Small radio for tripping weather info?

[Guest]

From another thread:

Actually we do carry a weather radio but there are few stations.. ie mostly its useless as it gets nothing. Its a marine radio too capable of two way communication but usually there is no one else out there.

I do not care for most electronics when tripping but I am addicted to a morning listen to the weather radio on coastal trips. Unfortunately on many interior trips there is no receivable weather station.

I’ve been considering purchasing a small transistor radio, but that will require some research. I’ve seen (and listened to) a Sony ferrite rod radio that was the size of a pocket digital camera, but I really I don’t know much about radios.

It doesn’t need to be waterproof, since my intention is to catch a weather forecast in camp. Likewise for briefly catching a weather forecast once or twice a day battery life is probably unimportant.

Size matters, as does dependability.

If anyone on CT is a radiohead I’d welcome make/model or feature suggestions. AM or AM/FM? Ferrite rod antenna?

 

[Guest]

I'm no radiohead, but I've been carrying a pocket-size AM/FM/TV/WX weather radio since my first Boundary Waters trip in 2008. I wouldn't go without it. It's an old Olympus that cost about $80. It uses an external antenna - regular 2.5 mm headphones work fine. You can get good ones now for a lot less. Don't leave home without it.

 

[yellowcanoe]

The last thing I want is a AM or FM ONLY radio in a marine environment. Forecasts are not as local as they used to be; it galls me when some radio guy has to stuff the forecast in 10 seconds and tells you to go to dot.com for more info. Mike I know you coastal paddle and you know that conditons on bays are nothing like inland.

I would suppose you ought to consider a radio with WX receiving capablilty. The AMor AM and FM is nice for inland like BWCA or Algonquin but severely lacking here on the coast of Maine or the Chesapeake Bay or the Everglades ie anywhere where marine forecasts are important.

You want a radio with SAME capability . From experience I would avoid the crankie radios. Out there is when you dont want a crank in one hand and a radio in the other.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/n...torm/index.htm

 

[Guest]

The National Weather Service has coverage maps for its forecasts. It's useful for knowing what frequency you can pick up, and whether you're in a blank area where there might be poor reception.
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/Maps/

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Small. Weather. Radio.

I can give you two out of three, which is a good percentage for the stuff of life.

 

[Guest]

I'm no radiohead, but I've been carrying a pocket-size AM/FM/TV/WX weather radio since my first Boundary Waters trip in 2008. I wouldn't go without it. It's an old Olympus that cost about $80. It uses an external antenna - regular 2.5 mm headphones work fine. You can get good ones now for a lot less. Don't leave home without it.

Something like that might be just the ticket. I’ll have to look around for something similar (and less expensive).

The last thing I want is a AM or FM ONLY radio in a marine environment.

I would suppose you ought to consider a radio with WX receiving capablilty. The AMor AM and FM is nice for inland like BWCA or Algonquin but severely lacking here on the coast of Maine or the Chesapeake Bay or the Everglades ie anywhere where marine forecasts are important.

I have always been able to get a signal from my little WeatherOne broadcast receiver when I’m on or even near the coast. But rarely so on inland trips, and on places where I know I won’t get a signal I don’t bother bringing it. In that case an AM/FM might provide at least a rudimentary forecast (not expecting the detail and constant update of the NOAA broadcasts, but I’ll take what I can get).

You want a radio with SAME capability . From experience I would avoid the crankie radios. Out there is when you dont want a crank in one hand and a radio in the other.

Definitely not a “crankie”. The transistor battery in the broadcast receiver I use has been going strong for years – I carry a fresh spare and have never put it in.

Something that picks up the NOAA weather cast as well as AM and FM would allow me to bring the same radio whether coastal or inland. The WeatherOne radio I currently use has both an extendable antenna and a separate plug in external wire antenna with alligator clip, which might be a nice feature.

Time to do some research on a small WX/AM/FM radio receiver. Suggestions welcome.

 

[Guest]

Time to do some research on a small WX/AM/FM radio receiver.

Well that was highly unsatisfactory at first. Most of the am/fm/weather radios had too many functions, digital displays and other esoteric electronica. I like simple stuff. I am still bewildered that the manual for the radio/CD player in my truck is HALF AGAIN AS BIG as the manual for the truck itself.

I found this simple, cheap, old-school style unit.

http://www.amazon.com/Kaito-KA210-P...404410353&sr=8-3&keywords=am+fm+weather+radio

For $20 it’s worth a shot.

I do now know what SAME stands for:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrsame.htm

 

[Guest]

Got it. Kaito KA210. $20

AM/FM/NOAA. It is small (120x71x22mm), lightweight and will accommodate an earphone jack if desired.

It does not have SAME (Specific Area Message Encoder) capability to receive NOAA hazardous weather notices, but I only turn on a weather radio for long enough to get the forecast so that matters little.

It picks up the usual/distant am and fm radio stations from home and two different NOAA broadcasts.

If I can just avoid the slippery slope of tuning in Science Friday on NPR while on a trip it should be fine.