Solar charging: A solar panel offers an additional way of charging the radio. While a solar panel is a nice feature to have, you can’t always rely on it to keep the radio charged as solar panels require direct sunlight. Alert Radio] This weather alert radio is specially designed for emergency needs. However, it needs to be powered on and manually tuned to a local weather station to receive alerts. It has standard analog tuned AM/FM/SW weather channels. This is a special device designed to receive emergency alerts for a variety of life-threatening weather events such as cyclones, hurricanes, tsunamis and other weather disasters.

Degen DE13DSP Emergency AM/FM/SW Solar Radio - Tecsun Radios Degen DE13DSP Emergency AM/FM/SW Solar Radio - Tecsun Radios

However, there’s no solar power option with this addition to our list of the best wind up radios. On the bright side, when you’re located in the UK, where sunlight is scarce, you might not even need this function.Hand crank – A hand crank lets you charge the radio’s battery by turning a handle. The kinetic energy gets transformed and stored. Most AM/FM solar radios have a hand crank, but DAB solar radios rarely do. USB power bank: Many of the radios reviewed here can be charged via a USB cable, so having a USB power bank on hand could be a convenient way to charge the radio. Even if your furry friend gets lost while on the trail, you can easily locate them using this radio’s ultrasound feature. Just make sure they have their dog collar with them. The availability of the seven NOAA weather radio bands makes it an excellent radio for outdoor activities such as camping and hiking. Want to make sure that you can always tune into your favorite radio shows? Perhaps it’s time to explore wind up radios…

Degen DE1103 - eHam.net Degen DE1103 - eHam.net

If you’re looking for a compact hand-crank radio for your emergency kit, the Midland Portable Wind Up Radio has got you covered.Batteries: This can be convenient as you can simply take replacement batteries for when the first set run out. It means you don’t need to spend a long time winding a hand crank or rely on having sunny weather to charge the radio using a solar panel. However, you will need to remember to take enough batteries with you.

DEGEN DE13 Cranked Solar FM AM SW Receiver with Flashlight DEGEN DE13 Cranked Solar FM AM SW Receiver with Flashlight

So, what makes the Kaito KA500 highly sensitive? Well, this radio has an extendable telescopic antenna that goes up to 14.5 inches (36.83 cm) for better sensitivity. With this feature, you can rest assured of the best radio signals, even in the most remote areas. The radio’s 2200mAh battery makes it one of the best wind up radios on the market, especially for outdoor enthusiasts. With a guaranteed playtime of up to 25 hours during normal use, you can keep going for extended periods without worrying about running out of battery. Sound quality is not DE1103's forte, so it is not a surprise the Motoradio RP-M62 better performance in this regard. Also, RP-M62's AGC is not as agressive as is on more modern models, and in some cases it keeps noise floor very low and increases audio quality immensely. As for as sensitivity, selectivity, spurious and image rejection, the DE1103 exceeds a great deal. Aside from giving you everything that you need to tune into your favorite channels on the go, this Degen radio also comes with a wide selection of other useful features like an LED torch, an alarm siren, and a USB port where you can charge your smartphone.Due to nature’s unpredictability, this radio is designed to ensure you’re always ready and prepared to face anything. The only problems I've had with this is that I managed to break some wires on the rotary encoder from taking the case apart one to many times while fitting mods (IF stage shielding, experimenting with different filters etc). Otherwise, its been in the car with me all over the countryside, tossed in the overnight bag into a light aircraft, and never missed a beat for over two years. Reliable - most definitely! Even though DAB radios are now more popular than AM/FM radios in the UK, there still aren’t many DAB radios that are suitable for camping. Radios with solar charging or hand cranks tend to only have AM and FM bands, not DAB. DAB radios also use more power, so batteries don’t last very long in them (usually less than 12 hours). But that’s not all! The Midland radio has a built-in Cree LED flashlight with an SOS beacon function, ensuring you can signal for help during emergencies. No, solar radios usually have a built-in rechargeable battery, so you won’t need to buy batteries separately.

Best Wind Up Radio Crank It Up: Your Guide To The Best Wind Up Radio

The MD-088 does feature a phone charger, but you can’t really rely on it to keep your phone charged up for whole a weekend away camping. This feature is best thought of as an emergency last resort—you will still need a separate portable charger for your phone. This is one of the tougher, and therefore the best wind up radios that we’ve seen on the market. When you’re clambering through trees in the great outdoors, the last thing that you want to worry about is breaking your radio. Do not submit a product review critiquing another review or reviewer. Reviewers should be able to share their product opinion without being publicly criticized.

Best Camping Radios in the UK

During our review of this radio, we loved the fact that it’s made to ensure you can communicate with your loved ones, even during a power outage or when you can’t access AA batteries. But how is that possible? As the name implies, the Roberts solarDAB 2 features a solar panel. The solar panel will charge three AA rechargeable batteries inside the radio when it’s placed in direct sunlight. This thing is highly sensitive on HF and darn good on AM and FM BCB too. Sound quality is good. But I think its the low noise floor of this receiver that really makes this receiver shine.