|
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Gear Forum Looking for small radio suggestions. |
Author
Text
09/09/2017 09:17PM (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Going in mid october and want to be able to listen the weather. And listen to some End of the Road radio.
Sound doesnt need to be amazing. The more lightweight the better. If it can be charged via usb that would be ideal as all my other bdubs gear is usb powered.
Thanks
Sound doesnt need to be amazing. The more lightweight the better. If it can be charged via usb that would be ideal as all my other bdubs gear is usb powered.
Thanks
09/09/2017 09:35PM
REI sells a good one I can recommend. It is the CCrane pocket radio. It has a small speaker for stand alone sound, or a hack for earbuds. About the size of a deck of cards. It runs on 2-AA batteries. It has AM, FM, and a weather band with seven channels.
"So many lakes, so little time." WWJD
09/10/2017 10:50AM
I recently met some guys on isle royale and one of them had a Ham radio. It was much more compact than I had imagined and its capabilities were very intriguing. I am basically ignorant of Ham radios but I plan to look into them a bit more to see if it is something I would like. The guy seemed like he had done his homework and I wrote down the make and model of his. Price is a concern however and I would really, really have to love it to spend 5 and change.
Lets Go!
09/10/2017 10:25PM
quote crumpman: "I use a Sangean DT-400W. It's the size of a pack of cards and I have had zero issues with it. It has a lock switch which keeps it from accidentally being turned on. "
How is the reception on that model. That was one I was looking at.
09/11/2017 12:50AM
quote crumpman: "I use a Sangean DT-400W. It's the size of a pack of cards and I have had zero issues with it. It has a lock switch which keeps it from accidentally being turned on. "
I got one of these for Christmas last year and it's amazing. If I remember right it picked up WELY and a country station on the FM and 2 or 3 of the weather channels. I would recommend this radio over and over!
"Leave it as it is.....The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it." Theodore Roosevelt
09/11/2017 12:16PM
quote crumpman: "I use a Sangean DT-400W. It's the size of a pack of cards and I have had zero issues with it. It has a lock switch which keeps it from accidentally being turned on. "
The Sangean and the CCS pocket radio are the (same) radio. They look different and are from different companies. This is because the guy at Sangean when on his own with his name and made the same radio. Both are quality items, with great reception. I usually pick up Minneapolis, Chicago stations. I've even picked up the Viking game one time.
"So many lakes, so little time." WWJD
09/12/2017 09:17PM
quote Birdknowsbest: "quote crumpman: "I use a Sangean DT-400W. It's the size of a pack of cards and I have had zero issues with it. It has a lock switch which keeps it from accidentally being turned on. "
How is the reception on that model. That was one I was looking at. "
It has an antenna that has to be unwound, it's a wire about 18" long. With it out reception is fine. I've only used it for weather, so I cannot comment on AM/FM radio stations.
"Fine figure of a man, yes?" Jeremiah Johnson
09/13/2017 09:24PM
quote crumpman: "I use a Sangean DT-400W. It's the size of a pack of cards and I have had zero issues with it. It has a lock switch which keeps it from accidentally being turned on. "
+1
I got a different (better) set of ear buds which are used as the antenna
09/18/2017 07:57AM
I have a old Eton hand crank that I have used for 5 years with no issues. There's something very comforting about that computer voice on the weather band channels on a stormy night in the wilderness. Not to mention the occasional football game you can pickup. Woudnt leave home without it.
09/18/2017 02:22PM
I listened to the Vikings \ Dolphins pre-season game when I was just up there. One night ( not this past trip ) I was able to pick up WLW 700 out of Cincinnati and catch the end of the Red's game. I think that was 2 years ago.
I can be followed on Instagram @queticomike
09/18/2017 08:27PM
quote Blatz: "I just picked up a Sangean DT-400W based on what I read here.
Me to. I regret having already spent $10 on a cheap piece of junk and is rather unlike me as I usually opt for quality. After my last trip it became quite apparent that weather info is helpful in making good decisions. And after a few weeks a couple of tunes might not be so bad ;-)
Think it will get reception in the back country of WCPP?
Lets Go!
09/22/2017 04:18PM
quote sdebol: "I've used mine for years and have been very happy with it. "
I have the excat same one, and I've been happy.
It also shuts off automatically after an hour, saves on battery's.
May the rivers be crooked and winding, and your portages lonesome, leading to the most amazing view.
