▶ The Midland ER40 at Amazon: amzn.to/3NoGjz8 (paid link) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you. ▶ The Midland ER50 at eBay: bit.ly/MidlandER50 (paid link) As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase. There are no additional costs to you.
I’ve been researching emergency radio’s for a couple of days watching all kinds of review videos which is exhausting. Had to do some shopping at Walmart and found this one ER50. Said to myself, “What the heck”. Took it home and it works. It will do what I need it for and I like the size. Compact to fit in a pack. Flashlight works very well. Reception works well and a good speaker for its size. We live in the central states so tornados is pretty much why I’m getting it for when we loose power at least we can stay in the know.
We all, grew up in a world where, batteries are not included, with all electronic devices. It is nice to see a manufacturer give the consumer, added value, by including a battery.
Glad you got on the bandwagon, Todd. I think I’ll stick with its predecessor for the meantime. I don’t see enough improvements to warrant me buying a new one. Though I like the sharper, larger LCD, and the telescopic antenna in the traditional spot. Thanks for the review.
Got one at Walmart a couple months ago in celebration of yellow radio day: haha! Yesterday they cancelled my work day after I’d started it extra early due to Hurricane Debby. Went home and got out my weather radios and charged them all up. Decided the Midland was the “go to” radio for weather alerts. The first time it went off we all jumped! The siren sounded loudly and the light feature flashed. I tapped the “on” button and it came on with the alert. It came on several times and I kept the alert feature on for over ten hours and the battery charged never went down one bar. It’s a great weather radio and very useful in a prolonged emergency with the dynamo charging and changeable 13650 battery.
I am always so impressed when folks knows the whole MW band in the and when at the seasons. There are a couple of guys I follow that know stuff like that. Badass.
I've been lugging one of these around with me as I'm traveling cross country by bicycle. I was very curious about the AM reception, because mine barely works at all regardless of location or time of day or night. Aside from that, I am happy with this product.
@@todderbert I Forgot to Mention Sometimes on WB or AM I believe FM too sometimes poorly reception can improve on time i received KXI-56 From Austin/San Antonio on WB while i was in Zapata TX even Collage Station WB KEC56/55 (Dallas Forth Worth) which is out of the 40 or 50 Mile Radius its pretty rare it only occurs on Certain Days. The Best Hotspots of Time is basically 8PM-12AM and 12AM-11AM
Thanks, Todderbert, as the Midland ER50 appears to be quite a functional AM/FM/NOAA with relatively good FM & AM reception! Overall the Midland ER50 on the surface seems like a very practical radio to own! Thanks, Todderbert...
Thanks for showing me the weather alert station selection in wax menu. I may be able to choose another band that won’t awaken me early hours of morning and getting a nautical wind alert of 41 mph. I will try to get a local channel. I also added phone number of Midland help an hours for any further questions.
As of this year (2024) the ER210 has all those features in its 2nd generation version (ER210 E+Ready); the first gen had the diff batteries and "the cheaper solar panel version" as you mentioned. Though the flashlight is still more of a pointed beam, it is warmer now (I think). The antenna also still slides out of the body and doesn't store externally or pivot, though. A remaining difference is that the ER50 (technically the ER50 E+Ready) still has the larger LCD display. For me, I prefer a smaller display as I'm listening more than reading. I also prefer the larger, solid handle on the 210 over the wrist lanyard. Both are excellent, it just depends on how big of a screen you want. The 2nd gen ER210 was also the same price as both the ER40 and ER50 on Midland's website, so I went with the 210 and it fits my needs well.
As always you have very thorough videos. Besides what a radio does I like to hear what it does not do; it is important on radios that a person might depend on for safety such as NOAA emergency radios....I know you are aware that some do not send alerts when you listen to am/fm. You did mention it on this video...also some will not allow to plug into a wall outlet. I spend lots of time researching and it is verytime-consumingg because I am aware of features needed and they do not say if it does not have it. I have been pending hours and hours to find a pocket or even a small compact radio that has the features I want that includes S.A.M.E. I am about to give up and settle for a small radio without S.A.M.E. It looks like the ER50 could be a ER310 replacement. It does have a better battery setup than the 310. I returned the Sangean DT800 and the C Crane will not let you listen to the radio and let the alerts come through. I also do not like that I have to set X hours for the alerts.....Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you
You could get a Sangean DT-400W, I believe it will let you listen to the radio while the Alert mode is active. The Sangean MMR-88 also works this way. I love that radio.
