be used on the 4AA batteries it requires. It does not appear to have a crank or solar or any back up ways of using it though....


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## StarHalo (Nov 3, 2012)

- Shortwave is useless in an emergency; if a typhoon has hit your area, you won't find much help by tuning in Radio Africa. The AM band is the best bet as stations from hundreds of miles come in at night, even with a basic, cheap radio; no special hardware or technical knowledge needed. 

- Sub Umbra recommends using a salvaged car radio hooked up to a car battery; car receiver units are usually very high quality, but there's obviously quite a bit of technical know-how needed to rig that up..

- The Tecsun would make an excellent casual listening radio, but you're paying a lot extra for a lot of extra features you'd never use during an emergency; the digital display and hardware drains the batteries much faster than an analog unit, the only alternate power method is the DC jack (so you'd have to know how to create a battery pack), and someone who is unfamiliar with shortwave radios may have a lot of difficulty operating it (another point you should consider with any emergency item - you may not be the one using it.)


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 3, 2012)

Some extremely good points Starhalo. So maybe I will end up buying both the CCrane and the Tecsun. I will consider both. I have looked over the extremely large list of radios that was given on the boards by someone else on another thread, there are litterally hundreds there, so it is worth mentioning here again. http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/8?ehamsid=9c5ab1faaf2067693f2ea450a5c7f6e1 Both of those radios seem to get quite high marks.

Any other suggestions for emergency radios are welcomed, but so far it looks like the CCrane might be the best even if I can't use the weather bands on it.


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## StarHalo (Nov 3, 2012)

A lot of radio folk have their casual listening and emergency radios as separate units, me included. My all-time favorite emergency radio, that I own, is the now-discontinued Sony ICF-B05W; these are pretty hard to come by now. And Eham is indeed handy, I also like Jay Allen's reviews site, he's basically the A-number-one guy when it comes to radio reviews.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 3, 2012)

StarHalo said:


> A lot of radio folk have their casual listening and emergency radios as separate units, me included. My all-time favorite emergency radio, that I own, is the now-discontinued Sony ICF-B05W; these are pretty hard to come by now. And Eham is indeed handy, I also like Jay Allen's reviews site, he's basically the A-number-one guy when it comes to radio reviews.



How long ago did Sony stop making that radio? Indeed it is nice. But you're right, can't find it anywhere. I don't really know anything about Ham radio, but I guess E-ham is an Emergency ham for regular people with no training right? Will check Jay's site also, thank you for that.


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## StarHalo (Nov 4, 2012)

The B05 has been discontinued for over two years now. And EHam just put the "electronic" e- prefix on HAM to get the site name, you have to have a license to transmit on any kind of HAM radio (you can however listen in on a HAM band or two using a shortwave radio); HAM is sort of like the ultimate form of emergency radio since you can actually send and receive, however it's a commitment of many hundreds of dollars and a lot of hours of training so you can get a license.

Prepare to spend a lot of time on the Jay Allen site; its magazine-like format and all the radios he's tested lends itself to hours of reading.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 4, 2012)

Wow. Well Star, I have a small request then, if you happend to come across one of these please send me a pm and let me know how I can get it. This one looks good. But I think almost impossible to get it now. Well, I don't have that much interest in HAM radio, but, had considered getting a license before just for emergency puposes, but I don't really have time for it at this moment, as you said, money and time, something I don't have currently, but will see about it in the future. I found a few models on Ebay similar to the Sony radio, but have no idea of how many hours they can squeeze out of a battery.


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## StarHalo (Nov 4, 2012)

There are quite a few interesting long-running radios on EBay (the Tecsun 208 and 308 come to mind), but the problem with most of these models is that their unit-to-unit quality control is not very good. You might get a good one, maybe not; the ones that actually look decent are too close in price to the CCrane to really justify "saving money" anyway.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 4, 2012)

That's what I was afraid of. How about the quality of any of the following Tecsun products? PL390, PL360, PL380 or even the PL310 as suggested above? This probably would not be used for an emergency radio though, just as a SW/LW fun radio. Would be my first. Have not found anything else really close to that CCrane. Quality is a big issue for me, most of these are made in China and I am always weary of the quality. Even when it comes to flashlights, but some users here feel a good majority of the ones with brands are worthwhile as they are cheap and still last, so I don't know, maybe things are changing.

Again if you find one of those Sony's please let me know.


