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-   -   Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio (http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=348185)

HomeGrown 02-11-2009 10:41 AM
Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
I'm looking for a decent (shortwave) radio with preferably options for power like solar and crank. Shockproof and waterproof would be a big plus.

Please post links and suggsstions and many thanks in advance

HG

argentos 02-11-2009 12:30 PM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
Having a read of this before you go much further may help.

Because there are no batteries (all batteries lose their ability to hold a charge after a few years) his original design radios should be OK for decades. But you'll have to find out where to get one yourself, I'm afraid.

Lucky225 02-11-2009 01:07 PM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
a little pricey but it looks pretty cool
http://windupradio.com/FPsummit.htm

http://windupradio.com/images/summit...de)200x200.gif
http://windupradio.com/images/Summit(back)200x200.gif

I might have to make one. its a little outta my price range

flash91 02-11-2009 06:50 PM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
I have a freeplay from ccrane. windup and solar and plugin for power.

Am/FM/Weather output.

http://www.ccrane.com/radios/wind-up...her-radio.aspx

I don't think its waterproof though. I don't see how to replace batteries either, but I've had mine and used it on and off for 6 months now. Works fine.

Lt Dan 02-11-2009 08:57 PM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
If you are really serious about shortwave, you won't find it in any of those windup receivers I've seen. They do pass muster for emergency receivers if that's all you want and Grundig makes as good of radios in that class as any. I bought a Grundig S350DL, I am somewhat disappointed that it is not for the serious SWling I had hoped for. Didn't look close enough when I bought it. It does have very good quality sound and multi-band use, but no weather channel and no SSB in the SW bands. It also is not a windup, but I've had it for quite a while and it runs a long time on 4 D-cell batteries. I can pick up far away stations with the telescoping antenna, but with a long wire it really pulls 'em in from far away when the conditions are right.

If you can find one that gets the weather channels, AM FM and SW bands 1-3 that also winds up you couldn't go wrong for casual use. The below link might help.

Grundig

Zusn 02-11-2009 11:59 PM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lt Dan (Post 1564560)
If you are really serious about shortwave, you won't find it in any of those windup receivers I've seen. They do pass muster for emergency receivers if that's all you want and Grundig makes as good of radios in that class as any. I bought a Grundig S350DL, I am somewhat disappointed that it is not for the serious SWling I had hoped for. Didn't look close enough when I bought it. It does have very good quality sound and multi-band use, but no weather channel and no SSB in the SW bands. It also is not a windup, but I've had it for quite a while and it runs a long time on 4 D-cell batteries. I can pick up far away stations with the telescoping antenna, but with a long wire it really pulls 'em in from far away when the conditions are right.

If you can find one that gets the weather channels, AM FM and SW bands 1-3 that also winds up you couldn't go wrong for casual use. The below link might help.

Grundig
I agree with Lt. Dan. If you just want to hear the emergency channels, then the $50 crank/solar ones will do. If you want real SWL, then I'd suggest finding a quality radio and adding your own solar cells. If you have $$ to burn, check out the Icom IC-R9500 :banana:

Olmstein 02-12-2009 12:42 AM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
Peenman Enterprises Crank Up Radio. As advertised on the Art Bell Show, on the Phil Hendrie Show.

"You know, friends, I'm not rich enough, so if you buy some stupid crank-up radio that you could use after the nuclear holocaust, which is never going to happen, it'll put money in my pocket. Yes, a crank-up radio with a stupid-looking flashlight on the end of it, you have that in your garage and people think you're definitely whack; they'll think you're definitely crazy and wont let your kids visit their house, and they wont let their kids visit your house, either. They'll keep everybody away from you including your own family. New, from Peenman Enterprises.

