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| Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Silver |
 Currently viewing: Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Silver Compare prices for Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Silver Affiliate Program |
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| Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Silver |
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Currently viewing: Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Silver Compare prices for Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Silver Affiliate Program |
| Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Silver |
Power When You Need It At the heart of all of Etón's emergency radios, including the FR300, is an internal generator that recharges the internal Ni-MH battery pack and powers the radio, siren, and light. Also, by plugging your cell phone into the jack on the back of the radio, you can use the crank to power your phone. In our test, after draining our cell phone of power, we recharged it using the FR300 enough to make a few calls. The rate of cell phone recharging will vary greatly depending on the cell phone and the state of its battery, but the FR300 can provide your compatible p! hone with power in a pinch. Important Note: Until this year, Etón provided a package of several different cell phone adapter tips with every radio. In 2007, Etón began instead including a coupon for a free adapter for whatever phone you have. So, the first thing you want to do when you get the radio is fill out the card with your cell phone's make and model and send it in to make sure you have your adapter. According to the product manual, to achieve 40 to 60 minutes of uninterrupted power to the radio, you must turn the crank at a rate of two revolutions per second for 90 seconds. In our test, after our initial 90 seconds of rigorous cranking, the FR300 powered right up and was still going strong with radio reception after an hour. At the hour mark, we briefly turned the flashlight on, and that too was at full force, with no perceivable drain on radio reception. In fact, the FR300 was still going strong over 75 minutes after we recharged t! he battery pack. The FR300 can also be powered via an AC adapt! er which , to our dismay, is not included, or from three AA batteries, also not included. The dynamo crank tucks itself nicely into the side of the radio and offers little resistance as you turn the handle. (Don't let the cranking requirements frighten you! While it's true that a full 90 seconds of turning the crank can be tiring and may not be for everyone, we were able to recharge the radio with less than a minute of cranking and achieved over 40 minutes of continuous power.) Design and Controls At slightly more than a pound in weight, and with dimensions of 6.5 x 6.00 x 2.5 inches (WxHxD), the FR300 is made to be tucked neatly into its handy nylon carrying case, and stored in an emergency box, or packed neatly for a camping trip. A white LED light is set on the front of the radio, just to the side of the analog tuner. The light is designed to help you down an unlit stairwell or enclosed hallway in a pinch, but it is not directed or strong enough to help you much in a pitch-black forest or other open area. The FR300 also includes a red flash! ing LED light that can be used as a distress signal. The radio and light can be operated simultaneously, though of course at the expense of power.
The FR300 includes a handy strap on the top of the radio for easy carrying, and the tuning and volume knobs are set to the side. The mechanical controls are extremely visible and easy to use. The volume control is a bit difficult to finesse, while the tuning knob, which features a smaller concentric fine-tuning control knob, is much easier. An earphone jack is set into the back, and the telescoping antenna tucks neatly behind the handle strap. The radio's 2.5-inch speaker is set directly in front and offers reasonable audio quality and surprising power for the radio's purpose. The tuner itself is self-illuminated, though in a darkened environment it is still difficult to pick out the bands. Tuning and Bands The FR300 offers AM/FM reception as well as 7 NOAA weather channels and a weather alert, and TV-VHF audio reception for channels 2 - 13. As was the case with all of the Etón emergency radios we tested, our AM reception was outstanding; we were quickly able to tune into every station we searched for. Reception for FM was also very good, though there was some extra fine-tuning on some of the stations. Because weather broadcasts are based on VHF, line-of-sight channels, and because we are slightly out of range of the nearest weather transmitter in our region, we were not able to test the weat! her reception of the FR300. Television reception, happily, was quite another story. Though some channels took some finessing of the tuner before we were able to hone in on a strong signal, most of the reception was loud and clear. In fact, we listened to the first half of the Academy Awards while preparing dinner, so we didn't miss a single presentation. It became clear during our testing that the FR300 is an emergency radio with several outstanding and potentially life-saving features, including its emergency siren and lighting, and particularly its self-charging functionality. So if you're in the market for an economical emergency radio, the Etón FR300 more than fits the bill. Designer Colors The images shown here display the 'Metallic Red' version of the FR300, but you have a wide array of colors to choose from.
Pros
What's in the Box FR300 radio, mail-in coupon for cell phone charging adapters, nylon carrying case, and owner's manual Average Rating:
 Rating: - Pretty GoodI expected to have the TV channels but I guess they may have changed to product due to the conversion to digital broadcasting. I really wanted the cell phone charger which you send for after designating your cell make and model. Rating:  - Works GreatThis product works great! Twice this summer we were alerted of tornadoes in our area and we had time to get to the basement for safety. The product is easy to use but I wish it would come with the AC adapter instead of having to order it seperately. I just bought one for my parents who just went through the hurricane in Texas and had no way to get emergency reports once the power went down. Rating:  - A quirky variant on the Grundig FR-200This is the Eton FR-300, which is actually a slightly modified variant of the Grundig FR-200. The only reason I bought the 300 is because my local Radio Shack was out of the FR-200 (aside: I wanted to get a 2nd one for my garage - the other being in the laundry room). Anyway, I decided to roll the dice and see if the it was significantly better. Unfortunately, it isn't. THE GOOD: * Sound quality: Although mono, it's adequate. * Battery life: The unit uses three AA batteries, plus a small plasti-sealed NiCad pack (about the size of an olive) for the recharge crank. I've been able to run the radio for an hour or two each day, for several weeks, before having to change the AA's. {BTW, I use Tenergy 2600 miliamphr NiMHi AA's in this, and they work great}. I rarely use the crank-driven NiCad, but it's runtime is rather modest - 90 sec of cranking yeilds around 60-75 mins of listening ... at a very modest volume. * Portability is good. THE MEDIOCRE: * TUNING: {minus 1 star) The pre-printed plastic frequency indicator on mine is better aligned than the one on the Grundig FR-200 I own, but it's still rather innacurate, and the tuner's performance is underwhelming - unable to tune in all but the most powerful of my local stations, and unable to prevent nearby station frequencys to bleed into each other. I'd happily have paid 2-3x as much for a comparable radio with a digital tuner and a minimal LCD readout ... which would ... Read More Rating: - It does the jobThere are already some great reviews here, so I will keep this relatively short. Bottom line: The radio works well and does what it says it does. This being the case, I'm giving it 5 stars. I have read and appreciate some of the more negative reviews. Some of the points made are valid while others are misinformed as some commentators have noted. For me, all I can say is that the day after I received the radio from Amazon, our power went out for the first time in four years. Now, living in southern California, this is not what I would consider an emergency. However, the power was out for a few hours, it was late in the evening, eery, and boring. After setting up my emergency lighting, I basically got to sit around until I remembered I had this radio. I say THIS radio because, I have others, but I never use them because where I live, in the midst of canyons and hills, I have yet to find a radio that got any channels worth listening to. Anyways, I turned it on and tuned it in and, to my surprise, I was getting virtually every channel that I listen to in my car, on this radio. That was exciting for me, not least because now I can listen to my Angel's game on the radio in the house. : ) Suffice it to say that I was pleased. As for the other features, here is my two cents. The light works fine, but you should have other lights in your kit anyways. the strobe is probably useless, but you should have another strobe in your ... Read More Rating: - Very handy during Hurricane Ike and afterI'm so happy I got this before the hurricane, and it came through like a trouper. After losing power at the height of the storm (in Houston), this little baby has been our lifeline to the outside world. Great reception and lasting power. I'm buying another one for the hurricane kit. Browse for similar items by category: |
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