09/23/2017 12:12PM
My Yellow forecasting rectangle just showed up today. I like it and I haven't even put the batteries in yet. I also like that it has a lock to prevent accidentally switching on. Seems like that always happens with various gadgets while they are in bags. I always have to carry spare batteries.
Lets Go!
09/23/2017 10:22PM
I have the Sangean radio also. Pelican makes a small hard shell case with the exact dimensions for this radio. I put both the antennae and ear buds on top and it closes just fine. It's called the micro case series #1010. Pelican case
"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." --- George Bernard Shaw
09/25/2017 01:13PM
quote tombo131: "Another option is a BaoFeng UV-5R ham radio. Cheap (around $25 on amazon). Can hand program it to NOAA weather frequencies and it also can receive FM freqs."
Well I hope I'm not going to be disappointed. Turned on my little yellow weather radio and it failed to pick up a weather station in my little town. Wasup wid dat?
So tell me more about Ham radios? In the famous words of a German WW2 P.O.W. camp guard, "I know nothing"
Lets Go!
09/27/2017 10:18AM
quote mastertangler: "quote tombo131: "Another option is a BaoFeng UV-5R ham radio. Cheap (around $25 on amazon). Can hand program it to NOAA weather frequencies and it also can receive FM freqs."
Well I hope I'm not going to be disappointed. Turned on my little yellow weather radio and it failed to pick up a weather station in my little town. Wasup wid dat?
So tell me more about Ham radios? In the famous words of a German WW2 P.O.W. camp guard, "I know nothing"
"
Not much too it really, the NOAA weather frequencies are just VHF radio frequencies. So, any HAM radio that can be programmed to that frequency range can be used. The only downside is it's not like a weather alert radio, so when you have it turned on you'll hear the constant broadcast - not limited to emergency alerts only.
Here is a video that goes over the basics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vszi6d2s5Sk
You'll see that you can "hand program" (dial) the frequency directly if you like. Or, you can use a free program like CHIRP to program these frequencies as channels to your radio. I do this so I can set mine up for the backcountry with NOAA freqs and the MURS frequencies for radio to radio comm. In other words, I leave one radio in camp if anyone is staying there while I go out to fish. I then have one radio where I can check the weather, but can then change to whatever frequency we're communicating on to talk to camp.
You don't need much to get started if you want to go this route. At minimum, a $25 Baofeng. If you want to do a little more you can get a better antenna (Nagoya 12+"), spare batteries, programming cable (allows you to program frequencies as channel numbers easier than by hand).
Here is a good resource for learning about the Baofeng HAM radios: http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/UV5R-Manuals.html
This prob isn't for everyone, but I like it since it's one device that allows me to get weather, FM, and can communicate.
"Well, sir, it's this rug I had. It really tied the room together."
09/27/2017 10:59AM
Thanks tombo
Please forgive my ignorance on all things Ham radio.........I will copy and paste the utube videos you suggest and watch them, but here is a question, Are the Ham radios able to achieve a much greater reception range?
A young guy at Isle Royale was able to get not only weather info (while all I received was static) and radio stations but boasted of being able to listen to people in other countries 1/2 way around the world. Of course his radio was over $500. But still, something is obviously different.
So heres my issue.........I want reliable weather info even if I am on the backside of the moon (you get my drift). Will the right Ham radio do that?
Does anybody want a brand new yellow weather radio at a slightly reduced price, batteries included ;-)
Please forgive my ignorance on all things Ham radio.........I will copy and paste the utube videos you suggest and watch them, but here is a question, Are the Ham radios able to achieve a much greater reception range?
A young guy at Isle Royale was able to get not only weather info (while all I received was static) and radio stations but boasted of being able to listen to people in other countries 1/2 way around the world. Of course his radio was over $500. But still, something is obviously different.
So heres my issue.........I want reliable weather info even if I am on the backside of the moon (you get my drift). Will the right Ham radio do that?
Does anybody want a brand new yellow weather radio at a slightly reduced price, batteries included ;-)
Lets Go!
09/27/2017 03:54PM
If anyone finds a radio under $30 that beats the La Crosse 810-805 let me know...
Pros: Small, Awesome reception, Durable, battery life(going on 3 years). LED Light, and quality feel.
Cons: No presets, NOAA alerts don't work when on AM/FM.
Pros: Small, Awesome reception, Durable, battery life(going on 3 years). LED Light, and quality feel.
Cons: No presets, NOAA alerts don't work when on AM/FM.
Subscribe to Thread
Become a member of the bwca.com community to subscribe to thread and get email updates when new posts are added. Sign up Here