[at-l] all things considered

[bcalkins at disaster-relief.net (Bruce Calkins)]

I have through the years, carried a succession of radios.  I have settled on
two choices at present.  #1 and the usual item carried, is a small, light
AM/FM unit using a single AAA battery.  (3 ounces in a Outdoor Research
zippered pouch.)  This one uses the headphone wire for its FM antenna and
has no other audio output.  The #2 choice is a small AM/FM/shortwave unit
using two AA batteries. (10.75 ounces in a zippered Outdoor research pouch.)
This "kit" includes a extended shortwave antenna, a small built-in speaker,
and a headphone jack for private listening.  This one is used when I plan
few miles and feel like a world view in my listening.  It is common for me
to go for several days without digging the radio out, yet some of my best
memories involve a radio as a part of the experience.  (One lunch beside
the AT in MA watching a mouse scurrying to and fro, while I listened to a
choral rendition of "All Things Bright And Beautiful" on NPR member station
WFCR at 88.5 FM.)

Cheap radios are a waste of money and weight.  My best successes have been
the mid-quality and priced units.  On one higher priced, water resistant,
unit the volume knob broke off, effectively rendering the unit useless.

As in most things in life, YMWV.

Respectfully,

Black Wolfe


> Cool, I thought it wouldn't be kosher to take a radio on the trail at all;
> I'd only be interested in using it at night with headphones at a very low
> volume while in camp.


> >> I wonder how many section or through
> >>hikers
> >>of the AT carry a radio with them?