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Technical Details
Color: Red (American Red Cross) | Size: Handheld
- AM (520-1710 KHz) & FM (87-108MHz) NOAA weatherband & 8211
- USB cell phone charger (USB cable not included) 3.5 mm headphone input Dimensions: 5.25& 8221
- Accessories: owner& 8217;s manual, warranty card Specifications subject to change
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Product Description
Color: Red (American Red Cross) | Size: Handheld
From the Manufacturer
Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power, and Cell Phone Charger
Product Description
Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power, and Cell Phone Charger
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
616 of 622 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Red (American Red Cross)|Size Name:Handheld
Weather radios are sort of a hobby of mine. There is just about no place I can go on my property that there isn't one within reach somewhere. Six different brands are represented presently by what I own, including a more expensive Eton that is not my best radio. This small, (and I mean small) new line from Eton is a whole new animal to be sure. Its controls and design are very user friendly. And the reception on all channels, including the weather, is very loud and clear. Its true that the dial numbers for the AM FM are very small as some other reviewers have mentioned and can make it hard to tune accurately. But that is something common, as well as for me expected in a radio so small. What sets this unit apart from all the others I own in my opinion is its price and solar power. It is without a doubt the cheapest weather radio I have come across that is solar powered. Big, small, or otherwise. Even though one has been able to buy solar powered calculators at discount stores for less than $10 for years now, for some reason the weather radio industry has treated solar power as something still high tech and to be appreciated only in their most expensive units. My only other solar powered radio cost me over $60. The only possible down side that I should mention about this radio is that it does not take batteries. It would have been nice if they included that option. But they didn't and its either the solar power or crank. This could be a very big negative for some folks who would feel comfortable knowing they could just stick some batteries in it if all else fails. Although 90% of the time the solar power is all you should ever need, if you will routinely keep this in a rather dark place, or happen to be lost out in the savage wilderness someplace with this radio in a continuous cloud cover, be ready to do a whole heap of crankin'. All in all, its finally nice to see a very reasonably priced unit that is solar powered and of a very quality build and design as well. I highly recommend the Eton for a portable unit that can be taken anywhere easily, powered effortlessly, and gives quality performance all in one package....
229 of 231 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Red (American Red Cross)|Size Name:Handheld
This radio is an excellent radio for the price. No, it is not a top-end emergency radio, but it should work rather well for anyone looking for a basic AM/FM/Weather radio with both a solar and hand-crank charging option. I purchased mine about a year ago and used it only occasionally for the first few months. Then I placed it on a shelf with limited light and there it sat for about six to eight months. About six weeks ago I dusted it off and it actually worked for about an hour or so with no hand-crank charging. Later that day I sat it in the front window where it would get plenty of direct sun light. A couple days later I picked it up from the window and have been using it a few hours each day since; some of those days it was used for more than six hours in the basement. I have not needed to crank it at all, but did crank charge it for about one minute total just while playing with it - for the record. Since then, I have been keeping it on the shelf out in the open where it is exposed to normal room daylight, no direct sunlight. The charging light does not light up in this setting, and I would not expect it to. I have occasionally taken it out on the front porch to sit a listen where there is direct sunlight, but only for about an hour or so each week. I really like the idea of not having to buy batteries, and the convenience of knowing I always have a charged radio.
The flashlight is minimal, but I would not expect more from an LED light source. I have my 6-D-Cell Mag light if I need a powerful (luxury) light source.
Tuning the radio is a bit sensitive and can be difficult to fine tune. I would consider this to be a SIGNIFICANT problem for an elderly person or anyone without the use of fine motor skills in their hands; but for me it is a minor hassle I am willing and able to deal with. I have considered getting the Eaton FR600 for its digital tuner. The reviews for that model suggest the battery life is pretty bad, so I have decided to wait for an improved model. For now, my FR160 is just fine. I would consider giving this 5-stars if the fine-tuning was much easier.
The USB charge does work, but know that it will not charge an iPhone 3Gs. This is more a problem/restriction of the iPhone 3Gs (a widely discussed complaint across the Internet for many-many generic charging devices) and is not because of the radio. Charging my old Samsung phone was not a problem.
The weather bands do pick up a signal, but to be absolutely honest, I have not used it much to provide any real opinion.
The hand-crank charger feels solid enough (I wouldn't abuse it) and tucks away securely when not used. I have found the manual crank-charger will provide about 25-30 minutes of radio time (at about 1/4 to 1/3 volume) for every minute of crank-charging. I average about 2 cranks per second or about 120 rotation per minute. Now I just count to 120 or so instead of watching the clock. This play-time per craink-time yeild has been very acceptable for me. After two minutes of crank-charging my hand does begins to tire a little, but just a little. If I leave the radio in a place with good direct sunlight when not using it, changing via the crank is never even needed.
In short, it works for what I want - a radio that that can be charged by sunlight or by hand-crank when absolutely necessary. If you want the construction and feature-set of a $100+ radio - buy a $100+ radio. But, for $30 (or less), I am pleased with the FR160.
