Sangean MMR-99 AM FM NOAA Weather Alert Emergency Radio Review

[@todderbert]

▶ The Fun Sangean MMR-99 Emergency Radio at Amazon USA: amzn.to/42s62xs ▶ The Practical C.Crane CC Radio Solar at Amazon USA: amzn.to/44Xoa3J (paid links) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you.

[@Rehunauris]

Emenergy radio relying only on internal battery is the biggest negative issue with this radio.

[@defaultuserid1559]

That thing sounds really good. It's hard to beat Sangean quality and their radios always have plenty of bass (sometimes too much).

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

This thing has become my favorite radio so far because of the sound that reminds me of the radio recorders i had as a kid and the fact that it has RDS. It's also not too big but just the right size for a radio that is mostly intended for emergency use or at least being able to be powered in case of an emergency while still using it as a daily driver. For daily driver purpose however i would have preferred it to run constantly on AC via USB without always charging the battery and making the battery age faster since replacing it requires to open the radio and damaging the weather seals. That being sad the drawbacks are still greatly even out by its good sides and that is the actual radio receiver. It's really sensitive on FM and AM. Here in a big City like Berlin i often don't even have to extend the Antenna to get a clear FM signal. AM sounds great too, especially when you adjust the bandwidth selection. Apparently the solar panel can (under ideal circumstances) power 100% of the radios energy consumption. The Handcrank i would ONLY use in an absolute emergency when there's really absolutely nothing else around to charge since the Gears are all made of plastic and not meant to last long. So i would not use the handcrank to always charge it. Really only as the absolute last resort option. I had a lil exchange with the Sangean team on youtube and told them about a few things i'd love to see with the next model, such as easy access to the Battery for an easier replacement, as well as Shortwave and perhaps a change back to Amber / orange for the LCD backlight as the cold white is a little to harsh in the dark. They kindly said they will take these suggestions into consideration as they care a lot about customer feedback. :)

[@jyoung5594]

Nice radio. Sangean builds great radios. The non removable 18650 battery is a deal breaker for me. Maybe Sangean will change that and add an AA battery bay to back it up as well. I agree with you, for the money I would opt for the C Crane Solar all day long. Thanks take care.

[@alejandroc1062]

@jyoung5594 CC Crane solar features a *micro* USB-port. Is it even possible to buy those cables nowadays? Or is this meant as some vintage/retro "cool thing"? I'm puzzled.

[@LarryDickman1]

@@alejandroc1062 You treat the micro USB port like its an 8 track tape. It is not that dated

[@StumptownBoy]

Thanks for this review. VERY informative! Please take this in the complimentary way in which it's intended: very cool to see that there are still some true and knowledgeable radio geeks out there!

[@TheDarkSkorpion]

I just don't understand Sangean sometimes. They always have ONE thing with all their radios that annoys me, and the rest of it is amazing. The MMR88 has a clock and a siren, but no alarm. The MMR99 is a beefed up MMR88 - Awesome! But a non-replaceable battery? With the MMR88, I kept a spare battery just in case. I like everything about the MMR99, but I'll probably buy a C Crane just because of the much better battery design. Huge flaw on an emergency radio!

[@BillyLapTop]

Just received this radio via your link. The only negative is not the battery, I can always deal with that but when outside and listening to the AM band, the solar panel generates a loud squeal in the audio. Covering the panel solves the issue. Also the squeal can be heard on the weather channels if audio is present. FM has no issues at all. Otherwise no other listening issues. Hope this information is helpful.

[@todderbert]

I went out and tested that, and no issues on my unit.

[@BillyLapTop]

@@todderbert Interesting. This suggests my unit has an issue. I hope a few others with the radio can chime in.

[@cfldriven]

I prefer the Midland ER310 for its ability to run on solar, hand crank, alkaline battery, internal replaceable lithium battery, and ext power. Not a big fan of batteries that can not be replaced. Thanks for the review.

[@todderbert]

I'm a fan of my CC Radio Solar.

[@ozyrob1]

100% the battery is a deal breaker.

[@Geronimointhewild]

​@@todderbertwhat is your preferred 'emergency' radio. I've been looking at the xhdata vs Midland and maybe the cc.

[@todderbert]

@@Geronimointhewild The best is the CC Radio Solar. On the cheap, the XHDATA D-608WB is a good choice.

[@Geronimointhewild]

@@todderbert thanks for the reply, I have a cc 2e but it seems I need to tune it, the am reception lacks compared to other radios. I don't like the D batteries either, got it for 50 bucks though lol. Estate sale.

[@MrSparks54]

The MMR-99 will be my next emergency radio to replace my very capable MMR-88. Thanks Todd!

