What do you think of this Solar-Powered Roberts DAB Radio?Or any alt. ones to recmd

dogstarheaven

I want to buy a radio for the kitchen and garden but am unsure what to get. I thought about this new Roberts one, but I'm not sure about the solar power charging as it doesn't say on their info blurb from their website.

http://www.robertsradio.co.uk/Products/DAB_radios/solarDAB/index.htm

'solarDAB is the world's first solar powered DAB radio. This stylish and compact portable radio has a solar panel integrated into the top of the unit which absorbs direct sunlight in order to power the radio. There is a level indicator on the display screen that shows the power level generated by the solar panel. Under good conditions, there is sufficient power generated to charge the batteries and power the radio.
The built in rechargeable battery pack is charged whenever the solar panel receives direct sunlight. Once fully charged, the low power consumption of solarDAB allows the batteries to power the radio for up to 27 hours without the need to recharge them. The radio can then be used away from sunlight or mains electricity until recharging becomes necessary. The batteries can be recharged either by sunlight or using the supplied mains adaptor if there is not sufficient light available.
solarDAB is ideal for use in gardens, conservatories, greenhouses, on suitable windowsills, or away from home while camping, fishing, at the beach, or anywhere that you wish to listen to the radio away from conventional power sources.'

• 
• DAB radio
• Solar, battery or mains powered
• Built-in rechargeable battery pack
• Function icons for solar level, battery and signal strength
• Soft touch rubberised controls

• 
• Band III and L band coverage
• Multi language support
• White backlit LCD display
• Line in socket for iPod/MP3 playback
• Headphone socket
• AC adaptor / charger included
• Available in white, black, pink, red or green
• Size (mm) 190(w) x 110(h) x 80(d)
• Weight 672g

can anyone shed any light on this for me (pardon the pun) but i really want to find a good radio which i can afford and have some new stations to hear. if this one isn't much cop, then any other one that'll be better to buy, then i'd appreciate that.. doesn't have to be solar or energy saving, but it'll help.
:j thanks so much.

Cardew

IMO the solar aspect is something of a gimmick.

To recharge a those batteries from the mains will cost a fraction of a penny.

A_fiend_for_life

'Once fully charged' how long does that take given the right conditions? What's the effect of partially charging batteries all the time? From what I gather this reduces their capacity over time. It might end up more expensive in rechargables.

If they stated it plays with solar only then I might consider it.

Does the 27 hours assume with low rated headphones?

ETA you might get a better response on travel or outdoors threads and forums.

MrsBartolozzi

You might be better with a wind up DAB radio?
http://www.gadgetsquick.co.uk/freeplay-devo-wind-up-dab-radio-p-366.html
Although I don't like the puny length of time you get from 1 min winding!
I've been looking at these for myself and would be interested in seeing what else is out there.

Ben84

I don't think they're aiming it as an eco product, and I don't feel it is one as the amount of electric a normal radio uses is very small.

However, if you use it somewhere that the only alternative is disposable batteries, then it would be much better for the environment, as well as money saving and less trouble.

It looks useful in other ways too. I like the idea of being able to take it away from the mains electric and use it without having to worry if the batteries are running low, as provided you keep it somewhere like a window then it should get charged every day. It also claims to be able to charge and play at the same time in good light.

Also, Roberts radios are good radios, so I would reccomend them

ktpie

I think my FIL has one of these and he is very pleased with it. He uses it when they are out on their boat. If you are going to be using it outdoors a fair bit or keep it in a window I would think it would work very well as whenever it gets enough sunlight it is busy recharging it's batteries. I don't know how well it will work over the winter (he only got his this summer) as it might not be getting much sun. It does play and charge at the same time.

minimoneysaver

I've got the Roberts solar radio and it is fantastic! I've only plugged it in once on the day it arrived from amazon.co.uk and it's never lost the charge. I use it all of the time. Fantastic sound and amazing battery life. It lives on a sunny window ledge to charge up when I am not using it. I even took it to the beach in the summer and put the radio in a zip lock bag, so it didn't get any sand in it. My dad has one and uses it in the garden too.