What is a crank-powered radio?
A crank powered radio is exactly that: a radio powered by a crank. It is no different from a regular radio except for the fact that the user employs the crank to generate electical currents within the battery pack, eliminating the need for an outlet and power cord. They are considered to be extremely useful in emergency situations, and are being included in most emergency kits. Newer versions of the crank radio have outlets on the radio itself, so you can charge other devices as well. For instance, many models have an outlet in which you can plug your cell phone, which is very helpful in an emergency situation considering the fact that a cell phone can recieve and make calls.
Accordning to HandCrankRadios.org, hand crank technology has been in use since the 1960’s. Back then, it was mainly used by military forces to manually charge devices that would be used out on the battlefield, but were away from power sources. The hand crank radio was invented by a British inventor named Trevor Baylis in 1989, in an effort to spread the word in Africa about the AIDS epidemic. The hand crank radio wasn’t commercially avaliable until 1996.
Hand crank radios are very accessible to obtain. You can find them anywhere online, or at your local outdoorsman outlet. A simple hand crank radio with cost about $20 US dollars on Amazon.com for example, but a top-of-the-line radio costs upwards of $100 US dollars. If you are planning any sort of long-term outdoors-y trip, you might consider buying a hand crank radio. They are efficient, easy to use, and could potentially save your life if you ever got in trouble while lost.
Crank powered radios are audio receivers that are constructed to receive signals from a number of frequency bands. In this aspect, a crank powered radio is just like any standard radio that operates with batteries or wall current as the power source. What sets the crank powered radio apart is the presence of a hand crank on the side of the device that allows the user to turn the crank and generate electrical current to power the radio. A crank powered radio is often considered an essential component for home emergency kits, as well as in camping equipment. In the event that some sort of natural disaster interrupts the power supply to the home, it is possible to receive news reports and other radio transmissions by making use of crank radios. The hand crank allows for the generation of electrical current that is stored in an internal battery pack housed in the radio. Depending on the actual model, the crank may need to be employed during active operation, or the user may use the crank f