My flashlight lens cracked after a drop on my kitchen floor. It also feels a little cheaper than the er210. Do like the bigger screen, the wider flashlight, and the new look. The buttons also are in a nice position but the fact that I cracked the lens on accident from a pocket hight drop concerns me. Er210 and er50 are both good radios though. Just be careful and don't drop this.
I purchased this radio at Walmart and the AM/FM radio is not picking any signals at all. All I hear is static for all local known stations on both of the bands. I am going to return it for a replacement and hopefully the new one will work. AM/FM bands are a must. WX is working just fine. Anyone else have this problem? Thanks for the review! 🏆
You mentioned that the Alert mode will turn on the radio if there's an alert, but mine actually turned on a siren that was really annoying and loud. Is there a way to have it just turn on the radio? I dont really need to be woken up in the middle of the night with a piercing siren.
Yes, I went and tried out this radio on my bike 🚴 ride. No better reception. Have to hold it in a certain direction, making the bike ride more difficult. Could use the telescopic antenna, but I’m afraid 😧 I’ll break it off. Yes, I do have the USB charging cable. I happened to drop it on my bed, overlooking it. I still credit this radio for the features it has. The telescopic antenna, solar panel, and backlight. It also has a lanyard for easy carrying. The radio isn’t junk, I simply have to get used to it. I still don’t get NPR, even in the middle of the desert 🏜. Like 👍 I was saying yesterday in my comment, this radio isn’t a station 🚉 magnet 🧲. This could be different in a big city 🏙, rather than a fringe area. Your friend, Jeff.
Hej Todderbert thanks for the video thought it had a decent sound no monster sound but, good sound for a small portable emergency radio. I do not own a Midland radio so it would be fun to have one in my radio collection take care.
WARNING: I followed the advice of this reviewer and bought the Orbtronic Li-on battery. It does not work in my new ER40. Although they are visually indistinguishable, and on close inspection almost identical, I think there must be an important difference between the Model 3500 battery, which I bought, and the one shown in this video, the Model 3500P. I wish this distinction had been made plain in the video; it would have saved me some money. I just ordered the 3500P, which I hope will work. In the first order, I also bought a USB charger from Orbtronic and it's really slick! 🙂
@@todderbert As can be seen at 11:28, the Orbtronic battery in this video is the Model ORB3500P. Although they are otherwise indistinguishable, there is a slight physical difference between the two batteries. The ORB3500P has the small, protruding bump on the positive end; the ORB3500 does not--it's surface is flat. Whether or not this is relevant to the incompatibility of the ORB3500 and my new ER40, I don't know. I would be interested to know if anyone has an ER40 that is compatible with the ORB3500. Of course, it's always possible that the problem is isolated to my unit, which functions perfectly with the proprietary Midland battery, but this seems unlikely. Stay tuned for an update--I should receive the ORB3500P any day now. When I do, I'll be able to test with the same battery used in this video.
@@larsthorwald3338 P stands for Protected which has a button top end on the Positive terminal, just as the original Midland one does. It also makes the battery longer with the extra protection circuitry. Your new battery should work great.
@@todderbert UPDATE: Thanks. The "protected" 3500P batteries just arrived and are now juicing up in the Orbtronic charger. Full charge takes a few hours via USB, but I'll post as soon as they're topped off and I slip one into the ER40. This is exciting! hahaha
FINAL UPDATE: Sweet! The "protected" Model ORB3500P battery works! So, it looks like ER40 owners who want to do the Orbtronic battery upgrade should make sure to buy the Model ORB3500P, and NOT the ORB3500. ...happy! Thanks for the review. I really like my Midland ER40!
I have the ER210. Very pleased with it for weather alerts on road trips. QUESTION: WIll someone please tell me what the weather alert/alarm sounds like. I was driving down the highway - the radio was in the back of my van, and a strange whooooo whoooooo sliding up the scale and down the scale went off for a minute or more. VERY LOUD. Scared the life out of me. THen it finally stopped on its own. I wasn't sure what that was. Is that my emergency radio going off????
That is the er210s alert siren for weather alerts. If there wasn't any storms the radio either activated for the weekly test which is usually some time every Wednesday or the radio could have activated falsely which is decently common with that model.
