Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio
By: Eton Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 149
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 On: 2008-09-30
This is a very handy, size, radio with great reception. The only drawback is that it does not have weather channels as I thought it did when ordering. Very good for price but I would opt for an all in one, which would include SAMI weather channels, if doing again.
On: 2008-09-30
Smaller then I had imagined but good sound. Need a power supply (adapter) if you are going to listen to it regularly. One model comes with an adapter if you can find it. Sturdy radio, sound is good, battery life seems good also.
 On: 2008-09-29
The reception is strong and clear on AM and FM, but virtually non-existent on shortwave. Thats fine, because I didnt plan to use the shortwave feature anyway. Build quality is average.
The dynamo crank is cheap and I suspect it will break at some point. Following directions EXACTLY (90 seconds vigorous cranking, no flashlight, low volume), I was able to achieve between 20 - 30 minutes of use time. Nowhere near the 40 - 60 minutes specified.
I got mine on Ebay for $27.95. Thats about what its worth. It will go into my emergency kit and who knows, maybe someday Ill be glad I have it.
 On: 2008-09-23
Ive had the Metallic Blue Grundig FR200 radio since 2006, as part of our Hurricane Preparedness Kit. I live in Houston, and finally got to test this emergency radio when Hurricane Ike hit 11 days ago. Still have no power at home, but this radio has great reception; the LED lamp is bright and illuminates our family room. Running on AA batteries, it keeps us abreast with whats going on the past 11 days.
On: 2008-06-22
I received this (in brown) as a Christmas gift for weather emergencies; three years later its still working great, with impressive radio life from minimal cranking. I live in a tornado-prone area and was delighted to receive this as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. The radio reception is excellent in my area (South Central Wisconsin) and I easily get 45 minutes to an hour of reception with less than 60 seconds of cranking. It also holds a charge for long periods of inactivity -- I turned it on after 6 months of no use and immediately received a perfectly acceptable signal on our local NPR station, even without additional cranking.
A few months ago for "Earth Hour" I was fiddling with it on a lark to see if it really received shortwave. China Radio International and Radio Havana both came in quite well -- the same quality as I get on my Sony ICF-33W and Grundig YB400, when those radios are operated on battery power without an external antenna. I dont know that Id buy this for shortwave radio specifically, but I was pleased nonetheless.
We will probably upgrade in order to receive the TV bands, which are not available with this model. The reason for this is that our "local" radio stations dont carry much weather info during tornado warnings so we really need access to the TV bands -- although Im not sure if theyll still work when the stations go digital in 2009.
Overall this radio has exceeded my expectations and proved durable and long-lasting. Highly recommended.
On: 2008-06-05
Great buy! Great Product! I am familiar with Grundig products, and I am pleased with my Grundigh radio.
On: 2008-05-08
Ive owned this radio for two years now, as my desk radio at work. I decided to run an experiment, and only power it with the crank. Ive cranked this radio every day for the last two years.
After about a year, one of the dynamo gears lost a tooth. A call to Eton got me a replacement dynamo set under warranty. I installed it myself (which is not a job for the faint of heart, but is within the skill of anyone whos handy with a screwdriver). The new dynamo and gears lasted through the recent breakage of the winding arm (which was not replaced with the new dynamo), which has relegated it to alkaline power. Of course, now the radios well out of warranty, so I dont expect any free replacement parts.
However, thats pretty good. In an emergency situation, its unlikely youll crank the dynamo even 1/50th as much as I did, and it held up quite well. Id typically crank for 30-45 seconds, and get about the same number of minutes at low volume. Increasing the volume markedly shortens runtime.
Reception is fine, although Ive only played with shortwave a little bit. Theres no way a radio like this can make a good shortwave receiver, so that feature is a bit silly. It would still be potentially handy in an emergency, when a lot of local interference goes away. For local FM reception, it does quite well. I havent really tried AM, so I cant comment there.
The little LED flashlight would be handy in an emergency, especially the fact that it can be recharged by cranking. More important would be one of the higher-spec Eton crank radios such as the FR250, which include cellphone chargers -- SMS messaging is an important communication method in many emergencies.
I heartily recommend this radio for emergency use, particularly given the robustness of the dynamo system.
On: 2008-04-27
While I am a fan of Etón portables -- not least because they frequently turn up at tiny fractions of their MSRPs -- I found the FR200 pretty disappointing for several significant reasons that are overlooked by most reviewers here.
First, it is not a true dynamo radio like the Baygen, but a battery-powered radio recharged by a dynamo. This would not be as significant an issue if there were not potential problems with battery longevity. There is no AC adapter included and the use of a generic adapter of the appropriate voltage but higher amperage apparently will result in over-charging and damaging the battery, according to the supplied documentation. The Etón AC adapter (only optionally available) is very low-current unit. The life of the battery pack is also limited by the number of charging cycles, so one may not use this unit routinely as a daily radio with the crank without reducing the life of the batteries for subsequent emergency use. The FR200 FAQ on the EtonCorp site somewhat evasively addresses this:
"The rechargeable battery/dynamo-crank system is best used purely for emergency use, but its not explained well in the owners manual...When the emergency use factor is understood, this product is excellent for that purpose."
So, as supplied, the only way this product should be routinely used is with the normal AA battery option.
The shortwave analog tuner is adequate at best, but will get strong signals if they are available, which they generally are not in most daytime hours in some seasons. Users who are not experienced with shortwave listening are usually shocked by the difficulty with which audible signals are typically obtained. Shortwave, usually dismissed as an obsolete technology, is often critical in disasters -- I was in a major earthquake in the US years ago and for many hours the only accurate information locally available was from the BBC on shortwave. More expensive Etón SW portables come with a retractable longwire antenna, something that can be approximated with the FR200 simply by clipping a very long wire to the telescoping antenna.
The emergency crank seems relatively sturdy, but was broken on the display model where I purchased mine, so caution is advised.
Etón portables are coated with a thin, rubbery goo for non-slip handling, but this tends to wear off fairly quickly, giving a somewhat mangy appearance.
The mechanical analog tuning is, as always on a small portable, imprecise and approximate -- especially with shortwave. The fine-tuning knob helps this situation a bit.
The AM/FM sound quality is quite pleasant and much richer than one would expect from a unit of this type.
Assembly, fit and alignment are crude compared to other Etón products, but are adequate.
An additional oddity is that the included cloth case has magnetic snaps, so be cautious in placing these next to credit cards or other critical magnetic media.
On: 2008-02-19
Hopefully we never will need to depend on this radio, but in case we do it will be ready and works well in all our testing.
On: 2008-02-15
Very good product at a great price. A must for any home or auto emergency kit!
On: 2008-02-08
Well worth the small amount of money..... good play time for the amount of cranking. Reception in FM and AM is pretty decent. Shortwave will be disappointing for someone expecting to "listen to the world" when using the supplied whip antenna. However, using a single wire antenna clipped to the whip antenna will yield pretty decent results in the shortwave bands.
Build quality is actually surprisingly good for the low cost of the item. The red color shown in illustrations doesnt do justice to the actually deep red (ruby?) color. The plastic has that new "soft feel" (like a silicon skin almost). Dynamo crank is solid, knobs, etc. are solid as well. Tuning is problematic with this and any other small radio with a short band spread. Band separation is acceptable, but not great.
This is a great radio to use at the beach, keep in your car trunk, or have available for any emergency that might arise. Recommended if you want a great emergency or beach radio.
On: 2008-01-24
This a good little radio. I initial bought this radio for my storm shelter. I took it out to check it and make sure everything was working. I liked it so much it ended up on my desk in my study. It has a small footprint, so it works great on my little desk. It also has good AM reception. I ended up buying a second Grundig for the storm shelter.
On: 2008-01-14
Works great, If you need a non-electric radio this on will work fine. Merchant sent it to me as promised with no problems
On: 2008-01-07
I use it all the time. I think I changed batteries twice(4AA) in 3 years. Plus, it has its own lithium battery in emergency. If you dont have AA batteries. You wind it up a few times and it can play for a long period of time. Its also sturdy! I dropped it once. It still plays well. Only a small chip from hitting the pavement. Its great when you sit in the car waiting for someone. You dont need to use your car battery.
