Ambient Weather WR-111B

Bottom Line

The Ambient Weather WR-111B "Adventurer" can be a lifesaver when the weather gets rough. Radio reception is good enough that some turn to the WR-111B for everyday use. Cranking builds up a usable charge quickly, and this emergency radio can be powered via other methods as well. You can easily use the WR-111B to charge up a cell phone for quick calls or emergency texts. The built-in flashlight also gets the job done in a pinch.

Performance

Good sound with solid charge. The Ambient Weather WR-111B delivers crisp, clear sound. Most owners report that the digital tuner does a good job pulling in signals, though others find more challenges with reception. Reviews indicate that this emergency radio holds a charge quite well without having to crank it excessively, though the battery drains more quickly with the "weather alert" mode turned on.

Features

Connectivity and features galore. Aside from the built-in hand crank, you can charge the WR-111B via USB (cable included) or optional AC and DC converters (Est. $5 each). There's also a solar charger, but the radio's manual points out that it's more useful for extending the run time of the radio when charged up than in charging it in the first place -- and owner complaints from those who expected more than that are seen.

The Adventurer radio ships with an assortment of adapters for charging cell phones and other devices from different makers. There's also a built-in 15 lumen, 3-LED flashlight. The digital radio tuner covers the standard AM and FM bands as well as all National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather channels. Though it lacks advanced features such as Specific Alert Message Encoding (SAME) compatibility, a weather alert mode will turn on the radio and flash a light if a weather alert is detected. The fact that it lacks a siren feature found in some other emergency radios irks some owners.

Ease Of Use

Overall good, but where do you put all those cell phone adapters? Cranking WR-111B for a solid minute provides roughly 20 minutes of operation at normal volume, which is comparable and in some cases better than other emergency crank radios. Other than the aforementioned lack of an emergency alert siren and the fact that the weather alert mode is somewhat of a battery eater, usability comes in with mostly positive comments. We did see some complaints that the radio doesn't have an onboard compartment for storing the included cell phone adapters.

Value

Great customer service. What the WR-111B lacks in certification and fancy programming it more than makes up for in function and features. This all-in-one portable weather radio packs a dizzying range of extra goodies to bolster its solid performance and sound quality. Customer service also appears to be top notch. Several posters at Amazon.com note that the maker reached out to them on its own to address issues or complaints raised in reviews posted there.