AM/ FM Receiver

Hi Thomas,

Sangean seems to be the go-to company these days for very small radios. I have one of these:

http://www.sangean.com/products/products_main.asp?pid=36&pan=4&um=3

It's the smallest pocket radio I've seen that includes a speaker. Doesn't have weather band, though.

This one does, but I don't have any hands-on experience.

http://www.sangean.com/products/products_main.asp?pid=35&pan=4&um=3

I sometimes take a ipod and the plug-in FM module, but there are a lot of places in the mountains where FM doesn't reach. AM can be received almost everywhere, especially after dark when the clear channel stations crank up the wattage. I've been in the odd position of wondering what the Sierra forecast was but only getting Chicago's.

Cheers,

Rick

>I sometimes take a ipod and the plug-in FM module, but there are a lot of places in the mountains where FM doesn't reach. AM can be received almost everywhere, especially after dark when the clear channel stations crank up the wattage.

Yep. You can always count on the AM "skip" off the ionosphere after dark. Doesn't help much with the weather, but it sure beats the FM band for reception. I have an FM add-on for my iPod, but I never take it along for that reason.

Cordially,

Stargazer

I use a Sangean SR-3. Great little radio. Weighs 3oz with the one aaa battery.

County Comm has this one which weighs 85 grams plus 2 AA batteries. AM, FM, & SW. GP-4L Radio

I use the Sangean DT-400W pocket weather radio.AM/FM/WX Great little radio.One of the best in it's class for reception.It can be seen at ccrane.com

I am yet to be acquainted with your Weather Radio system in the US [ we don't have the equivalent in Australia ] so my question is:
Is there weather radio coverage on the JMT? If so, is it AM or FM, or both? I have a FM module on my MP3 player which weighs almost nothing so I intend to take it along and it would be great to get weather as well.

BTW, I own the Sangean ATS909 shortwave portable with SSB, and I have had excellent service from it. Too heavy for packpacking unfortunately, but it goes with me on seakayaking trips.
Cheers, MountainMule.

Weather radio (NOAA) has their own set of frequencys that can not be received by AM or FM. Google NOAA Weather Radio to find station locations in the US.

OK, so they're up in the VHF part of the spectrum. Does anyone know if there is coverage over the JMT?
Thanks.

Hi Peter,

I think your reception chances are pretty good, especially if you take out the radio at passes, peaks, etc.

Here's a list of Calif. transmitter locations and frequencies:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/stations.php?State=CA

It may be possible to receive Nevada stations as well.

Cheers,

Rick

I don’t know about the JMT but I’ve had excellent luck picking up NOAA weather broadcasts using my older Sangean DT-300-VW radio, even in fairly remote areas like the Wind River range in Wyoming or the Stewart range in Washington. The signals can be pretty weak, but by walking around my camp and fiddling with the wire antenna I can usually find a decent sweet spot for reception.

G

Ive had that GP4L from countycomm for a couple of years. It is a nice little radio I even take it to the beach and traveling.

Thanks, I think I now have a handle on the situation. All I need to do now is justify the extra weight of a weather radio…hmmmm. I love radios…. hmmmmm.
I am on the JMT at the end of next July into August when I understand the weather patterns to be fairly stable; with the threat of afternoon storms, as in many mountain climates. I wonder: does the NOAA bother with a mountain storm alert when you probably get storm cells blowing up daily all up and down the Sierra Nevada?
A word for distant travellers: there is no equivalent of Weather Radio in New Zealand or Australia. There are marine and, in NZ, mountain weather broadcasts. In Australia the best weather is for mariners and is broadcast on single side band. Sangean , among others, have SSB radio receivers. That's good for us seakayakers…

Hi Peter,

The NOAA radio forecasts are regional (based loosely on transmitter location) and for example, where I live (well northwest of the JMT) the forecast always separates out the valley, the foothills and the Sierra. If they're predicting violent thunderstorms they will generally add small stream flood warnings to the forecast. That's when I pay closest attention :-)

Sierra summer storms are a bit odd in that they almost always come from the southeast, via the desert. This means the eastern slopes and the summits are often pounded while the western slopes remain dry. (The rest of the year storms come in from the Pacific and concentrate their energy on the western slopes.)

