hand crank equipment

[wareagle69]

anyone own any of these like radios and flashlights, the flashlight that i had in one of my packs doesn't work well, apparently you have to crank them at least every three months and my radio works on solar and battery but the hand crank seems to falter with time, seems like a waste of money to me at ten dollars a flashlight i want something a little more reliable than that something i can buy and store and use if needed not find out it doesn't work when its most needed, any how whats your experience?

[crashdive123]

I've got two WE. One is a radio(AM/FM/SW/Weather) with a small light. The other is radio (several bands), TV, LED, small spot light. I've never had a problem with either.

[wareagle69]

do you crank them often? what about the just flashlight one? i got mine at a place called marks work warehouse, but when you crank it i get a hight pitch squeeling noise and it cranks hard then lossens up for a few minutes then same again i am afraid this one is a write off

[crashdive123]

I test them every now and again. The bigger one (one with the TV) the crank will only run the radio and led's - to use the TV or spot light you need batteries. They both crank smoothly. Sounds like there may be a defect in the one you have - maybe bad bearing. Call the manufacturer to see if they'll replace it. I know you didn't spend a lot on it, but you never know.

[BraggSurvivor]

I know the light you are talking about WE. Spend more time cranking then the amount of light it gives. I bought one for each of my girls to lock the chickens in at night. It gives off enough sound that I can hear them which is comforting.

I guess it is better than nothing in a pinch.

[wildWoman]

Hey WE, if you want a good, reliable hand-crank radio, get one by Freeplay. We have one that featuers a little solar panel as an alternative charger, it works great. AM/FM and also a weatherband (entirely useless up here, but hey..). Also has a little flashlight. Their stuff comes with a 2 year warranty. We've had the radio for about a year and a half, use it every day, crank if a few times a day (1 minute = 1 hour of play) or stick it in the sun to recharge, haven't had a problem.
They also make hand-crank LED lanterns, same great warranty, we use one in the winter in the duckhouse to keep up the egg production. The lantern we have has both a flashlight beam and a cluster of LEDs with a dimmer switch. Also works great.

I think MEC has both products, and Canadian Tire has the radios, I think.

[Rick]

Here's a link to their web page:

http://www.freeplayenergy.com/products

[wareagle69]

Hey WE, if you want a good, reliable hand-crank radio, get one by Freeplay. We have one that featuers a little solar panel as an alternative charger, it works great. AM/FM and also a weatherband (entirely useless up here, but hey..). Also has a little flashlight. Their stuff comes with a 2 year warranty. We've had the radio for about a year and a half, use it every day, crank if a few times a day (1 minute = 1 hour of play) or stick it in the sun to recharge, haven't had a problem.
They also make hand-crank LED lanterns, same great warranty, we use one in the winter in the duckhouse to keep up the egg production. The lantern we have has both a flashlight beam and a cluster of LEDs with a dimmer switch. Also works great.

I think MEC has both products, and Canadian Tire has the radios, I think.

thanks for the tip WW but i am looking for something that won't require daily usage like if it's in my pack for 3 months w/o being cranked will it still work

[sgtdraino]

I think the main thing is to get a hand-crank device which will allow you to occasionally change the rechargeable batteries inside it. A lot of the cheaper ones have built-in batteries that eventually go bad, and then they're junk. I think that is why it seems like your hand crank becomes less effective after a while. It's actually the rechargeable battery going bad.

[Gray Wolf]

This is close to this post in survival kits:
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4468

[pioneerboy]

I have owned several crank powered products during the past ten years. This is the best one I have found. It has am/fm, shortwave, weather bands, crank and solar power, a flashlight, blinking red light, bright reading light and has the best radio reception of any emergency radio I have had:
http://www.prepare-now.com/902.html

[Rick]

Sorry to dredge up an old post but I wanted to remind everyone of the FCC (U.S. only) ruling requiring all digital transmission of TV broadcasts. That is currently scheduled to take place on June 12, 2009. Some broadcasters have already made the switch and some may make it between now and June 12.

That means if you have a hand crank or DC powered television you use for emergency information gathering it will no longer be able to receive television broadcasters after June 12. All televisions will either have to be all digital or they will require a desktop top converter box, which sort of negates the reason you have a hand crank/portable device.

I just thought I'd mention it in case you were contemplating purchasing a unit that either includes a television or you are looking at a portable television for emergency preparedness. They won't work after June 12 unless they are all digital.

This ruling won't affect your home television if you are served by a cable television system or satellite system. Only those devices that receive signals via antenna and/or are analog will be impacted.

[sh4d0wm4573ri7]

I have a radio flashlight combo sits in a pack in basement throughout winter seems to work fine

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

i have a radio that i rigged up to work off of the biggest faraday flashlight. it works well
enough.i had to drill two tiny holes to insert my contactor wires, i then sealed up the holes with silicone sealant to keep it waterproof.

[Rick]

So, when you're shaking the flashlight to charge it doesn't that kind of bounce the radio around? I'm just picturing the radio getting beat to death trying to charge it. Probably me. I'm probably not getting the picture.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

I use alligator clips. to charge the flash light i just un-hook it. the two holes in the flahslight i stopped with crimp connectors, resistance was a problem i solved it by sanding the connectors thinner. the connectors stick out of the side of the flsahlight and fold over.by using alligator clips i have a generator for lots of stuff(even walkie talkies)!