subject: The Continued Relevancy Of A Crank Radio [print this page] Many people think that the time of the crank radios has passed, but this isn't exactly like that. Although the crank radios are loosing popularity, they are still used in many places. The main think with which crank radios beat ordinary radios is the fact that they can recharge by themselves or with the help of humans. But in either of these cases, you won't have to use batteries or electricity in order to power up your radio.
The clockwork radio is one of the first types of crank radios which were manufactured. Their name practically tells us how they work. Who would have though that it is possible to implant the method of the clocks to the ordinary radios and make a rechargeable radio? These radios work by winding a hang, which respectively winds up a spring and the power is received from there.
Emergency radios on the other hand use batteries. They mainly depend on them, but there is a system implanted, so that in case of a problem and power failure, you will be able to have your radio for a several minutes extra. The emergency radios, works by winding a handle which generates electricity and stores is in the batteries.
These are the two main types of crank radios, there are however some technologies which are being implanted too. The first one is quite old and dysfunctional, but the idea standing behind it is surely great. Crystal radios aren't like any radios. They don't have batteries or handles, but instead get the power they need from radio waves. However this power is far from enough and the sound quality and volume is quite bad.
Thermoelectricity is also another technology which is implanted in the crank radios. This is much more effective than the crystal radio technology, but is surely more expensive and not so comfortable. In order to heat and cool the rods inside the radio, you will have to use a special lamp, which as you can conclude, costs money and disables your movement.
Probably the most popular technology used to power radios is the solar one. However in order to power up your radio for constant listening, you will have to stay in the direct sun for quite long and you will probably feel extreme discomfort, due to the temperatures. However this method is most usable and reliable. Due to that it isn't only used in radios, but also in phones, cars and households.
