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Ultralight AM/FM radios
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Jun 6, 2013 at 5:16 am #1993831
thanks- missed that. I'm looking more for a small radio to keep in the truck, NOAA would be a high priority. Have even been thinking about one of the Eton crank/solar ones (FRX2)- they're a little larger and heavier @ ~ 8 oz, but batteries become on a non-issue- they will also charge a cell phone (except some i phones evidently)
Jun 6, 2013 at 5:33 am #1993837I have a few items that I need for emergency use as part of the on water trip leader stuff I do from time to time.
I am a huge fan of lithium batteries because they can last for over 10 years in the device and they work in extreme cold. I have them in emergency strobes, running lights, headlamps and backup packs for rechargeable marine radios.
They are lighter than alkaline and other batteries and you don't have to swap them out every couple years.
Be aware that crank devices and rechargeable and even alkaline batteries work very poorly below freezing, if they work at all.
The radios that use AA or AAA are significantly more portable and lighter than the crank variety.
Jun 6, 2013 at 3:24 pm #1994049the big draw for me to the crank radio was that it would charge a cell phone, thought that might come in handy
I like lithium batteries too- lighter, last long, work in cold (spendy, but worth it)
Jul 9, 2015 at 5:21 pm #2213570Dale, Jerry, et al. –
Any updates on what you've been using? My wife wants to pick one up for our PCT through hike.
Jul 9, 2015 at 5:47 pm #2213578.
Jul 9, 2015 at 5:51 pm #2213581The Sony SFR-S84 still wins on many facets– weight, size, tuning, sound quality. The Tecsun PL-360 is the the ultimate toy, but the Sony is so tiny and good.
Jul 9, 2015 at 5:57 pm #2213582If you want a speaker then the Kaito really is impressively good and picks up a decent signal. Dirt cheap too. There's a weather band radio for a bit more money and weight.
The tecsun is great and picks up a good signal but is frankly too heavy.
I didn't get the Sagean 400 but it gets great reviews and includes weather band, which may well be worth the extra ounce or two.
Jul 9, 2015 at 6:06 pm #2213584I got a ccrane cc winess plus. 4 ounces. $130. AM/FM/MP3/headphones or speakers. Gets pretty good reception. Lithium battery good for 12 hours of speaker or 17 hours of headphone. USB chargeable. I have a USB power supply. maybe 1500 mAh battery is enough to charge it once. You can get USB power supplies with various capacities. Used it on a couple week trips.
Jul 9, 2015 at 9:06 pm #2213629Dale how much does the SRF-S84 weigh? Easy to tune? battery life? I want a good mini radio, speaker or headphones. Speaker would be nice to listen with a friend while cooking dinner too! But battery life might be worse.
Jul 9, 2015 at 9:07 pm #2213630And the SRF-S84 is the best right now for my 6 pound setup? Anything lighter or heavier but better quality / more worth it?
Jul 9, 2015 at 9:43 pm #2213635The SRF-S84 weighs 1.6oz. You can go back to the first page of this thread for photos and info on the SRF-S84 and other small radios. Like any gear, you can add features and weight infinitely, but the Sony is the definition of UL gear: high performance at low weight and bulk (it's non-essential purpose aside).
The Tecsun PL-360 that I mentioned earlier has shortwave reception and a ton of features and weighs 4.5oz– it looks like a TV remote. It is also spec'd in the thread. I can't imagine hauling more than that.
It has been two years since I started this thread and I haven't done any more research on new models.
Jul 10, 2015 at 7:21 am #2213688Dale and I disagree : ) but I don't like radios with analog tuner
It's hard to rotate the tuning dial to exactly tune to a station. It can drift a little so you have to go back and re-tune. I think the tuning band is wider on analog tuner so it's harder to get a weak signal and reject other signals or noise. It's so 20th century – time to move on : )
Jul 10, 2015 at 7:42 am #2213690hard to argue w/ 1.6 oz, anything else come remotely close to that?
Jul 10, 2015 at 7:51 am #2213692Sansa Clip is 0.9 oz. 1.4 oz with earbuds. Just FM and MP3. FM receiver is pretty good, but not quite as good as the ccrane, for example. Maybe 16 hours? With a 2200 mAh USB power supply you can recharge many times. 2.5 oz. Bigger USB power supplies have a hard time recognizing the Sansa is charging, so it just turns off. MP3 is good for when you don't get reception. There are times in the wilderness that no radio will work. NPR has probably the most stations with reception. That, and religious stations.
Jul 10, 2015 at 8:29 am #2213697^ thanks- I'll peek at that one too!
Jul 10, 2015 at 9:08 am #2213707Digital tuners are great with a strong signal, but with weak signals and long distance AM, the analog wins. The tuning circitry on the Sony is quite good.
The Sansa Clip is good if you want MP3 and some radio. It won't bring in a signal anywhere close to the SRF-S84. I prefer replaceable batteries and have tried a few MP3/FM units with AAA batteries, but none were good for distant FM. If you want music, the IPod Shuffle is tiny and good.
Having AM capability in remote areas is good. FM was designed for line of sight and 25 miles, although it will reach farther in the right conditions. Having a stereo/mono switch can help with a weak FM signal.
Jul 10, 2015 at 9:29 am #2213713I used to think only AM was good in the back country, but as you pointed out a long time ago, FM works good too. Maybe even better. AM better at night though.
You've said analog tuner is good, but one's i've tried like Grundig and Marathon just don't work as good. I haven't tried that Sony one though…
I think USB rechargeable is just as good as replaceable batteries. Then you can have a Lithium rechargeable battery. Separate USB power supply in my pack doesn't weigh much.
Jul 10, 2015 at 10:56 am #2213742"I think USB rechargeable is just as good as replaceable batteries. Then you can have a Lithium rechargeable battery. Separate USB power supply in my pack doesn't weigh much."
Rechargeable is good on the sustainability side, although radio technology will outlive the battery, whereas phones usually get outdated first.
But the problem I see is the snowball of electronic gadgets and the accessories. The little radios and headphones are bad enough, let alone phones, audio players, GPS, etc. The radio is already questionable, but the rest of the electronica, batteries, cables and such detract from the wilderness experience, let alone the weight.
Jul 10, 2015 at 1:46 pm #2213786"But the problem I see is the snowball of electronic gadgets and the accessories."
For sure
I am not going to buy any more radios/MP3s : )
Jul 10, 2015 at 2:10 pm #2213790The smallest Kaito with Lithium batteries is 2.75oz. I just prefer a speaker around camp.
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