Reception - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

I think I’ve made the decision to go without my MP3 player on the trail, but I’m considering bringing a tiny radio. Does anyone know what kind of reception I can expect to get along the trail? Thanks!

Mary

#2

I have a radio for about half of my hike. I loved the radio and always bring one now. A radio can be trouble though. You get better reception at the top of the mountains, so it may give you motivation to hike up a hill…

The reason a radio can be trouble is because of the commercials. When you hear food or drinks it can be torture! :slight_smile:

Leif

#3

I carried a tiny little radio from Radio Shack on my AT hike in 2001 and am carrying it again this year. It comes with little ear buds and uses 1 AAA battery. Whole things weighs about 2 oz. Only time I use it is in the tent at night to catch a little news or a tune. Reception on FM is not all that bad. Limited obviously the “local” channel(s) but every once in a while you get lucky and catch some “skip” signals from a distance.

Footslogger

#4

I carried a radio on my AT hke and still do. I neveredlistened while hiking. only during breaks and in the tent. In the morning i would always listen to The JohnBoy and Billy show. I got from Ga all the way up to the Shenandoah.:smokin

Chef

#5

Not enough alt rock like Alien Ant Pharm. To much country. Then NPR is nice after dinner.

Bushwhack

#6

I carried a Minidisc player, and had access to over 100 hours of different music. I got real sick of it after a few months, not to mention getting new music started to become a P.I.T.A. After I bought these small, light, cheap (yellow) speakers from RadioShack, I’d hook them up to someone’s radio whenever I had the chance. They work great @ breaks and at shelters, if the company doesn’t mind.

Macgyver

#7

I took the a minidisc on my Colorado Trail hike along with my little radio. I like the radio because I could find news or weather at times, but used the minidisc player the most. In order to keep from getting sick of my music I had new disc in my mail drops. It worked out pretty well.

Music is one of the things I missed most when I was hiking the AT. I do not like country music, and there is too much of that in the south for me :slight_smile:

Leif

#8

Something about listening to Kid Rock going over Saddle Back that got the right groove on.

BW

#9

It’s real, like the Trail. And in the South, Bluegrass is even more real. There’s a GREAT station in Galax, VA (home of the Old Fiddlers Convention every Summer) that you can pick up from about Mt. Rogers to north of Pearisburg that plays bluegrass (at night).

I keep a radio with me but listening while hiking can drive you CRAZY unless you happen to be in an area where a station has a very strong signal. And you’d better like that signal. While hiking I usually find myself on frequencies where two stations bleed through and alternate every minute or so depending upon signal barriers and even the slightest change in hiking direction. CRAZY I tell you!

But a lightweight radio is worth the weight IMO in camp, in a tent, etc. especially to get weather, listen to sports, music, etc.

Skyline

#10

Odd that knowone seems to be upset about radios on the trail but some go nuts about a cell phone. I guess there is such a thing as politicaly correct trail electronics. Makes the cell phone debate of a few days ago seem a little silly.

Fred

#11

You’re right, Fred, it’s kinda odd how some things are okay, some are taboo. But there is a big difference: on a cellphone, there’s really no way to be quiet (and the majority of users tend to raise their voices, I guess they think it’s cool). Listening to a radio, you’re probably going to have headphones (if for no other reason, to save on batteries). Just try bringing a boombox out on the trail or -gasp- into a packed shelter. Not so acceptable.

Bachelor

#12

Thanks for the advice! I was acutally thinking about carrying a mini disc player becuase I’m worried I’ll just miss music too much on the trail (i’m a musician). Its pretty expensive though and I already went all out on my digital camera. I wish they made a mini disc player with a built in radio! I would be all over that one…:smokin

Mary

#13

I don’t carry a radio on the trail because thats one of the things I like to get away from. I like going to two and hearing music and catching up on the news. A radio is a passive device which if used with headphones should distrub other hikers.
A cell phone is active mean you send and receive a signal and talk with someone not on the trail. The other issue is cell towers along the trail corridor. You have to hike sections with towers at every view on all the mountians to understand why someone people get so bent out of shape.

Darth Pacman

#14

Well hell they use all kinds of gadgets on Everest, the North Pole, Antartica and all other kinds of expeditions and they’re in “real” wilderness. A cell phone on the AT super-highway, packed with people and all kinds of development shouldn’t be an issue.

Lone Wolf

#15

Mary- I just bought an MP3 player with an FM radio…its made by edigital I found it on buy.com. It’s really light and also has a microphone in it so I can record my journals…so you can have minidiscs and radio! I got it on a special for $100. :slight_smile:

Devon

#16

Okay, I think I finally understand the difference between a cell phone and a radio on the trail. Talking…out loud! Devon should be ashamed for keeping an audio journal. Someone might hear him talk.

(please don’t take me seriously)

Fred

#17

I had a cheap little radio with a set of $20.00 sony earphones. It was great. If I wanted it I had it. If not Id turn it off. It really came in good on those “sit out the rain” sessions. Not only that but Vermont and Maine had some KICK A** stations.

Virginian

#18

Dont get me wrong, I enjoyed my minidisc player often. To get tired of the songs was just like listening to one radio station all the time, it just gets old. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; it, like the trail, brings tranquility to my life. As I hear many of the songs I heard while hiking, I am taken back- vividly- to the atmosphere of the trail, allbeit in my mind. I really didnt think I’d want music, but the option is nice to have when its pouring down rain and the views and sounds of nature have vanished. I still use my minidisc now, though it isn’t as reliable, so I highly recommend a warranty!! The minidisc is the best battery life product out there (50+ hr on 1 AA) and each disc holds up to 5 hrs of music. If you have a Mac, you win. HYOH!

Macgyver

#19

Dont get me wrong, I enjoyed my minidisc player often. To get tired of the songs was just like listening to one radio station all the time, it just gets old. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; it, like the trail, brings tranquility to my life. As I hear many of the songs I heard while hiking, I am taken back- vividly- to the atmosphere of the trail, allbeit in my mind. I really didnt think I’d want music, but the option is nice to have when its pouring down rain and the views and sounds of nature have vanished. I still use my minidisc now, though it isn’t as reliable, so I highly recommend a warranty!! The minidisc is the best battery life product out there (50+ hr on 1 AA) and each disc holds up to 5 hrs of music. If you have a Mac, you win. HYOH!

On the other hand, if you have someone like the Virginian with you, you dont need a radio- just sit back and listen to that funny SOB.

Macgyver

#20

go here! pricey but WOW
http://www.bestbuy.com/Detail.asp?m=1581&cat=1588&scat=&e=11190318

Pat Loomis