Hi Arnie:
The FR 200 will last nearly forever on 3 AA cells. If you don't
use the flashlite portion one set of batteries will do you through a
couple of hurricane seasons.
I tested the drain on the batteries on this and as I recall it
drew about 6.5 milliwatts at a lower listening level. When any of my
digital radios quit running as the voltage drops to the magic level I
put them into the FR 200 and they play a very long time before
distortion sets in.
Regards,
Bob