Solar Powered Radio
with Manual Hand Crank
Copyright © 2005 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
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 for $69.88. I have one and I am EXTREMELY satisfied with it. (Note: This radio will ONLY recharge AA batteries.) One place you can purchase this radio is at the following link:
http://www.y2knorth.com/dynamo_amfmsw.html
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 wire and twist one end of the wire onto the tip of the radio's antenna. You can then support the other end of the wire on a tree branch or any other non-metal object.
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