Emergency Gadgets Reviewed 422
Carl Bialik writes "When power lines go down, hand-cranked radios and standalone cellphone chargers could come in handy. Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg reviews emergency gadgets, including a $50 radio that picks up TV audio and gets 35 minutes of power from a 30-second crank. Of course, Mossberg also offers the caveat that these gadgets could be rendered useless 'should the communications infrastructure itself go down.'"
TV on Radio (Score:4, Informative)
Baylis generator = no batteries at all (Score:5, Informative)
Unlike the more recent models, it operates on a spring driven generator for about 45 minutes, or in sunlight. It has no internal batteries at all.
The lack of batteries is a Very Good Thing. Rechargable batteries die, and sometimes they short out. If so, you got no radio - cranked or solar.
The downside is that the radio is the size of a loaf of bread. The upside is that it has a very large speaker and very nice sound.
I toyed with the idea of adding an external power tap, but there are dire warnings about opening it up and releasing the giant spring. Someday perhaps...
Multiband radios (Score:5, Informative)
It's a cheap gizmo for the beach or a day outing, not a sturdy radio for emergencies. Of course, an iPod charger isn't exactly an "Emergency Device" either.
What I'm really looking looking for:
There are several radios which use which have some of this feature set, but it seems like there is a market for a radio which has all of these features.
To be truthful, I want a pony.
Sealed Lead Acid Batteries and Ham Radio (Score:2, Informative)
I have a few sealed lead acid batteries for emergencies -
portable - 12v 2.5Ah SLA with blade connectors for the battery and a choice between Anderson Powerpole and a connector for my VX5 handheld tri-band transceiver - can get WX, FM, AM, and transmit on 2m 70cm, and 6m.
for base station - a 12V 75Ah SLA with Anderson Powerpole connectors and a connector that can bridge the Anderson powerpoles and the power connection for my base or mobile transceivers - a Yaesu FT-1500M, a FT-857D, and a FT-7800.
Info on the Anderson Powerpole connector is at http://www.scc-ares-races.org/hardware/andersonpp
The Boy Scout Motto - Be Prepared
Make friends with a ham radio operator (Score:3, Informative)
My comments are mine alone, and do not represent the views of my employer, friends, family or cats.
Emergency item: power generator (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Baylis generator = no batteries at all (Score:5, Informative)
It's the size of a loaf of bread, and it's ugly, but it's not really aimed for American gageteers.
cheaper, better hand-cranked radios (Score:5, Informative)
"Hummer" flashlight (Score:5, Informative)
First of all, it's a linear generator, so each time the weight inside crosses the center it makes power; second, it uses an LED which is much lower power than old incandescent bulbs; and third, it has a supercapacitor which can power the LED for a few minutes with 30 seconds of shaking. Just be sure to shake it horizontally, as the instructions warn that you might break it if the weight hits an end too hard on a vertical downstroke.
The best part is you never have to worry about the batteries running down or leaking when you don't use it, and you never have to avoid using regularly for fear of running the batteries down. It has a power switch, so you can shake it up and use it as needed, then just shake it again when it runs down.
Slashdot readers would be recommended to get the "red" model, as that is translucent and you can see the guts of it operating, for higher geek value.
Re:TV on Radio (Score:5, Informative)
As anyone who has lived in the 3rd world can tell you, you can pick up TV on ordinary FM radios it is a matter of tuning it to the right frequency. I have seen these things in Asia for years.
This is 100% dependent on the frequency structure in the country in which you are located. To do this with an "ordinary" FM radio in the US, you can only pick up channel 6, at 87.75MHz (with 87.7 being close enough). If you have one of the Japanese radios that has extended coverage to do both the Japanese 72-93MHz FM and the American/European 88-108MHz FM bands, then you can also get audio from US TV stations on channels 4 (75.75MHz) and 5 (81.75MHz).
There are other radios out there that have got TV audio capability on them. They frequently only cover channels 2-13 because it is easier to build a VHF than a UHF radio.
For reference, the frequencies are as follows:
Channels 2-6: 59.75, 65.75, 75.75, 81.75, 87.75 (note the gap betwen 3 and 4 is 10MHz, not 6MHz as elsewhere)
Channels 7-13: 179.75, 185.75, 191.75, 197.75, 203.75, 209.75, 215.75
Channels 14-69: 475.75, 481.75, 487.75, etc, every six MHz up to 805.75
Note also that frequencies within any vacant TV channels in the channel 14-20 range (470-512MHz) may also be licenced to business or public safety two-way radio users, especially in larger metro areas.
Last note, which I am providing to explain the huge gap between frequencies: the structure of a TV channel is this: It is 6MHz wide. The audio is 5.75MHz from the bottom of the channel, and uses the upper .5MHz of the channel (that is, 5.75MHz +/- .25MHz). The video is at 1.25MHz from the bottom of the channel to 5.5MHz from the bottom of the channel. Below the 1.25MHz point is cruft called a Vestigial Side Band. For example, on channel 2, 54.00-55.25 is cruft, 55.25 is the video carrier, 55.25 to 59.5 is video, 59.5 to 60.0 is audio, 59.75 is the audio carrier.
Re:Emergency (Score:3, Informative)
If the situation is properly run, not like the NOLA fiasco, the radio could prove to be more useful, directing you to shelters, food/water canteens, and evacuation points. You can't get all that from a bottle of water.
