This is how you do an emergency radio.
Did you lose power this winter? What about cell service? What about internet? The modern world melts away pretty quickly when the power goes out. It can leave you feeling vulnerable and disconnected. Luckily, there are ways you can stay in contact with the world, and Solid Signal has just added one of the best
What to look for in an emergency radio
You’ve probably seen emergency radios before. They are generally cheap stocking stuffers. You figure you’ll never need one, so you spend as little as possible on them. Of course that’s a great idea until you actually do need one, and that’s when you wish you’d spent more.
The real keys to an emergency radio are quality and flexibility. You don’t want something that doesn’t work when you turn it on. You want to feel like you get all the stations you need. You also want to know that the radio will work when you need it to. That means options for powering it beyond just plugging it in.
The CCRadio Solar delivers
Unlike most emergency radios, the CCRadio solar is well built. It has a rubberized outer casing that should hold up to most drop scenarios. Everything about the radio is designed to work even if you’re wearing gloves, which is quite a consideration when you might not have heat. And while C. Crane does not advertise this as a waterproof radio, it does have enough covering for its ports that it should take an occasional light splash.
When it comes to options, there’s no beating it. First of all you get AM, FM, and NOAA weather radio. That will keep you connected when the internet is out. It will charge very well using its large solar panel, or you can hand crank it. You can even use any USB charger to keep it charged when you do have power. As if that weren’t enough. you can also run it on AA batteries if you have a supply. There’s an included 18650 rechargeable battery as well which holds enough juice to keep it going for up to 50 hours.
The bonuses
Like most emergency radios today, the CCRadio solar has a USB port which can be used for charging a phone. That makes it an even more valuable addition to your emergency kit. If you do have cell service but no power, you don’t want to worry about running out of power on your phone. That could be your lifeline.
There’s also a sleep feature and a built-in flashlight, meaning that this could be a radio you use every day even if there isn’t an emergency. You can set radio presets or use this as a speaker for your phone. There’s just so much to like here.
If you’re curious, I did a little review video which might just convince you that this radio is worth it.
Is there anything not to like?
There are a few things that didn’t appeal to me at first, to be honest. But I do understand why they are there. The radio itself is white, which does not necessarily give it a premium appearance. The rubberized buttons don’t seem very sleek or futuristic. And, the supplied backlight for the radio is a dim amber, something you’d expect more from an antique than from a modern device.
But, take a minute to understand why these things are the way they are. You want a radio that’s visible in low light, when you might be searching for it. You want one that’s easy to hold and doesn’t slip. And, you don’t want that backlight sucking a lot of power especially if it’s limited. So I tend to forgive these design decisions. I get what they were going for there.