On: 2007-12-31
I purchased the Grundig radio for my husband. He loved it. He plays with it like a kid in a toy store. It was a great gift and the right gift for him.
On: 2007-12-30
I purchased the Grundig radio for my husband. He loved it. He plays with it like a kid in a toy store. It was a great gift and the right gift for him.
On: 2007-10-21
I bought the Grundig hand-crank radio specifically to take camping with me and this thing works like a charm! I can get stations from Burlington while Im in the southern Adirondacks (about 80 miles away) and its relatively water-resistant...in addition to that, it works perfectly with the wireless transmitter for the iPod...my only complaint is that I wish this particular model had an adapter iPod/cell phone charging purposes.
On: 2007-09-29
We have a few FR200s and have no complaints about the radio itself - for the price its excellent. However, when I purchased the "Yellow" radio, I received an Orange radio instead (which I havent found listed anywhere). Even the Amazon product detail section shows 2 distinctly different colors - Yellow and Orange. Dont know whats up but Orange is not Yellow.
On: 2007-09-26
I recently purchased this item and Ive attempted to contact Eton Customer service via their email link on their website. I have not received a reply for the past two weeks. I emailed them again last week to confirm that they got my email and no luck. I enjoy the radio but do not buy this product if you expect any customer service from Eton.
R.
On: 2007-09-03
This radio is great. The reception is crisp and the light is strong -- a necessity when it is the only light source.
On: 2007-09-02
I have tried a number of these radios over five years or so, I must say that the radio is fantastic. The best of all, you only need to change batteries twice a year for leaving the radio on all day. Having said that, you would think that for the amount of complaint written about the crackly volume control in this radio someone would have paid attention and changed this nasty part by now. Another Chinese dump!!!!!
On: 2007-09-01
i have been wanting this radio for some time. it is so handy, you can use it anywhere and dont have to worry about batteries or electricity. you just crank it and go. i also have a couple of the crank flashlights and i have used them several times when the electricity went out and again, they are dependable.
 On: 2007-07-04
i purched wanted amobile radio this doesent do it i constantly have to crank for a very long time to get 20 to 30 minutes
 On: 2007-06-22
I have the FR-200 which I purchased through Amazon.
Dont expect much.
The antenna will break and when you try to buy a replacement you will not be able to use Etons web site to do it becuase it does not work.
When you call Eton on the phone they will tell you that the antenna is "back ordered" and you should call in about 45 days.
More crap from China.
On: 2007-05-22
I use my Grundig FR200 around the house to listen to AM talk radio. It works fine for that. Ive had it 2-3 years now.
The pot (potentiometer) is awful -- you have to really play with the knob to get the volume where you want it.
It is very "tippy". I must knock it over weekly. This always causes the battery cover to fall off and the 3 AA batteries and the built-in rechargeable battery pack to fall out. Its a very tight squeeze; difficult to get them all back in and the cover closed. Im considering duct-taping it shut.
Cranking the radio, instead of using batteries, is fun for about 2 days. Too much work for too little listening. I no longer bother and just buy AA batteries, which last a good long time.
I like the strap on top for carrying it around. I like that the radio is durable (especially since it *will* be knocked over often).
The light works OK, but there are better emergency lights (such as the fantastic Panasonic SQT555W601 Automatic Power-Failure Light).
On: 2007-04-02
I am very pleased with my radio. I love that if I forget to turn it off Im not wasting batteries!!!
On: 2007-03-10
I had this radio for 2 years Fm reception is good AM is a bit more difficult I found battery life to be excellent with good quality AAs Hand crank works get about 10 mins for 1 min of cranking. Light is bright enought to be useful within 6 feet
Used it during Hurricane Rita. A good radio would recommend. For limited use around the house and emergency backup Case will not hold up to hard outdoor use.
On: 2007-03-05
At first the novelty of this Grundig FR-200 radio due to the crank generator is impressive, but the longer you own it the more it seems like a useful toy versus a true "emergency" radio. The generator requires a lot of cranking to keep it operating without using batteries, the light is useful in a pinch for short periods, the AM/FM reception is good, but the shortwave reception is almost useless for trying to tune in and hold regular broadcasts.
Like the other low cost analog tuner shortwave radios I have used, you may be able to find the station eventually (if you know what to listen for) but the reception fades and is very poor in most cases. Nothing like the clear AM/FM reception.
In most cases you need a digital tunner to have a truely useful shortwave radio to use for regular daily broadcasts. The digital tuner on the Eton E5 and Sony 7600GW allows you to input the desired frequency directly, or seek for available stations. It also holds the frequency and does not fade out requiring constant retuning. You basically get what you pay for with shortwave radios, but I am still somewhat disappointed that the FR-200 is not more useful as a shortwave radio except for a few strong channels that I have no interest in receiving.
I think the FR-250 model that can charge your cell phone battery would be a more useful emergency radio.
On: 2007-02-15
On July 28 2003 I set sail alone from San Pedro, California, in a Lancer 30 with the intent on fetching Hawaii in around 32 days. (One may google "Lancer 30 Movement" for the log of that trip.) I brought a new FR200 radio along with me so that I could listen to time ticks at WWV to help with navigation (in case the GPS went out).
The Shortwave bands did "okay" but were kind of hard to tune in: the fine dial seemed kind of "mushy---" I had to pass stations and come up on them from behind, and then retune the stations when they faded away.
Over 400 miles off-short I was still able to pick up the CBS Radio Mystery Theater radio show on the AM band, coming out of Los Angeles or San Diego (I do not know which), and that was fun to have with me as I lay in the port quarter berth, antenna sticking out of the main hatch (the antenna position did not seem to matter: no matter where I pointed it, reception on the AM band seemed the same).
The light worked fine, and the hand crank worked fine. I did not know how much cranking the dynamo needed to charge the Nickle-Cadnium battery pack, so I cranked it pretty much constantly (I did not know any better).
Now I live in the canyon lands of New Mexico where radio reception is extremely poor: Im surrounded by cliffs that rear over 2,000 feet above my head. The FR200s short wave band down here work better than the FM and AM bands (one cannot get most FM stations, nor cellular telephone, nor TV broadcasts: we get one FM station--- an excellent Country & Western one). Unfortunately there is still the SW dialing slugishness, and the frequency tends to wander.
This seems like a good radio is a person is only interested in the AM band and the hand-cranked dynamo.
On: 2007-01-23
These radios arent designed as toys. I bought them for boys, ages 4 and 7 with instructions to be careful with the antennas. They were fascinated to have their very own radios and carried them everywhere they went on Christmas Day, neglecting their other gifts. Cool!
On: 2007-01-23
These radios arent designed as toys. I bought them for boys, ages 4 and 7 with instructions to be careful with the antennas. They were fascinated to have their very own radios and carried them everywhere they went on Christmas Day, neglecting their other gifts. Cool!
On: 2007-01-23
This little gem will light your way and keep you in touch with news sources in the outside world during power outages or camping trips. Small and lightweight it is very easy to crank for a few moments and enjoy the reward of light & radio. Great gift for family & friends
On: 2007-01-22
I bought the radio in case of an emergency at home. I appreciate the radio reception but have not been able to use the light feature. The light worked when I first took it out of the box but stopped working shortly after. I called Eton customer service, who sent me a new light bulb. It was the wrong light bulb so I called again. They sent me the correct light bulb but replacing the old was complicated. There is no instructions for bulb replacement included with the radio. After managing to replace the bulb, it still did not work. Without instructions I cant know if the problem is with me, the bulb, or the radio.
On: 2007-01-19
This is a slick little radio. Im just an average guy, so the features I like the best are:
1. The AM and FM channels get great reception through a tall antenna
2. The tuning knob also has a smaller fine tuning component that lets you really zero in on the perfect frequency
3. The flashlight is bright enough to read a paper, but not too much so that it will drain the batteries too fast.
4. The crank seems easy to turn so repowering shouldnt be too much of a hassle.
The short wave stations are there, but I couldnt find much of anything on them. Apparently you have to wait for different times of the day to hear the different bands... but I think I would be fine with just AM/FM anyway.