[@todderbert]

You're Welcome Mr. Sparks. This thing Hammers :)

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Good choice. If you don't need Shortwave, it's definitely a must have. The fact that it has a red light that can also be dimmed, like the normal white LEDs, makes this also a perfect nightlight to keep your night vision.

[@safugpac2691]

Just installed a 5000 mAh in the MMR-99 DAB, this radio is incredible. The battery last very long over 40 hours and the sound is amazing for such unit. I really recommend it to everyone.

[@PotatoeTom]

Is it a plug and play battery? Any soldering required?

[@pmusic6414]

Sorry to disappoint, but whoever sold you a 5000 mAh 18650 cell lied. :)

[@barryzoll9772]

Mine arrived last week. Fantastic radio.

[@Tykoon]

Nice review. Since it does not have AM HD and FM HD I will stick with the MMR-88. I like the circular favorites and removable battery. CCrane needs to jump on the HD technology.

[@Yeshuah6]

Its a shame about that battery. At this price point id expect to be able to replace it. This otherwise looks like a nice one.

[@jlichi1510]

What a Great Radio! Been waiting for this one for a long time!

[@NTPTM]

Hej yes I agree with Todderbert the Sangean MMR-99 is a great emergency radio I've had mine for a little over a month now and I'm personally incredibly happy with it take care and have a lovely weekend.

[@jlichi1510]

@@NTPTM I think Sangean may have just come up with a new category of radio with this one: "Worksite Emergency Radios", because it seems so heavy duty. It looks like it could be the baby brother of the Sangean U3 or U4.

[@NTPTM]

@@jlichi1510 Hej yes I agree with you the Sangean MMR-99 is great if you work for example on a construction site where there is a lot of dust and other things flying in the air yes the Sangean MMR-99 is a tank and a little heavy. But certainly Sangean probably had it in mind that it should withstand tougher environments but yes I love mine Sangean MMR-99 and it is on very often take care and have a pleasant day.

[@NTPTM]

Hej Todderbert thanks for your review of the the Sangean MMR-99 oh yes i love this emergency radio ok the battery is a bit tricky to change and yes i would of the Sangean MMR-99 had come with larger battery capacity but for may use I have great battery run time. The Sangean MMR-99 is built like a tank and I like all the nice features it has very nice reception where i live but as you say Todderbert it is heavy and yes the CCRANE solar emergency radio is also a nice radio choice if you want to have a lighter emergency radio as you say Todderbert. I am also actually thinking of buying the CCRANE solar emergency radio because I think it looks very nice and good too and you seem very happy with it after your review you did on that radio. But absolutely the Sangean MMR-99 is an emergency radio that I am very happy to own and have only charged it once since I bought it and have said it before but will say it again I have never been dissatisfied with a radio you recommend. But ok I bought the Sangean MMR-99 before you did a review on it because I knew it was good and I buy radios also sometimes before I know they're good, but that's also the charm. Take care Todderbert and have a nice friday and weekend greetings from Nils.

[@SuperLaplander]

Great radio, what a shame user cant replace the battery. Thank you sir!

[@safugpac2691]

Is not that difficult. You can replace the 18650 type battery 2600 mAh with a larger 21700 type 5000 mAh.

[@SuperLaplander]

@@safugpac2691 please link to how that battery change is done. Is it in the manual?

[@safugpac2691]

​@@SuperLaplanderHi, there are videos how to open the radio and if you are a little skilled with the soldering gun you can easily replace the battery. You will need Samsung 50E 2170 5000 mAh with soldering tabs. Maybe a bit more mod is needed to fit new battery in, but I think it will fit just right. By the way, I have been using this battery many times before in Ocean Digital radios with great success. Also I am selling a Xoro 150 DAB IR that has this battery inside.👍

[@SuperLaplander]

@@safugpac2691 Thank you for the information. I have never soldered anything as of yet. I assumed it took some modding of the radio to do this. I like radios that allows the user to replace rechargable batteries without soldering. I still use mobile phone that allows me to easily replace the battery without tools or soldering. I wish you a nice weekend!

[@todderbert]

search on YT, it is a bit involved.

[@dbfcrell8300]

They absolutely need to expand the radio bands to include OTA tv audio. On day 2 of your power outage, you'll thank me for this idea.

[@SevenRayz57]

Enjoy your vids! Just ordered one.

[@JYMBO]

would have been perfect if not for the fixed battery, huge oversight

[@mickeybrumfield764]

The party beast needs a bigger battery.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Well you can always hook up a USB powerbank to it. Normal radio playtime is i think ca 24 hours. Bluetooth may drain the battery faster. But it thankfully has Aux in too.