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## StarHalo (Nov 4, 2012)

Some of the Tecsuns you listed are still rather new, but the general rule with them is hit-or-miss quality. Not a big deal if you've already got a few radios and would like to add one to the collection, but not a good idea for a this-is-an-important-radio-to-me purchase. A good first world band tuner that's very simple and inexpensive would be the little Kaito WRX; at barely $20 it's no big loss if you use it for a few hours and decide shortwave isn't for you, but is a perfectly good first step if you decide it is. The analog tuner means you get to slowly turn the knob and really sift through what's out there; just mashing the buttons of a digital tuner kind of dulls the first time experience. 

Regardless of what shortwave radio you end up with, make sure you also get a pocket reel antenna; one of these simple $10 lengths of wire will more than double the number of stations you receive. This is the only way I listen to shortwave now; I don't mind taking a minute to set up the antenna to listen to the best place to hear Cuban music in the world - Cuba


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 4, 2012)

Well, I am pretty sure I am going to like SW, I have always wanted to buy a SW radio, so I would be looking to buy something better than a cheapo, but something under $100 with decent sound quality. But if the Tecsuns quality is in question then I am not going to consider them at all. I don't want to end up with a piece of junk. I will buy a pocket reel antenna for sure, living on an island with not much aorund I am going to need something that can span the distances. So I will get one. I assume they just attach to the top of the fixed antenna? Do I need to run it outside or does it that matter? Any suggestions for a better quality full range short wave/long wave radio? I am not familar with SSB so not sure if I need it or not. 

Getting back to the emergency radios, I am quite surpised actually that not more manufacturers are making them like the Sony one. Or something similar to the CCrane unit, those seem to be where people should be at when choosing a radio for emergencies, but yet few manufacuters are doing it, or have quality issues which is not a surprise I guess.


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## Sammy_boy (Nov 4, 2012)

I had a quick look on the Ccrane website - their radios looks to be rebadged versions of Tecsun, Sangean and/or Degen models from what I can see. However this is no bad thing, I've a few radios - these Chinese sets are very good for the price and have quite a following from the DX community. As stated above though the QC could be a bit hit and miss though, I imagine Ccrane has better customer service. 

That's one thing I need to get is one of those loop antennas, though 'barefoot' these radios are still pretty good. I've one of those wire 'aerial extenders' though - they do indeed just clip to the top of the whip antenna. SSB is mainly for listening to radio hams, depends on if you plan to listen to them or not.

With regards to the battery life on the PL-310, the DSP and circuitry will probably drain the battery more than more basic radios, but I've found they still last a good while, and shouldn't be too much of an issue with a solar charger.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 4, 2012)

It very well could be that the CCranes are rebranded from one of the other manufacturers in China or Taiwan. I woudl have to do some digging to find out. As I have never owned a radio for emergency use or or a SW radio I am not sure what quality issues there are. But reading this forum it has been enlightening. I still do like the Tecsun models I listed above, but again quality is a major factor. 

I actually just took a look at the Sangean ATS-909X but the reviews seem mixed. I think this radio is made in Taiwan and the price is around US$200 here though. I think I can probably find it cheaper even with shipping from Ebay. But it seems the way it is made has issues, which would require me to take it apart to resolder some things. 

If i were to use the PL310 for example I probably wouldn't use it for emergencies, I would use it for SW listening or as a general radio. I am still probably going to go with the CCrane radio unless someone can find me that Sony or something similar! ;-)


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## StarHalo (Nov 4, 2012)

- For a "main" SW radio in the $100 range, that won't have quality issues, my pick would be the Kaito 1103; it has a somewhat goofy interface but is a well-rounded unit otherwise, with a loyal following. If you just want top shelf quality and don't mind spending an extra ~$50, you can get the radio all these other radios are copies of, the Sony 7600GR; the radio that looks and feels like a section of a Lexus dashboard, and I've found mine to be so trustworthy over the years that it's also my alarm clock..

- The pocket reel antenna is just a length of wire with a clip on the end for your whip antenna, or a plug for your antenna jack. The idea is to use as much of its length as possible, keeping as straight a line as possible, in the direction/axis of the signals you're trying to get. I lay mine a bit NW-to-SE so I can get both Cuba and China, I would set it N-S to get Canada/Mexico.

- Most radio manufacturers are focused on clever and stylish emergency radios that ignore what is actually needed in the field. The now-popular crank-only radio is a good example of this.

