Crank'n'go solar/crank am/fm radio - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-16-2002, 02:31 PM   #1
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Crank'n'go solar/crank am/fm radio

For years, one of our dry-camping staples has been an ugly little yellow flashlight/radio/red emergency flashers dealie.

I don't even remember where I got my first one.

But over the years, it worked like a charm. I've NEVER put batteries into it, yet we've listened to the radio for hundreds of hours. The flashlight's not too bright. And we haven't had to use the emergency flashers.

But the radio's always amazed me ... just leave it out in the sun or crank the handle a minute or two, and you got tunes battery free ... which is why I started worrying about what I was going to do when the radio broke.

I'd really miss it!

So a while back, I searched high and low on the net and was shocked to find a place that sell sold it. Now, the guy wasn't too quick on the shipping ... but I ordered, and received two, figuring I'd keep one in the basement for tornados, the old one in the trailer, and have a spare, in case something happened to my first two. (Besides he was offering free shipping if you bought two!)

Shortly after I ordered from him, I saw the same thing cheaper in a magazine, but don't remember where. But the radio's something that I can vouch really works well.

The little solar/crank radio has bounced down 1,000's of miles in the trailer and still plays tunes.

Now, as I said, the guy wasn't too fast on the shipping. The flashlights not too bright. The radio isn't audiophile quality by a long shot. But hey, once you amortize the initial cost, the tunes are free!

http://www.crankngo.com

Now, the funny thing is my son, the new sailboat owner, has stolen my "spare" for use on his sailboat. But that fact that a 20-something thinks the sound is ok, it must be ok, eh?



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Old 09-16-2002, 03:00 PM   #2
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Here's a simliar product I have seen.

I had a friend that had one of these crank radios - no flashlight - just a radio. I thought the sound was excellent - all things considered!


*Offering a choice of wind-up, solar and rechargeable power*:

http://www.freeplay.net



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Old 08-31-2006, 05:06 PM   #3
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Do any of our members own a FREEPLAY (formerly BAYGEN) CRANK AM/FM radio? If so, is it working ok still?
Also does anyone know where I can source one of these in Canada.
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Old 08-31-2006, 05:16 PM   #4
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Do any of our members own a [b]FREEPLAY (formerly BAYGEN) CRANK AM/FM radio? If so, is it working ok still?
Also does anyone know where I can source one of these in Canada.
Is this what you are looking for: FreePlay

Here is a Cadadian site:
http://windupradio.com/windup.htm
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Old 08-31-2006, 05:21 PM   #5
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Yes, lots of places to buy stateside, but I can't find anything in Canada - yet.
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Old 08-31-2006, 05:22 PM   #6
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This site lists both US and Canada

http://windupradio.com/

http://windupradio.com/windup.htm
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Old 08-31-2006, 05:30 PM   #7
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WOW You are good! - I dug into the website, the Canadian distributor is 15 minutes from my Dad's house on Vancouver Island. Thanks
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Old 08-31-2006, 05:38 PM   #8
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Glad to help.
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Old 09-02-2006, 01:45 PM   #9
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the source (radio shack) carries a version of these
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Old 09-02-2006, 04:18 PM   #10
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As Joe says.I bought one at the Source.Works great.Good for emergencys and fun too.
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Old 09-03-2006, 11:02 AM   #11
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I occasionally find myself killing time (waiting, you can guess for who) in Linens 'n Things, which is a big-box bed/bath/kitchen store. They also carry an apparently random assortment of electronic stuff, which currently includes one of these wind-up radio devices. I don't remember the details, but the one I saw did look small and inexpensive, and had a charging output; checking their website today, it looks like it was the Eton Arc FR250.
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Old 09-03-2006, 11:09 AM   #12
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I occasionally find myself killing time (waiting, you can guess for who) in Linens 'n Things, which is a big-box bed/bath/kitchen store. They also carry an apparently random assortment of electronic stuff, which currently includes one of these wind-up radio devices. I don't remember the details, but the one I saw did look small and inexpensive, and had a charging output; checking their website today, it looks like it was the Eton Arc FR250.
I cranked the store model. It didn't hold a charge very long. Based on Gina's description of hers this is an inferior model primarily because you would wind up cranking every 3-5-10 minutes. Other versions will go a half hour to a couple of hours on a good 30 second to one minute crank.
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Old 09-03-2006, 11:12 AM   #13
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Now that most of us have realized that the old Radio Shack chain in Canada is now "The Source, by Circuit City", we have a new and completely separate chain going by the Radio Shack name. They are unrelated, and will have different products (especially the house brands), so it could be worth checking out both. Radio Shack's web site lists seven emergency multiband radios, which are crank-powered.
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