Yep, I too went through the manual. Just can't fall in love with a crank.

The radio I am getting to like a lot is the CountyComm GP-5 DSP GP radio. AM/FM/SW w/ digital signal processing. Runs on three AA batteries or USB (neither batteries or USB cable are provided). Both FM and AM signals are very clear, I haven't tried shortwave yet.

The radio has a scan function which allows it to scan through the local broadcast and lock in the signals. Then when you roll the tuning dial, it moves station to station and skips the dead air.

Another thing I haven't tried is its recharging ability. As I understand, if you use NiMH batteries and plug into the USB source, it will charge the batteries. I may try that right now.

Charging, a little battery icon shows on the display.