- I wouldn't wait to get the Sony emergency radio over the CC, the CC is good enough that I'd gladly use it in place of the Sony, and I dig the solar feature, which the Sony doesn't have.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 4, 2012)

So their all copying the Sony 7600GR eh? hmmm. I did look at it and it is a nice looking radio. But it only has 100 presents where as these others have like 150 per band, a little bit of a downer on that one. I am not a huge fan of Sony actually, but the two products you have listed in this thread are very good, better than others I can see that. I like this radio, but I have noticed on ebay the shipping cost is very high for me here. The total would be around $200 because I think they are all coming from the US where some of the Tecsuns were coming from HK I think. I am going to have to wait and see if I can pick one up just a little bit cheaper, but I apprecaite the suggestion. I just checked the review site, this radio only has a 4.3 and it appears either people love it or hate it, the reviews are very mixed. Some people who hate it really hate it, quality issue again? hmmm from Sony it should be ok... but.. What do you think about the Grundigs?

And you're right, most of these manufacturers only focus on getting a profit and saving cost to produce the radio rather than giving us something that we really need. Because they actually don't know what we need. If I can find a decent deal on the CCrane for shipping, I probably will go ahead an purhcase it. But I suspect the internal batteries will die within a few years and I won't even use the cranking feature at all. But that's ok, as you said, better to have many backups to make sure the radio is working.


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## StarHalo (Nov 5, 2012)

- The 100 memories point is valid, though I've never successfully filled all of mine; I generally set up the page system along the lines of one page FM, one page daytime AM, one page nighttime AM, then a page for each hour of the evening on SW, so at 6 o'clock I hit page 6 and there's all the strongest SW stations, etc. 100 memories is actually quite a lot, I'm not sure what I'd do with hundreds..

- I've become a Sony fan over time just by the quality of their products, which especially holds true for their radios; even their cheapo ~$10 AM/FM Walkman is considered among the best in that category. The 7600 is polarizing because the bar for Sony is very high, most of their best radios are in their past, and with the 7600 being the only shortwave they make now, it has massive shoes to fill, which it only somewhat does. Aside from that, it's been around a long time; this is its 11th year of production, so it tends to have many more votes and ratings than other, newer radios.

- Grundig peaked a couple of years ago when they still made the G5, which they discontinued. The G6 is a solid unit and would probably be my current pick of the brand, though it doesn't have many of the features of the 7600/660.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 5, 2012)

So Sony makes a 7660 also? Did not see that model anywhere, I must be typing in something wrong.

So, honestly, if you had your pick of any radio for a radio today, with a budget, which would you choose? The Sony? The Grundig? or something else? It appears you would go for the Sony. I had just checked some previous models of the Sony such as the ICF-SW77 which seems to have been their work horse any only SW radio years ago. And seems to have very high reviews, at least back then. But I can understand your point about Sony has big shoes to fill, I used to love their products 20 years ago when they were super high quality, but right now Sony makes too many products and cannot focus on putting out high quality items anymore.


The Sony ICF-SW22 looks nice, but not for $250. at least not yet.


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## StarHalo (Nov 5, 2012)

lightyearsaway said:


> So Sony makes a 7660 also?



I meant the Sony 7600 and the Tecsun 660, as the two are in the same "weight class". And yes, if you're looking at all the currently available/new portable shortwave receivers, up to about $300, the Sony would be my pick, as it's the sweet spot of reliability and features (beyond $300 and you're into the realm of tabletop receivers and scanners.) I'm particularly fond of synchronous detection (a feature that makes stations that are too close to the one you're listening to simply disappear, so your station sounds as if it's out in the open on its own), so I would consider the 660 if there were simply no way you could afford the 7600; I don't think you'd be disappointed with either purchase.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 5, 2012)

Hmm, ok, I will keep my eyes out for either model and a good deal, or maybe the Kaito 1103 also. But probably will consider the Sony more. Kaito 1103 also. 

Let me clarify something... you said that there is a synchronous detection in the Sony? So that means then that stations that overlap or are too close would disapear? I think this is a good and bad function, if it could be turned on and off manually that would better, but.. and the reason I say that is sometimes you want a station that is very close to another and you just have to fine tune or move the antenas to get it.

