gthh wrote:
I would be using the radio a few times a week at the very least. I will be
travelling throughout the world very soon, and I think batteries are the
scum of the earth; they're a huge waste of resources. It's something most
people aren't aware of, but it all adds up, and I don't mind the cranking. I
said cranking george, now Wa...

I agree and disagree. NiMH batteries now have 1 1/2 times the capacity of
alkaline batteries and can take 300-350 charges from totally dead until
fully charged without any appreciable problems. I don't think this is
a waste of resources. It's a cheap, easy to carry way of storing electricity.

Note that NiCad and Lithium batteries are not the same and contain chemicals
that need special disposal.

If you figure that one NiMH battery is the equivalent to almost 500 alkaline
batteries or one heck of a lot of cranking, it may change your opinion.


If I'm in China, or Russia, I doubt I'll be able to get an English AM
station, will I? I've searched the net, but many old articles detailing the
various channels are out of date.

Sometimes. Local stations often have an "International" broadcast for
tourists. It may be on once a day at 3am, but they have it. If you are
in a place that has no tourists there may not be one. Note that some
countries may restrict your possesion or imporation of a radio.

Thus I felt a LW/SW combination was essential. 198 longwave is the BBC world
service, and sound quality is much better than that of SW I find. However,
as you say, due to uninterstingness and lack of use, I don't mind
sacrificing LW for a decent handset, that can be recharged without
batteries/electricity from the power grid that has FM/AM/SW combination.

LW is really a European thing now. I doubt that you can hear the BBC longwave
anywhere outside of the U.K. and western Europe.

The FR200, having tried it, is a poorish design, but I am not arguing the
FR250 or FR350 are any better. They aren't advertised as 'emergency'
products here in the UK, we don't believe in Iraqi apocalypses unlike
yourselves ;-) nudge nudge...

Then I would not take one with me. I used to have a Sony ICF-2002 and thought
it was excelent for the job. The newest version is not cheap and requires
and external power supply or batteries. It may also have "steal me" written
all over it in letters only the locals can see.


If I could get a BBC-style service or a decent English station
internationally then the Freeplay Summit would prove excellent.
Unfortunately, as it stands, unless you would like to tell me otherwise
(which I would love!) I need a unit with SW too, and without batteries.

Pretty much.

I expect that if yougo "off the grid" (away from some sort of commercial
power or a generator) in Russia, you will be very far afield and in
China if you go there without a chaperone you could be shot as a spy.


I also find a speaker useful for my friends whom I travel with, and radio is
often a social thing, I find headphones on a trip slightly selfish. I
realised this was unsociable when my mate had headphones on a speakerless
radio, and I had nothing, as it had been stolen! It sucked.

That's fine, but it adds weight and compexity and requires a lot more
electricity. I was recently in the hospital and you can imagine my
reaction when another person in the room woke up at 6:30 and put his
radio on. :-(

Geoff.

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