Re:Emergency item: power generator (Score:2, Informative)
Re:"Hummer" flashlight (Score:3, Informative)
Sorry, license required (Score:3, Informative)
But I'll up the GP one -- don't stop at Technician, get your General Class ticket. Techs can't really communicate without infrastructure (simplex VHF is normally very short range). General Class and above can use HF, and that is usable for long distance communication without any infrastructure at all. I've run voice on 17 meters from Colorado to New Zealand using a backpack radio many times. NVIS on 40 and 75 provides reliable regional communications with nothing more complicated than 100 feet of wire.
Re:Emergency item: power generator (Score:3, Informative)
2. Worry about water, food, flashlights, batteries, and a good battery powered radio. Right now this think is a STRONG cat 4 storm. Don't trust any strength projections that past 24 hours.
Plan on this being a cat 4 storm. The kind of storm that can KILL people.
I.E. losing their reef tank maybe the lest of your parents worries. I hope not, but I live 5 hours north east of Key West and we got 40 mph gusts from Rita when it passed and are still getting thunder storms from it. She is another monster.
Re:Only of limited use anyway (Score:2, Informative)
Now, if you can touch the gear and test it out before you buy, that is another story. Hamfests are good for that.
Re:Judging by recent events (Score:2, Informative)
The good ones have a ceramic filter that gets alot of the nasty microbes out of the water. Go camping some time and get Giardia http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasi
Re:Gear List (Score:3, Informative)
Firstly, NO suffered from flooding from the SALT WATER lake. In order to drink salt water, you need a desalinator. Those cost around $500 or so.
Secondly, the other main problems is that the water is contaminated with chemicals. The flood covered the underground gas tanks in gas stations, entire vehicles (full of oil and gas), everybody's garages (where they store the insect killers, old lead-acic batteries, etc.). There is no practical way for the average person to be able to drink this stuff. Even if you try distilling the water out, you would likely also distill some chemical contaminants.
In NO, the ONLY solution is bottled water.
Re: Mossberg also offers the caveat... (Score:3, Informative)
Since my question is off topic, I will post AC. I have a dumb question (there are no dumb questions, just dumb people asking questions...). Is it possible to be a Ham if you don't have anywhere to mount the antennae? Like if one lives in an apartment?
Not a dumb question, and not really off topic, either, I think. The mods can differ with me if they want; I've got karma to burn.
Yes. It is limiting, but not a show stopper.
Ham radios themselves come in all shapes and sizes, from some very tiny radios that will fit in a shirt pocket to some monsters that will take up a rack or two.
Ham radio has a number of different bands (usually referred to by approximate wavelength, e.g. 2m, 6m, 10m, etc) that have different behaviours. The longer the wavelength of the band, the larger the ideal antenna would be. It is possible, however, to operate with a less-than-ideal antenna.
For shorter-ranged bands (70cm, ~440MHz, 2m, ~144MHz) it is possible to put the standard ideal antenna (a 1/4 wave is pretty standard) on a hand-held radio. It's a little awkward at 2m, but doable. You can also use what is called a "loaded" antenna, where there is a coil somewhere that makes the antenna resonate despite being too short.
For 2m, I most frequently use a hand-held radio, and it has a little 10" "rubber duck" antenna on it. I can put the radio on my belt and the antenna is short enough that it mostly stays out of trouble.
For 10m, I have a wire antenna in the attic that is about 7.5m long. It could be shorter if it needed to be.
The trouble is that the lower bands are the really-long range bands, and it takes a good antenna to be able to use them well.
You can also see if there are any ham radio clubs in your area that have sufficiently-equipped radio rooms. I am the treasurer of the Schenectady Museum Amateur Radio Association [smara.com] and we have a reasonably well-equipped radio room that is available to any member who can demonstrate competence in using it and has the appropriate licence.
That's probably a longer answer than you expected, but I am very passionate about radio, and it is difficult for me to give short answers.... sorry :)
Interesting article, but... (Score:2, Informative)
Emergency communications. (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Emergency item: power generator (Score:3, Informative)
In your case a battery and an inverter would be the short term solution for the reef tank. Then you crank up the generator after the storm has passed and you use that for power and to recharge the batteries.
The good thing about using a generator and transfer switch is that you don't have to drag extension cords through the house to power the refrigerator and freezer. Plus you get lights available in most rooms. Unless you get a whole house generator you won't have A/C unless you get one of those window units which can be run from a small generator.
And don't forget to have a set of rabbit ears for the TV. Most likely cable will be out and without an antenna you won't get any over the air stations. And listening to the TV audio on the radio does not do much good when they say things like "this area I'm pointing to on the map will be underwater in 15 minutes so evacuate as soon as possible....". I found the regular radio stations either went off the air or did not provide good information.
And after a couple of days without power we had the neighbors over for ice cream and watched a DVD on the TV. And we did run extension cords to the neighbors house to keep thier fridge and freezer going.
But don't mess with trying to jurry rig a UPS to act as an inverter. Just go out and buy one they are not that expensive. I have one now that you can plug into the power port on the truck and use that to charge cell phones, cam corders, laptops, etc.
Re:Water. (Score:2, Informative)
Says who? I've used iodine for 20 years of backpacking. No problems, even on week long stints. Many people use iodine on six month long hikes on the Appalachian Trail.
Iodine tablets (eg, Potable Aqua) are cheap, lightweight, effective, and easy to use. One pill treats one pint of water. Instructions are printed on every bottle. The downsides to iodine are relatively minor and well-understood:
Re:"Hummer" flashlight (Score:2, Informative)