Portable Music Options

[merlin2375]

Looking for some kind of portable radio to take with me on the boat and maybe take ashore as well. Looking for something durable that can take a little of sand and maybe a little bit of water.

I was thinking of this:

Tune in to radio broadcasts, charge your cell phone or MP3 player and light your path with the crank-and-solar-powered FR500 Solarlink radio from Eton

* Offers full-time power via built-in solar panel on top or hand crank on face; can even be used without batteries on hand-crank power alone
* Charger breathes life into most brands of cell phone batteries and MP3 players
* Internal rechargeable NiMH battery pack stores power generated from solar panel, hand crank or included AC adapter
* In addition to solar power, hand-crank power, rechargeable battery power and AC power, unit can also be powered from 3 AA batteries, sold separately
* Tunes in all 7 NOAA weather radio channels and features an 'Alert' function to keep you abreast of significant weather changes
* Also picks up AM, FM and shortwave (6000-12100 KHz)
* Tuning knob and digital display offer smooth dialing to zero in on finicky signals; full-range mono front speaker delivers clear sound reproduction
* 5 LED lights (4 white, 1 red) on side provide emergency lighting and feature a flash mode for use as an emergency beacon
* Emergency siren provides audible distress call
* 12-hour digital clock has alarm, snooze and sleep timer
* Jacks for headphones, cell phone/MP3 charger and DC-in have rubber gaskets to help seal out moisture
* Includes owner manual, USB charging cord and mail-in card for cell phone adapter piece

Any thoughts or recommendations?

[Cruisingdad]

Looks neat. I just go to walmart and buy a radio with a MPS (IPOD) in. Lasts most of the season, except when dropped in water. At that point, it sinks faster than you can say, "Oh Crap."

The question with your unit is how fast it sinks. Will you be able to get 'Oh Crap' out, or is it so expensive that a long string of curse words will fall to an empty body of water?

Other than that, it looks like a great idea.

- CD

[merlin2375]

Thanks for the reply! The unit above runs for $80. It just seemed nice because of the power options it has (solar and hand crank). That way I don't have to keep remembering to put batteries in it.

I have a bad feeling if it drops in the water while on, even if I can recover it, it'll probably be destroyed

[Cruisingdad]

Don't get me wrong. It looks awesome and a great idea. I just get hesitant about spending much money on anything anymore that has a high chance of falling in the water. Exception I guess is tools and Winch handles... but you gotta draw the line somewhere!

- CD

[merlin2375]

Yeah I'm with you, I was looking to see if someone said:

"Oh $80 is cheap, go ahead"
or
"My goodness, $80, you're crazy...get a cheap-o one"

To either help me justify or rethink my purchase (hopefully justify)

[Cruisingdad]

Originally Posted by merlin2375

Yeah I'm with you, I was looking to see if someone said:

"Oh $80 is cheap, go ahead"
or
"My goodness, $80, you're crazy...get a cheap-o one"

To either help me justify or rethink my purchase (hopefully justify)

You gotta understand that I actually take my 60gb Ipod in the dink with me too. Can't get away from it. If it falls in the water, I will be banned from Sailnet since you will hear me from Texas.

At any rate, you know your habits better than me. I bet a $30 radio from Walmart may give a little better sound. But it is not waterproof (I have bought the Sony waterproof one... works pretty well... just a lot more expensive). We put it in the dink and take to shore sometimes. Requires batts though (or a plug). Yours is a lot better in that respect. But what kind of sound does it give off? Is it going to sound like headphones turned up really loudly or have some deeper tones (lThis is a funny conversation since we are talking crappy or really crappy tones).

Just my thoughts. Give it a try and put your thoughts in the gear review.

- CD

[merlin2375]

Yup, I gotcha. Thanks very much for your thoughts

I may end up going with this guy, since I can get 4 for the price of 1:
Walmart.com : WeatherX 7-Channel NOAA Weatherband Radio w/Flashlight, HM3817DT : Audio

[camaraderie]

Merlin...check out here for lots of choices. We have their CC radio plus which is an incredible radio and runs 150 hours on a set of batteries...but they also have lots of other neat models that may suit your needs better.
Radios

Sailnet is parsing my link...go to CCrane.com for a look.

[JimsCAL]

I have been using a $40 Panasonic radio/cassette boombox as my boat music system for over ten years. I like that it doesn't draw power off the boat house battery. No sign that the salt air has caused it any problems. A set of alkaline D-cells easily lasts a year. Decent sound too. Based on that experience, I would think any similar unit would work fine on a boat.

I have been looking to replace it with one that will play CDs, but most are too large (at least in depth) to fit in my main cabin shelf. Recently ran across a Sony unit that is nice and compact. May pick up one of those up to replace my old Panasonic.

[tonybinTX]

If you have an ipod and are near water and don't want to use ear buds, this is great. We have one and it's kept our ipod photo (60gb) safe in sand, salt, and fresh. Atlantic EGO Waterproof Sound Case with Speakers at SwimOutlet.com

99 bucks, but I've seen them for 60 bucks.