Thing about those cheap wind up radios (and similar gadgets) is the
cheap wind up springs might fail when you need to use the radio in
emergency situations.A set of quality Alkaline batteries
www.rayovac.com should hold their charge while sitting in storage for
about a year.Then you can use those batteries in storage in something
else and put another fresh set of batteries in storage.
cuhulin

Hello,

I have found a couple of SW radio models that I like, that are purely for
portably temporary use. I am aware of their limitations, however I was
looking to see if anybody on the group had any similar products that may
suffice.

I am considering the FR250 and FR350 manufactured by Eton (linked with
Grundig now).

I have ordered the 350 online, and have bought the 250, so have had a chance
to play with the 250 for now. SW reception is mediumly-okay considering the
size of the unit, and cheap components. The 'light', siren, and built-in
phone charger are gimmicky, but useful when I may require them in the
wilderness.

I find the FR250 a bit bulky, and although the FR350 has not arrived at my
door yet, I'm expecting it to be more comfortable, but with foibles. Lack of
intricute tuning for starters, coupled with no carrying strap, 'flash light'
button in a stupid place (cranking could make it go on for example).
However, the actual position of the light makes it good for a torch, but
then you can't see illuminate the dial I'm guessing, argh!

These things aren't great, but I feel are pretty acceptable considering it's
a wind-up radio primarily after all. I want FM/AM/SW and ideally (living in
the UK) LW Longwave too.

I can't find a unit that has that and is acceptable in size and price! The
only one I can see is the 'freeplay summit' (www.freeplayenergy.com), and
it's just too bulky, which is a shame.

Any recommendations? Smaller is better, but cranking is a necessity.

Thanks for reading, not the best bed-time read I imagine...

Gthh (My full name acronym ;-)

wrote in message
...
Thing about those cheap wind up radios (and similar gadgets) is the
cheap wind up springs might fail when you need to use the radio in
emergency situations.A set of quality Alkaline batteries
www.rayovac.com should hold their charge while sitting in storage for
about a year.Then you can use those batteries in storage in something
else and put another fresh set of batteries in storage.
cuhulin

Thanks for the response.

It's certainly not for emergency use, I'll be using it a few times a week or
so. I expect to purchase more rechargable battery packs for the units which
is trivial, as they're only $5 or so each.

Once I've got both with me, I'll see which ones work best.

Incidentally, take a look at this; it looks pretty good. Seems like the same
as I got already but with 'porsche' written on it, and a nicer design:-

http://www.etoncorp.com/inthenewsart..._NewsId=135838

I'd buy it if it weren't £100. Hopefully the dollar will mark up more
against us here in GB, so I can get a bit cheaper

On May 2, 12:00 pm, wrote:
Thing about those cheap wind up radios (and similar gadgets) is the
cheap wind up springs might fail when you need to use the radio in
emergency situations.A set of quality Alkaline batterieswww.rayovac.com should hold their charge while sitting in storage for
about a year.Then you can use those batteries in storage in something
else and put another fresh set of batteries in storage.
cuhulin

I really like the "Freeplay" brand of wind-up radios; their spring
design seems sturdier than any of the others. The original models
ran on spring power driving a generator only, so there were no
NiMH batteries to charge/discharge and eventually wear out like
the later ones have (& I think all the competitors). The very first
one marketed here had an SW band, but there were also AM/FM
only models; I have some and have given some as presents, in
addition to later-generation Freeplay models. Some of those have
solar cells and can operate in bright light without winding.

There is one digital-readout wind-up AM/FM/SW model that I bought
a sample of to try and want to caution people against -- the Kaito
KA-008. It just doesn't work worth diddly. The digital display eats
up too much power for that usage -- it has a clock, which of course
constantly loses the time. The AM (MW) band performance is
pathetic -- absolutely no selectivity and strong stations cover many
many kHz swaths, making the advantages of digital readout
worthless. Even installing alkaline batteries, they're drained
quickly even if the radio is off. I was able to get a few strong SW
stations but no better than one of the little "toy" cheapies.

It has an analog readout twin, the Kaito KA-009 -- I was wondering
if anyone has one of these and can offer comments on it.

73, Will

gthh wrote:
I am considering the FR250 and FR350 manufactured by Eton (linked with
Grundig now).

I have an FR200. I bought it in 2003 when we thought Iraq would be sending us
missles with chemical and biological weapons.

A wonderful portable radio it is not. It is a decent performer for an
emergency situation. As long as you keep the battery in good shape
then you will have no problems with it. Mine is on it's third battery.
They die from lack of use.

The FR-200 took a commonly available cordless phone battery. However the
cordless phones I have bought in the last few years took AAA NiMH batteries
which don't fit.

I have ordered the 350 online, and have bought the 250, so have had a chance
to play with the 250 for now. SW reception is mediumly-okay considering the
size of the unit, and cheap components. The 'light', siren, and built-in
phone charger are gimmicky, but useful when I may require them in the
wilderness.