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

CCRANE SOLAR only have Japanese FM band if AM set to 9 kHz steps but for SANGEAN MMR-99, 64 - 108 MHz for FM.

[@dbfcrell8300]

I've got a GREAT idea for all these Emergency radios: one of the radio bands should be TV audio so while you're sitting there powerless, at least you can listen to your favorite TV shows. EZ to design into these radios and worth every penny while you're sitting there doing nothing IMHO.

[@tktim]

You can power this waterproof radio with all kinds of external batteries via the usb charger port.

[@safugpac2691]

In UK we have this model with digital radio DAB+ and FM, but no weather news alerts.

[@NTPTM]

Hej yes same here in Sweden but as you say no NOAA Weather Channels and yes DAB+ is nice but in Sweden not so many radio stations broadcasts in digital radio but, i can live without DAB but would love to have a NOAA Weather Channel service in Sweden that they have in the US. But I love mine Sangean MMR-99 and it has RDS so that is very nice take care and have a lovely day.

[@safugpac2691]

Hi, I bought recently Sangean WRF-28BT and is a very nice radio. I am thinking to buy the MMR-99 DAB+ too and install a bigger battery inside. Radios are one of my passion.

[@NTPTM]

@@safugpac2691 Hej nice the Sangean WFR-28 BT Internetradio looks very nice I have the Sangean WFR-29C but it was a long time ago o bought that radio and it is no longer sold on most sites, but yours seems very nice and newer models have arrived. Yes the Sangean MMR-99 is very nice and love mine and interesting if you are going to modify it with a larger battery. Yes same here radios are also a big hobby for me and I listen to the radio more than I watch TV and I like to listen to shortwave a lot. And I think everyone should have a good radio in case of a emergency because you never now what can happen take care and have a nice day.

[@safugpac2691]

​@@NTPTMHi, if you give me your email address we can discuss more about radios. I am still looking for the best portable internet radio with dab+ on 18650 battery.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

You can get both the DAB+ and the regular FM / AM Model here in Germany and Europe in general. The DAB+ versions however cost more and the DAB+ consumes a lot more power. I hope they just add Shortwave for the next model and ditch DAB+ entirely because it's just not very practical at all. Since it has Bluetooth and Aux In you can easily hook your Phone to it and just play what ever webradio you like with much better reception than DAB+ that doesn't even work anymore when something blocks the line of sight to the transmitter tower.

[@Filoche05]

Very nice intro! I have got the same but the standard version (Europe) without the weather band. I have noticed that the signal meter is not working on AM, only FM. My version is 060. I had signaled it to Sangean’s customer service some 6 months ago. I have seen your unit is showing the same symptom.

[@todderbert]

Yeah, they left that feature off, but maybe for a good reason. Just like when the USB Power Stops charging the battery when you select the AM band.

[@onedirection3510]

For some people this might be a great easy listening kitchen countertop radio which can also be used for occasional weather alerts. It could simply be left plugged in. For car camping I suppose an additional power bank would suffice for longer run times. Otherwise, I have a feeling that Sangean will produce a next gen edition for this one. Maybe better to wait on that. No easy access to the battery compartment is a gross oversight imo. That will very likely change next generation.

[@raysolinski9517]

Is there a way to keep the radio on, seems like you have to use the timer? Thanks!

[@SevenRayz57]

Thanks!

[@todderbert]

Awesome! Thank you for supporting Radio Waves Chuck.

[@brianm9962]

I have this radio, although bought in Australia, so it does not support the emergency weather channel. It has an emergency light function that can be set to auto from the menu function or by holding the light button down for a few seconds. I have no idea what this does. Is it for the emergency weather alarm? , why did they remove the weather function but leave an auto light function?. The manual does not describe the auto light operation other than a brief lcd display description.

[@dwightmontfort9648]

How would you completely turn it off clock included for storage. Only want to use it when lights go out so it can hold a complete charge when storing it. Thanks

[@todderbert]

My version does not allow it to be completely turned off.

[@stephend3961]

I have one of these MRR-99's, Excellent little radio -- sounds good compared to the MMR-88, which does not pick up FM signals as well for me, and is tinny sounding. So far have not found any extra features that I would need. Was disappointment with the MMR-88, it set on the shelf collecting dust.

[@joelperez5025]

How long does it take to get a fully charged? 0 to 100%

[@todderbert]

allow appx. three hours when using USB Power.

[@safugpac2691]

Is not that difficult to replace the battery.. You can replace the 18650 type 2600 mAh with a larger 21700 type 5000 mAh.

