Emergency Hand Crank Radio, FORNORM Solar Radio 2000mAh Power Bank Wind Up Radios with Phone Charger and 4 LED Reading Lamp, AM/FM/7 NOAA, 4 Power Methods, Green

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Based in Sacramento, California, Brown is a competitive CrossFitter and powerlifter and an avid hiker and trail runner.

That was followed by a close second of the ambient light that makes up the entire backside of the radio. If you’re carrying the Eton Sidekick by this handle, your knuckles may accidentally punch some of these buttons, which is a little annoying but hardly a dealbreaker. Unlike some of the other radios, this one still uses standard batteries, which I see as being a plus or minus depending on who you ask. It’s not a total dealbreaker if your radio can’t pick up these alert signals, as long as it still gets the main NOAA radio transmissions, but it does mean you will have to remember to turn it on if you’re anticipating inclement weather. Made to be powered from a wall outlet, this radio also hosts backup battery power for when the grid is down, and has ports for an additional antenna and external alerts such as a strobe.

It lacks the dog-whistle feature, too, and we found its internal wiring to be a bit messier in comparison with the clean connections on its larger cousin. The only drawback we’ve found other than the small battery life is that it doesn’t take standard disposable batteries. The Midland ER310 is the best emergency weather radio for most people because it has all the charging options you need, as well as a powerful flashlight, excellent reception, and a loud, clear speaker for radio and weather alerts. Our previous top pick, the Midland ER210, has almost all of the same features and perks as the ER310 but in a package about two-thirds of the size (6. If a radio can charge from dead through the solar panels or hand crank, that’s even better, though many models require at least some juice before they can draw power from either of those features.

Many of the radios also have an SOS system that flashes the flashlight, but on the RunningSnail, it flashes red and sounds an alarm. Case in point: At my home in Boston, I still receive NOAA alerts for thunderstorms, hurricanes, and cold-weather warnings from two hours away in New Hampshire or Cape Cod.The radio sports a range of band reception that includes AM, FM, shortwave, and NOAA weather stations, with all seven NOAA channels pre-programmed for easy switching. Our emergency radio was born in 1992 when we experienced three large earthquakes in Northern California in 17 hours. Solar panels – The Etons, Midland Emergency Radio and the RunningSnail radio all come with a solar panel. With the same-looking solar panel as the Sidekick, the FRX3+ also didn’t generate a charge very quickly, but unlike the Sidekick, the charge was enough for the intended job of this being just a radio to alert you during severe weather. To get a feel for a radio’s most basic feature, I tested the radios in town as well as in the mountains to see how strong of a signal I could receive.