Overall, chances are good you won't see more than a few clouds for days at a time during those months (unlike the Rockies with their daily afternoon pounding :-) but if you happen to catch the storm pattern it can certainly rain a good deal. At that point, having a weather radio can either reassure you that it's only going to last a day or two or perhaps linger for a week. Good information on which to decide whether to press on, hunker down for a day or two, or bug out. I've done all three.

Cheers,

Rick

Decided to go with the Sangean DT-300-VW, partly because it includes the weather bands but also because it was cheap at my local radio geek store. (It also includes the TV channels, which don't work because of TV's switch to digital).

It also weighs in at a scant 116 grams (4.109 oz). with its two AAA batteries. The SR-3 was lighter, but it didn't include the weather bands. I ended up ordering one for my wife for Christmas. I may just keep it myself if looks good on arrival. :-)

The Sangean DT-400W was really tempting, but the weight, cost and size combined with the extra weight of the AA batteries was too rich for my blood. Tempting, though.

I also ordered the COUNTY COMM GP-4L. At $26.00, I couldn't turn down a 4-band SW even if it didn't include the weather channels.

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions.

Stargazer

NOAA publishes maps showing the coverage areas of each of its transmitters. Probably on mountains you'll get more than one.
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/Maps/

If you don't get reception, you may be able to rig a wire antenna with much better sensitivity.

Some amateur VHF/UHF handheld transceivers cover these frequencies (license needed to transmit). Mine is a Yaesu VX-2 and weighs a bit over 4 ounces.

Thanks for all that information. I guess the NOAA must have established repeater VHF transmitters to get that sort of coverage in the mountains.
Walter, I like the look of that Yaesu VX-2. I think it translates into the Yaesu VX-3R in my neck of the woods. This seems to have much the same specs as your VX-2. The ability to use AAs make it a winner, as well as low weight [ 4.7 ounces]. Amazing what can be crammed into small transceivers these days.
Thanks again for your help!

Peter, The capabilities of modern electronics are truly amazing. Be aware that these ham radio transceivers are not cheap. The vx-3r is $165US at hamradio.com plus $21US for the AA adapter. For just getting weather radio and AM/FM broadcast, some of the consumer radios mentioned above are a much better deal. The advantage of the transceivers is that if you are a licensed radio amateur, you can transmit. This is useful on parts of the Appalachian Trail. I don't know how much amateur repeater coverage there is on the Western trails.

There is always room for another good radio at my house Walter… but I take your point; for JMT purposes a Yaesu is over-kill…73s!

Another option for a good weather radio is a Garmin Rino 130. I have used this on my last couple of trips instead of the Sangean. It’s three ounces heavier, but for that I get a mapping GPS AND an FRS/GMRS two-way radio. Yes, it only transmits at one watt, but what I’ve found is that even if I’m in fairly remote country I can often pick up other FRS users when I scan the channels. Sometimes these are climbers on nearby peaks or last time it was mostly elk hunters, but the point is in an emergency I think I’d have a decent chance of raising someone on the FRS. That’s a pretty handy gadget for 7.5 ounces, and one set of lithium AA batteries lasts for days.

G

Flix wrote: "County Comm has this one which weighs 85 grams plus 2 AA batteries. AM, FM, & SW. GP-4L Radio"

It has a very usable LED flashlight too.

All these small SW radios benefit greatly from the addition of a long wire extension to the antenna. I made one from light gauge wire with an alligator clip on one end. I string it between tree branches or even my trekking poles. I could pick up the entire Pacific rim from the Olympic beaches.

Earbud style headphones help too, although the GP-4L does have a speaker.

I have a Creative Zen Stone Plus MP3 player. It has mp3, fm, and abunch of other junk on it. It might weigh 2oz with the headphones. Its pretty small too… 2in x 1in. Cost around $60-70.

Okay, so I finally broke down and ordered one of the little radios from Conty Comm that I mentioned earlier. It is quite cool! 4.9 oz with two Alkaline AAs and it includes an alarm and an LED flashlight as well. I have included a full-sized deck of cards for scale.

I was playing around with some 1/8" thick closed cell foam, trying my had at making a freezer bag cozy and decided to make a protective case for this as well. I'm sure any small camera case would work, but this was fun and it only ends up adding .3 oz.