That's an interesting question. Why are you taking it into the wilderness?
Is this for camping in the U.K., or are you going somewhere else? I am
confused as I read ahead and see you want LW recpetion. The U.K. is one
of the few places in the world that uses LW. I think there was a station
or two in continental Europe (Holland and Germany), but I also think
they are long gone.

When I moved here in 1996 there was an Arabic station on 208kHz (not
a relection) but has been gone for a long time. I occasionaly scan around
on long wave and hear nothing but noise.


I find the FR250 a bit bulky, and although the FR350 has not arrived at my
door yet, I'm expecting it to be more comfortable, but with foibles.

A crank radio, unlike the Bayliss design needs some bulk. The Bayliss design
uses a clockwork mechanism and can be as small as a watch and still be easily
wound. The FR-200 and so on use a crank running a generator. If the crank is
too small you won't get the tourque needed and if the radio is too small,
it will turn instead of the generator.

However, the actual position of the light makes it good for a torch, but
then you can't see illuminate the dial I'm guessing, argh!

I always thought that was a problem, but in an emergency you would be
listening for stations, in casual usage you would want to see them.
HOWEVER, in the dark the flashlight is next to useless for tuning the
radio, even if it did face the radio. The reason is it is an incandescent
bulb.

One second of looking at it will require a long recovery time to get
your night vision back. A red or green LED flashlight will last almost
forever and not harm your night vision. I use a red darkroom lamp in
my bedroom to make sure I don't lay down on a sleeping cat, and it neither
affects my night vision nor wakes my wife.

Any recommendations? Smaller is better, but cranking is a necessity.

I would suggest a different approach. With NiMH batteries that hold
2700mAh common and cheap, a radio that takes 2 AA batteries would be
a lot easier to use and carry. If you are not sharing the radio a
set of headphones, or if your ears can accomodate them, earbuds (mine can't),
would be smaller, lighter and much better than a speaker you won't use.

There are small MP3 players with radios, although the ones I have seen
are FM only. Since they last 12 hours on a single AAA battery in radio
mode, you could carry a week's supply in less space and less weight
than an FR-200. If you only listen to the radio an hour a night,
then one battery would work. If you can find one that uses an AA battery
or adapt one to it, you would get around 36 hours off of one battery charge.

I also have a charger that will recharge 4-6 batteries in about 3 hours
(or less) that runs on 12v DC. I use it with a wall transformer, but
anything that supplies 12 volts at enough current can be used. If for
example, you have access to a car once a week for a few hours,
or some sort of commerical electricity, you could charge 6 batteries.

The transformer is heavy, but the whole unit, transformer, 6 batteries
and a small radio are smaller and lighter than the FR-300.

Weren't there small hand crank generators sold for emergency recharging
of cell phones? Could you adapt one to charge a battery for you?

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 Fax ONLY: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

wrote:
www.rayovac.com should hold their charge while sitting in storage for
about a year.Then you can use those batteries in storage in something
else and put another fresh set of batteries in storage.

Ray-O-Vac batteries are not available world wide. I'm not even sure they
are available outside of the U.S.

The DuraCell and EveryReady Energizer batteries sold here are made in
Singaport. We also get GP brand batteries made in Hong Kong. The GP
batteries are better than the DuraCell and Energizers. :-(

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 Fax ONLY: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...
I have an FR200. I bought it in 2003 when we thought Iraq would be sending
us
missles with chemical and biological weapons.

A wonderful portable radio it is not. It is a decent performer for an
emergency situation. As long as you keep the battery in good shape
then you will have no problems with it. Mine is on it's third battery.
They die from lack of use.

The FR-200 took a commonly available cordless phone battery. However the
cordless phones I have bought in the last few years took AAA NiMH
batteries
which don't fit.

I would be using the radio a few times a week at the very least. I will be
travelling throughout the world very soon, and I think batteries are the
scum of the earth; they're a huge waste of resources. It's something most
people aren't aware of, but it all adds up, and I don't mind the cranking. I
said cranking george, now Wa...

I would purchase the better-battery-life Freeplay Summit, but it only has AM
and FM.

If I'm in China, or Russia, I doubt I'll be able to get an English AM
station, will I? I've searched the net, but many old articles detailing the
various channels are out of date.

Thus I felt a LW/SW combination was essential. 198 longwave is the BBC world
service, and sound quality is much better than that of SW I find. However,
as you say, due to uninterstingness and lack of use, I don't mind
sacrificing LW for a decent handset, that can be recharged without
batteries/electricity from the power grid that has FM/AM/SW combination.

The FR200, having tried it, is a poorish design, but I am not arguing the
FR250 or FR350 are any better. They aren't advertised as 'emergency'
products here in the UK, we don't believe in Iraqi apocalypses unlike
yourselves ;-) nudge nudge...

If I could get a BBC-style service or a decent English station
internationally then the Freeplay Summit would prove excellent.
Unfortunately, as it stands, unless you would like to tell me otherwise
(which I would love!) I need a unit with SW too, and without batteries.

