Emergency, disaster, and/or End of the World radio!

symphonyincminor

symphonyincminor

Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
2,400
Been doing some research.

I understand that these hand-held and portable radios have their limitations. Had one a couple of years ago when we had the Three Hurricanes came through.. don't remember the model (probably a cheapy), but it was handy. It's been missing since then, and combined with my newfound affliction to buying quality gear, I'd like to get a new one. Must run on common batteries (AA or AAA). Must have NOAA capability, along with decent FM capability. Has to be portable... I don't have an actual Get Out of Town Really Fast Bag, but I do have a messenger bag that contains the basic essentials of a Get Out of Town Really Fast Bag and this radio would be thrown in there for good measure.

First up is the Eton FR300. It seems that these are the benchmark for mass-produced consumer emergency radio's. Both The Red Cross and Grundig have re-banded versions that are very similar to these Eton radios. Includes some (IMO) really gimmicky features (cell phone charger, siren, hand crank), along with some very useful features (LED light, multiple weather bands). Runs on 3 AA batteries. Reviews seemed to indicate that it's robust, but some have had quality issues with the knobs and cranking device. Mediocre FM reception (however, I don't know what location some of these people are in that say the reception is bad - they may just be in the middle of nowhere for all I know).

Next: Sony ICF-M410V. Sleeker and higher quality than the Eton/Grundig. Digital tuning. 3 AA batteries. Complaints were it didn't include an AC adapter (no big deal for me, wouldn't use it) and sometimes the the reception wasn't the most crisp. Cheaper than the Eton. No LED light, let alone any of the other gadgets on the Eton. I'm leaning towards this model.

Last: The CountyComm GP-4L. Way more compact than the other two radio's. 2 AA batteries with a really long runtime "Radio: 150 hrs at 40% Volume." FM reception is mediocre, at best (see also: http://www.radiointel.com/review-2005digital.htm). Able to fit in your pocket. Aluminum front case, while the others use ABS plastic or some such thing... not sure of the durability, though.

Oh - how about this? It's a re-branded Tecsun, but it sure does look cool. :rolleyes:

Maybe there are some amateur radio enthusiasts that can shed some informed light on the subject?

Or: do you own a small radio? What type of model? How long have you had it? Are you satisfied with its performance? Etc. etc. etc.
 
I have been a licensed amateur radio (ham radio) operator since the year after Hurricane Kate kicked our butts up here, but I have not been active in this hobby in the past several years. No real good reason why, just other interests now I guess. I don't think amateur radio interests correspond very well with the types of radios you are considering for emergency or disaster information, though. Now, if you got licensed and involved in amateur radio, especially in Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), that would be a different story altogether. You can look into that locally if you want to.

First, let me suggest you go to www.ccrane.com and become familiar with the products sold by the C. Crane Co., Inc. Ask them to add you to their catalog mailing list and you'll get a very informative hard copy about twice a year. One or more of their radios should satisfy your needs. They also sell a variety of good lights, as well. I have ordered from them for years, always with total satisfaction, and I own several of their radios and a couple of their LED lights. Be sure to check out their "orphans" for the best deals.

Probably my favorite "lights out" radio is a fairly simple AM/FM radio that is powered by a clockwork mechanism using a big spring you wind up with an attached crank, just like we used to go with our alarm clocks in an earlier time. I believe this was the first of the wind-up radios on the American market. It was called the Bay-Gen Radio and I think it was designed by an Englishman named Bayless or Bayliss for use in Africa and other remote areas without electricity or ready availability of batteries. I have not given mine heavy use, but it always works whenever I need it, and it's nice to be able to use something as much as you want to without running down any batteries. It operates for an hour on one winding, seems like that's about 50-60 turns of the crank, no big deal. Our primary local TV station's audio comes in on the FM band at 87.7, which is handy for getting the local news and weather. Your local TV audio may not be in the standard FM band, though, which is why some radios have a separate TV audio band for channels 2-13. I don't believe C. Crane still sells this radio for some reason, if it's even still in production. The models that resemble it now are AM/FM/SW capable and have solar cells and an LED light attached, but they use a crank to turn a generator that charges NiMH batteries inside, rather than to wind up a spring which turned the generator for direct power in my older model. Mine works fine, but I guess the newer ones do, too.

Personally, I see no practical use for SW listening to hear useful information in any sort of emergency that could be expected. If your thoughts run toward an "end of the world" scenario, though, you may think otherwise. Not that SW listening isn't entertaining in some ways, but I don't see it as really useful. The amateur radio bands (licensed hams using two-way voice communications) are not included on most small portable SW radios.

