recommend survival radio

R

R.H.Clark

Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
771
I'm sure this has ben covered but I don't have search function.

I would think in certin survival situations being able to hear what is going on with a good radio would be extremly important.What do you folks recommend?

Are there radios available that are more weatherproof with alternate power that receive well.I've got a couple weather radios and such but nothing I would want to take to the woods for any length of time.

If you could reccomend a brand and web site for purchase ,I would greatly appreciate your help.
 
I've got a Grundig mini 300 (available at Radioshack) and I like it. It's AM/FM/SW with great reception, digital tuner, and an earphone jack. Its a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes.

Hope this helps.
 
I keep a small radio in my pack. Runs on AA's, just in case. About the size a deck of cards.
 
I have a smallish Eton FR-300 that seems pretty reliable with the hand crank generator.. It can also charge your cell phone, and picks up weather alerts, TV channels etc.
It also has an LED light that works pretty good.. The reception is very good, and it seems pretty solid for around $50. Its not as small as a pack of smokes, but its not real big either..
 
akennedy73 said:
i edc a $10 sony - one of the best radios for the money on the market

http://www.radiointel.com/review-sonys10mk2.htm

weatherproof it with a ziploc :thumbup:

for alternate power i have a small solar panel (but i don't edc the solar panel)

http://store.sundancesolar.com/flsobachfor2.html
Click to expand...

Hey ak,

I bought one of those little Sonys because of a thread quite some time ago. In the website that you linked to, it talks about a Radio Shack loop antenna. Do you know anything about these? If so, are they coupled by induction or are they hard wired?

Doc
 
I have a bunch! The eton 300 is probably the best buy all around. it does a lot of things well enough. ANd the batteries (the crank charges them, after all) are replaceable and pretty standard stuff, you could even rig it as a regular charger for other gadgets that run on 1.5 volt cells.

BUT, while the charger makes it very handy, there are two things I prefer.

top choice is get you ham license and carry a wideband receive handheld transceiver. Kenwood makes the best (rx ssb in sw bands!) but yaesu makes the most commonly talked about one (which is also more weatherproof, as in submersible)

Barring that, get one of these:

https://www.gigaparts.com/store.php?action=profile&sku=ZIC-R5-SPORT

or the cadillac (worth it if you really go out)
https://www.gigaparts.com/store.php?action=profile&sku=ZIC-R20

I am specific in suggesting icom over alinco or yaesu- IMO, the audio is just better on the icoms. IMO.

not cheap, not too pricey, this is the pro gear. you can listen to everything on these.
 
I have the ETON too.

I assume the TV channels will be useless next year with the digital conversion though - does anyone know for sure?
 
Doc, County Comm has a little external loop/reel antenna at the link looking.around has in his post. $ pretty reasonable. At the bottom of the page.
 
I usually carry sony icf-sw100 when I go to remote islands.
In the middle of pacific ocean, only shortwave is available.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Hey ak,

I bought one of those little Sonys because of a thread quite some time ago. In the website that you linked to, it talks about a Radio Shack loop antenna. Do you know anything about these? If so, are they coupled by induction or are they hard wired?

Doc
Click to expand...

honestly i don't know anything about AM DX - but it looks cool and i may have to try it out. From the photos, I'm gonna guess coupled by induction - but that's just a guess.

I love it when the cheap stuff performs on par with top-shelf equipment :thumbup:
 
This has been a pretty good subject discussion that I haven't seen much of before, great post Clark! Its great to get new links and get a freebie on hard won knowledge from other the other posters. Thanks:thumbup:
 
very cool info here guys... plese keep them coming.. i have been looking of for a good survival/emergency radio for a long time now...:thumbup:

i like the sounds of that eton 300 as well as the grundig mini 300... i might have to look into these a little more...
 
akennedy73 said:
honestly i don't know anything about AM DX - but it looks cool and i may have to try it out. From the photos, I'm gonna guess coupled by induction - but that's just a guess.

I love it when the cheap stuff performs on par with top-shelf equipment :thumbup:
Click to expand...

ummmmmm. Okay, that's not really a fair comparison. The base station is made to operate with much more capable antenna setups- the antennas in the article are limited enough that the radios' differences don't really come out.

The comparison is valid for the limits of the antennas, in the broadcast AM band. There's a whole lot more out there, and the base radio does a lot more.

I can do up a more complete survey of radios in a bit.
 
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