On: 2007-01-18
The radio was smaller than I had expected. Very similar to others on the market but a good product. A few cranks gives more than enough juice to keep it going for awhile.
On: 2007-01-12
I love my little Grundig "Emergency" radio. I use it every day, every morning, to listen to the news on National Public Radio. Why do I like it so much? NO MORE BATTERIES! All I have to do is crank it a little and I can get my morning fix on the news without having to worry about power for my little radio.
On: 2007-01-11
I found the radio had very good reception. It also charges very quickly with the turn handle which at first seems a bit tight but charges the radio faster than others I have tried. The light is very bright and can be seen for quite a distance which I found out when I had it turned on at our camp outside and actually had to turn it off because it was too bright. It has become my camp/emergency radio.
On: 2007-01-11
I bought this for my husband to take along with him at work since he drives alot and make frequent stops. THe reception of the radio is good for local radio stations but he was hoping to attain other outside of the area radio stations.
On: 2007-01-11
I was not totally impressed with this radio. It is staticky. havent really put it to the test yet in a power outage so it should be okay.
I did see it elsewhere for $10 less.
On: 2007-01-10
Great radio.
I listen to AM at night and it brings in more channels than any other radio I have ever owned.
Cranking is for emergencies only. Battery power is much easier.
On: 2007-01-10
Though upon arrival, I had expected a larger Emergency Radio The Grundig FR200 did not disappoint for its relatively moderate price the little lightweight radio contains some great features: A tiny built-in flashlight that sheds a fairly decent illumnation to find the kids; the pets a fuse or breaker box and find your shoes. 4 billion radio stations (Imagine, I could even listen to my AM news station with great clarity); a manual power crank to use alone or to charge an Ni-MH rechargable battery. Purchase the 4.5 V AC adapter, for this model or use 3 AA batteries. ((eton) Grundig has many models to suit your needs). FR 200 has an earphone jack, carrying case, instructions and limited warranty. Buy a few, or many for family, friends, keep in car basement, bedrooms, garage, bathroom, anywhere you may need a little extra security.
On: 2007-01-10
Have you been caught without power and no batteries for your portable radio? This crank-up radio will give you all the emergency information you need while hiding in the basement - or on a camping trip! It is well designed, with the antenna and wind-up crank fitting close to the body of the radio when not in use. An excellent item to add to anyones home!
On: 2006-12-28
We got this as a public radio premium two years ago and I have been happily using it as a radio in non-emergency situations. I really just enjoy it as a portable radio, but we really need to get one for the Big One, because the radio is always inside, and will end up under a pile of rubble because I cant bear to part with it as an emergency supply. The sound has nice clarity and it gets decent reception. I use it with rechargable batteries (NiMH) and it takes 3 AA batteries and runs forever on them. When I have used the crank, it worked OK, but I would guess that newer versions of hand crank radios might have more power per crank. I counted about 100 turns ran it for 5 minutes or so. I have plenty of AA batteries set aside for the Big One, so I dont think this will be a problem. But if it were, I think my arm would get pretty tired. Also, I really need to buy another one so I am not fishing this one out of the rubble!! Ill tell you, if I did, I would give you even odds it would still work! BTW, we have the original brown one, but I believe the guts are all the same.
On: 2006-12-27
Really, I was amazed how little this radio is, but it seems to work. My boyfriend cranked it for perhaps 45 seconds, and he got a short wave station or two, and some am stations. We have yet to give it a real test, but so far it looks promising. The light went on, and we had reception. Living on the coast of Maine, we seem to lose power a couple of times a month, every time the wind blows hard. So its a comfort to have this little but apparently nicely functional crank radio.
On: 2006-12-27
I bought this radio intended only for emergency use, and it served its purpose well in a recent wind storm, in which our power was out for 72 hours. Without TV and the web, our only news info from outside world came from the radio, and we used the Grundig almost continuously during our waking hours. With a bit of cranking during commercial breaks, we were able to have the radio on at a fair volume. We tried FM, which is always problematic in my location, and it handled it fine. It really shined on AM however, and as we were looking for news and information more so than entertainment, the AM news radio station was on most of the time.
The only drawback was that the crank came off half way through our 72 hours, with its axle-like pin coming out of the plastic socket. We were able to hobble along by pinning it back down and cranking gently, but I would like to see stronger reinforcement at the crank. I should point out that we were never able to achieve the listening time per 90 sec crank that they advertised, but my radio was old and have been left unused for a few years, unsure whether that made the difference.
On: 2006-12-19
I recently revamped my emergency equipment and decided to add a hand crank radio. Little did I know how soon I would use it! On Dec. 16, 06, a major power station burned near my house. Two transformer explosions plunged 50,000 people into darkness, including me. I knew of the problem, since I had seen the fire on my way home from work.
I hauled out this little radio in the dark and cranked vigorously for one minute as instructed. (That minute can seem rather long when you are cranking!) I was rewarded with a loud and clear signal on both AM and FM. I was able to find a news talk radio station which gave me up-to-the-minute information regarding the fire and how soon we could expect power.
This is an excellent radio for the money, and I wouldnt waste your funds on more expensive ones. This works just fine, and does what it claims to do. I got about an hours reception out of 60 sec. cranking and a fair selection of station reception.
On: 2006-12-14
Makes a great gift, love the red color. I think this is awesome to have in a pinch. I bought this for a table gift and just loved it and I DID try it! I have the flashlights that crank and everyone loves those. I found the reception pretty darn good on just the crank wind. My only beef is the light should be a little brighter and the DC adapter should come with it. But dont hesitate on it for a gift cause its a neat item to have. My son came from Texas and loved it, said he needs one there lol. Its a winner!
On: 2006-12-12
This is the type of gift or personal item that is so important. Just buy them for the people you care about. Unfortunately we dont always remember to stock on the emergency supplies. This is a great product.
On: 2006-11-15
Even if you have radio with battery backup, it might not be enough to get you through several days without power (several hours may be more like it). Or you may end up stuck in your car or in another situation where you need a radio.
Think it cant happen to you? Think again. Plenty of homeowners have suffered power outages lasting for days when major transformers or generators blew or when an ice or snow storm shut down the electricity to major areas. So, yes, it could happen to you. Best to be prepared.
This radio will do the trick. You CAN buy more expensive models and (based on the reviews here) some people seem to have issues with quality. Ill say right up front that I found the FM reception to be a bit quirky but that was balanced by the perfectly fine AM reception as well as a flashlight, etc. Sound quality was fine on AM.
Id suggest you think about WHY youd want a radio like this before making the purchase. If you truly are buying it for emergencies, youll be fine and itll meet those needs. If you ALSO feel that it is necessary to have access to FM stations without sound interference, then maybe you wont want this. But in an emergency, consider the fact that youll still get plenty of info from AM stations, have an emergency light (included on the radio), etc. In short, it ought to meet any basic purposes. It is also a fine travel or camping radio...again, depending on your needs.
On: 2006-11-10
We ordered this radio to have on hand in case of emergency. After an hour of cranking to start the power, the crank came off. Got it back on, cranked more, came off again. Small heartattack later from all the fruitless cranking, we sent it back the next day. Looking for another option for an emergency radio, havent found one yet.
On: 2006-11-07
I think this radio is just great. No batteries needed just wind it up and thats it. How great is that?
On: 2006-10-21
I was pretty happy with this radio for the last 3 months(i recently moved to Liberia, West Africa and needed something that didnt require electricity) until today, when the crank handle cracked off in my hand while i was cranking it! I wish i could post a photo here. They didnt design this device to withstand normal use! They should have made the handle out of metal or at least some kind of plastic that wouldnt break!
