Does anyone have experience with using a small and ultra light am/fm radio for weather updates while in the back country?

I use a Sony Weather/AM/FM Walkman SRF-M37W.

Much better reception in the wilderness than other radios.

Most places in Oregon and Washington I can find several AM stations that have weather. At night I tend to lose some of the more local stations and get stations from all over - that have weather reports from some different place :)

The weight is 'Not specified by manufacturer' can you tel me the weight?

4 ounces including NiMh battery, ear buds, and short nylon cord.

I sometimes carry a Sangean SR-3 AM/FM that does have a speaker but no weather band. 2.1 oz, powered by one AAA. The Sangean DT400W has weather band and weighs about 3.4 oz (have no experience with it).

The ability to snag an area station can be...challenging in some parts of the mountains. I notice the latest ipod Nano has FM built in, which might be useful in some areas.

Cheers,

Rick

i was going to suggest an mp3 player. the batteries won't last terribly long, but you'll be able to flip it on, find a station, listen to the forecast, and flip it off...

***note. you'll have to make sure the mp3 player comes with am/fm tuner...

if you are that concerned with the weather, you are better off carrying a radio that will alert you to hazardous conditions. there are several lightweight weather radios out there in the $40.00 range that are lightweight. they tune in to the NWS local transmitters and will give you far more detailed reports than the 10 second broadcast weather report.

i carry a ham radio with me that allows me to listen to weather radio, AM and FM broadcast radio, as well as shortwave - sure it weights 11 ounces, but is nice being able to listen to "A Prairie Home Companion" while winding down for the day...

Thanks for all the advice.

I'm leaning towards a noaa weather radio. I will be hiking well into October and figure that an extra 8oz for daily weather reports is well worth it. Something like
ARC FR160-RED American Red Cross Microlink Self-Powered AM/FM NOAA Weather Radio looks like it would do the job plus back up a few items in my backpack.

Joel

I suggest the Eton Scorpion. It has NOAA presets, a bright led light, and either solar or hand cranking for charging (you can purchase an accessory power adapter to charge the battery as well). You can hook an MP3 player into it if you want to share your music with others, and you can use it to charge a cell phone and other accessories. It has a carabiner clip which makes it easier to attach to your pack and is ruggedized and splash proof.

The downside is that it weighs 10 oz.

i would go with something much smaller like these:

Midland HH54VP Portable Emergency Weather Radio with SAME
Oregon Scientific Public Alert NOAA Weather Radio

they are small, lightweight, and have alert. i use the one you pointed out in my house - it is HUGE.

Hi Stephen,

Any idea how much the Midland weighs? Their specs unhelpfully say "1" pound. It has to be a fraction of that.

Cheers,

Rick

I believe the Midland HH54VP is 8oz. It's the lightest SAME weather radio I was able to find. It's weather radio only. The Sony SRF-M37W is the lightest non-SAME radio I have found. If you just want FM, or AM/FM, there are numerous options that weight in around 1oz. One of the more fun options are Motz radio/speakers

--Mark

Edited by verber on 01/19/2011 13:23:44 MST.