Customer Reviews

American Red Cross FR350 Emergency Radio, White

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Eton's FR350 emergency radio provides a solid solution for folks who want to stock their emergency kits with a waterproof, feature-packed unit. Given that I use mine primarily for listening to baseball while doing yardwork, I haven't gotten much use out of the shortwave receiver, siren, flashlight, and cell phone charger, but it's nice to know they're there.
Radio reception on this unit is solid, and while the dial is not rigorously gradated by frequency the signals from individual stations tend to be so clear that finding the one you're after is usually no problem.
My only two complaints about the unit are the following: First, the hand-crank dynamo seems to give inconsistent charge to the batteries. Sometimes after the recommended 90 second crank I could listen to a whole game without recharging the unit, but other times, for no clear reason, the volume would die down and after just a couple of innings it would require another hand-cranking.
Second, the position of the flashlight switch is situated such that it can be easily turned on inadvertently, particularly when the unit is being cranked for a charge. The power drain from using the flashlight is significant, and while this only requires another round of hand-cranking (and subsequent turning off of the light), it is an annoying design feature that could have easily been moved elsewhere on the casing.
Those two flaws, though, are minor considering the overall performance I've experienced with the FR350, and based on my happiness with the unit, I can recommend it without hesitation.

Great concept and probably pretty good otherwise, but antenna is stiff and broke at base almost right out of the box. Our old plug in radio's antenna has held up close to 30 years. No excuse for one like this. Technology is not new; poor execution, weak materials, something.

Very disappointed in this radio. Perhaps in a city radio reception might be better but my first transistor radio (40 years ago) did better than this. I had to keep fiddling with the antenna to get Maine Public Radio to come in. Perhaps you have an extra kid to assign to antenna duty, but mine have grown up. The siren switch looks just like the radio on/off switch, so watch what you're doing or you'll get blasted. I've yet to get close to 40 minutes using the crank charge. Perhaps that is due to being further from the city as well. The product description was right on the nail about the shortwave reception though, with "Shortwave reception inconsistent"

What a waste of $60.

I thought I would love to have this radio for emergencies. It is a huge frustration. I cut my finger trying to pry open the battery compartment. My husband had to use a knife to open it. Poor quality AM and FM, and forget about shortwave. For emergency use, I want a good radio that is not a source of frustration.

This is a solid unit! The case is not brittle, shiny plastic but a dense, rubbery material that should be able to take some punishment. Handle the antenna and dynamo crank carefully and this radio should last a long time.

Night time AM reception is stellar. The tuning display is narrow, as it must be in such a small radio. But the tuning knob is very tight, and with a steady hand and a little patience you can tune between two adjacent stations. From western Georgia I could clearly hear either 1110 WBT from Charlotte or 1120 KMOX from St. Louis!

FM performs as well as could be hoped for a small, single-speaker radio. Sounds great over headphones, too. The shortwave will bring in strong signals, but this is not a DX machine. If you have no interest in shortwave you can choose this unit that will deliver National Weather Service broadcasts instead: Eton American Red Cross FR405 Emergency Radio, White

There seems to be some confusion about the cell phone charging cable. The unit I purchased came with a postcard to register the product. When you do so Eton promises to mail you the charging cable and correct adaptor for your cell phone brand. This registration can also be done at their internet site.

It's nice that Eton also provides a carrying case for ths radio. The zipper pouch on the case will enable you to keep the cell phone charging cable and adaptor at hand. While the plastic clip and shoulder strap on the case don't look too sturdy, it will serve to keep the dust off if you store this radio for a while. Although I don't think mine will have time to get dusty! This light weight unit does everything I want it to do. It could become my primary indoor radio.

31 January 20009 - Second Impressions

The switch controlling the light is easy to nudge into the "on" position. The white flashlight seems to drain the battery quickly. Be careful when storing the radio not to bump the switch and turn the light on, or the unit will be drained when you next use it. Take particular care if you store the unit in the carrying case provided; its fit is very snug and it's quite easy to turn that light switch "on." It would have been nice to somehow be able to lock the switch in the desired position.

Unfortunately I never received the cell phone charging adaptor. I suppose the manufacturer is phasing this model out.

The Am/Fm work great. It even drifts less that the more higly touted Freeplay Ranger. But the Shortwave is absolutey uselss. I read a 'post' on eBay by a man who said that once Radio Shack got out of the portable shortwave radio busines (...they couldn't compete, financially, with the overseas 'stuff'), it was the end of any decent portable shortwave radio. I fully concur. I could only pick up one or two very weak S/W stations, and not even the usual BBC or the 'time annoucements' from Boulder Colorado (...but I'm not sure if Boulder IS still broadcsting the atomic clock signals.) But in any case, the 7-8 bands of S/W "shouldn't even be put" into this otherwise decent radio. One more thing...it's very unclear from the manual if the included AC adapter charges the NIMH bateries, or is the AC adapter only for 'real time' use. I'll try to call the distributor/manufacturer to get an answer, but in the past, I've found that their tech support to be 'none to friendly' about (clearly) answering such quesion.

I bought this about 5 years ago as an emergency radio/flashlight and just today broke it out to see if it was still working. I live in Modesto, California and am pleased to report that radio reception was just fine (with the notable exception of shortwave, see below). I tested the following features...
1. Handcrank - 2 minutes of cranking was sufficient to drive the radio and the flashlight for at least 15 minutes (at which point I got bored and stopped listening).
2. AM/FM radio - both were able to tune in approx 10-20 stations.
3. Shortwave radio - I was unable to tune in any of the shortwave stations the radio is supposed to receive. I don't know if this is because I tested it at 1 pm in the afternoon or because no one's transmitting on those bands right now or if it's the fault of the radio.
4. Flashlight - still quite bright. Able to use the flashlight and the radio at the same time.
5. Ability to read the tuning dial in the dark - this was somewhat poor as the luminescent paint was faint. I was able to read the dial, however, by simply turning on the built in flashlight.

On first unpacking mine, it would play for only a few seconds after cranking for two minutes. A call to Eton (800-872-2228) revealed that the model has been discontinued for 4-5 years, and the built-in NIMH battery pack had expired. They sent me a new battery with no hassle, and it works fine.

Paul

As an emergency radio, I find it important to have multiple power sources. This one works great. Also the ability to charge a cell phone is great. You do have to tell the company which phone you have and they'll send you the appropriate adapter. On the downside, with a 4.5 volt output, why not provide a USB charging cable? The freq display isn't lit with the light. There is no weather band.

Pros - Power sources, cell phone charging, signal strength
Cons - no weather band, freq display not lit

Amazing thing: very well built-up in general, nicely tuned with a good, i.e. solid, crank mechanism. Not sure about its water resistance though - will check this spring. As the radio will be used in Russia - will need to get a 220 AC adapter. Recommended!