Quality weather radio

[Hattrick 22]

With the bad weather we have had recently i started trying to look for a weather radio for hurricane season and have not been able to find any that hold up very well from the reviews i have been reading. Was wondering what some of you guys might be using down here.

I was looking for something that would have a few different power options one being solar. Below are a few that i was looking at.

http://www.ccrane.com/radios/wind-up-emergency-radios/cc-solar-observer-wind-up-emergency-radio.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Ambient-Weath...tified/dp/B0071BTJPI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Don't really need any other features than a few ways to charge it let me know what ya'll think.

 

[tallwalker]

I have had the one made by Crane for about 15yrs now. It has been through a couple of hurricanes and survived quite a few road trips and is still working. My wife carries it in her car along with one of those "shaker" flashlights. The only thing you need to remember is that it still works on batteries. The crank/solar/AC charger just charges the batteries. You have to check them once in a while to make sure they are still able to take a charge and not fail when you need them. The crank works better than the solar panel. If you crank it for just a few minutes you can listen for about an hour. The solar charger takes alot longer.

 

[sam4freedom]

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[Hattrick 22]

I have had the one made by Crane for about 15yrs now. It has been through a couple of hurricanes and survived quite a few road trips and is still working. My wife carries it in her car along with one of those "shaker" flashlights. The only thing you need to remember is that it still works on batteries. The crank/solar/AC charger just charges the batteries. You have to check them once in a while to make sure they are still able to take a charge and not fail when you need them. The crank works better than the solar panel. If you crank it for just a few minutes you can listen for about an hour. The solar charger takes alot longer.

I got ya. I thought it had replacement batteries just like a flashlight would have and the other sources would be enough to power the device alone. Do you know if they have a radio that has that capability?

 

[BenCarp27]

You may want to look into the Eton Scorpion. It's solar/crank powered with weather radio, as well as USB charging ports for phones.
I have only had one for few months now, so I can't offer the "test of time" review, but I can say they are extremely well made and solid. It's done everything the company claimed it would so far. I've never had a problem getting a strong weather band signal like some of the reviews state, but I've never attempted to bring it out into a remote or mountainous area, either.

 

[saint451]

I have an Eton FR-300. am/fm/weather, hand crank light etc. Get and eton model, mine has been around for a long time.

 

[tallwalker]

I got ya. I thought it had replacement batteries just like a flashlight would have and the other sources would be enough to power the device alone. Do you know if they have a radio that has that capability?

The batteries work as a place to store the voltage from turning the crank or charging from the sun. The little nicad battery packs do last a long time, but it is something to check once in a while. I have seen some cheapie ones that charge a capacitor instead of batteries (that's how the shaker flashlights work) but they only supply enough voltage to run the radio for a very few minutes. Look at Crane's site and you will see the nicad pack. I just solder battery tabs together and make my own when I need them. I think I've done it twice as long as I have had it.