The only bad thing about this thing is if you turn it off and leave it on weather alert it will run the battery down in 3 or 4 days! It does not come with a charger,just a Micro USB Charging Cable. To charge you have to plug it in to a USB on your computer,power strip or USB charger block. I had an old cellphone charger with the right Micro USB plug on it that works for me.I have to leave it plugged in when it is on weather alert. It came with a 2600Mah battery but I put a 3500Mah so it can run longer!😁😁😁
I read through the comments and noticed that you said there wasn't a difference between ER40 & ER50... but which one came out first. Why the name change? Something must be different...😂
▶ The Midland ER40 at Amazon: amzn.to/3NoGjz8
(paid link) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you.
▶ The Midland ER50 at eBay: bit.ly/MidlandER50
(paid link) As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase. There are no additional costs to you.
I’ve been researching emergency radio’s for a couple of days watching all kinds of review videos which is exhausting. Had to do some shopping at Walmart and found this one ER50. Said to myself, “What the heck”. Took it home and it works. It will do what I need it for and I like the size. Compact to fit in a pack. Flashlight works very well. Reception works well and a good speaker for its size. We live in the central states so tornados is pretty much why I’m getting it for when we loose power at least we can stay in the know.
We all, grew up in a world where, batteries are not included, with all electronic devices.
It is nice to see a manufacturer give the consumer, added value, by including a battery.
Glad you got on the bandwagon, Todd. I think I’ll stick with its predecessor for the meantime. I don’t see enough improvements to warrant me buying a new one. Though I like the sharper, larger LCD, and the telescopic antenna in the traditional spot. Thanks for the review.
Got one at Walmart a couple months ago in celebration of yellow radio day: haha! Yesterday they cancelled my work day after I’d started it extra early due to Hurricane Debby. Went home and got out my weather radios and charged them all up. Decided the Midland was the “go to” radio for weather alerts. The first time it went off we all jumped! The siren sounded loudly and the light feature flashed. I tapped the “on” button and it came on with the alert. It came on several times and I kept the alert feature on for over ten hours and the battery charged never went down one bar. It’s a great weather radio and very useful in a prolonged emergency with the dynamo charging and changeable 13650 battery.
I am always so impressed when folks knows the whole MW band in the and when at the seasons.
There are a couple of guys I follow that know stuff like that. Badass.
The king of radios and love this. Just bought this myself because of recent weather disasters lately.
For when the storm come.. Maybe I'll see some beautiful snow bunnies running around..
Thanks for another great review Todd, love the Midland weather radios!
I've been lugging one of these around with me as I'm traveling cross country by bicycle. I was very curious about the AM reception, because mine barely works at all regardless of location or time of day or night.
Aside from that, I am happy with this product.
The AM Band isn't fantastic. I use it for locals only.
@@todderbert I Forgot to Mention Sometimes on WB or AM I believe FM too sometimes poorly reception can improve on time i received KXI-56 From Austin/San Antonio on WB while i was in Zapata TX even Collage Station WB KEC56/55 (Dallas Forth Worth) which is out of the 40 or 50 Mile Radius its pretty rare it only occurs on Certain Days. The Best Hotspots of Time is basically 8PM-12AM and 12AM-11AM
Thanks, Todderbert, as the Midland ER50 appears to be quite a functional AM/FM/NOAA with relatively good FM & AM reception! Overall the Midland ER50 on the surface seems like a very practical radio to own! Thanks, Todderbert...
Great review Todderbert. You can't go wrong with either the ER50 or ER210. The AM band seems to be their biggest flaw. Midland needs to work on that.
I enjoyed your review as well! Midland makes a decent emergency radio that I would recommend to any family.
@@todderbert Thank you.
Thanks for showing me the weather alert station selection in wax menu. I may be able to choose another band that won’t awaken me early hours of morning and getting a nautical wind alert of 41 mph. I will try to get a local channel. I also added phone number of Midland help an hours for any further questions.
As of this year (2024) the ER210 has all those features in its 2nd generation version (ER210 E+Ready); the first gen had the diff batteries and "the cheaper solar panel version" as you mentioned. Though the flashlight is still more of a pointed beam, it is warmer now (I think). The antenna also still slides out of the body and doesn't store externally or pivot, though. A remaining difference is that the ER50 (technically the ER50 E+Ready) still has the larger LCD display. For me, I prefer a smaller display as I'm listening more than reading. I also prefer the larger, solid handle on the 210 over the wrist lanyard. Both are excellent, it just depends on how big of a screen you want. The 2nd gen ER210 was also the same price as both the ER40 and ER50 on Midland's website, so I went with the 210 and it fits my needs well.
