Weatherproof emergency radios?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have an older Eton model and I have been thinking of stepping up to a new one- does anyone have any suggestions?  There are a few current models from Eton that I have been looking at.  I like the idea that they can also be used as portable battery banks for cell phone, camera etc.  Mine unfortunately can't be charged from anything but a hand crank and the built in solar panel, and it seems like it might be handy to have the ability to charge it when power is available.

Ideally I'd like it to be waterproof too.

I'm looking at the Eton FRX3, Freeplay TUF and Eton Scorpion II mostly but I'm open to other thoughts and suggestions.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I guess no one has one?  Seems to me a forum full of people who like to be prepared would have them.

 

Def

[Poncho65]

Sorry Boss all I have is a hand crank radio/flashlight/siren that I got cheap from Wal-mart several years ago It can be charged when power is available and has been very dependable when power is out though Not waterproof either

I also would like to see some suggestions for these as well so hopefully somebody has a suggestion or 3

[Smashie]

I'd love one, but we don't have weather radio or emergency broadcasts in the UK

[Poncho65]

I'd love one, but we don't have weather radio or emergency broadcasts in the UK

Mine doesn't have weather radio either but our local stations are pretty good with keeping people up to date in an emergency or just in rough weather even

[Top-Gear-24]

I had to Google "Eton FRX3" just to know what it was you were talking about ...  .

[Sazabi]

While it is not waterproof, the Kaito KA-802, like what Countycomm used to sell is a pretty good radio; I've been happy with mine.

[DaveK]

Is radio still a thing?

[Alan K.]

Are you talking about World Band radios or are you talking about weather radios with emergency alerts?  I've got 3 of the World Band radios, 1 Phillips, 1 Borg Johnson, and 1 Grundig. They are all close to 20 years old, having been purchased in the mid 1990's and they all work perfectly.  I don't have a preference, although the Grundig is the size of a deck of cards so it fits in a shirt pocket nicely. I have used these after a hurricane or during an extended power failure to hear news and information from outside of Florida.
If you're asking about weather radios that you can receive NOAA alerts and emergency broadcasts I have those too, 2 Acu-rites, 1 Midland, and a 4th that is packed away at the moment.  None of them are waterproof, but 3 of the 4 are portable while the 4th, the Midland is a base unit. I prefer the base unit but I'm not sure if any of them are all that good, they all claim (according to the instructions) that they will alert you to blizzard warnings and not one of them has ever warned me of a blizzard here in south Florida.   Here are the World Band radios and I'll take pictures of the weather radios if that's what you're after. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Nice radios.

I was just looking for a radio that could be used for emergencies but also for listening to news, weather and occasionally even music when I'm away from a power source.  Not many stations play music I want to listen to but news and weather is good and the rest is tolerable enough to be good background noise for managing my tinnitus. 

Def

[Alan K.]

I haven't replaced my old world band radios with one of the new fangled jobs that you mentioned, Grant, because the old ones still work. They do eat a lot of AA batteries though.The newer ones are probably more efficient in that regard. I have read much about the hand cranked emergency radios, however, and the reviews are pretty well inline that the hand cranked dynamos are not worth it.  They do not reliably produce enough electricity to offset the effort of cranking them.  In a survival situation you need to conserve your energy by working in the most efficient way possible (work = calories burned to produce the desired outcome against the calories {available food} you consume).  Turning a dynamo for half an hour to be able to listen to the radio for 5 minutes or make 1 phone call is an inefficient use of calories.

I would skip the dynamo and the built in solar charger and go for something more efficient that can be used with all of your phones, computers and the emergency radio, etc., such as a larger, folding solar panel, which becomes even more efficient if it is used to charge a separate battery pack which you then plug into your appliances.  Something like these:

https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Technology-Smartphone-Blackberry-Notebooks/dp/B00RFCVR62?tag=vs-outdoors-convert-amazon-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFMUBYG/ref=asc_df_B00HFMUBYG4277120?smid=A2KUZVNQ9LP7N9&tag=shopz0d-20&ascsubtag=shopzilla_mp_1350-20;14715833353740027968010090301008005&linkCode=df0&creative=395129&creativeASIN=B00HFMUBYG

[ryan1835]

I guess no one has one?  Seems to me a forum full of people who like to be prepared would have them.

 

Def

Nah, we just dont want you turning back up again if you go "missing" 

[Grant Lamontagne]

That just proves that everyone here is intelligent and has great decision making skills.....   

Def

[TheDude]

Go "ICOM" or go home. Excellent radios. Waterproof. Long battery life. But you want to be getting the use out of it.
If your on a budget try "Wouxun". But you get what you pay for. Battery life is terrible, but you can always get the AA adapter I guess.

I stated with the Wouxon because I thought the Icom was a ridiculous amount of money for something I use maybe once a week in summer. I guess it depends on what people are using on the receiving end also. If all your buddies are using a $50-$100 radio it all sounds like garbage anyway.

Another way to look at it is maybe getting that cheap (Psst... programmable ) radio and spending the balance on a PLB.
A third option is a satellite communicator, such as a "Spot", which ironically, I lost when it was switched on, and still couldn't find it, even with the last position downloaded to my PC. They also charge an annual subscription which you should factor in to the total cost. Despite my cynicism they have their uses, and excel when you know there is a 100% chance atleast someone will be monitoring your progress, such as in adventure racing.

Don't forget. A strobe, and if your on the water,  "SeaMarker" dye make it allot easier for rescuers to find you. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find even a vehicle from a helicopter.

P.S. Don't forget your multitool. 

[Poncho65]

I haven't replaced my old world band radios with one of the new fangled jobs that you mentioned, Grant, because the old ones still work. They do eat a lot of AA batteries though.The newer ones are probably more efficient in that regard. I have read much about the hand cranked emergency radios, however, and the reviews are pretty well inline that the hand cranked dynamos are not worth it.  They do not reliably produce enough electricity to offset the effort of cranking them.  In a survival situation you need to conserve your energy by working in the most efficient way possible (work = calories burned to produce the desired outcome against the calories {available food} you consume).  Turning a dynamo for half an hour to be able to listen to the radio for 5 minutes or make 1 phone call is an inefficient use of calories.

I would skip the dynamo and the built in solar charger and go for something more efficient that can be used with all of your phones, computers and the emergency radio, etc., such as a larger, folding solar panel, which becomes even more efficient if it is used to charge a separate battery pack which you then plug into your appliances.  Something like these:

https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Technology-Smartphone-Blackberry-Notebooks/dp/B00RFCVR62?tag=vs-outdoors-convert-amazon-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFMUBYG/ref=asc_df_B00HFMUBYG4277120?smid=A2KUZVNQ9LP7N9&tag=shopz0d-20&ascsubtag=shopzilla_mp_1350-20;14715833353740027968010090301008005&linkCode=df0&creative=395129&creativeASIN=B00HFMUBYG

I like both of those items Thanks for the links Alan