On: 2006-10-07
Compact,light-weight and multi-featured...and all for $40! Pleasing audio, excellent AM/FM reception, very good frequency stability and very good image rejection add to its versatility. The inclusion of a fine-tuning knob is critical for shortwave and "DX" AM reception and, with the addition of a long wire clipped to the telescopic antenna, the radio really can pull in some of the weaker stations. A couple of minutes worth of cranking powers the radio from 2-4 hours, and 3 AA batteries last a LONG time. Another plus is a carrying case (with an adjustable strap)with a pocket to stash papers or notes in. This is a perfect emergency, hunting, camping or hanging out in the backyard radio. The only feature lacking is a lighted tuning dial but, if you reflect (or deflect) the light from the radios built-in front panel flashlight onto the tuning dial, voila! All in all, a tremendous value in an emergency radio.
by: bkliesen On: 2006-09-29
I purchased this radio for my parents in Kansas who live in Tornado Alley and often have to deal with rural power outages. This radio surprisingly picks up the local stations from deep inside the basement and has served well on the several trips into the tornado shelter. The batteries should definately be stored out of the radio, but overall it fulfills its niche to be used in an Emergency. The shortwave functions are very simplistic, but when you are sitting in the dark waiting for the power to come on or the storm and tornado to pass overhead, it is entertaining enough to spend time searching for the elusive shortwave stations. A good, compact radio useful in an emergency or for occasional use around the house.
On: 2006-09-28
...because I gave this to my husband at Christmas 2005. I gave it to (us) as a gift in our coastal power outages in eastern North Carolina. Im going to have to buy us a spare since he uses this as his barn radio every weekend. It cranks easily, has stood up to clumsy use and exposure, and brings in NPR from 75 miles away very clearly. In reading other reviews, it may work better in areas with less tower-power competition. Where we are, it is a wonderful rural hurricane radio in case you run out of batteries.
I confess that we are Grundig fans.
If I were still living in a city, Id test drive other items. But, we have been happy.
On: 2006-09-20
Bought this 4 years ago and have used it twice during extended power outages. I knew that the battery life would decrease with use so I only use it when I have to. I think the problem with some of the people that are using the radio is that they are using it not as intended but as a cheap alternative to battery operated radios. Recommended for people intending to use this for emergencies only but not recommended if you intend to use it often as a substitute to purchasing batteries.
On: 2006-08-29
Great radio for ER use small enough to pack with other ER materials. I liked it so much that I ordered one for each of my sons for their families.
On: 2006-08-27
Product was as described...reception was strong and weak depending on your location...was able to receive all frequencies..rated this a 4 instead of a 5 only because when the wind blew the reception would get fuzzy...could get annoying on a very windy day..radio is bulky and heavy...
On: 2006-08-14
a very handy little radio that has all the basics. Takes up little space and has a very handy carrying case. A good buy!
On: 2006-08-04
I purchased the Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio (Yellow)to use when we go camping. I was surprised at how well it received AM and FM stations. For the price you cant go wrong with this little radio. The crank is somewhat fragile since it is a small plastic device. I think it will hold up if I am careful not to horse it. It picks up short wave stations although I hardly ever listen to them. If youre looking for a dependable radio that wont break the bank then this is an excellent choice.
On: 2006-07-15
I sent this radio to my very hard-to-please brother for his 65th birthday and he loves it! Thats enough for me! Ill be getting one for myself now & keeping it in mind for other hard-to-please friends.
On: 2006-05-09
There are a number of problems with this radio. One is that it is NOT designed to operate without batteries in the long-term. If it were, the power-generating crank arm would probably be made of alloy instead of plastic. The crank on my radio just broke off one day after less than four months of daily use.
When the crank does function normally, its a great thing to be able to generate ones own power for radio listening. Unfortunately the charge doesnt last as long as advertised. They say one minute of cranking equals one hour of listening, but I never got more than 30 minutes of listening per minute of cranking, and this ratio fell rapidly as the battery got older.
Finally, the reception is not what one would expect of a Grundig, at least where shortwave is concerned. I got better shortwave reception on a $10 Panasonic.
This design can be a good start for anyone who wants a versatile radio that can serve a number of roles, as long as they know that it isnt built for the long haul.
On: 2006-03-21
I got this radio because I like that all my appliances are now battery or crank powered.
Unfortunately, out of the box, the radio failed to store a charge and the built in light is broken. The NiMH battery connector was bad - so I resoldered it. Im not sure why the light doesnt work and I dont have an easy way to replace it.
On: 2006-03-20
Its a lot smaller than I expected, but that is a good thing. The charge lasts surprisingly long and the reception is excellent. It should come in very handy if the power goes out.
On: 2006-03-18
This portable radio with a solar panel and hand crank along with re-chargeable built in battery pack is just the item every family needs. I tested it with no sunlight, no hand cranking and it ran nonstop for 32 hours. Very impressive considering I also used the built in Led light. Note: The internal batery packs were fully charged.
On: 2006-03-09
When I first got it I played it for about one hour a day to see how long the original charge would last. It finally went dead five days later. A short crank of maybe 20 seconds gave it about an hours worth of charge and playing time. A three minute crank and it was back up to playing for four to five hours. I couldnt be happier with it. I get every station that any other radio in my area gets and the built in flashlight is very intense. Its worth every dime I paid.
Update: 10/19/06 We here in the Buffalo, NY area had our electricity off for five to seven days due to an early, wet snow that brought down tree limbs all over the area. This little radio was all I needed for a flashlight and emergency information. It picked up all the local AM and FM stations, plus ones as far away as Chicago, Toronto, NYC, Boston, and Philly. Were ordering more as Christmas presents. I wouldnt be without it.
On: 2006-03-01
I like this little radio a lot! Along with my hounds, its always my close companion when I do carpentry and exterior improvements on this property. I like that its safety yellow so I can find it easily when its sitting with tools and supplies (unlike a black radio). I like hand-crank feature so I dont have to run out for new batteries when Im pinned down on some project. I left it out in the rain one day (Doh!), but it worked just fine afterward.
Only minor complaints, and really minor: (1) the antenna is a little flimsy; (2) the SW reception isnt that good.
On: 2006-02-25
I am very pleased with the radio. It is easy to crank, the reception is clear and it runs longer that the stated time on a minutes worth of cranking. Also, it is lightweight and the carrying case is a plus. And I love the color!
On: 2006-02-25
The sound from the radio is really harsh, even on FM! Id expect harsh sound from shortwave. Used it during extensive power outage (Couple of days) and could not stand listening for more than a minute. Gave it up in favor of a RadioShack clock radio with a 9volt transitor battery backup. The self charging hand crank is a great idea, but why not marry it to something one can actually listen too? Would be appropriate for a doomsday emergency kit for Hurricane Katrina type disasters; but only if something better sounding cant be found.
On: 2006-01-31
The product did not require as much effort as others I have used before. The radio runs for better then 20 mins. with just a half minute of cranking and the fine tune adjustment is a big help also. The Grundig FR200 is perfect for the outdoors person and/or those who deal with power outages.
On: 2006-01-30
Below is a reposted review originally published on the page detailing this model in the yellow color ASIN: B00065HM1Y
I ordered the "yellow" model here...and found several "surprises". The Grundig (now Eton) FR-200 is a small "auxiliary" AM-FM portable which adds general shortwave radio coverage, an LED flashlight, and a three-way power design that allows for a quick "pick-me-up" to a replaceable and inexpensive rechargeable NiMH battery pack similar to one used in the typical cordless phone. A few minutes of cranking, `n youre back in broadcast business. With these options, its virtually impossible for this radio to not find "juice". The FR-200 is imported by Eton from Tecsun in mainland China, and is marketed exclusively as an "emergency radio"...but Im thinking--"perfect for the canoe and camping trip" where one wouldnt wish to lose something more costly to the elements.
The reviews on this product have run the course--from favorable--to horrible. This would clearly indicate either a serious quality control problem...a lack of reviewer perspective on just WHAT objective this product was designed to meet...or both. After pondering this unique little $40 radio for over two years, I finally unwrapped and evaluated one (the package exterior said "yellow"--a neon-orange model waited inside). The FR-200 is less than HALF THE COST of its most-similar alternative--the Freeplay Summit (which I have ordered--and twice returned because of substandard performance), so I was somewhat skeptical of this product format. Upon closer examination and use, the less-expensive Grundig (while not brimming with "digital glitz" and rows of small silver buttons) is higher in overall performance, easier to pack and carry, and much more "disposable" should that situation arise. My prior skepticism has turned into consumer gratification. This product is satisfying, useful, and an unquestionable value. Here are my performance observations...
