Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Red,FR300R,750254800535,B000FTLCZI,

Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Red
from Eton

List Price $70.00

Our Price $49.99

You Save $20.01 (29%)
Prices subject to change.

Eligible for FREE Shipping See details

Availability Usually ships in 24 hours

Marketplace New from $39.00

Product Details

Batteries 3 AA
Brand Eton
Color Red
EAN 0750254800535
Manufacturer Eton
Model FR300R
UPC 750254800535
Variation Description Red
Availability Usually ships in 24 hours

Features

Emergency Hand-Crank Power Generator
Built-in Cell Phone Charger, Flashlight, and Emergency Siren
AM/FM/TV-VHF/NOAA
Rechargeable battery pack provides reliable, renewable, internal power for everyday use
Stereo headphone jack

Product Description

This all-in-one unit et?n FR300 offers functionality and versatility that makes it ideal for emergencies. The FR300 provides you with radio, light, and cell phone battery life when you need it most. The Hand-Crank Power Generator charges the internal rechargeable Ni-MH battery pack - and just 90 seconds of cranking provides up to an hour of radio play. With the NOAA weather channels and TV VHF channels, you can find weather forecasts or listen to TV shows when you're away from the set.

With a dependable hand-crank power generator that powers the unit's AM/FM/TV/Weather radio, built-in LED flashlight, cell phone charger and emergency siren, the lightweight and portable Etón FR300 is an excellent and economical choice for anyone in the market for a radio that can be relied on in emergencies or in environments where there are limited power sources.

	FR250	FR300	FR400
Hand crank
Cell phone charger
Emergency lights
Siren
AC adapter included
Water resistant
Tuning	AM/FM, SW	AM/FM, TV-VHF, NOAA weather	AM/FM, TV-VHF, NOAA weather
Size (inches, WxDxH)	6.5 x 2.5 x 6	6.5 x 2.5 x 6	8.75 x 2.25 x 4.5
Weight	1 lb. 3 oz.	1 lb. 4 oz.	1 lb. 4 oz.
Power	Crank, 3 AA, NiMH battery, AC	Crank, 3 AA, NiMH battery, AC	Crank, 3 AA, NiMH battery, AC

If you want a water-resistant radio, check out the FR 400.

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 phone 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 the battery pack. The FR300 can also be powered via an AC adapter 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 flashing 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 large tuning knob and other controls make the FR300 a breeze to use. View larger.

The hand crank generator tucks neatly into the rear panel. View larger.

An emergency light is located next to the tuning dial. View larger.

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 weather 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

Compact and lightweight; ideal for emergencies or travel
Clearly laid out functions and controls
Excellent internal power generator; handy cell-phone charger

Cons

Tuning dial could be better illuminated for darkened environments
Should include an AC adapter

What's in the Box
FR300 radio, mail-in coupon for cell phone charging adapters, nylon carrying case, and owner's manual

This all-in-one unit offers functionality and versatility that makes it ideal for emergencies. The FR300 provides you with radio, light, and cell phone battery life when you need it most. The Hand-Crank Power Generator charges the internal rechargeable Ni-MH battery pack and just 90 seconds of cranking provides up to an hour of radio play. With the NOAA Weather Channels and TV VHF channels, find forecasts or catch TV shows when you're away from the set.

Customers who bought this item also bought

Customer Reviews for: Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Red

Rating

- Works Great
This 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-200
This 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 ... Read More

Rating

- It does the job
There 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 ... Read More

see more reviews

See More Eton products

Electronics : Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Red