As always you have very thorough videos. Besides what a radio does I like to hear what it does not do; it is important on radios that a person might depend on for safety such as NOAA emergency radios....I know you are aware that some do not send alerts when you listen to am/fm. You did mention it on this video...also some will not allow to plug into a wall outlet. I spend lots of time researching and it is verytime-consumingg because I am aware of features needed and they do not say if it does not have it. I have been pending hours and hours to find a pocket or even a small compact radio that has the features I want that includes S.A.M.E. I am about to give up and settle for a small radio without S.A.M.E. It looks like the ER50 could be a ER310 replacement. It does have a better battery setup than the 310. I returned the Sangean DT800 and the C Crane will not let you listen to the radio and let the alerts come through. I also do not like that I have to set X hours for the alerts.....Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you
You could get a Sangean DT-400W, I believe it will let you listen to the radio while the Alert mode is active. The Sangean MMR-88 also works this way. I love that radio.
@@todderbert Thank you...I thought the DT-800 was an improved DT-400 I will check it and the MMR-88
Just got mine yesterday from ebay for $16.50 brand new. Won the bid! Ha! I like it.
Can you use the radio by just cranking it without the battery in it ?
A solid, thorough review. Thanks.
Thanks for helping to make my decision, just bought one for $30.👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
My flashlight lens cracked after a drop on my kitchen floor. It also feels a little cheaper than the er210. Do like the bigger screen, the wider flashlight, and the new look. The buttons also are in a nice position but the fact that I cracked the lens on accident from a pocket hight drop concerns me. Er210 and er50 are both good radios though. Just be careful and don't drop this.
Good ol' Midland
This looks like the real deal.
Yeah I wouldn't charge anything with it, but I would throw this into the car for sure!
I purchased this radio at Walmart and the AM/FM radio is not picking any signals at all. All I hear is static for all local known stations on both of the bands. I am going to return it for a replacement and hopefully the new one will work. AM/FM bands are a must. WX is working just fine. Anyone else have this problem? Thanks for the review! 🏆
Odd, may have been a dud, My Midland rocks the FM. Don't expect much on the AM band unless it is a powerful local station.
@@todderbert Headed to Walmart for a replacement now. 😎👍
@@todderbert It was defective. The new radio works like a charm! 🏆
@@texasstealthcamper8139mine worked just fine, but recently has not worked on the AM or FM bands.😢
You mentioned that the Alert mode will turn on the radio if there's an alert, but mine actually turned on a siren that was really annoying and loud. Is there a way to have it just turn on the radio? I dont really need to be woken up in the middle of the night with a piercing siren.
suppose to run the siren, then it turns on the radio. no other mode to just turn on the radio w/o siren after looking over the manual.
You forgot to mention that if charging an external device, you cannot listen to a radio band.
Yes, I went and tried out this radio on my bike 🚴 ride. No better reception. Have to hold it in a certain direction, making the bike ride more difficult. Could use the telescopic antenna, but I’m afraid 😧 I’ll break it off. Yes, I do have the USB charging cable. I happened to drop it on my bed, overlooking it. I still credit this radio for the features it has. The telescopic antenna, solar panel, and backlight. It also has a lanyard for easy carrying. The radio isn’t junk, I simply have to get used to it. I still don’t get NPR, even in the middle of the desert 🏜. Like 👍 I was saying yesterday in my comment, this radio isn’t a station 🚉 magnet 🧲. This could be different in a big city 🏙, rather than a fringe area. Your friend, Jeff.
Hej Todderbert thanks for the video thought it had a decent sound no monster sound but, good sound for a small portable emergency radio. I do not own a Midland radio so it would be fun to have one in my radio collection take care.
Does it come with a keymod attachment?
Why did you do your AM bandscan with the antenna down?
So the ER50 is a newer and improved upon version of the ER210 ?
Thank you!!🙏🙏
Supposed to be, though I do like the 210's style :)
What is that product that looks like connected to a Sony Walkman at 13:56 ?
C.Crane FM Transmitter 2.
Is the 18650 cell swappable? By the way, it sounds🎉like y'all got great variety of radio stations. 😂
Had a 1st generation unit for a number of years till the usb connector went to pot. May try again.
Creepy house with lightning sure gets the point across though. Anyone who could see that would definitely know it’s for emergencies.
The Midland website no longer shows this radio model. Instead it shows an ER40 model instead.
Yeah, not sure what they changed, it looks identical.
They now have the ER40 and ER50 E+Ready--not sure the diff yet.
