Midland Base Camp Radio : Friday's Review

The Prepper is an excellent shopper. He hates retail and finds the most AMAZING stuff on sale.  Earlier this week he was at DICKS Sporting Goods (Hey Prepper why were you there originally?) Hmmm I don't believe he ever mentioned the real reason he went to DICK'S but none the less it was an awesome happenstance because the manager was on a markdown madness tour walking through the store marking items he only had 1 or 2 of down to PENNIES on the dollar... one of the awesome "finds" as THE Preppers followed the manager was a Midland Base Camp Radio that retails in DICKS for $79.99

The Prepper got a brand new, in the box, factory sealed Base camp radio (are you sitting down?) $5.00 Amazing!  The best price we've found online was $59.74 at Amazon. Needless to say, he snapped it up! It's a shame there was only one left! This is another example of shopping smarter.  Watch the sales, pretty soon outside gear will go on sale and have markdowns. You'll be amazed at what you too can pick up for less.

We put the radio through the paces.  After reviewing the different features we find it quite satisfactory with the features as described.  I was quite pleased with the usb port to charge ipods and cell phones.  More importantly we can get great coverage in an urban setting and we can reach my parents house which is roughly 1 mile away.

Specifically:

• The display is easy to read
• The hand mic is small and great for ladies hands, men might find it too small
• All the controls are easy to use, and very intuitive (for the preppers who won't read instructions)
• Multiple Power sources ~ will accept pwr cord and has a cigarette charger adapter, off the shelf batteries, comes with rechargeable battery, has a hand crank too! Now that's what I call covering all your bases!
• Powerful Light
• Radio ~ 10 Channel NOAA Weather Radio ~ AND 22 Channel FRS/GMRS
• Clock and Alarm feature both are easy to use
• Buttons are sealed to keep out dirt
• Even with all this, it isn't too heavy and its NOT over designed.
• Tested it with DIFFERENT MODELS of FRS radios that we already own. It worked great.  Even the little preppers tried it out and found it easy to use.

An "official" description of the Base Camp Radio from Midland:

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Midland's XT511 is a durable GMRS emergency crank radio with a wealth of features to keep you informed, charged up, and in contact no matter the situation around you.

Stay in touch no matter your environment.

Dynamo crank allows recharging of batteries without access to electricity.

Built-in flashlight and USB port for charging your cell phone or other devices.

22-Channel GMRS/FRS Radio

The Midland XT511 radio provides you with seven GMRS/FRS, seven FRS (Family Radio Service), and seven GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) channels, for a total of 22 UHF channels. Additionally, the XT511 comes with 121 privacy codes to lessen interference or eavesdropping, which in effect gives you 3144 channel options.
Five separate call alerts identify incoming calls from your group, and an e-VOX function with three selectable sensitivity levels offers voice-activated, hands-free operation. This radio also features a channel scan, for locating active channels, along with a keypad lock so you don't accidentally change your settings.
While communicating, you can rest assured you'll be heard with features like auto squelch, which removes annoying background noise. You can also make sure you're hitting keys with keystroke tones, and use the keypad lock feature to "lock in" your preferred settings.

NOAA Weather Alert Radio

The XT511 offers NOAA Weather Alert Radio to automatically alert you to any severe weather/hazard information near your area, 24/7. Additionally, a Dual Watch feature lets you monitor two channels at once, so you can keep abreast of any developments in an emergency situation while maintaining communication.

Perfect for Power Outages/Mobile Use

The XT511 offers several powering options. You can power with four standard AA batteries, or use the rechargeable battery pack. An AC adapter for wall-charging and a DC adapter for charging in your vehicle's "cigarette lighter" outlet are both provided.
Better yet, a Dynamo crank is provided, for recharging its batteries without access to electricity. A USB port lets you charge your cell phone directly from the radio using crank power (or of course, outlet power when available).

Alarm Clock

Last but not least, an alarm clock is provided, so you can get a jump on the day even if you're out in the middle of nowhere.

We give it a thumbs up ~ this is worth having!