Weather radio battery problem. Fix or replace?

[dbhost]

So dumb of me I know, but I managed to let batteries leak in the battery compartment of my old Radio Shack weather band radio. This is pretty important on off grid trips especially well off the beaten path along the beaches along Bolivar or Padre Island. This isn't something we use a lot, but it is something that is important when we use it.

I'd hate to just chuck it due to my negligence, so I was wondering if there is a reasonable way to fix the thing and get it working again, or should I just chuck it and move on?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Can you post photos? Have you tried just cleaning the corrosion and putting in new batteries? It might still work fine.

You neutralize leaked battery acid with vinegar, which will bubble as you dab it on (use a Q-Tip). Once it's stopped bubblign you can clean the residue with a damp sponge and let everything dry completely. You can clean corrosion from the terminals back to shiny metal gently with fine steel wool or sandpaper.

 

[Bill Ruttan]

So dumb of me I know, but I managed to let batteries leak in the battery compartment of my old Radio Shack weather band radio. This is pretty important on off grid trips especially well off the beaten path along the beaches along Bolivar or Padre Island. This isn't something we use a lot, but it is something that is important when we use it.

I'd hate to just chuck it due to my negligence, so I was wondering if there is a reasonable way to fix the thing and get it working again, or should I just chuck it and move on?

Just take it to your neighborhood Radio Shack Store…oh, never mind.

 

[dbhost]

This may have been a moot point. In a fit of cleaning zeal my wife saw the radio with the boogered battery compartment and chucked it in the tech recycle box, which ran yesterday. Our local tech recycling program has it now. I guess I need a new one.

Now the bigger question. Do I get a standalone WX radio like a hand crank unit, or since the truck has CB / SSB, do I replace the old Realistic TRC-465 with a more modern 40 channel AM/SSB WX radio? Nothing wrong with the old Realistic CB, but it would be nice to have a WX reciever not tied to mains power, and wherever the truck is... Oh and yes, I am staying with CB radio for the foreseeable future. The 4x4 club requires it, and with GMRS licensing fees, and the low cost of used CB radios, honestly if I were staring up a new club, I would require them for trail runs as well... No need to elevate the price of admission unneccessarily.

 

[DaveInDenver]

There's nothing more modern about current CBs compared to your Realistic. They may add features like WX but they're not going to perform as CBs any better. If you like your CB and you're still using it then I'd just get a weather radio. That is if you can find one. It might be a matter of buying whatever the shop actually has in stock.

 

[mep1811]

There are lots of portable weather band radios on the market like this one..

 

[dbhost]

So a thing happened. I dug bag into the box I had the weather radio shashed. It was back, and the battery compartment / contacts were completely clean.

My brother in law, who is kind of an electronics tinkerer apparently wanted to clean it up for us and got it back. She didn't tell me. That's cool. I fixed his Coleman stove for him when the packing went bad so fair is fair I guess....

Listening to it right now. Nothing quite like listening to a 30 year old weather radio.

I got the CB and weather radio initially honestly, because I had just gotten my first off road vehicle, a VW Baja Bug, and we had a group of friends that were CB / Off Roader types, We would do club runs to Chivo Falls and have at least 8 Bajas, Rails, and 4x4s making the journey. We had one guy on a trail bike a few times... The WX was critical to know if there was going to be flooding risk crossing the washes...

Anyway, problem solved, fresh batteries in it, we are golden.

 

[Roaddude]

I have a good ol' CB with 7 NOAA channels, that will work even when the CB is not pulling in anything. In fact, when it got jostled around so much on my dash, when running around back country on washboard trails, that it broke a soldered connection that affected the CB reception, the NOAA channels still worked finest kind. I keep it just for that, to be honest.

It kept me abreast of tornadoes in Arkansas one wild dark night years ago when running east on I-40. At one point it said "tornado just confirmed to have touched down at mile marker (such & such)," which was just a mile behind me.

Glad you got your weather radio all spiffed up and working.

 

[Shawn686]

I like the newer CBs as they can weather alert over PA and when the radio is off. So great for when you are doing other stuff and tornado warnings happen lol

Shawn