Edit: And hey I am finally Enlightened! So the forum name change tells me. HA


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## StarHalo (Nov 5, 2012)

The 1103 lacks synchronous detection, so it's technically not in the same league as the 7600 and 660, though it is a solid unit. And yes, sync is a feature you switch on manually as needed; it will notably increase the number of stations you can legibly receive over a radio without the feature. Say you're trying to tune in to a distant/weak station, but there's a local/strong station right next to it that overruns the signal, and all you're hearing buried underneath the local noise is a faint voice that you can't really make out; with a regular radio, you can move the antenna around, but that's about it, the signal most likely just can't be received at your location. But if you have sync, you switch it on and your weak station alone is singled out, the station near it vanishes completely and you can now hear your station plainly as if it were on its own on the dial - your station is now legible. And this works on SW and AM, any weak station next to a strong one that you weren't able to copy before now becomes a legitimate catch, and you can sit and listen to it. My 7600 has logged about 135 AM stations thanks to sync, without it the number would be under a hundred. Very handy!


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 5, 2012)

Thanks for explaining that, indeed a very cool and must have feature! I miss many stations back home, but not sure how well I'll be able to pick them up here, but it is definitely work a try! Thanks again for the explanation. I think most likely I am going to go with the Sony. I am just hoping the speaker is good enough to get clear sounds. I am looking forward to it once I can find one. Thanks again!!


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## StarHalo (Nov 5, 2012)

Your reel antenna will give you the best odds of picking up distant SW stations; for AM I like the CCrane Twin Coil, though it isn't cheap. And hunting distant stations is best done through headphones, so you can really sift through the signal and pick out fine detail. Nothing expensive is needed here since quality headphones start pretty cheap; I use these $5 Sony earbuds, they sound every bit as good as the ~$30 Walkman headphones from back in the day.


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## StarHalo (Nov 12, 2012)

A new Sony 7600GR vs Tecsun 660 comparison review; the Tecsun has some features, some issues..


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## AVService (Nov 15, 2012)

StarHalo said:


> The B05 has been discontinued for over two years now. And EHam just put the "electronic" e- prefix on HAM to get the site name, you have to have a license to transmit on any kind of HAM radio (you can however listen in on a HAM band or two using a shortwave radio); HAM is sort of like the ultimate form of emergency radio since you can actually send and receive, however it's a commitment of many hundreds of dollars and a lot of hours of training so you can get a license.
> 
> Prepare to spend a lot of time on the Jay Allen site; its magazine-like format and all the radios he's tested lends itself to hours of reading.



I just need to chime in here to clear up this common misconception.

Obtaining a Ham License is so simple right now it is a little disturbing to a lot of us.
There are several online testing sites with the actual test questions in a test format and all that is required is to memorize the answers there until you get good enough to pass a simple multiple choice test.
I don't suggest doing this just for the sake of getting the ticket but it is so simple I have several friends who have children under 10 who have done it.

Then there are several really decent radios under $100.00 that make great emergency radios and also provide you an opportunity to provide a service to those in need if the situation arises.

Really

It is not like is used to be at all.

Ed
KC0UKR


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## StarHalo (Nov 16, 2012)

AVService said:


> It is not like is used to be at all.



I'd heard that since they did away with the Morse Code requirement getting the license was much easier, it sounds like that's an understatement.

So what are the send/receive ranges of some of these $100-ish models?


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## AVService (Nov 16, 2012)

StarHalo said:


> I'd heard that since they did away with the Morse Code requirement getting the license was much easier, it sounds like that's an understatement.
> 
> So what are the send/receive ranges of some of these $100-ish models?



Well I guess it depends on the situation really.

The most common band in use for everyday comms in the U.S. is the 2meter band.
2 meter through repeaters or linked through the internet can have virtually unlimited range by linking together throughout the whole world.
From a practical use in typical cities through a repeater it depends on the repeater and its range.
It is common to get coverage through an entire urban area with 2 meters through a repeater and if the repeater is in the mountains it can be much farther if the antenna is higher.

Direct unit to unit for a Handheld(HT) is 5 to 20 miles depending on terrain and antenna and between mobiles which are 10 times more powerful and usually will have much better antennas 50 miles in not uncommon.

If there is an emergency and the usual repeaters are not working it is fairly simple to put them back on the air or substitute them with other ones and a lot of us practice this type of situation on a regular basis.

I have worked several actual emergency situations and often Hams can offer the main or only consistent form of communications until the phones return.

If all else fails,Ham Radio can usually get through.

Ed


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## Sub_Umbra (Nov 16, 2012)

OK *StarHalo,* when are *you* going to write a book on small radios so we don't have to find all these threads?