AUDIO QUALITY: The sound of the FR-200 is crisp, clear, and natural. While far from "room shaking"--this unit is fine as a close-in companion; and more-than-adequate for its intended purpose as a standby "blackout radio", or convenient portable "sidekick" at home, in camp, or out on the water.
RECEPTION ON FM: The worst goes first...The FM capabilities of the FR-200 are sad to barely acceptable, depending on your listening location. In a small community, ANY nearby local station with brawny signal strength will overload the circuits in this radio to a point that renders it nearly useless--unless you enjoy the offending local station, which will populate itself on nearly the entire FM dial--crowding out even not-so-distant stations from out-of-town. In an urban area, with many powerful "close-in" signals, the FM band becomes a jumbled and distorted mess where "ONLY the strong survive"--but barely! Interestingly, out in fringe areas, where brutish FM signals are few and far in-between, the band shows signs of intelligible life...a plus for rural listening!
RECEPTION ON AM: Other than a few expensive "AM niche" and world-band receivers, the FR-200 is possibly one of THE BEST portable AM radios you can own! Sensitivity, selectivity (in the absence of a strong local station), and recovered audio quality are OUTSTANDING! NEVER have I seen a radio in this class (and several other classes for that matter) that provides as rich an AM listening experience. During the daytime, even very distant AM signals are intelligible and less-assailed by the all-to-familiar "circuit noise" that hinders weak AM station listening on most radios. Sensitivity remains consistent from the low (530 kHz) to the high (1700 kHz) end of the band--NOT typical for an AM receiver section in a radio at this price point. Right "out of the box" my FR-200 easily caught, and faithfully reproduced in early afternoon, six AM stations from Chicago--over 250 miles from my location. At night, this radio becomes a pint-sized DX-delight. Virtually EVERY channel is "alive", yet moderate-to-strong signals remain "separated" and fully intelligible. In the rare occasion that you may find, and choose to listen to, an AM station with a music format--you will find a hint of "hi-fi" in the reproduced audio. This level of AM performance is usually the domain of the "CC Radios" of the market; and at less than one-quarter of their cost--the FR-200 is an "AM standout". Heres another possible application: Your FR-200s headphone jack + a patch cord + the line input on your surround-sound = FAR BETTER AM reception and audio on that system.
RECEPTION ON SHORT WAVE: Plainly put--it is "pedestrian" at best. If youre shopping for shortwave agility--continue your search. Nor do I recommend this radio as an entry into "the world of shortwave", either. The SW feature on this product is obviously a "convenience item"--which turns out to be operationally inconvenient at times. The technical idiosyncrasies of that band are such that the ability to optimally receive it demands a product design with a distinct focus. Interestingly, Eton-Grundig is a "shortwave company" that DOES NOT market the FR-200 as a "shortwave radio"...It merely "includes" that feature.
THE GOOD ON SW: Prominent domestic and international broadcasters with big signals WILL find their way to your tiny FR-200, and strong stations can sound fairly good on this radio. In early afternoon (NOT a preferable SW listening day-part), I found the higher band ("SW-2") to be fairly-populated, and I was able to receive tiny 1000-watt CFRX Toronto, Canada here in the Midwest on the lower (inactive-by-day) "SW-1" band--a "catch" typical for a more-expensive rig designed for SWL. At night, on the active lower frequencies ("SW-1"), reception is generally decent with the built-in telescoping rod antenna, and can be improved with a "roll-up alligator-clip" wire antenna ($15 at "The Shack"). Unlike many small SW radios, the FR-200 can tune well below 49-meters (6 MHz)...even down to 90-meters (3 MHz) where several obscure domestic and western-hemisphere stations live by night. The laws of physics--and the laws of "affordable design" generally work to inhibit easy reception on these channels (if available) on low-cost SW radios. My FR-200 did an admirable job of snagging several of these signals with only its included antenna.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD ON SW: Little is gained thru a decent receiver design if the user cant find or identify a desired station. Imagine tuning a radio with your eyes closed. That would describe the experience of hunting for a SW station on the FR-200 solely based on frequency info. Three design factors (I should say)--design compromises make this radio a chore to tune overall--and nearly impossible to "direct tune" on shortwave. (1) This receivers "single-conversion" RF design permits strong signals to repopulate themselves on an additional frequency--causing interference to other stations and confusion for the user. (2) Nearly the entire shortwave service is "squeezed" into two "bands" that occupy a minimal 1.75-inches of band-spread. Now thats "touchy tight", especially when you consider that... (3) This units manual slide-rule tuning (coarse and fine) is "mushy", and the numerical frequency layout is poorly calibrated.
IN SUMMARY: What we have here is a nearly-charming, color-coordinated campsite or canoe companion that cant come up short on "juice"--but CAN provide acceptable sound and outstanding AM radio reception in the middle of nowhere. A demure radio that throws in a nice bright tent-filling LED light so you can try to find that hyper-paranoid "end-of-the-world" shortwave talk show host to go with your adult beverages around the campfire. Even this radios dismal FM reception might be mitigated by the location you tote it to, but I wouldnt bet on finding your favorite Jazz-Fest on "Wilderness 98.1", so few points are lost! There are more-expensive products in this class that do NO better job--and cheaper offerings that do NO job at all. Finally, if a bear tries to eat your trusty FR-200...or the canoe its in capsizes--just find another forty bucks and start all over with a different color! I plan to keep mine...Im getting fond of Neon-Orange.
On: 2006-01-29
I ordered the "yellow" model here...and found several "surprises". The Grundig (now Eton) FR-200 is a small "auxiliary" AM-FM portable which adds general shortwave radio coverage, an LED flashlight, and a three-way power design that allows for a quick "pick-me-up" to a replaceable and inexpensive rechargeable NiMH battery pack similar to one used in the typical cordless phone. A few minutes of cranking, `n youre back in broadcast business. With these options, its virtually impossible for this radio to not find "juice". The FR-200 is imported by Eton from Tecsun in mainland China, and is marketed exclusively as an "emergency radio"...but Im thinking--"perfect for the canoe and camping trip" where one wouldnt wish to lose something more costly to the elements.
The reviews on this product have run the course--from favorable--to horrible. This would clearly indicate either a serious quality control problem...a lack of reviewer perspective on just WHAT objective this product was designed to meet...or both. After pondering this unique little $40 radio for over two years, I finally unwrapped and evaluated one (the package exterior said "yellow"--a neon-orange model waited inside). The FR-200 is less than HALF THE COST of its most-similar alternative--the Freeplay Summit (which I have ordered--and twice returned because of substandard performance), so I was somewhat skeptical of this product format. Upon closer examination and use, the less-expensive Grundig (while not brimming with "digital glitz" and rows of small silver buttons) is higher in overall performance, easier to pack and carry, and much more "disposable" should that situation arise. My prior skepticism has turned into consumer gratification. This product is satisfying, useful, and an unquestionable value. Here are my performance observations...
AUDIO QUALITY: The sound of the FR-200 is crisp, clear, and natural. While far from "room shaking"--this unit is fine as a close-in companion; and more-than-adequate for its intended purpose as a standby "blackout radio", or convenient portable "sidekick" at home, in camp, or out on the water.
RECEPTION ON FM: The worst goes first...The FM capabilities of the FR-200 are sad to barely acceptable, depending on your listening location. In a small community, ANY nearby local station with brawny signal strength will overload the circuits in this radio to a point that renders it nearly useless--unless you enjoy the offending local station, which will populate itself on nearly the entire FM dial--crowding out even not-so-distant stations from out-of-town. In an urban area, with many powerful "close-in" signals, the FM band becomes a jumbled and distorted mess where "ONLY the strong survive"--but barely! Interestingly, out in fringe areas, where brutish FM signals are few and far in-between, the band shows signs of intelligible life...a plus for rural listening!
