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Without a hand-crank as a backup method of recharging, your
weather radio is completely dependent either on your electrical
system or batteries. In the event of a major weather disaster, you
are likely to be without electricity. Unless you have an unlimited
supply of batteries you will want some way to recharge your radio
without plugging it in.
This is where a hand crank becomes an invaluable part of your
weather radio. Be sure to own at least one emergency radio with
the ability to recharge with a hand crank. If your current weather
radio does not have a manual recharging system, continue to use
it, of course. Just purchase a small backup crank radio to use if
the power fails.
The variety of emergency crank radios with weather alerts is vast.
From tiny pocket radio to good-sized table models with excellent
speakers, there is a radio to suit your needs. Most of these
radios protect the crank apparatus quite well, so it does not
destroy the look of the radio, and the crank is not likely to be
bumped or broken when it is properly stored.
Just a few minutes of cranking will provide sufficient power to
run these radios for quite a while. Depending on the size of the
radio and the strength of your arm, from 15 minutes to 60 minutes
is the norm.
Some emergency crank weather radios also offer LED or bulb
flashlights built in. If you are looking for a unit with the most
efficient light source, look for LED, which uses far less power
than a standard flashlight bulb. Either way, be sure that you
don't accidently leave the light on when you're not using it or
your power will bleed off rapidly.
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