Red Cross Radio

All articles on this site are by Harry Skevington unless otherwise noted with another byline

Etón Multi-Purpose Radio FR300 (Red Cross)
Since Hurricane season has now begun in the Keys I dug out the FR300 Multi-purpose radio sent to me by Eton about a month after CES. It is also called a Red Cross radio. I feel a little ashamed that I have not taken the time to review this product. I think readers will have more interest in this radio from June to November when it is really needed.

The biggest reason most people buy this radio, or others like it, is the ability to recharge the included battery pack by using the built-in crank. I like the radio for all of its other capabilities. I feel the crank will be of value only when I am desperate, my AC power is out, and I have run out of batteries. I guess that is the point! I understand the crank option should give you about 30 minutes of power for each minute of cranking. That is at a speed of two cranks per minute. When you get tired quit.

In the Box
Radio
Lightweight carrying pouch with shoulder strap
Manual
Some cell phone adaptor cables so you can charge your phone using the radio.

Features
AM/FM, TV1 and TV2-VHF channels 2-13
NOAA Weather – all 7 channels plus “Alert”
3 LED light system with emergency flash
Can be powered from four different sources:
Built-in power generator
3 AA batteries (not included)
AC adapter (not included)
Dynamo Crank
Built-in Cell phone charger

I live on an Island 150 miles from Miami and sometimes get better reception on my car radio from Cuba stations than the mainland ones. I thought the Eton Red Cross FR300 Radio would not perform any better. I was wrong. Many stations were strong and easy to listen to. There is a fine tuning Knob for the AM/FM stations to get better reception. The weather channels were great. The TV channels were poor as we do not have local TV on Channels 2-13 in the Keys.

The white LED light does double as a flashlight and the red one is noticeable at a distance. Don’t look directly at them close up as you will get a temporary red or white image in your eyes that will go away in a few minutes. The siren is very piercing. I had to turn it off so it did not disturb the neighbors. I installed three AA batteries and left the included power pack disconnected as I am a wimp who doesn’t want to use the crank until necessity requires it. The AA batteries should last about 30 plus hours. The cell phone charging option can only be used with the crank or while the radio is connected to AC power. It will not pull a charge from the battery pack or from the AA batteries. I wish they had included the AC charging cable. You can find one that will do the job for about 10 bucks in most electronics stores. Overall this is a handy product for emergency needs. It sure beats sharing a tiny battery operated radio with each of us listening on one of the stereo ear buds. Retails at $50.00
For more details on this and other Eton Products click here.