WARNING: I followed the advice of this reviewer and bought the Orbtronic Li-on battery. It does not work in my new ER40. Although they are visually indistinguishable, and on close inspection almost identical, I think there must be an important difference between the Model 3500 battery, which I bought, and the one shown in this video, the Model 3500P. I wish this distinction had been made plain in the video; it would have saved me some money. I just ordered the 3500P, which I hope will work. In the first order, I also bought a USB charger from Orbtronic and it's really slick! 🙂
My Orbtronic 3500 works just fine in my ER50, the only thing they seemed to change on the ER40 is the name: imgur.com/lZIUCVb
@@todderbert As can be seen at 11:28, the Orbtronic battery in this video is the Model ORB3500P. Although they are otherwise indistinguishable, there is a slight physical difference between the two batteries. The ORB3500P has the small, protruding bump on the positive end; the ORB3500 does not--it's surface is flat. Whether or not this is relevant to the incompatibility of the ORB3500 and my new ER40, I don't know. I would be interested to know if anyone has an ER40 that is compatible with the ORB3500. Of course, it's always possible that the problem is isolated to my unit, which functions perfectly with the proprietary Midland battery, but this seems unlikely. Stay tuned for an update--I should receive the ORB3500P any day now. When I do, I'll be able to test with the same battery used in this video.
@@larsthorwald3338 P stands for Protected which has a button top end on the Positive terminal, just as the original Midland one does. It also makes the battery longer with the extra protection circuitry. Your new battery should work great.
@@todderbert UPDATE: Thanks. The "protected" 3500P batteries just arrived and are now juicing up in the Orbtronic charger. Full charge takes a few hours via USB, but I'll post as soon as they're topped off and I slip one into the ER40. This is exciting! hahaha
FINAL UPDATE: Sweet! The "protected" Model ORB3500P battery works! So, it looks like ER40 owners who want to do the Orbtronic battery upgrade should make sure to buy the Model ORB3500P, and NOT the ORB3500. ...happy! Thanks for the review. I really like my Midland ER40!
I have the ER210. Very pleased with it for weather alerts on road trips. QUESTION: WIll someone please tell me what the weather alert/alarm sounds like. I was driving down the highway - the radio was in the back of my van, and a strange whooooo whoooooo sliding up the scale and down the scale went off for a minute or more. VERY LOUD. Scared the life out of me. THen it finally stopped on its own. I wasn't sure what that was. Is that my emergency radio going off????
Sounds like the SOS function.
That is the er210s alert siren for weather alerts. If there wasn't any storms the radio either activated for the weekly test which is usually some time every Wednesday or the radio could have activated falsely which is decently common with that model.
Great review!!!!’
Can you use a regular AA batter? In case it dies during outage
18650 battery is cheap, and it uses in a lot of modern flashlights.
I will admit, I have not watched the video as I ask this question......Is this radio only battery operated?
Powered by an 18650 rechargeable battery. Dynamo Crank, and Solar Panel to keep it topped off.
The only bad thing about this thing is if you turn it off and leave it on weather alert it will run the battery down in 3 or 4 days! It does not come with a charger,just a Micro USB Charging Cable. To charge you have to plug it in to a USB on your computer,power strip or USB charger block. I had an old cellphone charger with the right Micro USB plug on it that works for me.I have to leave it plugged in when it is on weather alert. It came with a 2600Mah battery but I put a 3500Mah so it can run longer!😁😁😁
I read through the comments and noticed that you said there wasn't a difference between ER40 & ER50... but which one came out first. Why the name change? Something must be different...😂
Not sure what they did, but the ER50 came out first, than it disappeared and the ER40 was there with no tell tale differences.
@todderbert hmmm seems Amazon still has both versions... OK thanks for the reply
Features that could be Added or Improved on: Yellow
Please review Hidizs AP 80 MP3 player and fm radio
I saw one of them at Walmart
This doesn't have a place for traditional AA batteries ?
No spot for them. The entry level model runs on AAs only as well.
how long dose it charge for when you are charging it
Around Four Hours.
@@todderbert ok cool so do i use the usb cord
@@todderbert hey it works i got 3 bars instead of 2 bars
18:07 2 stations bleeding through on CH7
Loved it ❤️
I need this radio
i got ER50 can the alert be turn off
Yes. ua-cam.com/video/1YjXct3YHMk/v-deo.html
Got it for $30 at Walmart on Black Friday just in case I need it