Shortwave radios in emergency situations

do you have a power source for it? I hear that they sell crank powered ones? I am not sure though

 

At home, we just got a battery operated AM/FM radio. I plan on getting one of those crank radios with shortwave capabilities and a handheld CB.

 

I saw some crank ones online. I think it was like www.newegg.com or something. I'll try and find it. I also saw one for sale on www.woot.com , but who knows what they'll have up for sale next...

 

County Comm has some small shortwave radios that run on batteries. I thought they looked pretty interesting, but wasn't sure what I could use them for. Check them out.

www.countycomm.com

 

Got a crank/battery/mains am/fm/sw radio.

Does anyone have a list of channels/stations on the sw band that might be good to try to tune into? That would be handy to keep with the radio.

 

check out www.cabelas.com they have some crank radios from eaton and other companys.

 

oooo thanks fetthunter

 

Shortwave and Disasters

Please remember that ALL disasters start locally and end locally.

Your LOCAL public information officers will be using communications streams to get the word to broadcasters and other media outlets closer to you that the British Broadcasting Company (which, by the way, has suspended shortwave broadcasts to the USA).

Therefore, I'd invest in a scanner to monitor the local public safety channels and consider getting an amateur radio license. Your friends at the American Radio Relay League will be happy to provide you a name of a local club and test session.

If you really WANT to monitor shortwave for emergency messages, here's the current list of broadcasters with programming to the USA.

 

Shortwave solutions

I have a crank shortwave and it's great fun on camping trips as well as being ready for any emergencies. But you can get tired of cranking fairly quickly, it's boring! Also the internal battery doesn't last as long as rechargable batteries do. I bought a solar charger that does all types of batteries and AA's charge very quickly so I have a set in the radio and another ready to go.

Here is a website that lists english shortwave broadcasts,
http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/
As far as the BBC goes it's to the left of NPR and can't be considered a reliable news source.

Midland sells a radio base station with am/fm/GMRS/Noaa that has a crank and is a good compliment to the shortwave and it also takes AA batteries.

A good idea is to take a ammo can and line it with high density foam to store your radios in for traveling. Both of these radios fit just fine.

 

Here is the best radio I have found: The Best Solar and Crank Radio. AM/FM, shortwave, weather bands, cell phone and iPod/MP3 charger. NOAA Weather Alert. Flashlight, reading light, AC/DC adapter.

 

While I don't personally own one, I've heard very good things about the Kaito KA1102 radio.

Shortwave radio with side Band, SSB Radio, Kaito KA1102

It's a few more dollars (a quick google search showed one place selling them for $69.00 us) than some of the do all, hand crank, flashlight, siren, compass, etc radios out there, but personally, I've already got a few good flashlights and a compass. If it's purpose is to be a radio, it should do that job well.

What sets the Kaito KA1102 apart from most portables is the ability to receive SSB (single side band) stations, along with the usual AM / FM & shortwave broadcast stations. If there is a broader event than city / county VHF range, such as a statewide, regional, or national event, an excellent source of info and updates are going to be available on the HF ham bands. You'll need the ability to receive SSB to understand the transmissions.

As KC5FM said, the first line of info should be local VHF sources, that still stands. Everyone wants to know what might affect me first, and that's what VHF does. But, if you want the ability to reach out further, and are considering a radio with short wave capabilities, why not go the extra $20 - $30 and get one that does that well. While there is some entertainment value to the short wave broadcast stations, while you're sitting around the fireplace, they are still going to be doing their agenda format. Useful info will be rare. However, buried among all those shortwave bands, are ham bands. Those are the folks like you and me. They will be passing info and traffic from city to city and state to state. For a few more bucks, why not be able to tap into that radio network and get some real time info?

The Kaito KA 1102 also has a connection for an external, random length wire antenna. That's a plus. That's going to beat the pants off of any built in whip antenna. The radio is sensitive, meaning it has the ability to receive a weaker signal and not just the big gun broadcast stations. It's also selective, which means it does a decent job of separating signals and makes it easier to pick one out of the pile, if other stations are close by.

Here's a link to a review of the radio, done by hams that are pretty darned picky about the performance of their gear. There's very very few $70, portable receivers out there that will cut the mustard with these guys. This one gets a lot of 5/5 ratings (5 out of a possible 5 stars or thumbs ups).

Kaito KA1102 Product Reviews

Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving

Doug

 

Link To Find English Language Shortwave Broadcasts

This is a useful site and lets you know what stations are on the air right now.

Shortwave Radio Listening (SWL and High Frequency Radio)

 

Radios

This is a good website for unique items of interest, radios ant', led lighting and what not. Check it out.
C. Crane Company, Inc.