To the original poster and others -- I would definitely second the suggestion made early on in this thread to read and subscribe to the *"Small Portable Radio's?"* thread. It has a consistently high signal to noise ratio and may help you get the most out of what you've budgeted on radios.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 16, 2012)

Eton radios...I use one of the hand crank shortwave versions when the s**t hits the fan.



http://www.etoncorp.com/GeneralMenu


what is cool is, you can hand crank the radio to power it, and also
dump the charge out USB to charge a cell phone battery.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 17, 2012)

Hi guys, sorry for my long absence. 

Star, thanks for the review link, it is very interesting, and I am still inclined to go for the Sony, it just seems like a better radio over all. At least for my first radio that seems like the best choice.

So they got rid of the morse-code requirement? Well, yeah, now I am seeing that perhaps it might be easier. Though the requirements where I am might be different. I don't think I can get a HAM license from the US and use it in Taiwan can I? And how is the test performed? Online or do we have to go in somewhere to physcially take a written a test? 

I am not inclined to cheat on the test with getting answers online, but it sounds attrative, but too attractive, so I am going to ask what book should I study that would be give me enough information to pass the test by studying the old fashion way?

Eton radios look interesting also, I will check them out.

Sub_Umba, a little confused by what you mean here: "To the original poster and others -- I would definitely second the suggestion made early on in this thread to read and subscribe to the *"Small Portable Radio's?"* thread. It has a consistently high signal to noise ratio and may help you get the most out of what you've budgeted on radios." I can subscrbe to the thread, but than you say it has a consistenly high singal to noise ratio.. The thread can't possibly have that, so which radio are you referring to? 

Thanks again guys, very useful information.


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## AVService (Nov 17, 2012)

lightyearsaway said:


> Hi guys, sorry for my long absence.
> 
> So they got rid of the morse-code requirement? Well, yeah, now I am seeing that perhaps it might be easier. Though the requirements where I am might be different. I don't think I can get a HAM license from the US and use it in Taiwan can I? And how is the test performed? Online or do we have to go in somewhere to physcially take a written a test?
> 
> ...



I don't have any first hand knowledge for requirements outside the U.S. but as usual this is not a bad start?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_license#Licensing

It should not be tough to find the actual details from where you are.

I think it is great that you would be inclined to possess and further actual knowledge and experience vs. just passing the test but you do have to start somewhere.
It ca be a lot of fun and very rewarding in other ways too once you jump in the hobby and of course I always carry several forms of light every time I a out with a radio!

Hope this heps,let us know too I am curious if it is like here getting licencsed?

Ed


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## Sub_Umbra (Nov 17, 2012)

lightyearsaway said:


> ...Sub_Umba, a little confused by what you mean here: "To the original poster and others -- I would definitely second the suggestion made early on in this thread to read and subscribe to the *"Small Portable Radio's?"* thread. It has a consistently high signal to noise ratio and may help you get the most out of what you've budgeted on radios." I can subscrbe to the thread, but than you say it has a consistenly high singal to noise ratio.. The thread can't possibly have that, so which radio are you referring to?...


I actually did mean the thread.

The term is sometimes used to describe a thread or even a whole website that offers lots of good info _(the signal)_ with the minimal amount of distractions or disinformation _(the noise)._

I often read _The Oil Drum,_ a site for Peak Oilers. The contributors pride themselves on their S/N Ratio. A few quotes from the site: 

_...We strive to maintain a high signal to noise ratio in our comment threads... 

...The signal to noise ratio seems to be increasing of late...

...Although there are days with a lot of static, the signal-to-noise here is higher than anywhere else..._​


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## Philip2 (Jun 7, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> Looking for suggestions for a portable emergency radio. Would need to work off of normal alkaline batteries or be a completely rechargable unit with crank or solar or whatever. Basically I just need a decent radio, don't think I need a flashlight with it or anything, but I am open. My budget would be about $50 say. Is that too low? I know I can get some real cheapos for about $6, but there just that, cheapos. Probably needs to be water proof, or at least resistant to VERY heavy rain.
> 
> Also would be open to suggestions for a go bag, mostly it would need to be used in case of earthquakes.
> 
> Thanks.


IMO full BOB gear (including some drinking water, dried food and spare clothing) should not exceed 40 pounds, if you are a strong man. 

One should train with it in a simulated evacuation exercise on foot. Don't count too much on vehicles, since they can be stolen, or run out of gas, etc. So the radio should also be very light weight.


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## Search (Jun 7, 2013)

Philip2 said:


> IMO full BOB gear (including some drinking water, dried food en spare clothing) should not exceed 40 pounds, if you are a strong man.