RECEPTION ON AM: Other than a few expensive "AM niche" and world-band receivers, the FR-200 is possibly one of THE BEST portable AM radios you can own! Sensitivity, selectivity (in the absence of a strong local station), and recovered audio quality are OUTSTANDING! NEVER have I seen a radio in this class (and several other classes for that matter) that provides as rich an AM listening experience. During the daytime, even very distant AM signals are intelligible and less-assailed by the all-to-familiar "circuit noise" that hinders weak AM station listening on most radios. Sensitivity remains consistent from the low (530 kHz) to the high (1700 kHz) end of the band--NOT typical for an AM receiver section in a radio at this price point. Right "out of the box" my FR-200 easily caught, and faithfully reproduced in early afternoon, six AM stations from Chicago--over 250 miles from my location. At night, this radio becomes a pint-sized DX-delight. Virtually EVERY channel is "alive", yet moderate-to-strong signals remain "separated" and fully intelligible. In the rare occasion that you may find, and choose to listen to, an AM station with a music format--you will find a hint of "hi-fi" in the reproduced audio. This level of AM performance is usually the domain of the "CC Radios" of the market; and at less than one-quarter of their cost--the FR-200 is an "AM standout". Heres another possible application: Your FR-200s headphone jack + a patch cord + the line input on your surround-sound = FAR BETTER AM reception and audio on that system.
RECEPTION ON SHORT WAVE: Plainly put--it is "pedestrian" at best. If youre shopping for shortwave agility--continue your search. Nor do I recommend this radio as an entry into "the world of shortwave", either. The SW feature on this product is obviously a "convenience item"--which turns out to be operationally inconvenient at times. The technical idiosyncrasies of that band are such that the ability to optimally receive it demands a product design with a distinct focus. Interestingly, Eton-Grundig is a "shortwave company" that DOES NOT market the FR-200 as a "shortwave radio"...It merely "includes" that feature.
THE GOOD ON SW: Prominent domestic and international broadcasters with big signals WILL find their way to your tiny FR-200, and strong stations can sound fairly good on this radio. In early afternoon (NOT a preferable SW listening day-part), I found the higher band ("SW-2") to be fairly-populated, and I was able to receive tiny 1000-watt CFRX Toronto, Canada here in the Midwest on the lower (inactive-by-day) "SW-1" band--a "catch" typical for a more-expensive rig designed for SWL. At night, on the active lower frequencies ("SW-1"), reception is generally decent with the built-in telescoping rod antenna, and can be improved with a "roll-up alligator-clip" wire antenna ($15 at "The Shack"). Unlike many small SW radios, the FR-200 can tune well below 49-meters (6 MHz)...even down to 90-meters (3 MHz) where several obscure domestic and western-hemisphere stations live by night. The laws of physics--and the laws of "affordable design" generally work to inhibit easy reception on these channels (if available) on low-cost SW radios. My FR-200 did an admirable job of snagging several of these signals with only its included antenna.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD ON SW: Little is gained thru a decent receiver design if the user cant find or identify a desired station. Imagine tuning a radio with your eyes closed. That would describe the experience of hunting for a SW station on the FR-200 solely based on frequency info. Three design factors (I should say)--design compromises make this radio a chore to tune overall--and nearly impossible to "direct tune" on shortwave. (1) This receivers "single-conversion" RF design permits strong signals to repopulate themselves on an additional frequency--causing interference to other stations and confusion for the user. (2) Nearly the entire shortwave service is "squeezed" into two "bands" that occupy a minimal 1.75-inches of band-spread. Now thats "touchy tight", especially when you consider that... (3) This units manual slide-rule tuning (coarse and fine) is "mushy", and the numerical frequency layout is poorly calibrated.
IN SUMMARY: What we have here is a nearly-charming, color-coordinated campsite or canoe companion that cant come up short on "juice"--but CAN provide acceptable sound and outstanding AM radio reception in the middle of nowhere. A demure radio that throws in a nice bright tent-filling LED light so you can try to find that hyper-paranoid "end-of-the-world" shortwave talk show host to go with your adult beverages around the campfire. Even this radios dismal FM reception might be mitigated by the location you tote it to, but I wouldnt bet on finding your favorite Jazz-Fest on "Wilderness 98.1", so few points are lost! There are more-expensive products in this class that do NO better job--and cheaper offerings that do NO job at all. Finally, if a bear tries to eat your trusty FR-200...or the canoe its in capsizes--just find another forty bucks and start all over with a different color! I plan to keep mine...Im getting fond of Neon-Orange.
On: 2006-01-29
Below is a reposted review originally published on the page detailing this model in the yellow color ASIN: B00065HM1Y
I ordered the "yellow" model here...and found several "surprises". The Grundig (now Eton) FR-200 is a small "auxiliary" AM-FM portable which adds general shortwave radio coverage, an LED flashlight, and a three-way power design that allows for a quick "pick-me-up" to a replaceable and inexpensive rechargeable NiMH battery pack similar to one used in the typical cordless phone. A few minutes of cranking, `n youre back in broadcast business. With these options, its virtually impossible for this radio to not find "juice". The FR-200 is imported by Eton from Tecsun in mainland China, and is marketed exclusively as an "emergency radio"...but Im thinking--"perfect for the canoe and camping trip" where one wouldnt wish to lose something more costly to the elements.
The reviews on this product have run the course--from favorable--to horrible. This would clearly indicate either a serious quality control problem...a lack of reviewer perspective on just WHAT objective this product was designed to meet...or both. After pondering this unique little $40 radio for over two years, I finally unwrapped and evaluated one (the package exterior said "yellow"--a neon-orange model waited inside). The FR-200 is less than HALF THE COST of its most-similar alternative--the Freeplay Summit (which I have ordered--and twice returned because of substandard performance), so I was somewhat skeptical of this product format. Upon closer examination and use, the less-expensive Grundig (while not brimming with "digital glitz" and rows of small silver buttons) is higher in overall performance, easier to pack and carry, and much more "disposable" should that situation arise. My prior skepticism has turned into consumer gratification. This product is satisfying, useful, and an unquestionable value. Here are my performance observations...
AUDIO QUALITY: The sound of the FR-200 is crisp, clear, and natural. While far from "room shaking"--this unit is fine as a close-in companion; and more-than-adequate for its intended purpose as a standby "blackout radio", or convenient portable "sidekick" at home, in camp, or out on the water.
RECEPTION ON FM: The worst goes first...The FM capabilities of the FR-200 are sad to barely acceptable, depending on your listening location. In a small community, ANY nearby local station with brawny signal strength will overload the circuits in this radio to a point that renders it nearly useless--unless you enjoy the offending local station, which will populate itself on nearly the entire FM dial--crowding out even not-so-distant stations from out-of-town. In an urban area, with many powerful "close-in" signals, the FM band becomes a jumbled and distorted mess where "ONLY the strong survive"--but barely! Interestingly, out in fringe areas, where brutish FM signals are few and far in-between, the band shows signs of intelligible life...a plus for rural listening!
RECEPTION ON AM: Other than a few expensive "AM niche" and world-band receivers, the FR-200 is possibly one of THE BEST portable AM radios you can own! Sensitivity, selectivity (in the absence of a strong local station), and recovered audio quality are OUTSTANDING! NEVER have I seen a radio in this class (and several other classes for that matter) that provides as rich an AM listening experience. During the daytime, even very distant AM signals are intelligible and less-assailed by the all-to-familiar "circuit noise" that hinders weak AM station listening on most radios. Sensitivity remains consistent from the low (530 kHz) to the high (1700 kHz) end of the band--NOT typical for an AM receiver section in a radio at this price point. Right "out of the box" my FR-200 easily caught, and faithfully reproduced in early afternoon, six AM stations from Chicago--over 250 miles from my location. At night, this radio becomes a pint-sized DX-delight. Virtually EVERY channel is "alive", yet moderate-to-strong signals remain "separated" and fully intelligible. In the rare occasion that you may find, and choose to listen to, an AM station with a music format--you will find a hint of "hi-fi" in the reproduced audio. This level of AM performance is usually the domain of the "CC Radios" of the market; and at less than one-quarter of their cost--the FR-200 is an "AM standout". Heres another possible application: Your FR-200s headphone jack + a patch cord + the line input on your surround-sound = FAR BETTER AM reception and audio on that system.
