Radio or Ipod for touring?
 

Which do you prefer?
I plan to take a $5 pocket radio along on my pacific coast tour this summer. I enjoy listening to local stations when I travel to get a feel for the towns that I visit. On the other hand, my tastes in music are relatively narrow (classic rock, country, classical) and I suspect that sometimes it would be nice to be able to listen to exactly what I want while climbing a tough hill or fighting a headwind or relaxing in the tent and all the local radio stations are annoying.

An iPod will need recharging via some aberration of a USB port / charger. Most pocket radios just need a couple AA's from the Qwik-Rip.

Then again, why not both?

do you really think thst you will have trouble find radio stations that specialize in classic rock, country, or classical music?

I didn't own an ipod on my last tour in 2005, but I did take a tiny radio which I almost never listened to. Now if camping by myself, I would carry the Ipod and an electrical outlet charger/adapter.

With the charger needed for the IPOD, I would rather carry a small AM/FM/Short Wave radio. Even if there is no local station you can still get SW.

i carry a kazoo.:) :) :)

Why not both for variety. I take a 1 gig MP3 and Sony radio. The radio is approx 2x3x1/2 and runs on a single AAA

All the radio stations are owned by the same three companies... so whatsit matter?

Why is everyone stuck on ipod? You can get an mp3 player (think creative muvo) which plays free music (no itunes bs), runs on 1 AAA battery (for a LONG time) and is an AM/FM receiver. Oh, and they cost $30-$60. You don't get the same storage as say...a nano...but you can buy 4 of them for the same price. They are the size of a pack of gum.

Like Vater, I have a 1GB mp3 player that has an FM tuner built in and runs off 1 AAA battery. It's a Sandisk, but in hindsight I'd go with the Creative. I rarely use the FM part though, mostly when the weather looks iffy and I'm nowhere near anything/anyone.

get a mpio this is the one i have.
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...76&catid=23693

smaller than a nano cheaper,(that price is canadian) has 2 gigs of memory plus you can expand with a SD memory card which most digicams use as well. also has fm receiver. display isnt as nice as an ipod though.

Use the Sandisc MP3, it has an FM built in and runs on a AAA battery!

+1 on the Sandisk. USB cable included, uses a regular battery, FM radio, small, likes WMAs, MP-3s, very inexpensive, durable, drop and drag baby!!! I've seen the 1 GB for $39 and the 2 GB for about $60.

I'd recommend an mp3 player with built in radio and SD card memory slot. They're TONS cheaper than an IPOD Nano, more versatile, most run on a single AAA battery, and you can add more memory. (You can find 2 GB SD cards for < $20!)

The two that I have personal experience with are:

Sandisk Sansa e130: Loved the player, nice interface integrates the expanded memory well (the SD card) and sounds GREAT. It also came with the BEST ear-bud type headphones I've ever used. BUT: For some reason a week and a half ago it just quit working. I was sitting on the bus listening to it and it just died. Didn't drop it or anything. It was over a year old, but had fairly light use till the past few weeks when I started carrying it to work. The player DID get dropped into a full bathtub once, a couple months ago... I dried it out and it worked fine, but this COULD conceivably be a result of it's dunking.

Coby MPC751: I picked this one up cheap. Had it for about 9 months with nearly daily trips. Very rugged and has held up despite multiple crashes where it got banged. Cons: doesn't integrate the expanded memory as well as the sandisk. If you're listening to mp3's in the main memory, it can remember exactly what song and where in the song you were if you stop it or shut it off. If you shut it off while listening to music on the sd card, it defaults back to the last thing you listened to in the main memory. Sound quality isn't quite as pleasant as the Sandisk, but it's acceptable. I hated the headphones that came with it, and promptly 'stole' the headphones from my wife's Sandisk. :p

Bottom line: Both of these players are small and versatile. They both work well, and I'd buy another of either of them. Shopping for another Sansa right now, in fact. :)

You can get a 1GB Sansa e140 for about $80, throw in a 2GB card, and have a 3 GB player with FM radio for around $100. :) Sandisk also has a couple higher-end players(like this) that have a lot more memory (up to 8GB), and can display photos and small videos for less than $300, I'd get one of those in a second if I had the money.

edit: Hrmm... the e260 and e280 use a built in battery... I think I'd stick with one of the others for touring. Plus it's less loss if it gets lost/broken/stolen.

If you have something that can be charged off USB and want to take it with you on tour, or wherever, have a look at this:

http://www.instructables.com/id/EGBQJPLCB2EP287KTZ/

Cool little project, lets you charge any USB chargeable device off of 2 AA batteries. :)

[QUOTE=yater]Why is everyone stuck on ipod? You can get an mp3 player.... [QUOTE]

Uhh, I was using Ipod as a generic term - like Kleenex or BandAid - I didn't realize there was a difference between them and Mp3's. I'm not really into electronic gadgets.:crash: Thanks for all the responses! I may end up with an Mp3 yet. I would want some type of dock or external speaker for it; not crazy about riding on the roads with earbuds. Someone mentioned audio quality...the worst thing about the $5 radio is that the audio quality is about as good as a piece of string and two tin cans!

First, yes there is a significant difference between an Ipod and an MP3 player. For one thing, Ipods cost about $200 whereas an MP3 player runs about $50. :D

I've got two small MP3 players. Each holds 1G - or approx. 12 hours of music, I think. One I got for about $50, and it has FM radio, and the other I got for about $35, and it does not have a radio. Around here, radio service in the country is iffy, so I suspect that for most of my local long rides I'll probably just bring the one without the radio, but on other rides, and especially tours, I might bring the other one for some variety.

I know you can dock an Ipod ... I'm not sure about docking an MP3 player, but there must be a way.

My creative muvo plugs directly into usb...no wires necessary. It will work on any mp3 portable stereo with the 2 into 1 wire (whatever that's called). It also plays in my truck using my cassette adapter from my xm radio setup.

I currently have a Sandisk, although I plan to switch to an iPod. iPods had better sound and screen quality, and they hold a LOT more music.
And, seeing as my life pretty much revolves around all things music-related, yeah, I need the extra space. :D My music library is quite large and always growing, and I do listen to several albums each day.

Sandisk is nice if you don't have a large library, or if you don't need nearly as much music for your trip. Mine holds about 6-7 CDs at a time, plus it has AM/FM radio, which can be a nice change. It runs on 1 AAA battery which lasts forever.

I will absolutely take my iPod on my trip. One of the the reasons I'm going alone is so I can plug into my headphones, and just enjoy the scenary and the open road.

Well I am a Mac guy so I have something that help me out, is the radio remote for my ipod. Then a attachment that the ipod can run off a 9v battery.

Good Luck,

I'm an ultra-light gear person-- I have done long tours with panniers loaded with gear that scaled a little under 29 lbs. So I don't carry any extra gear.

One thing I wouldn't leave home without is small cheap AM/FM radio and homemade wire antenna (Radio Shack!) I use it for weather reports and when the times when I get stuck somewhere becuase of bad weather or mechcanical problems.

Here in the NW, it's possible to tour even in the winter, with a very good tent and a radio to fight the boredom of unending rain and long nights.

iPod shuffle is only $80. wonderful little gadget. the charging issue is the problem.

I hope you are not considering riding on public roads while listening. Sounds dangerous to me!

When one rides on public roads with one's Ipod, MP3, or radio, one attaches both ear buds to one's helmet, dangling over one's right ear (left ear in Australia and England) so that one can just barely hear the music.

It's enough keep one entertained while still being able to hear everything going on around. :)

Not necessarily. Depends where these roads are, the amount of traffic, your abilities, etc. There can be a lot of variables.