I can agree with this.

I've had a lot of people ask me in the past year to help them build bug out bags.. They end up going to Gander Mt or somewhere and cramming it so full it's too bulky and too heavy. I don't think any of them realize what it's like to carry this much weight around for long long periods of time. A lot of people put too much into more and more gear versus mobility. The ability to move around quickly and lightly is equally important in disasters.


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## Philip2 (Jun 7, 2013)

I wonder if this radio would be reliable: Eton Microlink FR170. It seems to have cool disaster features, like hand crank and usb charging. 

It weighs 8.6 ounce. The white colour offers protection from extremely hot sunlight and helps to locate it in the dark.


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## Philip2 (Jun 7, 2013)

Search said:


> A lot of people put too much into more and more gear versus mobility. The ability to move around quickly and lightly is equally important in disasters.


I agree. A solution may be to have a modular BOB system. That should have additional bags for the situation that a cart, bicycle, boat or car can be used. And if the car or bicycle breaks down, one can proceed with only the 40 pound backpack leaving the rest behind for other victims. There are backpacks with small wheels built in. Sorry for drifting off topic.


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## StarHalo (Jun 7, 2013)

Philip2 said:


> I wonder if this radio would be reliable: Eton Microlink FR170.



Not really; this thread is defunct, check out the current radios thread for an active and lively conversation about radios.


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## Philip2 (Jun 7, 2013)

StarHalo said:


> Not really; this thread is defunct, check out the current radios thread for an active and lively conversation about radios.


Thanks for the reference. I will show up there.


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## chiphead (Aug 30, 2013)

Right now I've got my Radio Shack #12-522 All-Hazards Weather Radio here at my desk.
Chiphead


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 15, 2013)

What about this one? SONY ICF-B88

Seems like an emergency flashlight and radio, but I cannot tell if the batteries in this can be changed or not, I have seen several pictures of it, one seems to allow for access to the dry cells.. I have not seen this revieved here...


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## StarHalo (Nov 15, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> What about this one? SONY ICF-B88



That one's promising, but it's an Asia-only model, so it would be overly expensive for US reviewers to get a hold of, and would be difficult to warranty service. If you can get it without overseas shipping/cheaper than the CC Solar Observer, I'd go for it. I own the older ICF-B05, and can say Sony really does make a solid emergency radio when they put their minds to it; it has an unusually efficient crank too, 1 minute of cranking nets roughly 40 minutes of AM, most other crank radios require far more cranking just for a few minutes of radio.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 15, 2013)

StarHalo said:


> That one's promising, but it's an Asia-only model, so it would be overly expensive for US reviewers to get a hold of, and would be difficult to warranty service. If you can get it without overseas shipping/cheaper than the CC Solar Observer, I'd go for it. I own the older ICF-B05, and can say Sony really does make a solid emergency radio when they put their minds to it; it has an unusually efficient crank too, 1 minute of cranking nets roughly 40 minutes of AM, most other crank radios require far more cranking just for a few minutes of radio.



I can get it locally where I am in Asia, so it might be good, but can you tell if it has internal batteries and also we can change our own batteries? I really cannot tell. If we can use Alkaine and also it has internal batteries, this will be just as good, but I also cannot tell if it is waterproof or not. 

I did pick up one of those yellow radios last year from Sony, great looking radio, wish they still made it.

I have not bought the CCrane yet, because of the shipping costs. Also because of Ebay's very bad global shipping program, everything has gone up, I hate that program, it makes things more expensive and ebay is ripping everyone off, very very bad...


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 15, 2013)

I found a review - http://gizmoreport.com/sony-emergency-radio-launched/ and it does indeed seem to accept AA batteries! I can get it here for right around $90. I think I am going to order one or two and see how it goes, might even do a review of my own and post it here.


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## StarHalo (Nov 15, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> I can get it here for right around $90.



That's insanely expensive, the CCrane is only $50 locally. Are radios just more expensive in general there? $90 would buy you a top-shelf shortwave radio here..


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 15, 2013)

StarHalo said:


> That's insanely expensive, the CCrane is only $50 locally. Are radios just more expensive in general there? $90 would buy you a top-shelf shortwave radio here..



Well, with shipping, it's cheaper than buying the CCrane.. Becaues of how Ebay is doing things now, it would cost me $100 to get that radio. And the Sony radio shipped from Ebay from the US is like $70 something plus another $22 for shipping here, you can buy it in the States for just a tad cheaper than what I just bought it for, but it's pointless to have it shipped from the states. So the price of this radio in the states is still high. And yes, in general, things in Asia cost much more than in the US. I have had to get used to this nonesense. I hate it, but, it is what it is. 

