CC SOLAR OBSERVER (BLACK) COBS

CC SOLAR OBSERVER (BLACK) COBS
Price: $41.34
Updated on 5-23-2012.

Product Description
I bought this for power outages and it works great. I have been using the hand crank to charge the battery, and after at least an hour of listening, the battery is still going strong. I have also been impressed by the sound. The sound is natural and not tinny. I do wish that the crank was sturdier. I feel like it might break if I am not careful with it. The radio reception is pretty good, but I live fairly close to the stations, so I cannot say how well it performs in the boonies. I like being able to switch from AM or FM to the NOAA weather station and back without having to retune. I also like the dial light. The flashlight works pretty well also, but not as well as a decent stand-alone flashlight. I consider the flashlight and cell phone charging features to be bonuses, so I am not too critical about them. I would not expect anything hand-cranked to be able to charge a phone completely. It will, according to the manual, charge a phone enough for a few quick calls. I wanted a radio that would operate on either a rechargeable battery with crank OR regular batteries. This one can do both. I put in some lithium batteries, which have a long shelf-life and are supposed to operate at -40 degrees to +140 degrees, according to the package, and also last longer than regular alkaline batteries. I recommend lithium batteries for any emergency radio that will take them, or the flashlight in your car. The rechargeable battery pack is located in the main battery compartment, so if it ever needs to be replaced, it would be easy to do. The only real gripe that I have is that the crank does not seem sturdy enough to me. I would highly recommend this radio for your car emergency kit or to keep at home for power outages. I would be interested in reading the comments of someone who has used this radio out in the country, further away from stations than me.

The CC Solar Observer is a C. Crane-designed, wind-up emergency radio with AM/FM and Weather Band. We made sure that it has good AM reception and an LED flashlight that is built into the end of the radio. It can be very important in an emergency to have a way get power to the radio. you can get power to the radio from many sources: 1.No sun, no problem. You can insert 3-AA alkaline batteries for power2.No alkaline batteries, still no problem. Crank the handle moderately for about 10 minutes for one hour of radio play or purchase AC adapter to charge battery pack. If AC adapter is purchased it is best to charge the battery overnight and then unplug.3.The easiest way is just put it in the sun. The radio plays for about the same number of hours the radio is in full sun. In case you're wondering, along with good AM reception, you also get FM and the Weather band - which comes in really handy if you're using the radio during a power failure. The CC Observer has a built-in 2-inch speaker, or you can plug in your headphones for private listening in stereo. We have included cell phone adapters for many popular cell phones and PDA's so you can charge them with the CC Observer. We are unable to supply adapters for any other models at this time. Certain models, like a Blackberry, can be charged but doing so requires vigorous cranking for a second or two to initialize the charge circuit on the phone. After that initial effort, you can crank it a normal pace. Included cell phone adapters: Moto V3 (Mini-B USB)Samsung N630 Nokia 2.0mm LG KG90 IPod