Is there a solar powered 2-way radio?
I’m looking for a hand held 2-way radio that is solar powered (in the unit, not an external solar charger).
I don’t want AA or AAA batteries. I don’t want to plug the radio into an external charger.
What I want is a self contained 2-way radio that will function when exposed to sunlight.
Does such an animal exist?
It doesn’t exist because it isn’t practical. You will need about 1 to 2 watts of power while receiving, 5 to 10 watts of power while transmitting and about half a watt on standby for the average two-way radio. This means that, without an onboard battery, your solar cell output would have to exceed 10 watts.
10-watt solar cells need to be about 300 square inches in size, so that would mean a BIG radio.
The other problem is that your radio can only be used on sunny days.
Even handcrank two-way radios have onboard batteries because there is no way a human can keep up the cranking while transmitting because of the output power needed.