Friends, I know that you�ve been asking yourselves, what is it with this hand-crank radio? Can I really �crank it� and hear things? Well�.crank the radio, yes�. But I�m getting an awful lot of emails from a lot of you Coast To Coast listeners who say; �Art, I cranked it last night and I couldn�t hear a thing.� Well, when we talk about �cranking it�; we are talking about having the Hand-crank Radio. You people that are cranking something else, your problem. Your loss. So whether you�re yanking it, or cranking it, get the Hand-crank Radio new from Peenman Enterprises. Just crank it, and listen to China for about three seconds before you have to crank it again.


This letter from Mrs. K in Southbury Connecticut saying:


�Dear Art,


I love my Hand-crank Radio. I cranked it, I heard Radio Beijing for about three minutes then I had to crank it again. Now I�ve got a severe case of tendonitis, I�ve got a huge gangly in my wrist and I look like the Elephant Man. Thanks for nothing!�


It�s new from Peenman Enterprises. So next time you feel like cranking something, make sure it�s �..The radio!"

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...Crank-up_radio

hypervel 02-12-2009 01:00 PM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
How funny to see this thread now. Last night I got out my Grundig FR200 to play with. I cranked it for about a minute and listened long enough to have forgotten that it needed to be cranked again. Listened to Radio Havana en English....I guess we're very very bad, trite people, we Americans. At least that's what I got out of it.
Had it on AM to begin with-VERY populated...and I'm in the NW.
Got a Eton G5 coming. We'll see how that goes.
OP, don't overthink it. Listen to folks like Dan who really are into radio. AND.....a good plastic bag goes a long way toward water resistance.

Goldhedge 02-19-2009 01:07 AM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
found this site on shortwave reviews. FWIW


http://www.hamuniverse.com/shortwave.html

ppius13 02-25-2009 10:17 AM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by argentos (Post 1563401)
Having a read of this before you go much further may help.

Because there are no batteries (all batteries lose their ability to hold a charge after a few years) his original design radios should be OK for decades. But you'll have to find out where to get one yourself, I'm afraid.
The Baylis Mini Eco Radio has an internal battery. I fear that this radio's battery, like the other hand-cranked radio's batteries, will be dead if we buy it, stick it in a drawer until TSHTF and then try to use it.

Is there any alternative to this problem, i.e., is there a hand cranked radio whose batteries don't permanently die if left unused in a drawer for years?

argentos 02-25-2009 11:50 AM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ppius13 (Post 1592826)
The Baylis Mini Eco Radio has an internal battery. I fear that this radio's battery, like the other hand-cranked radio's batteries, will be dead if we buy it, stick it in a drawer until TSHTF and then try to use it.

Is there any alternative to this problem, i.e., is there a hand cranked radio whose batteries don't permanently die if left unused in a drawer for years?
That's a bummer. Trevor Baylis's original wind-up radio (intended for Africa) wound up a clockwork spring which powered a generator, rather than winding a generator to power a battery. It was all over the TV at the time. I hadn't twigged that they had stopped doing it that way. Profits reasons, no doubt.


Quote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A810154
Baylis started thinking about his old wind-up gramophone and how the energy to drive it was stored by a clockwork mechanism. In his home workshop he found a carpenter's brace, not unlike the winding handle of a gramophone, and started experimenting. He found he could use the brace to drive a small dynamo to generate enough power for a transistor radio. Adding some simple clockwork allowed the brace to wind up a spring, which would drive the dynamo by itself as it slowly unwound.

Like many brilliant ideas, it was essentially that simple. After many hours' work he achieved his first working model, which ran a radio for 14 minutes on a two-minute wind. He had invented The Clockwork Radio. The design was later improved so that it could run a radio for an hour on a 25-second wind. Later enhancements included the addition of solar cells so that winding was needed only after dark.

Jodster71 02-25-2009 12:17 PM
Re: Suggestions for a solar powered/crank short wave radio
 
My wife got me an Eton for christmas. It's saved my bacon twice so far. Comes with rechargeable batteries. I'm pretty happy with it!
Eton FR500


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