Ultralight Radios

Gordon……Yes I own one and used it in Michigan only with excellent results. Purchased one when I started taking four of my grand children (ages 10 to 7) backpacking four years ago on extended 8 -11 day outings…..use it as a teaching tool and for back up info for my personal weather analysis.

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If you look at the pic of the radio above on the left side you will see FM, WB, ALERT….faintly. There is a toggle switch to these various modes. There is also is a LED bulb mounted at the top of the case to the left of the antenna that can be used as a flashlight that I have never used but could as a backup if needed.

Can’t beat the $15 -20 price

How can finding those random AM stations late at night and listening to people talk about their alien abductions NOT be entertaining?

If I carry a radio, it's a Kenwood TH-F6a. It will receive from 100kHz to 1300 MHz (less cell phone band) in FM (including dedicated weather bands), AM, CW, SSB (including dedicated weather bands) and transmits on 144mHz (2m), 220, and 440 (70cm) amateur bands, so long as you have an amateur radio license. It weighs 9 oz. In the event you have repeater coverage, it could even be used for emergency communication, though I've never used it for such.

Christian
K1BCE

How long does it last on a single battery/charge?

Depends on how much you transmit, obviously. Transmitting at 5w, you'd be lucky to get an hour of conversation, at 2w probably an hour plus, at 500 mW, maybe 3 hours of on and off chatting.

If you're just planning to listen via the external speaker, it's good for hours. Maybe 8-12 hours or more? It's certainly good for a day at work. I suspect you could stretch it significantly further by listening to the headphones rather than the speaker.

I should add that these estimates are based on the older model (1500mAh) battery not the newer 2000mAh battery, so a newer one should do better. The new one also has a small charger – the charger for the older one I have is gigantic.

To maximize battery life (and avoid kerchunking repeaters), I always keep the "transmit-inhibit" lock on. It can be turned off quickly when needed.

It bears saying that the audio out/headphone jack on the radio is a 1/16 mini plug, not a 1/8 stereo plug.

What is the smallest (lightest weight), most power-efficient radio capable of receiving NWR broadcasts? It doesn't matter whether it's capable of receiving AM, FM broadcasts, etc.

Midland HH50 and Sangean DTW-400 would be the smallest with an internal speaker.