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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Two is One Radio Day

Row had hijacked Sweetheart's radio that went downstairs in her office. Of course, Red Ant with Spikes wanted one too! For the loyal few that regularly read my blog, you might be wondering "Spikes?", I thought it was Pincers.

Red Ant with Spiked Thorax courtesy of bugnet

I was reviewing an old MRE post in which I asked him what he wanted to be called on the blog and he said "Red Ant with Spikes" so....

But back to the radio...I did a little on line research and found that Radio Shack actually had a few cheap Radios. How ironic huh? Anyways, we got there and they were running a September preparedness special on radios and for an added $7.00 we got the cool Eton Microlink FR160. I has a solar charger and hand crank on the side to charge the batteries. It also includes a flashlight and radio that is dial tuned.

The radios will be a good science lesson for the boys including:
  • Mechanical and chemical energy
  • Input and output of energy
  • Which uses more power. A high volume radio or a low volume radio?
  • How solar power works.
  • Charging the battery on cloudy days with solar power versus sunny days.
  • How a tuner in the radio works.

The biggest bonus is that it doesn't use any AA batteries, which means that if the boys leave it on all night, then it won't cost us a dime. The boys also get a real life lesson by cranking the handle. You get what you put into it. If you wanna give up, then you don't get many songs.



Both have a way to charge an Iphone. Plus, our family now has three little radios that don't require batteries.


Keep Right On Prepping - K




6 comments:

  1. PioneerPreppySeptember 4, 2013 at 12:04 PM

    What a good find. Always a good idea to have radios around especially those that don't need batteries. You just never know.

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    Replies
    1. KSeptember 4, 2013 at 4:45 PM

      Plus, it'll save us a ton of money on AA batteries.

      Delete
  2. Harry FlashmanSeptember 4, 2013 at 1:14 PM

    Nice radio. You can get Sportsmans Guide catalogs for free, and they often have emergency radios on discount.

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  3. LindaGSeptember 4, 2013 at 5:21 PM

    Sounds like great little radios. Especially the solar power part.

    Remember when you'd go to Radio Shack and build your own radio?

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    Replies
    1. KSeptember 4, 2013 at 9:23 PM

      We (I) put the radios in the window sill to charge before the boys went to school. Make sure that the are turned off! I came home in the afternoon and heard a distant static, and it turned out to be the radios in the window. So, we will have to let them charge again and see how they do.

      I did a few of their science kits growing up, and loved it. I can't remember if a radio was involved or not.

      Delete