Solar/crank powered radio

FWIW, I have a pair of Ambient Weather WR-088s that I keep stored in separate containers. Combo AM/FM/NOAA/Flashlight/Cellphone charger with hand crank, solar charger, and external cable charge. Cost now is just over $30. I got mine in a two pack for a slight discount (just under $50 for the pair).


Amazon.com: Ambient Weather WR-088 Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger (Red) with Cables: Electronics

 

I have two solar/crank radios. I have an Eton and a Wilson P3. The Wilson wins hands down. The Wilson doesn't have weather bands but it is a work horse. I have found that the Eton eats batteries and the solar almost worthless. The Wilson is older and it is durable, batteries last, solar strip works as it should. I bought the Eton a few years ago, new and expected new quality... maybe that says it all. The Wilson I picked up at a yard sale for $2 and it has exceeded my expectations.

Wilson P3 Solar Dynamo Power Emergency Flashlight Radio Siren Works | eBay

Eton ARC FR360 Solarlink Weather Radio / Emergency Crank Radio

 

Do you have one? Is it good? My Eton was supposed to be a good radio and I have been real disappointed. I called Eton to see if something was wrong and they really didn't seem to care.

 

I have an Eton. It rides in my work truck and provides job site music or news. Being solar, it never needs batteries, and will recharge USB if needed. It has all 7 weather bands and the hand crank, will charge a cell phone or the internal battery pack. (It has been used, and it works well enough. However, the plastic case does not like sunlight and is getting ugly, and the antennae is useless. (Less than useless really. I opened it up and found it had never even been attached to anything but plastic, and it's attachment screw was never installed.)

 

My Wilson doesn't have an antenna which makes it hard to get my favorite stations. For some reason NPR comes in clear as a bell, no matter the location.

@kellory is your Eton like mine? We were cranking it yesterday and still within a minute or so the radio would go off. Plus if I run it on solar it gets real weak. Could I have a wire lose?

 

@Brokor I have never thought to pack a radio in my hiking bag. I have my Wilson in the car. I guess a little radio should go in my day pack.

 

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: American Red Cross FR150 Microlink Solar-Powered, Self-Powered AM/FM/Weatherband Portable Radio with Flashlight and Cell Phone Charger (Red)
A couple of reviews. Ad to your questions, it sounds like weak batteries to me. In full sun, it will run all day, and by hand crank it is good for an hour or two with about five minutes of cranking.(for radio). For charging a CELL it takes about a minute and a half at two cycles per second to charge enough for one minute if talk. There is an improved model now out the 160.

 

Short wave? No, I think not. I know it is receive only.
But for @$30. I doubt you can do much better. It is quite small, and pretty light.

 

That would be why I also have a baofang 3 ham radio in the truck. Options and possibilities.

 

The kids love the SW. 'Hey dad, what language are they speaking?'

It's like stump the chump.

 

This topic is four years old, and the guy who started it has not been seen in about a year and a half. But it's still a worthwhile subject, so ok, I'll bite.

As someone who is known as an "electronics guy" I get asked a lot about survival/emergency hand crank radios.

My take on this is that you should never select a radio based on whether or not it is manually powered. Most of them are no more than a cheap $10 radio with an even cheaper hand crank dynamo added. Slap a Red Cross logo on it or use the words "survival" or "emergency" on the box and you can suck a good $40 or more out of the sheep.

I suggest buying a battery operated radio with performance and construction quality as the main factors. You can go to Costco and pick up a mega-pack of batteries for $15-$20 and have enough electrons banked to run that radio for months. Or, get a small 5-8 watt solar panel (less than $50) and a few rechargeable batteries and roll with that. Added bonus: The batteries/solar can be used for other stuff if needed.

If a hand crank is the main consideration then you are missing the point. Do not limit yourself to a small selection of radios that, but for a gimmick add-on, would have nothing going for them and no one would want.

Choose a radio on its attributes as a radio first.
Power source should come in second, or even lower than that.

 

Alright, the latest on the Eton microlink fr-150. It is no longer made. 160's and 170's are still available, though at this point, I would suggest buying something not connected to Eton. (French)
They will do, absolutely nothing without a receipt. Even with a receipt, it it covered for only one year, and this one is 6 years old. And even though there is physical proof that the attennea was not properly installed (no marks or screw threads) they will not even admit responsibility. I informed the manager, I would no longer deal with their company. You may , of course, do as you please.

 

No, I would not buy from Eton either. I was within 1 year when I started calling them. It is a Red Cross radio- or as @Tevin said it has their logo on it. I guess I was a sheep, I expected a certain quality. I guess Red Cross is not the same as a Good Housekeeping seal.

Q: where do CB radios fall into people opinion of good to have or not?

 

CB's clearly have their uses while traveling. I have two handheld three channel units for use with more than one car trips. I have called for assistance more than once while traveling, and have been met with helpful people, and willing assistance.