I would think the most needed bands for emergency listening in the US are AM, FM, WX (NOAA weather broadcasts), and TV audio. If you get a radio that uses built-in batteries, be sure they are either nickel-metal hydride or lithium ion. Nickel cadmium batteries are old technology now and are a pain in the @$$ for reasons not worth going into here. If you get a radio that uses replaceable batteries I prefer one that uses D cells or AA cells. Some of the very compact ones use AAA cells, but they don't last as well as AAs do. C cells are OK, as are 9 volt batteries, too. Stick to alkaline batteries for your replaceable battery needs, unless you buy after market rechargeable batteries and the charger to maintain them with. Read the battery section on C. Crane's site for battery and charger info, too.

There are some radios with all kinds of bells and whistles (light, phone charger, solar cells, sirens, etc., etc.) on them, but I'm happy with just a good, reliable radio and a separate flashlight. I think anytime you over complicate a system you invite problems. Remember the KISS Principle: "Keep it simple, stupid."
 
I have the Eton S350 radio. It is a lot larger than the other radios you showed but it seems to run forever on the 4 D cells it takes. The radio reception is good on all bands. It does have shortwave, which might not be useful, but is fun to listen too.

Another radio which you might consider is a GE Super Radio. It is only AM/FM and is kind of large but it has about the best radio reception out there.

Chad
 
We took a direct hit from Francis and Jeanne in 2004 (no power for three weeks), and got brushed hard by Wilma in 2005 (no power for one week). During that time I used a $10 AA powered radio from Walgreens, and it was really all you could ask for (even though I have a Grundig shortwave). I would say that you don't need TV band at all, because TV stations simulcast on FM during emergencies. Although I've got an AC (with battery backup) weather radio in the house, I really didn't care what NOAA had to say once it hit the fan and in the immediate aftermath. More important were the local press conferences that told where to get help, curfew information, closings, road conditions, etc. These were broadcast on a number of local FM stations on a regular schedule. If you're leaving (I have gear to stay or go, depending on the situation), I assume you'll be traveling by car, which is probably equipped with a radio.

I don't want to highjack your thread or seem overly negative, but if you're without power for a long period of time, you'll appreciate a lot of other things more than a fancy radio.
 
Ive got an icom IC-R5 handheld radio with a rubber duck antenna and a 5ft telescopic whip. It runs off of 2xAA batteries, its weather proof and picks anything from 150khz to 1.3ghz. with the big telescopic antenna I can pick up transmissions from russia and north africa - if theres anyone out there I would hear them!!

Downsides are its a serious radio that takes a bit of skill to use, and its not cheap.
 
I've had a Radio Shack DX392
ursdx392.jpg


Since 1999 , got it for myself for Christmas because the "world" was supposed to "end" on Jan 1st - 2000.

Not exactly portable, as in stuff it in your ditty bag and run but, it works like a champ !

Make sure whatever radio you get it has SSB capability ( I cant recall why , but I remember hearing this was an important feature on a quality SW radio )
I'm sure Dr. Mudd can expound upon this.
 
Try the Kaito KA1102 for under $100, Tons of features and it travels well.

Kaito KA1102 Specifications



POWER SOURCE
External 6 VDC 300ma
Battery Three AA cells [UM3] (supplied)
Charge Time 1 to 9 hours
RECEIVER
AM Band 520 - 1710 kHz
AM Band 522 - 1620 kHz
SW Band 3000 - 29995 kHz
FM Band 70.0 - 108 MHz Stereo (to earphone jack)
GENERAL
Memories 190
Speaker Size 2.6 inch (66 mm)
Earphone Jack 3.5 mm stereo
Ext. Antenna Jack 3.5 mm
Antenna System AM Ferrite bar and FM/SW telescopic whip
PHYSICAL
Size 5.7 x 3.7 x 1.14 inches (143x88x29 mm)
Weight 9.5 oz (280 g)
Specifications are subject to change without notice. UR


ka1102bsilver.jpg
 
X2 on the Kaito KA1102. I've been using mine quite a lot since I got it a couple months ago. It'll take some time with the manual to get up to speed on all it's features, but it's a great radio for the money.

Here's a couple good review sites you may find useful:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/8

http://www.radiointel.com/reviews.htm

I got mine from Universal Radio, and was pleased with their service:

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/1102.html

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable.html
 
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