Gp-4l
Can this be the worlds smallest AM, FM, SW, and CLOCK radio with a regulated led white light?
Countycomm.com sells this and its about the size of a Ipod
Im thinking about buying one.
Does anyone have one yet? Any input

This is a cool forum
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GP-4L Photos

I have one and posted about it prev, you could search for the post. Logged 23 SW stations using 10 or 12 feet of speaker wire for an antenna. Get the small plastic box they sell to keep it in.

The company kindly sent one for review. The quality is even better than the earlier radio, both excellent values for money. The antannae stores inside the radio. I've snapped a few externally mounted units and it's a small, but appreciated feature. You really need some auxilliary wire to get good reception. My area is horrible. I'm RIGHT UNDER the hilltop station for USC's local facility and can't get it with many portable units. My unit is missing the AC power adapter, but for it's intended use this isn't a issue personally. The LED light is a usefull addition. You won't be blinding any airline pilots with it. But for an emergency light source down an unlit stairwell ( like my apts. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />) it's adequate. This is overall an excellent addition to an urban kit. I was driving in L.A. the day of the first Space Shuttle disaster. I had no car radio and managed to be oblivious to the crash until that night. " theres 10% that never get the word." <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Are the 4 SW frequencies USEFUL frequencies, or just chat?

Sue

For US users....

SW1= Short range during the day (local to 1000 miles) but very long range at night. (Europe, South America and Asia)
49 Meter Bands 5.20 - 6.20 Mhz
41 Meter Bands 7.10 - 7.30 Mhz
31 Meter Bands 9.45 - 10.45 Mhz

SW2= Moderate to long range during the day (USA, Europe, South America and perhaps Asia if you are on the west coast. In the evening these bands will “go dark” with little or no signals, especially the higher frequencies (15 & 17 mhz)
25 Meter Bands 11.01 - 12.05 Mhz
21 Meter Bands 13.60 - 13.80 Mhz
19 Meter Bands 15.10 - 15.60 Mhz
16 Meter Bands 17.55 - 18.30 Mhz

This is for US users. I have no idea about Europe, South America, Africa etc. For the most part, these are the standard “short wave” listening frequencies. In the US, You will hear a lot of USA religious stations and very little news. Some right wing milita/religious stations.

Foreign stations will be much better for information. BBC no longer transmits directly to the US, but you can hear many broadcasts to south America and Africa. German, Dutch, Italian and other countries will have more of a presence, with good international news and music, although music on short wave leaves a lot to be desired. Lots of noise and limited bandwidth causes degraded music signals.

The Canadian Broadcasts are excellent and the frequencies in the SW1 band will provide very good signals. Many English and French language broadcasts. My favorite is “As it Happens”. Very good radio program with in depth and informative programming the likes of which are seldom heard in the US.

Do not expect high grade audio or weak signal reception. A good shortwave receiver will cost upwards of several hundred dollars. But it should provide reasonable reception on the stronger stations. Actually, I think that a AM/FM/TV audio radio would be more useful in all but the most extreme emergencies. Most events are local and you want to know what is happening near you, not what is happening on the other side of the world.

That said, I EDC a shortwave receiver. These frequencies are included in my small ham radio (Kenwood TH-F6) and I do find myself listening to shortwave frequently as I hike. However it also covers the AM/FM/TV and public service and Ham bands. During local events, that is where I get the best information. Shortwave is of very limited use for most disaster situations,

Chris, that's got to be a violation of a fire code or building regulation or something - an unlit stairwell in an apartment building.

--Hutch4545