I also find a speaker useful for my friends whom I travel with, and radio is
often a social thing, I find headphones on a trip slightly selfish. I
realised this was unsociable when my mate had headphones on a speakerless
radio, and I had nothing, as it had been stolen! It sucked.

Cheers George.

"gthh" wrote in message
...
"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...
I have an FR200. I bought it in 2003 when we thought Iraq would be
sending us
missles with chemical and biological weapons.

A wonderful portable radio it is not. It is a decent performer for an
emergency situation. As long as you keep the battery in good shape
then you will have no problems with it. Mine is on it's third battery.
They die from lack of use.

The FR-200 took a commonly available cordless phone battery. However the
cordless phones I have bought in the last few years took AAA NiMH
batteries
which don't fit.

I would be using the radio a few times a week at the very least. I will be
travelling throughout the world very soon, and I think batteries are the
scum of the earth; they're a huge waste of resources. It's something most
people aren't aware of, but it all adds up, and I don't mind the cranking.
I said cranking george, now Wa...

I would purchase the better-battery-life Freeplay Summit, but it only has
AM and FM.

If I'm in China, or Russia, I doubt I'll be able to get an English AM
station, will I? I've searched the net, but many old articles detailing
the various channels are out of date.

Thus I felt a LW/SW combination was essential. 198 longwave is the BBC
world service, and sound quality is much better than that of SW I find.
However, as you say, due to uninterstingness and lack of use, I don't mind
sacrificing LW for a decent handset, that can be recharged without
batteries/electricity from the power grid that has FM/AM/SW combination.

The FR200, having tried it, is a poorish design, but I am not arguing the
FR250 or FR350 are any better. They aren't advertised as 'emergency'
products here in the UK, we don't believe in Iraqi apocalypses unlike
yourselves ;-) nudge nudge...

If I could get a BBC-style service or a decent English station
internationally then the Freeplay Summit would prove excellent.
Unfortunately, as it stands, unless you would like to tell me otherwise
(which I would love!) I need a unit with SW too, and without batteries.

I also find a speaker useful for my friends whom I travel with, and radio
is often a social thing, I find headphones on a trip slightly selfish. I
realised this was unsociable when my mate had headphones on a speakerless
radio, and I had nothing, as it had been stolen! It sucked.

Cheers George.

Crap, I meant ideally I'd like the: Freeplay EYEMAX!! Not the summit! Bloody
keyboards...

"gthh" ) writes:

I also find a speaker useful for my friends whom I travel with, and radio is
often a social thing, I find headphones on a trip slightly selfish. I
realised this was unsociable when my mate had headphones on a speakerless
radio, and I had nothing, as it had been stolen! It sucked.

But of course, that's the tradeoff.

I saw a review of the original Baygen (well the one that was made
for actual sale), and it used a miniscule amount of current. It
matched what they could get out of the generator. Headphones
right off the bat require less audio amplification, and that will
be a fair current draw for radios with speakers.

ANd that lack of current output from the generator is reflected
in the actual radios. THe better a receiver, the more current it
will require.

Michael

On May 2, 1:17 pm, "gthh" wrote:
Hello,

I have found a couple of SW radio models that I like, that are purely for
portably temporary use. I am aware of their limitations, however I was
looking to see if anybody on the group had any similar products that may
suffice.

I am considering the FR250 and FR350 manufactured by Eton (linked with
Grundig now).

I have ordered the 350 online, and have bought the 250, so have had a chance
to play with the 250 for now. SW reception is mediumly-okay considering the
size of the unit, and cheap components. The 'light', siren, and built-in
phone charger are gimmicky, but useful when I may require them in the
wilderness.

I find the FR250 a bit bulky, and although the FR350 has not arrived at my
door yet, I'm expecting it to be more comfortable, but with foibles. Lack of
intricute tuning for starters, coupled with no carrying strap, 'flash light'
button in a stupid place (cranking could make it go on for example).
However, the actual position of the light makes it good for a torch, but
then you can't see illuminate the dial I'm guessing, argh!

These things aren't great, but I feel are pretty acceptable considering it's
a wind-up radio primarily after all. I want FM/AM/SW and ideally (living in
the UK) LW Longwave too.

I can't find a unit that has that and is acceptable in size and price! The
only one I can see is the 'freeplay summit' (www.freeplayenergy.com), and
it's just too bulky, which is a shame.

Any recommendations? Smaller is better, but cranking is a necessity.

Thanks for reading, not the best bed-time read I imagine...

Gthh (My full name acronym ;-)

The Grundig windup radios are decent for catching AM & FM stations and
will work on shortwave although the tuning is not precise as I'm sure
you know. I think you will find that the performance is about
comparable between small analog multiband receivers like yours. I
would enjoy it for what it is.

We use ours as an emergency radio so it sits fortunately. To be
honest if you are looking to do much shortwave listening I would get a
small portable with precise tuning and much improved performance like
the Degen DE1103.