If you think you could be in an emergency weather situation, you should probably get an emergency radio.
Emergency radios can also offer additional features that can be valuable in an emergency, like hand cranks and solar panel chargers when batteries run low, and USB ports to charge your phone. Granted, in an emergency like a hurricane or flood situation, your AM/FM stations may provide weather info, but they’re not going to provide the around-the-clock updates that you get from a dedicated NOAA station. What’s the difference between an emergency radio and regular radio?Įmergency radios are designed to provide accurate and up-to-date weather information and alerts using the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) network of radio stations, while your typical transistor radio will only receive AM/FM stations. Its rechargeable 2,600 mAh battery was the second-largest in our testing group, and combined with the three other power options (solar, hand crank or six AAA batteries) makes the Midland ER310 a reliable choice for anyone who wants to be prepared for power outages and have the ability to charge their mobile devices. The placement of the button and raised grip also gave an ergonomic, flashlight-like feel to the whole unit, making it easy to direct the beam where I needed it. Lower light settings help to conserve battery life, and come in handy if you need to read a map and not just illuminate a hallway. I was also impressed with the brightness of the integrated flashlight, which provided three settings to choose from: standard, bright and flashing. Even though that’s not a dealbreaker, we appreciated that the ER310 gave us one less step to remember, an additional point in its favor in a stressful situation. Other radios we tested used a multipurpose button that enabled alerts and functioned as a “menu” button. Setting up the ER301 to receive alerts and receiving the NOAA weather alert test to confirm couldn’t have been easier, thanks to a dedicated “Alert” button that enables the function. Your results may vary on these measures depending on the speed you turn the crank or cloudiness of the sky, but under the conditions in which we tested, and in relation to the rest of the radios tested, these results put the ER310 at the top of the group.
#TRANSISTOR RADIOS FULL#
Its solar panel was also able to charge the radio enough after an hour in direct sunlight to provide full functionality, and filled the battery to 1/3 after six hours. The large handle of the crank was also the most comfortable of all the radios in our group, which can make a big difference if you end up needing it in an extended emergency situation. The Midland ER310 performed well in testing, providing an impressive 26 minutes of radio time after just 60 seconds of hand cranking. The ER310 is a weather alert radio, not just a weather band radio, which means it is able to receive emergency-band alerts automatically without you having to tune in first - a useful feature during hurricane season.Īn emergency checklist was included in the box as well, which was a nice perk and valuable for anyone buying this radio as part of a larger household emergency kit.
#TRANSISTOR RADIOS MANUAL#
Thanks to a large, bright, backlit LCD screen I was able to maneuver through the different bands and frequencies without any trouble, and the clear, helpful instruction manual provided any extra assistance I needed. The ER310 is well-built, with a sturdy, high-quality feel, and the textured body makes it comfortable to pick up and maintain a good grip on while carrying around. If you’re looking for an emergency radio that’s extremely easy to use while providing a variety of useful bells and whistles, look no further than the Midland ER310, a solidly built weather alert radio that performed well on all of our tests and was simple to use - which means it’ll be there if you need it and you’ll have no problem operating it when you do. The Midland ER310 emergency weather radio Alex Rennie/CNN Underscored Your CNN account Log in to your CNN account
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