[@todderbert]

Have you done this? Most consumers will most likely not be able, or want to perform this swap. I like the idea, since I have a 5000mAh pigtail Protected cell waiting for a project.

[@safugpac2691]

​@@todderbertNot in this radio yet but I done it few times in Ocean Digital radios. I will buy the MMR-99 DAB+ soon and do it. Sometimes slightly modifications are needed in case there is not enough space to accommodate the bigger battery.

[@blueee100]

@@safugpac2691 A larger capacity 18650 battery is the same size. I replaced the battery in mine as soon as I got it with a 3500 MAH battery available at any vap store.

[@blueee100]

@@todderbert I have done it. An 18650 battery is the same size no matter what the capacity. I changed it to a 3500 mAh one from 2600mAh. A little mechanical inclination and ability to solder is all you need.

[@jonathanbrown127]

I'm using this radio and from time to time when manipulating the volume or tuning buttons, the radio locks up and I have to do a factory reset. Is this a problem for anyone else or is mine defective? Other than that I love this radio.

[@todderbert]

I have not noticed this behavior on mine, but since these are new, there will be bugs to be worked out.

[@safugpac2691]

I have a question, it is possible to set up the alarm and the radio to turn on at any desired time? I mean if the radio is on batteries and it is turned off not in stand by mode. My Sangean WRF-28BT can't do that. Thanks

[@todderbert]

I don't think this radio has a wake to radio feature. Just to buzzer. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppqVqIWMmbVkesk , also this radio is always on standby.

[@safugpac2691]

​@@todderbertThe link doesn't work.I have spoken to Sangean and they said only the MMR-99 without digital radio, DAB+ plus has the alarm function on the batteries. Can you check please? I have always looked for a digital radio with batteries that can wake the radio when used on batteries and off, not in stand by mode.

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

NO S.A.M.E. built in in Weatherband but only RDS on FM? BTW, Eton Sidekick have S.A.M.E. on WB bands but FM doesn’t have RDS.

[@bobriemersma]

Scary to see the slow burn attack on AM broadcasting. Cheap junk lighting and appliances are allowed to interfere with impunity, auto makers voice plans to drop support without any regulatory pushback. TV is now a mess, AM next, FM could easily follow.

[@grayrabbit2211]

We haven't had AM stations in my area for a couple of years now. No use having a receiver for those frequencies when there's nothing to listen to.

[@radellaf]

there is growing pushback but yah led bulbs and dimmers really need more emi/rfi regs and enforcement

[@DoodiePunk]

A great camping radio, but it should include digital radio.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

There is a model of the MMR-99 that ditches AM for DAB+ and It comes in Black and in Blue, instead of Green and Desert tan.

[@safugpac2691]

​@@KRAFTWERK2K6Yes i prefer digital radio DAB+ to AM.

[@darrensmith6999]

Nice one Sir (:

[@tayyarylmaz5836]

Turkiyeye satışı varmi

[@safugpac2691]

Amazon

[@KILLKING110]

what happened to emergency radios they should be more basic not advanced as advanced things are much more prone to breakage along with the more being more advanced the potential learning curve in a actual emergency might cause big problems

[@todderbert]

Basic is good, like the C Crane CC Solar Observer. It is older tech, but works great, with basic controls. Same as with the older Eton emergency radios. The FR300 comes to mind.

[@RadioRich100]

So called emergency radios (the ones with the solar cells and cranks) are mere toys. A real emergency radio would be an analog AM-FM-WB portable radio powered by D cells, no displays, lights or alarms to drain it unnecessarily. Example - Retekess TR-604W With long antennas and big speakers. These will run for 300+ hours (more than 12 days) on 1 set of D batteries and no gadgets or displays to drain them. You cant tell me anyone would have a emergency radio without a separate flashlight. Solar cell charging is super slow, and the crank? - dont make me laugh. I cant see some one cranking that thing as a storm is going on. Its also cheaper to have a separate flashlight and radio then one of these things. Get a real analog radio and separate flash light with spare batteries. These things are just toys no matter who makes them.

[@todderbert]

In my household full of radios, I keep a Midland WR-300 up and running at all times for Weather Alerts. For a backup radio when the power goes out, the radio you mentioned above is a good choice. The dynamos do work for a short duration, but to rely on them is an issue. A proper Emergency radio should also take regular batteries.

[@RadioRich100]

@@todderbert The comment is not aimed at you, its for the average person. I too have a house full of radios as well as a whole house generator, and yes a WR-300 and 2 other weather radios portable and pocket. But for the average consumer to spend money on one of those things is not the best solution.

[@thomasd.kearns1468]

Thanks!