Morphy Richards 9-Band Dynamo
Price £34.99
Tel 0870 0602614
Website Click Here
Bands FM, MW, LW, SW1-6
This nine-band clockwork radio is certainly very rugged. It has a splash-proof outer shell that will easily withstand the odd knock and jolt, so it’s perfect for travellers – whether you’re searching for the BBC World Service in deepest darkest Peru or closer to home and trying to tune into The Archers. A rechargeable Ni-Cad battery is supplied, which gives around 30 minutes of play after a couple of minutes of winding. However, if you don’t want to put in the wrist work, the 9-Band Dynamo can be powered by two AA batteries. Alternatively, you can run it off the mains although no adaptor is supplied. Verdict You’ll always find something to tune into with an amazing choice of nine bands on offer. And the rugged build makes this a radio that will withstand a long life on the road.

Roberts Revival R250
Price £100
Tel 01709 571722
Website Click Here
Bands FM, MW, LW
Few radios are as iconic as the classic Roberts brand. The company has a Royal endorsement, and comes with a royal price tag to match. You can easily picture The Queen sat listening to the racing programme next to a Roberts. Classic it may be, but the huge range of colours and finishes available has placed it firmly in the modern world. Choose from 19 finishes, including pastel pink, orange, red, green, wood, leathercloth and the trim most suited to Her Majesty – leather. The controls are straightforward to operate: three band buttons, a tuning dial and a volume control on the top, and the radio runs off either one large PP9 square battery or the mains. The sound quality is top-notch and the aerial picks up all stations clearly. Gadget lovers might find the controls too basic, but there’s something a little bit special about a classic Roberts. Verdict For those with traditional tastes, this Roberts is a must-have touring accessory.

Freeplay Ranger
Price £44.99
Tel 0116 234 4601
Website Click Here
Bands FM, AM
Who needs batteries when you’ve got the sun? Freeplay was the first company to develop self-sufficient electronics after Trevor Bayliss first invented the clockwork radio in 1996, but the addition of the solar panel takes the technology further. This compact radio runs off a built-in solar panel in daylight hours (even on overcast days) and can be wound up for nocturnal entertainment. Two minutes of winding gives enough power to last at least an hour, and it works out cheaper long term, because you won’t keep having to replace the batteries. This model comes with a blue or pink outer shell, and is tough enough to take the odd knock while in transport. The broad body means those with larger hands will find winding easier, but music can sounds a bit tinny. Verdict Clever little radio for those who aren’t too fussed by sound quality.

Lexon Tykho
Price £49.95
Tel 01372 370780
Website Click Here
Bands FM, AM
Fun yet functional, this funky little radio is a study in minimalist design. It has even graced the cover of Time magazine and has featured in modern art exhibitions all over the world. The casing is made from soft, moulded rubber, as are the switches and the speaker. But there’s substance as well as style here. The Tykho tunes in well to stations and reaches high enough volumes to be heard over the caravan shower, although the small speaker lends itself more to spoken broadcasts than music. It runs off four AA batteries with no option of connecting to the mains, and comes in dark blue, bright lime and aluminium. Verdict It’s small enough to find a home in a compact caravan space, and the rubber casing will protect it from hard knocks during travelling.

Tivoli Portable Audio Laboratory
Price £129.99
Tel 01702 601410
Website Click Here
Bands FM, AM
This boxy little machine’s controls have been pared down to the bare essentials but the sound quality is excellent. Another good idea is the innovative approach to battery power – it charges up like a mobile phone when plugged in, after which it can run off its own power for around 24 hours. In addition, it has a headphone output socket, and an auxiliary input socket so you can plug in portable stereos or CD players and take advantage of the speaker’s excellent quality. The weather-resistant coating will shrug off splashes and will easily put up with being shaken around in transit. And to match your kitchen units or three-piece suite, the Portable Audio Laboratory comes in a range of shades: blue, green and neon yellow. Verdict The Portable Audio Laboratory experiments with compact simplicity, but the high price could be off-putting to some.

Pure Evoke-1
Price £99.99
Tel 01923 260511
Website Click Here
Bands Digital Audio Broadcasting
This is the unit that first brought digital radio technology below the £100 mark (just). It does the job well, and with style – the new technology is extremely easy to use. A scroll button lets you flip through all of the different stations available in alphabetical order, and a quick press on the button selects your station. It tunes precisely, with no static, and excellent sound quality. The Pure Evoke-1 is furnished in a maple wood casing and a brushed steel front. This particular model only runs off the mains, something which might prove inconvenient while touring, but the next model up, the Pure Evoke-2, can take battery power – although this model is costly at £159.99. The latter rightly won the Best Buy award in sister-title What Hi-Fi’s 2002-2003 awards. Verdict An award-winning design that is sadly stymied for caravanners by its need for mains power.

Freeplay Summit
Price £60
Tel 0116 234 4601
Website Click Here
Bands FM, MW, SW, LW
This stylish radio runs on self-supplied power. It combines all the things you might expect from Freeplay such as a wind-up mechanism and solar panels, plus four wave bands, time display, an alarm facility and very good sound quality. The rubber trim and angular shape make it comfortable to hold and wind, and there’s a small light to show you when you’re winding at optimum speed. Left in the sunshine, the solar panels will charge the radio even when it’s switched off, storing energy for later use. The Summit has a station search facility, but it can be over-ruled if you’re in an area where signals are weak. A seven metre shortwave antenna can be wound out of its case for those times when you’re stuck out in the back of beyond. Verdict This model is ideal for lo-fi entertainment on a remote CL or CS.

Bush TR2003 DAB
Price £99.99
Tel 0870 873 0079
Website Click Here
Bands Digital Audio Broadcasting
The sound quality of this radio is excellent, and offers the easy tuning of digital technology – you can scroll through stations or programme them into your preset buttons with ease. It can also be switched to the old, analogue FM mode, which is useful if you’re travelling to parts of Britain that don’t yet have digital radio coverage. This model also keeps accurate time through the signals received over the digital airwaves. On the down side, the power switch is annoyingly positioned on the edge of the radio, away from the other controls, and the LED display is on the top – not the most user-friendly position. The power consumption can be rather high, as it demands a greedy six C-size batteries. Verdict This radio provides the best of analogue and digital worlds. It’s rather energy-hungry, though.