RECEPTION ON SHORT WAVE: Plainly put--it is "pedestrian" at best. If youre shopping for shortwave agility--continue your search. Nor do I recommend this radio as an entry into "the world of shortwave", either. The SW feature on this product is obviously a "convenience item"--which turns out to be operationally inconvenient at times. The technical idiosyncrasies of that band are such that the ability to optimally receive it demands a product design with a distinct focus. Interestingly, Eton-Grundig is a "shortwave company" that DOES NOT market the FR-200 as a "shortwave radio"...It merely "includes" that feature.
THE GOOD ON SW: Prominent domestic and international broadcasters with big signals WILL find their way to your tiny FR-200, and strong stations can sound fairly good on this radio. In early afternoon (NOT a preferable SW listening day-part), I found the higher band ("SW-2") to be fairly-populated, and I was able to receive tiny 1000-watt CFRX Toronto, Canada here in the Midwest on the lower (inactive-by-day) "SW-1" band--a "catch" typical for a more-expensive rig designed for SWL. At night, on the active lower frequencies ("SW-1"), reception is generally decent with the built-in telescoping rod antenna, and can be improved with a "roll-up alligator-clip" wire antenna ($15 at "The Shack"). Unlike many small SW radios, the FR-200 can tune well below 49-meters (6 MHz)...even down to 90-meters (3 MHz) where several obscure domestic and western-hemisphere stations live by night. The laws of physics--and the laws of "affordable design" generally work to inhibit easy reception on these channels (if available) on low-cost SW radios. My FR-200 did an admirable job of snagging several of these signals with only its included antenna.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD ON SW: Little is gained thru a decent receiver design if the user cant find or identify a desired station. Imagine tuning a radio with your eyes closed. That would describe the experience of hunting for a SW station on the FR-200 solely based on frequency info. Three design factors (I should say)--design compromises make this radio a chore to tune overall--and nearly impossible to "direct tune" on shortwave. (1) This receivers "single-conversion" RF design permits strong signals to repopulate themselves on an additional frequency--causing interference to other stations and confusion for the user. (2) Nearly the entire shortwave service is "squeezed" into two "bands" that occupy a minimal 1.75-inches of band-spread. Now thats "touchy tight", especially when you consider that... (3) This units manual slide-rule tuning (coarse and fine) is "mushy", and the numerical frequency layout is poorly calibrated.
IN SUMMARY: What we have here is a nearly-charming, color-coordinated campsite or canoe companion that cant come up short on "juice"--but CAN provide acceptable sound and outstanding AM radio reception in the middle of nowhere. A demure radio that throws in a nice bright tent-filling LED light so you can try to find that hyper-paranoid "end-of-the-world" shortwave talk show host to go with your adult beverages around the campfire. Even this radios dismal FM reception might be mitigated by the location you tote it to, but I wouldnt bet on finding your favorite Jazz-Fest on "Wilderness 98.1", so few points are lost! There are more-expensive products in this class that do NO better job--and cheaper offerings that do NO job at all. Finally, if a bear tries to eat your trusty FR-200...or the canoe its in capsizes--just find another forty bucks and start all over with a different color! I plan to keep mine...Im getting fond of Neon-Orange.
On: 2006-01-06
Still OK on batteries and very efficient, but lasts only a few seconds on the human power.
On: 2006-01-06
The Grundig FR200 (available in a rainbow of colors) is touted as THE emergency radio, primarily due to its hand-crank power system. Never need batteries, always ready to play when you most need it. Put it in your emergency kit, and youll be informed and entertained no matter what happens. (You DO have an emergency kit, right?). Also has a built-in flashlight, so you can read the labels on those stored cans of chili.
The problem with the FR200 is twofold - one is the reception on all bands is just barely adequate. The primary problem is the dial resolution. Trying to figure out what frequency you are tuned to (especially on shortwave and AM mediumwave) is difficult. Sensitivity to weak stations and selectivity (separating closely-spaced stations) is mediocre.
Then there is that hand-cranked dyanmo. You crank it and it charges a little internal battery. Two or three minutes of cranking that teeny little handle gives you about 30-40 minutes of playtime. It does work as advertised, but the cranking handle doesnt have the strongest feel to it, and a little too-hardy cranking will break it off. And there you are, in the middle of World War III or a volcano eruption, with no way to crank. And no way to know whats going on.
To be sure, the FR-200 is fun to play with, and as its very lightweight, could serve as a camping radio/flashlight. Again, so long as you dont overdo the cranking.
But for true emergency use, its not the best option. Batteries are relatively cheap, and last for years in storage. (Im still using batteries I stored for Y2K with no problem.) Go down to Costco or Sams Club and get a brick of AA batteries. Put them in your kit and make a note to yourself to swap them out every five years or so. (You do have that emergency kit, dont you?)
Then get an AM/FM radio with TV sound and weather band. Forget about shortwave - in a disaster like an earthquake or hurricane, Radio Havana isnt going to help you - you want local stations and TV sound. The Sony ICF-36 fits the bill perfectly. Sangean also makes a good model, the DT-210V.
Although the hand-crank-never-needs batteries sounds good, a better-performing radio and some stored batteries will save your bacon better than a broken crank handle.
I did ask you if you had an emergency kit, right?
On: 2006-01-06
This is a cheap piece of junk. Not worth the cost of free shipping.
On: 2006-01-06
I got one as a gift for Christmas and I love it. The one that I have is LL Bean branded, but it is still the same product. The LED light is bright enough so that you can see things on the far side of the room. I use the light late at night when I am reading. Easily bright enought to read with. I am looking forward to taking it camping and fishing.
On: 2006-01-04
I have only had this for a short time and already love it! Though it is smaller then I expected, the sound is good and clear. It arrived charged and is still running on that charge so that is good, too. I know that I will enjoy it even more this summer when I am camping. It will fit nicely in a day or back pack, therefor the smaller size is perfect for me! One cant go wrong with this radio if one is looking for portability, good sound and NO BATTERIES!
On: 2005-12-21
The AM and FM parts of this radio work adequately, although the sound is very tinny. The shortwave does not pick up anything but static in an urban environment.
On: 2005-12-20
I was given this radio several years ago to complete my emergency kit. I think for the price it cant be beat. Overall Im very satisfied with this little radio. I ended up putting it my bathroom to listen to. What really surprised me is the battery life. Its plays for 30 minutes every morning, and I have yet to change the AA batteries. Its now been in there for over a year and its played loud enough to hear over the shower. It may not have the most precise tuner, but Ive never seen anything battery operated last 12 months without charging. That feature alone is worth the price in my opinion. The battery crank and LED light is just a great bonus.
On: 2005-12-18
I agree with other reviewers. the radio works fine , but you are constantly cranking this thing to keep it running, ESPECIALLY if you try using the flashlight feature.
Perhaps I need new battery, but the crank problem has been present since I bought it.
On: 2005-12-06
Im very disappointed. This item died in the box itself. Neither the light works, nor the radio (any band), either off the built in dynamo, or the optional alkaline cells. The only thing that shows signs of life is the charging lamp, which lights up on the dynamo being cranked.
This item was gifted to me, and now I learn that Grundig/Eton do not have any service centers in India, or even Asia. So I will have to try and repair the thing, if possible, shipping it back to avail of the "guarantee" not really being much of an option.
As I said, Im pretty disappointed.
On: 2005-11-29
So i got a crappy gpx thing that was SAID to have comparable functionality, for a comparable price. Boy, was that a mistake. Ill never buy anything for more than $20 that i havent looked up on amazon.
Commentary aside, i got this. First off, its big and ugly. Its bigger than it looks in the picture. Second off, its sturdy as hell.
The handles plastic, but i dont feel scared to handle it roughly.
The rechargable battery is 3.6v NIMH cordless phone battery. You can find these all over the place, and nickel metal hydride batteries are a lot more better behaved than NICAD. You can pull the battery out easily without any tools.
The LED light is bright to the point that its painful to look at directly. You can read by it if your eyes are good. The light sits in a small enclosure that you can pull out easily.
The speaker is loud as hell. The headphone jack is really really loud. Apparently, every bit of the power that goes to the speakers is routed to the headphones, because i just plugged in earbuds and they got as loud as the speaker. Uncomfortably loud, at an arms length.
