Cheap crank radios also serve their purpose

Hanover The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief advises citizens to keep crank radios available for emergencies. This does not have to be expensive: the devices are already available in mail order for 20 to 50 euros, as the experts from “c’t” report. With a charged battery, the six tested radios all run for several days. If it is empty, you have to crank it for about a minute to be able to listen to the radio for five to ten minutes. Solar cells for an emergency It is more convenient to charge with the help of built-in solar cells. All tested devices have these. According to the testers, the few square centimeters were only enough to listen to the radio even in full sun – and not to fully charge the battery. Her tip: do not put the emergency radio in the dark drawer, but put it on a window sill. Thus, the modest charging effect can also be used to compensate for the usual, creeping discharge – and to keep the emergency radio operational for years. According to the testers, a good emergency radio also has functions such as an emergency siren, an emergency light or an emergency reading light. These are available on all tested crank radios. Less convincing: the setting options of the transmitter. Sometimes it takes surgical precision to adjust the frequency of a particular transmitter, the testers judge. Only the “Renkforce RF-CR-200” model has a digital display with which you can control transmitters in a targeted manner. The testers attest the best sound quality to the model “Degen DE13”.