I look at it this way... The sony radio, the yellow one, seems a lot better of a radio than the CCrane, this new one, I am hoping is on bar with the old yellow one and can even outdo the CCrane, though it's probably pushing it. If I can get my hands on the CCrane for a decent price, I still might buy one.. 

But for now... I just bought two of the new Sony radio's. As others have said.. 1 is none 2 is one... so.... Now I have three emergency radios.. I need to get some backpacks to put all this stuff in for a go bag...


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## Pipswich (Nov 15, 2013)

I bought a secondhand Grundig FR200 from someone who used it through Katrina. I wish I had one back then. It uses a 2/3AA6))mAh pack of Ni Mh 3.6volts with a crank that will let it work for an hour or so with a couple of minutes cranking. I bought it because I am happy with a larger older D cell based Grundig that I bought from a coast guard transfer which I have had awhile. 

The Eton FR300 and the newer Grundig have more bells and whistles and are based on the FR200 but never met the basic quality. Sure you "may" be able to charge your cell phone with it... but since I was in Biloxi immediately after Katrina, I promise you that charging your cell phone will likely be an exercise in futility... the cell towers don't all work, if you find one working... the lines are busy... and most of the people you actually need to call are probably close enough to you that their cell phone and/or towers don't work either. Just a general crappy situation that you can't work around with a gadget on your radio, lol. Not to mention you probably have a vehicle charger! 

You can sometimes find the FR200 for $50 or less, but 60-70 would be reasonable if you wanted one in a hurry. Living down in hurricane country in South Alabama... an older, cheaper radio that works, is lightweight and proven is of a lot more interest to me than a newer one with mediocre reviews. I am quite confident that there are better radios than the Grundig, but if you want a cheap entry price point and the crank feature... it gets the job done.


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## StarHalo (Nov 15, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> The sony radio, the yellow one, seems a lot better of a radio than the CCrane, this new one, I am hoping is on bar with the old yellow one and can even outdo the CCrane, though it's probably pushing it



The new Sony and the CCrane have the advantage of more power sources; the key feature of a proper emergency radio is how many different ways you can power it - batteries OR crank OR DC in OR solar, and the older B05 lacks the solar feature, so it's a step behind. It's a solid radio, but if you're only buying one, get one of the newer/fuller-featured models.



Pipswich said:


> if you want a cheap entry price point and the crank feature... it gets the job done.



For truly entry-level, skip the crank and just go with big cells; Sony ICF-F10, powered by 2 D batteries for 200 hours of runtime, $17. A single four-pack of batteries will give you nearly a full month of nonstop waking-hours radio, and you'll only have to change them out once.


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## alpg88 (Nov 15, 2013)

i used my eton scorpion, during after sandy blackout, worked great, a light\radio\cell phone charger. it does take a while to charge cell phone, thou.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 15, 2013)

StarHalo said:


> The new Sony and the CCrane have the advantage of more power sources; the key feature of a proper emergency radio is how many different ways you can power it - batteries OR crank OR DC in OR solar, and the older B05 lacks the solar feature, so it's a step behind. It's a solid radio, but if you're only buying one, get one of the newer/fuller-featured models.
> 
> 
> 
> For truly entry-level, skip the crank and just go with big cells; Sony ICF-F10, powered by 2 D batteries for 200 hours of runtime, $17. A single four-pack of batteries will give you nearly a full month of nonstop waking-hours radio, and you'll only have to change them out once.



I hope I didn't miss something, is the SONY ICF-B88 missing something? Seems like a solid emergency radio, with at least three ways of powering it.


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## StarHalo (Nov 15, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> I hope I didn't miss something, is the SONY ICF-B88 missing something? Seems like a solid emergency radio, with at least three ways of powering it.



The B88 is the newer Sony I'm comparing to the CCrane, the older Sony that lacks solar is the yellow one, the ICF-B05. 

