The emergency crank radio is a radio that can be powered by turning a handle clockwise. This simple yet amazing feature has made this radio the most reliable device to have in any situation. It can be said that this radio can never run out of power and will function when you need it the most. The cranking mechanism powers up the radio and you are good to go with a few turns of the handle.

If we look back in history, the earliest radios, electricity requirement was quite large as it was made up of valves which were large vacuum tubes. These valves became smaller in size at the end of the 1930's and the radio required much less electricity, but they were still very bulky and weighed several pounds. The major turning point was the transistor which was invented in 1948, and this reduced the size of the radio considerably, and also it consumed much less electricity. This device became very popular around the world as it was cheap and was easy to carry.

The principle behind radio transmission is electromagnetic radiation in a wave form which can be modulated. With this modulation radio stations are able to broadcast on different frequencies and have many different radio channels. The transistor radio was manufactured for home use and also as a portable device. At homes it could be plugged into the electric socket and the portable models ran on batteries. The only drawback one can find in these models is their dependence on an outside power source like the wall socket or batteries. Now apart from entertainment, the radio is a very important device to have in any emergency situation. The different broadcasting stations provide valuable information in the form of news and weather updates. Such information is vital when you are outdoors, or traveling or are facing severe weather situation even at home.

At such times it you can run out on the power source which is powering your radio. Electricity at home also can go out in severe storms and hurricanes. When you are outdoors you might be several miles away from a place where you can buy batteries. At all such times the emergency crank radio is a big savior. The hand cranking mechanism on the radio is connected to a small dynamo which produces the electricity, which in turn gets stored in a rechargeable battery, which runs the radio. Anytime this rechargeable battery runs out of power, all you have to do is to turn the handle a few times to charge the battery and your radio will start working.

Apart from emergency situations the emergency crank radio finds a lot of application in underdeveloped countries where a power source is not easy to have or afford by many people. This radio can be used by people even in the most underdeveloped areas where electricity or even batteries are not available. Such a device provides valuable information to such people and is also used as an educating tool.