The flashlight is minimal, but I would not expect more from an LED light source. I have my 6-D-Cell Mag light if I need a powerful (luxury) light source.
Tuning the radio is a bit sensitive and can be difficult to fine tune. I would consider this to be a SIGNIFICANT problem for an elderly person or anyone without the use of fine motor skills in their hands; but for me it is a minor hassle I am willing and able to deal with. I have considered getting the Eaton FR600 for its digital tuner. The reviews for that model suggest the battery life is pretty bad, so I have decided to wait for an improved model. For now, my FR160 is just fine. I would consider giving this 5-stars if the fine-tuning was much easier.
The USB charge does work, but know that it will not charge an iPhone 3Gs. This is more a problem/restriction of the iPhone 3Gs (a widely discussed complaint across the Internet for many-many generic charging devices) and is not because of the radio. Charging my old Samsung phone was not a problem.
The weather bands do pick up a signal, but to be absolutely honest, I have not used it much to provide any real opinion.
The hand-crank charger feels solid enough (I wouldn't abuse it) and tucks away securely when not used. I have found the manual crank-charger will provide about 25-30 minutes of radio time (at about 1/4 to 1/3 volume) for every minute of crank-charging. I average about 2 cranks per second or about 120 rotation per minute. Now I just count to 120 or so instead of watching the clock. This play-time per craink-time yeild has been very acceptable for me. After two minutes of crank-charging my hand does begins to tire a little, but just a little. If I leave the radio in a place with good direct sunlight when not using it, changing via the crank is never even needed.
In short, it works for what I want - a radio that that can be charged by sunlight or by hand-crank when absolutely necessary. If you want the construction and feature-set of a $100+ radio - buy a $100+ radio. But, for $30 (or less), I am pleased with the FR160.
116 of 120 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Red (American Red Cross)| Size Name:Handheld|Amazon Verified Purchase
The reasons this Eton-manufactured emergency radio is the ideal emergency radio are: 1) small, compact size, 2) shock-absorbing case, 3) sensitive AM/FM/NOAA Weather tuner picks up weak signals, 4) handy 3-LED flashlight on left-hand end of the radio's case, 5) Earphone jack under dust cover on the right-hand side of the case, 6) USB port under same dust cover on the right-hand side of the case, 7) All radio bands will run 4-5 hours at low volume on full charge of the internal NiMH battery, 8) Solar panel on top of the radio's case is strong enough to power the radio indefinitely (as long as the solar panel is 'seeing' daylight), 9) the internal NiMH can be re-charged via the solar panel during daylight hours, an external transformer or the hand-cranked dynamo. You get all of these features for the low price of $30, plus free 'Super Saver' shipping from Amazon.Com. You can pay a lot more for an emergency radio and get a whole lot less!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
terrific value for the cost
This is a great little radio for the price! I have used it several times already, and have been able to pull quite a few stations in that not even a larger radio I've owned for... Read more
Published 20 hours ago by meridwen
Help us, you are our only hope. You are the resistance
TRANSMISSION TIME: 2.14
YEAR: 2132
AUTHOR: CAPTAIN R.J. TUSCALOOSA OF 101 COMPANY
BASE: NAVAL AIR STATION HARBOR HICKEM
The rise came after the french... Read more
YEAR: 2132
AUTHOR: CAPTAIN R.J. TUSCALOOSA OF 101 COMPANY
BASE: NAVAL AIR STATION HARBOR HICKEM
The rise came after the french... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Captain R.J. Tuscaloosa of 101 Company
This works great!!!
My power went out last week-end for almost 3 days. I have put my weatherband radio in a sunny spot for about a month and this week-end I never had to crank the radio. Read more
Published 9 days ago by katisue
its a keeper
This item works as described. This is definitely replacing my current weather radio. The crank is much quieter than my previous hand crank radios I've had in the past. Read more
Published 15 days ago by DirtyDX
Love It
This radio is one of my favorite new toys and for the price you just cant go wrong. The reception is shockingly pretty good and I've only really been listening to AM. Read more
Published 16 days ago by SF Giants fan
Product is great Triple Net not so good
The Product is great but Triple Net, did not paid all of the postage due. So what I thought was a good deal was not. Makes me upset! You guys need to get it together!
Published 20 days ago by WayneJones
It is much smaller than I expected
Don't get me wrong - I am happy to add this to my emergency supply container - but I was surprised at how small it is. Hope it does all that it says it does.
Published 20 days ago by M. Faria
No electricity needed!!
This weather radio can go anywhere .. doesn't need charging .. throw it in the car or just leave at home .. a must have for the person on the go .. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Kathleen
emergency weather radio
convenient and easy to use. easy to store. clear reception and a lot of power with just a few cranks.
Published 28 days ago by Vera Brewer
Good radios for the price
I am very well pleased with these radios and are ideal in an emergency. The radios are very compact and easy to carry around and do not require any batteries as you can crank it up... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jerry L. Davis
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Color: Red (American Red Cross) | Size: Handheld