The upshot with the older B05 is that it uses larger cells and is extremely efficient, 2 C batteries for 330 hours of runtime. The fat rubber base means it can sit in standing water without issue, too.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 15, 2013)

Ahhhh I see. The ICF-B88 usings 2AA batteries, but StarHalo, I just ordered it last night and I got them already, and I can tell you this... these new ones are very very small, one of these is nearly half the size of the old yellow model, which I think is the B05. Radio time on these is 75 minutes. The light seems to be only 15 min though. The crank seems very efficient, turing the crank for 1 minute, twice per minute, will get you those results. Looks like 2 AA batteries will get you 80 hours for FM radio and about 50 hours of flashlight use. If using the Eneloops XX series, maybe that can be extended... It seems it can be recharged using the USB also, they recommend once a year, but it does not give full charge numbers of usage. All in all, this seems like a nice radio, compact, light weight, and loaded with features. This is just out of box.. if I have time I will try to test it out...


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## StarHalo (Nov 15, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> If using the Eneloops XX series, maybe that can be extended...



You should actually get best runtimes from alkalines, they beat other chemistries in very low-drain applications, like analog radios (Eneloop XXs aren't cost efficient anyway.) And that's good news about the USB port, do give a review.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 22, 2013)

Will be doing the review soon, however, got a question... 

how long can these emergency radios last, in terms of life expectancy without use? Currently I have three, but the newest Sony radio is telling me I should charge the internal lithium batteries monthly, true or false? I do have concerns that when I go to use it if I need it that they lithium batteries may be bad... Camera batteries for example start to bulge, that happed to me recently, 5 years of usage, I had to toss them before they exploded. I am considering to buy the Solar Observer and then show all three of these radios in a review for others, however, I am not so sure I need so many, especially if the internal batteries may be toast in just a few years...


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## StarHalo (Nov 22, 2013)

The Sony's internal battery is the very safe NiMH chemistry (not Li-ion like a camera battery), like a rechargeable Eneloop, but probably not low-self-discharge, so it runs itself down over time. It will lose some capacity if you don't "exercise" it occasionally, but that's the benefit of a good emergency radio design - even if one power source fails completely/isn't available, you still have many other options.


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 22, 2013)

How about the CCrane Solar Observer? The same? Yep, it is, I just checked, it also uses NiMH. Indeed these are better than Li-ion. 

How often do I need to exercise them? And to what extent? Full charge? By crank or by AC?


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## StarHalo (Nov 22, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> How often do I need to exercise them? And to what extent? Full charge? By crank or by AC?



Just make sure the internal battery doesn't stay empty/uncharged during storage; some monthly cranking would probably be sufficient. I'm not sure you can charge it using the DC in, but since you have the solar option, that makes it pretty easy for you.


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## Sway (Nov 23, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> How about the CCrane Solar Observer? The same? Yep, it is, I just checked, it also uses NiMH. Indeed these are better than Li-ion.
> 
> How often do I need to exercise them? And to what extent? Full charge? By crank or by AC?



I have a CC Solar Observer that gets used just about every morning for around an hour and it runs on the internal NiMH pack. I leave it setting in a south facing window and the solar panel keeps the batteries charged, no alkalines or cranking needed


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## StarHalo (Nov 23, 2013)

Should also mention: A CPFer in the other radio thread noted that the Solar Observer will operate on sunlight with no battery - you can remove the internal battery completely and just set it in the sun, and it plays on..


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## zehnmm (Nov 23, 2013)

I should like to strongly agree with what Ed (KC0UKR) has said. If one is serious about radio for emergency purposes getting a ham license is highly recommended. 

In my mountain search & rescue volunteer work we suggest getting a ham license. Indeed I have done that. Cannot recommend it too much. 

Steve. KF5VQU

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## lightyearsaway (Nov 23, 2013)

Charging these once a month is a bit of a chore, I read one article that says once a year, but of course I want the batteries to last forever, but... Star it is interesting that the the batteries can be pulled out of the CCrane and just run off of solar. I wonder how it stores so much power, the capacitor must be high capacity. I just worry about the memory effect with Ni-MH, and without using them, only charging them every month, that must effect the lifespan?

zehnmm, have considered it, but I don't have much time for that right now. But I am interested.


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## StarHalo (Nov 24, 2013)

lightyearsaway said:


> Star it is interesting that the the batteries can be pulled out of the CCrane and just run off of solar. I wonder how it stores so much power, the capacitor must be high capacity. I just worry about the memory effect with Ni-MH, and without using them, only charging them every month, that must effect the lifespan?



The CCrane's solar panel provides enough current to run the radio without any form of battery or stored power. You can't get the volume too high, but it's still pretty impressive to have a sunny day free-energy radio.

And there is no memory effect with NiMH, the goal is to prevent the cells from being stored at zero charge over time. Just make sure it's not empty when you store it and you're fine.


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