You don't need batteries with the Eton American Red Cross FR250 self-powered AM/FM shortwave radio, just turn the crank to tune into AM and FM radio, plus 7 bands of shortwave. The crank also powers the built-in flashlight, so you'll never be caught in the dark. And you'll never be caught with a dead cell phone battery. Plug the phone in, and with a few turns of the crank, you can power up your cell phone.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Hand crank generator radio-GREAT IDEA!:
In 1989 or 1990 I had put together a emergancy preparedness box based on the FEMA booklet I got for free from the government. I had also withit a flashlight and a transistor radio. I put in in a box in the basement in the event of a catastrophe. But what I found was I ended up borrowing the shortwave battery powered radio and the flashlight and batteries! But the crank powered Eton flashlight and the portable radio are marvelous ideas!! You can't use the batteries because it is crank powered!
Excellent reception:
I just bought this model since my power went out for 3 hours and I didn't have a good battery powered radio anymore. I am really impressed with the reception. I live in Oklahoma and was able to pull in a couple of AM stations from Chicago and an English language shortwave station claiming to be from Sweden. While atmospheric conditions can affect long-range radio reception, this is pretty impressive for such a small, affordable radio. The battery life seems to be very good with only about 30 seconds of... more info
Hand crank battery power failed:
I'm wondering if anyone else has really tested the hand crank power on this radio. I let the rechargeable battery run down completely (not intentionally, but a good test for emergency preparedness), and I found that after cranking for a full 90 seconds, the radio only worked for a couple minutes. I was very disappointed and returned it, since I felt that in an emergency, this would be more frustrating than helpful.
