Five Best Camp Radios for More Secured Camping on the Great Outdoors
It is common for us that when we go camping we want to make sure that everything will be all right. Although we usually travel in groups and fully equipped with camping gears, we all know that we must be ready to protect ourselves from any disaster or emergencies that can come our way while we are secluded from the rest of the civilization.
So technically speaking we need to bring along a camping gadget that can help us able to track and monitor everything that will be happening around us and this can only be provided by none other than the camp radio. A camp radio can feed us what we need to know about the weather and this is crucial in camping. We have learned from the past that the weather can change that fast and create instant natural disasters. If we are in the middle of nowhere and a disaster struck, that could really put us in a dangerous situation so a camp radio will be our only companion that could give us the warning and make us ready.
Katrina made us aware
One classic example of a disaster that had destroyed billions of dollars and claimed hundreds of lives in 2005 was the infamous hurricane Katrina. Nobody expect that she was going to be that powerful and dangerous until she was there already. Hurricane Katrina which is a type Category 3 in the hurricane scale has almost changed the landscape of Mississippi and even affected the neighboring countries of the United States. Since then, that dramatic event has changed the people altogether. They became very much aware and alert especially when there is a forecast that another storm will be coming.
The radio becoming an important household gadget
Many parts of America are prone to hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes and typhoons so radios, emergency flashlights, lanterns or other disaster tools became part of many households just to be ready in any case a disaster struck. That is why when you go camping your radio can be your lifesaver because it will be your ears and eyes to the outside world.
So how would you choose your own camp radio so that you may know it would be efficient and reliable for your camping alert needs? You have to consider the following:
· Portability. It must not be too bulky for your pocket or your backpack.
· It should have a high-visibility color or its LCD display must project bright light when it’s open.
· It must have a quality performance, meaning it can get radio frequencies from different angles and locations and can easily scans and receive radio stations that are near your locality automatically.
· The sound quality must also be rich and deep so that every word you hear about the weather broadcast will be concise to you.
· The controls should be easy to manipulate for easy handling and operation.
· Lastly, it must stay with you for a long time so it must be efficient with its energy use.
Just take a look at these portable radios which you can greatly depend on. Each one will suit you needs for your camping.
MIDLAND HH50 Pocket Weather Radio
This pocket weather radio can broadcast all hazards alert weather conditions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) so you can have easy access to emergency conditions round the clock. It has a solid-state circuitry mounted on a rugged, printed circuit board and with it, you can have a reliable and worry-free performance. It has an automatic alert system that will automatically search and scan the strongest weather broadcast that is presently available in the area so you will also have automatic alert when there is a risky weather condition that is coming or when there is civil emergencies nearby. It is water resistant and has a 6-inch telescoping antenna which you can use during your camping. It runs on 3 AAA batteries, weighs around 1 pound, about 5 inches tall and the whole unit will be under 3-year warranty by the manufacturer from the day you purchase it at Amazon. You should have this pocket weather radio wherever you go into the outdoors because this small gadget may save your lives.
MIDLAND WR300 Weather Radio
This is another MIDLAND portable radio product so it can also receive automatically all NOAA weather channels. This unit also has its Specific Area Message Encoding or S.A.M.E. so you can reprogram it if you want to receive warnings that only apply to your localities. You have the option to choose your state, county or even the country nearest you. It is packed with AM/FM radio, an alarm clock and a memory that can store 30 programmable county codes. Also, its memory system makes it adaptable to 30 countries. If you want to stay alert with all weather conditions automatically, you need this weather radio on your side. The radio also uses drift-free PLL (phase-lock loop) technology and a blue backlight LCD for clearer and convenient screen reading. You can use its AC power adapter on your car and it can also run on 4 AA batteries. One of the great features of this gadget is its programmable audio alert for every natural event you want to have the alarm. So if you want only a tornado alert and not of typhoon you will be alerted only for tornadoes. Just program it up and it will efficiently comply with what you expect of it. It weighs around 1 pound so it is very mobile and portable you can carry it anywhere. Best also for every household on disaster prone areas.
Midland XT511 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio
This emergency radio has 22 GMR/FRS channels with 121 privacy codes and capable to receive all 10 NOAA weather channels with alert function. It also has 3-in-one functions such as its AM/FM radio station, a clock and alarm function and a 3-LED flashlight so it is actually perfect for emergency cases and can serve as warning notification device. One of its good features is its Dynamo Crank that you can use when your 4 AA batteries ran out of charges so even if you stay in your camp for days there would be no worry not getting the latest alerts. You will always be up to date with the latest weather information from NOAA Weather alert because it has an automatic channel scan. Unlike other portable camp/portable radio device, the XT511 has a large LCD with bright green backlighting. It does have a very sensitive receiver and the beeps and bops are automatically disabled when you focus your channel to a certain radio station. Although it is fairly large for its 2.2 x 7 x 6 inches and quite heavy for 4.9 pounds, it is packed with many functions and features which you will greatly need while you are out there camping.
Etón American Red Cross ARCFR160R Microlink Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power and Cell Phone Charger (Red)
This is much like a compact radio but full of features such as an AM/FM radio stations, NOAA weatherband, USB cell phone charger and 3.5 mm headphone input. It weighs 4 pounds and its sleek design makes it easy to keep it in your backpack pocket. You will really make use of its multifunctional features especially when you need to listen to the weather broadcast every now and then. Only about 5.25 inches thick, it can literally fit into your palm. For your energy convenience, it has a built-in powerful solar panel so if you ran out of batteries, this little significant radio can help you have your power. Not only that, it also has a hand crank power lever so technically you will never lose power for your radio, cell phone and MP3 player as long as this small helpful companion is with you. This red multi-functional radio is recommended by the American Red Cross so it is really built for preparedness occasions and as a great alert system.
Life+Gear LGSAME08B NOAA Weather Band, AM and FM Radio with Alarm Clock and LED Light, Black
Weighs only 12.8 ounces and powered by 3 AA batteries, this NOAA Weather Band Radio is also packed with essential features that can be very beneficial to you during emergencies and for your camping weather alertness needs. It has the S.A.M.E. Emergency Radio Band that is capable of 24 hour monitoring and can automatically sound a loud alert siren when there is a weather alert emergency. Its built-in LED flashlight is another advantage while its AM/FM radio and alarm clock will inform you of fresh news and accurate time all day long. It can actually receive 79 emergency messages and has the capability to display them all on its backlit scrolling screen display. For a small unit, it has an excellent audio system so you won’t get tired listening to the stations while you are enjoying your camping time. You will not lose it in the dark either because it has a red blinking light for easy search.