Urban Survival Secrets

Review of the Eton FR150

Well, here is a review on the Eton FR150 Hand Crank radio. I received this unit about 3 weeks ago right before scout camp – what a great time to test under somewhat difficult situations. At camp, we were in the white mountains of Arizona close to the New Mexico Border. First things first, the techncial specifications:

Solar-Powered, Self-Powered AM/FM/Weatherband Portable Radio with Flashlight and Cell Phone Charger

The Microlink brings together some of the most popular features of our Voicelink, in a more compact design. This ultra-portable device is ideal to have on hand when you’re roughing it. It also makes a great addition to any emergency-preparedness kit. No plugs or wires are required. Instead, turn the hand crank to power the Microlink, or capture the sun’s energy and run it on solar power. You’ll always know what’s going on, thanks to the AM, FM and weather bands. You can also tune in to the FCC and EAS public alert systems. Add the flashlight, the cell phone charger and you’ve got one versatile little device.

• AM (520-1710 KHz)
• FM (87-108MHz)
• NOAA weather – all 7 channels
• Built-in hand crank power generator recharges the internal rechargeable Ni-MH battery and cell phone batteries
• Built-in 3 white LED light source
• Can be powered from three different sources:
  • From solar power
  • From the built-in rechargeable Ni-MH battery that takes charge from the dynamo crank
  • From the USB port (USB cord not included)
• Built-in cell-phone charger
• Earphone jack – 3.5 mm socket

Chris’ Discussion

As with every small radio, the sound qulaity is not of that in my truck with Bose Speakers! Getting that out of the way, the speaker was not too tinny and sounds pretty good. The radio can be powered by hand crank, solar or with an optional charger (not includes. I wish that they would include it so as that I do not have to purchase another charger for the unit!!) When cranking it up, a 45 second winding kept the radio and light going for a while – 30 plus minutes, but I was not using a stop watch.

Charging using the solar cells all day did a great job as well. I had several hours of usage from the radio as well as about 30 minutes of the light that night with little power loss. One night, after cranking the unit for 30 seconds, I left the LED light on because my son requested it – we were telling scarry stories around the campfire and he was a little spooked! Well we fell asleep around 10:30. I awoke at 3 due to some noisy coyotes and my blackberry buzzing like mad and found the light still on and working well enough that I could go outside and water a tree!

The radio tuning wheel is somewhat stiff, but will ensure that you will not lose a set radio station. As for the weather channels, there is a slide selector. I tested the slide in both the camp and 4 hours away in the Phoenix Metro area. The White mountains was channel 6 while Phoenix is Channel 7. In both locations, the recorded NOAA voice was clear and recognizable. The small antenna was really not needed for these stations, though when switching over to FM, it is recommended.

I only had one glitch during my testing – that was with the hand crank. I was turning it one night when the thing came off the attachment point. I was able to place it back on, but turning it became very troublesome. After inspection, it looks like there is some little spring like clip that holds the handle to the radio and it popped off. If this was an emergency, this could be troubling. However, my plan is to use some JB weld and permanently affix the handle. Nice thing abouth the handle is that it is plastic and does not have a shapr edge which can remove skin from your knuckles during cranking, thus causing the user to donate blood.

If I was to give a rating to this radio, I would give it an 8.5 out of 10. It is durable, reliable and multiple ways to power it up (right now I am using my USP port on my computer!) It is comfortable to use and cranks easily. It is light but rugged with the rubberized light bezel.  Below is a link to purchase this light. Cool thing is that Eton makes a donation for every light purchased.  Do yourself a favor, click on the link and buy one for your house – It is a great investment and you wont go wrong!.  I am buying another for my office!  Also, it comes in Black, Red and White.