Solar Powered Radio
with Manual Hand Crank
Copyright © 2005,2009 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This web page has been removed from Grandpappy's Main Menu of articles. The reason is because the quality and reliability of the currently available solar power hand-crank radios is unacceptable. If you are in the market for a really good radio then you should read the information at the new web page at the following link:
The Grundig "Eton" S350DL Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Radio
When you are camping it is really nice to have a small, light-weight portable radio to listen to. The radio allows you to keep track of world events, or you can also relax while you listen to your favorite type of music. However, when you are camping it is not unusual for your batteries to wear out very quickly. Therefore, it would be nice to have a radio that can recharge its own batteries.
I recommend the Info-Mate World Band Solar Radio. I have one and I am very pleased with it. (Note: This radio will ONLY recharge AA batteries.)
The Info-Mate Solar Radio with Hand Crank will operate using:
1. Batteries (4 rechargeable AA batteries are included with the radio).
2. Solar Panel (Built into the top of the radio).
3. Hand Crank (Attached to side of the radio).
4. Traditional 110 Volt Electrical Wall Outlet Plug (Included with radio).
5. Automobile Cigarette Lighter Adapter (Included with radio).
Four rechargeable AA batteries are shipped with the radio and after you put them inside the radio, the radio works just like any other portable radio, except it has a lot of EXTRA features.
To recharge the batteries you can put the radio in the sun.
Or, you can rotate the hand CRANK and it will recharge the batteries.
Or you can plug the radio into a standard 110 volt wall outlet.
Or you can plug the radio into the cigarette lighter plug inside your automobile.
Some solar radios have a built-in rechargeable battery that wears out after a few years. And you can NOT replace that built-in battery. The above radio uses the standard AA rechargeable batteries that you can purchase anywhere. And when they wear out, you can buy new ones and easily replace them. Also, if the above radio is your ONLY source of solar power, then you can use it to recharge the AA batteries you use in your AA battery flashlight or other AA battery operated items.
The radio is a world band radio, so you can pick up broadcasts from around the world, if the weather conditions are agreeable. You can also purchase the additional special adapter that hooks onto the antenna that is built into the radio. I have the special antenna adapter but I have not used it very often because I have found that the antenna that is attached to the radio does a really good job of bringing in distant stations.
However, if you are camping and you wish to increase the range of the built-in antenna that comes with the radio, then you can take a long piece of thin insulated wire and twist one end of the wire onto the radio's antenna. You can then support the other end of the wire on a tree branch or any other non-metal object.
(Note: The most important feature of the above radio is that is uses standard flashlight batteries that can be removed and replaced. If you can't find the above radio then I suggest that you look for a similar radio that uses flashlight batteries and that does not have a built-in permanent battery. If the radio does not have a solar panel then you could easily recharge flashlight batteries using the Solar Battery Recharger mentioned on my web site and then use that solar charger to recharge your rechargeable batteries for the world band radio.)
Info-Mate World Band Solar Radio: (Model Discontinued).
Unfortunately the above Info-Mate Radio has been discontinued by the manufacturer. Therefore, two similar radios are listed below. However, I do not have either one of these Kaito Radios so I can't make any specific comments about them except that their advertised features look very good to me.
Kaito KA-009R Hand Crank & Solar AM/FM/NOAA weather, SW-MultiBand Radio (Uses Internal NI-MH battery or 3 AA batteries = $36.95)
Kaito Voyager KA-500 Crank & Solar AM/FM/NOAA weather, SW-MultiBand Radio
with Cell Phone/iPod Charger (Uses Internal NI-MH battery or 3 AA batteries = $59.95)
The Basics of Shortwave Radio
Although English is not the most widely spoken language in the world, it is currently an important "second language" in many countries because of the need to communicate with English speaking travelers and investors. Therefore many foreign nations broadcast in their own native language and also on a second frequency in English.
A shortwave radio will allow you to listen to radio stations that are broadcasting from almost anywhere in the world. This is a significant advantage because it allows you to hear a variety of different interpretations of how other major nations perceive significant current world events and news stories. Although every nation will impart its own "bias" to a particular news story, you will have the opportunity to determine how the rest of the world is responding to something that happened in your own country.
Shortwave radio signals travel extremely long distances by bouncing back and forth off the upper atmosphere and the earth's surface until they reach your radio's antenna. Therefore all of the following factors have an impact on the clarity of a distant radio station:
- The total distance between your antenna and the broadcasting radio station.
- The month of the year (seasonal weather fluctuations).
- The time of day (day or night).
- Space conditions (solar flares, etc.).
- Atmospheric conditions close to the Earth (bad weather significantly reduces reception).
- Nearby tall buildings or mountains (they interfere with reception from distant radio stations in those directions).
How to Maximize the Reception of a Shortwave Radio:
- Your radio needs to be operating on maximum power. Therefore, your radio batteries should be fully charged or you should be using AC power.
- To avoid electrical interference, do not place your radio near electrical equipment such as televisions, stereo equipment, computers, microwave ovens, or any other electrical appliance.
- Reception is weakest inside steel framed and concrete buildings.
- Reception is usually best near a window.
- Try moving your radio to different locations inside your home to improve its reception. If possible put your radio near a southern window, a northern window, an eastern window, or a western window, depending on the location of the foreign country's broadcast you wish to listen to.
- Change the direction in which you have your telescoping antenna pointed to see if it improves the reception of a weak radio signal. Take your hand off the antenna to test it.
- A longer antenna is better than a shorter antenna. A good antenna may be made from a few feet of insulated copper wire. Allow one end of the wire to hang outside of a window. Wrap the other end of the wire to the bottom of your radio's current telescoping antenna.
- An ear phone or a headphone can sometimes improve your ability to hear a weak signal from a distant radio station.
Number of Shortwave Radio Stations: At the current time there are very, very few shortwave radio stations still in operation when compared to just a few years ago. This is most likely due to the popularity of the internet, and satellite TV and satellite radio, and iPods and other hand-held electrical devices. However, there may be a dramatic renewal in the number of shortwave broadcasting stations in the event of a serious worldwide hard times event, or in the event of serious censorship of the radio stations within a nation's borders.
Safety Warning: Always disconnect your radio from any outside antenna when you are not listening to it, and also during any rain storms to avoid a static electricity shock from traveling down your antenna and destroying your radio. During bad weather you may still listen to your radio using batteries and its internal telescoping antenna but not an outside antenna. Therefore during bad weather you will probably be limited to local radio stations.
April 12, 2010 - This web page removed from the Main Menu Page list of articles.
Revised October 5, 2009 - Added "The Basics of Shortwave Radio" at the end of the article.
Revised September 30, 2009 - Added three other radios as alternatives to the discontinued model.
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