Review on Sangean MMR-88 Emergency Radio - AM/FM/Weather+Alert with Solar, Hand Crank, USB, Flashlight, Siren, Smartphone Charger in Yellow by Liz Pacheco

This is the first Sangean radio I've bought but it won't be the last. With the exception of one relic from the "Boombox" era, every radio I own is AC powered, so I thought it would be nice to have something basic to rely on during a power outage. Then I realized it would also be nice to have it with me on camping trips, camping trips, or even in the car on long trips. After all, this is an EMERGENCY RADIO! This review does not include information that is already included in the Revain product description. The construction is very solid. It's made of the same plastic that's used on the job site to make things that "tolerate a leak but keep ticking". The radio is protected from "fall" damage by thick, screw-on, rubberized protective caps. A rubberized end has a plug that allows access to the headphone jacks (use of which mutes the speaker), USB input, and USB output. Now remember this is a simple AM/FM radio with a weather band and an emergency weather alert setting. You can't play your iPod or iPhone through it because it doesn't have an external input. However, you CAN top up all of these items yourself via the radio. The quality, design and construction of this radio is absolutely superb. The instructions for use are simple and clear. Although it only weighs around 14 ounces (with the included lithium-ion battery), it feels a lot more durable. It's conveniently small (3.5"H x 2.5"D x 6.0"D) with a retractable antenna for the VHF band and weather band. There are 7 weather stations, but expect only 1 or 2 connected local stations, honestly that's all it takes. In the event of potentially inclement weather (e.g. tornado risk) the radio has a "Weather Alert" setting which will give you an "Alert" followed by if there is a local/national weather alert "Alarm" gives a real alarm almost a necessary feature here in the Midwest but useful elsewhere in the country (again when camping, hiking or in the car this can be a life saving feature) From a mono speaker is very good Tone controls on the radio are not present but are not needed either The tonal balance is excellent, not too much bass and treble, very pleasant to listen to FM reception is very good I don't listen to AM often, but I tried several stations to see how Radio works fine Everything g ing with honor. With. The radio has a ferrite antenna for AM reception, eliminating the need for a telescopic antenna. All the stations I listened to sounded fairly clear and without the AM interference I grew up with. I'm about 20 miles north of Milwaukee and I could still hear the Chicago station, loud and clear: impressive. The incremental volume control goes from "0" to "30". A good hearing level for me is between "14" (in a quiet environment) and "24" (in a noisy environment). At the maximum volume of "30" in the most commonly used FM band, very little distortion was noticeable. Because the AM band is less accurate, it can be cranked up to maximum volume without distortion. The same goes for the weather section (the accuracy of which sucks anyway). Sangean claims the battery will last around 10 hours of AM audio play. In FM mode (at a moderate audio setting of 20) it gave me more time before the charge indicator told me it needed charging. Pretty decent as it can be fully charged in about 2 hours with a USB input (I use a direct AC to USB charger. It may take a bit longer with a PC based USB power connection). In the off position, the radio displays the current time. After switching on, you can choose stations with "Band Select" and then manual station search or select up to 19 presets (combined AM and FM) that are easy to program. In warm and sunny weather, the radio will start automatically or be charged by exposure to direct sunlight via the large solar panel on top of the radio (15 hours of direct sunlight = full charge). In the "worst case" scenario, you can start the radio using the foldable and included "dynamo" crank. Dynamo provides 5-7 minutes of run time for every minute of operation at approximately 120 RPM; not ideal, but useful in difficult situations. Finally, the radio also has an LED backlight which (I'm guessing) delivers a sustained "high" brightness of around 15 lumens, a low night light of around 2 lumens. It also provides a constant pulsed light (high level only) with a frequency of about 1 second and a standard SOS signal with the same brightness level. In keeping with the emergency theme, the radio features a panic button that produces a high-pitched pulsing noise for location purposes. It's good enough that I use it regularly in my master bathroom for local music/news while I shower and keep it charged with the AC adapter. All in all, I feel better because I have a radio that I can use anywhere that entertains and informs me without worrying about power loss. Highly recommended!