The bag is tough, well made, with magnetic snaps. It looks suspiciously like a purse when you carry it.
The reception is ok. I never cared for radio, but the crank and the shortwave somehow make it more interesting, even if most of the shortwave is in spanish, and half the stations on all four bands are jesus channels. When i looked for a german station, i found one. Deutschland über alles.
Crazyness update: A couple hours looking at hack of the day gave me the urge to make something do something it shouldnt. So i got in there and put the AA compartment and the rechargable battery on the same circuit, so i can theoretically unplug the built-in battery and recharge AAs. I dont know what im doing, but it seems to work well. This increases charging capacity 6x-9x.
In my adventures with electric induction, i unplugged all batteries, and cranked rapidly with the led on. DONT DO THIS. I blew the led.
This thing has taken unbelievable falls. This thing just fell off a seven feet ledge and tumbled down into a culvert with running water. Still works.
On: 2005-11-29
I purchased mine directly from Grundig about two years ago (no Amazon connection.)
As the last two reviewers note, the hand cranked battery worked well for awhile, but gave out after several months. "Gave out" now means a 1:1 ratio between hand crank time and listening time.
I dont know about you, but only the ninth inning of a tight ball game can make me crank that much for so little airtime.
On: 2005-11-28
I had the same experience as reported by Grumpy, so I dont think the attitude is grumpy at all. I have had two of these (also not from Amazon), and I was pleased to have a found a good way to listen to radio in the garden while I work.
Mine (both) worked well initially, but both gave it up quite soon. After a few hours, each of them only worked on the wind-up generator for a few minutes. Each minute of winding might only yield five minutes of play now, regardless of volume.
The solar power option still works. Oh well.
On: 2005-11-10
I bought this radio, not from Amazon, and found it worked splendidly for about a month. Then the generator crapped out. Well, not entirely. It played about about the same length of time that the generator was wound. Having very little patience with electronics that do not work properly, I depositied it in the same place I did a Canon scanner. On the sidewalk, tossed from my second floor.
I see from the reviews that others have had better luck and with the Grundig name, I expected better. But, as stated above, keep batteries handy.
by: videofile2100 On: 2005-10-29
THIS IS THE RADIO TO HAVE IN AN EMERGENCY.IT HAS A BUILT IN FLASHLIGHT.IT WORKS ON DOUBLE AA BATERIES OR RECHARGABLE BATTERIES,THAT GIVE 1 TO 2 HOURS OF USE VIA A HAND CRANK,THAT YOU TURN FOR LESS THAN ONE MINUTE.THE RADIO HAS GOOD TONE IS QUITE SENSITIVE FOR RECEIVING AM FM AND 8 BANDS OF SHORTWAVE RADIO.THIS UNIT HAS A`SEPERATE FINE TUNING KNOB TO MAKE IT EASIER TO TUNE STATIONS.THE SET ALSO COMES WITH A LEATHER POUCH TO STORE YOUR RADIO AWAY WHEN NOT IN USE.THIS IS A SET THAT IS OF HIGH QUALITY 5 STAR RECOMMENDED I OWN THIS RADIO...UPDATE 12/24/05...GRUNDIG UNDER THE ETON LABEL HAS SEVERELY,CHEAPENED THIS PRODUCT...IF YOU RECEIVE A UNIT IN A GREY AND BLACK INSIDE DOUBLE BOX,IT IS PURE CRAP...TINNY SOUND NO SENSITIVITY...TWO SAMPLES WERE LIKE THIS...THIS MAY BE WHY YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS UNIT...I REGRET THAT THE COMPANY CHOSE TO TURN A GOOD PRODUCT INTO JUNK...WORTH NO MORE THAN 20 BUCKS...THANK YOU STEWART L. 12/24/05.update 01/03/06.I RECEIVED TWO REPLACMENT SAMPLES...THE SOUND IS STILL A LITTLE THIN,SOUNDING.THE RECEPTION IS FAIR TO GOOD..I WIOULD RATE THIS UNIT BASED ON 3 SAMPLES 3 1/2 TO 4.. IM SORRY I CANT CHANGE MY ORIGINAL SCORE...THANK YOU STEWART L.
by: videofile2100 On: 2005-10-29
I OWN THIS RADIO IN RED.I WONDER IF THIS VERSION DIFFERS IN ANY WAY .PLEASE SEE MY REVIEW FOR THIS SET IN RED.THE UNIT IS SMALL LIGHT WEIGHT WITH A SENSITIVE AM FM TUNER AND 8 BANDS OF SHORTWAVE.THIS UNIT HAS A FLASHLIGHT AND WORKS ON AA BATTERIES AND NICAD RECHARABLE BATTERIES,THAT WORK VIA A HANK CRANK.YOU TURN THE CRANK FOR 45 SECONDS TO 0NE MINUTE YOU GET 1 TO HOURS OF USE.THE SET KEEPS THE CHARGE IN STANDBY FOR A LONG TIME.THE SET HAS GOOD TONE WITH GOOD VOLUME,AND COMES WITH A LEATHER POUCH FOR STORING THE RADIO BETWEEN USED.PERHAPS SOME REVIEWS RECEIVED SHIP DAMAGED UNITS WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN ANY NEGITIVE OPINIONS OF THIS PRODUCT.WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A SMALL LIGHTWEIGHT PORTABLE EMERGENCY RADIO.THIS SET WAS PERFECT FOR KATRINA AND OTHER SEVERLY DAMAGED AREAS OF OUR COUNTRY.I THINK THIS TYPE OF SET COULD SAVE LIVES 5 STAR + I OWN THIS RADIO.
On: 2005-10-27
It is adequate for its purpose, which is to be available in emrgencies. It is lightly built, but priced appropriately.
On: 2005-10-24
The Grundig FR200 is a highly useful item to have around the house - a small insurance policy against the moment when natural or Man generated disaster threatens or strikes, you need to know what is going on and power systems are down. The hand crank guarantees access whether you have batteries in the house or not. As to voice quality: The Grundig has reasonably good sound quality and makes for agreeable listening in untroubled times.
On: 2005-10-14
The disaster in the Golf prompted the purachase. Smaller than I thought but still meets the need.
On: 2005-10-11
I am not sure how anyone can complain about this simple & inexpensive unit. It is a basic audio and light tool for emergency use. I live in a very rural area and both FM & AM work great. Obviously the SW receiver wont compete with my high end Grundig radio, but then again this was $500 cheaper! It picks up major SW frequencies fine at my location.
Bottom-line: this is a good small emergency radio. Hand charge system works great and the light is pretty good for its size. I plan on giving a few as gifts now that I have mine. The unit is exactly what I expected it would be.
On: 2005-10-06
Can you say VALUE? This is an excellent performing and quality inexpensive emergency radio, that will work with 3 AA batteries, or the built-in hand cranking device that stores energy in the built-in NiCD cells. The radio will work for approximately half an hour with only 2 minutes of cranking, which is amazing in and of itself. The radio works on AM, FM, and 2 popular shortwave bands (shortwave is a must, because local AM and FM stations could be incapacitated or shut off during an emergency), and it includes a second fine-tuning dial, which is usually available on more expensive radios. At night, it even picks up AM radio stations thousands of miles away with great clarity, which most cheap radios dont do well. This thing must have a higher quality internal AM ferrite antenna that enables its good performance. The audio is truly clear and excellent, and the radio exhudes excellent build quality all around. This forty dollar radio is an absolute MUST in every households emergency kit. Forget duct tape and buy this radio instead!
On: 2005-10-04
Ive only had this a short time and not even run through one battery life cycle, but it does what it claims and its much smaller than I expected. It receives tv channels up to 13 and everything else is just as advertised. Its a great emergency radio and an average flashlight.
On: 2005-09-22
Could be built a little sturdier, but a good overall product. A little tricky to learn to tune at first, but pleased with my purchase.
On: 2005-08-26
This is the perfect radio for anyone who likes camping, hiking and not having to buy batteries. After cranking the generator for 90 seconds, Ive actually gotten 2 hours of radio use from the NiMH battery pack. The tuning is well engineered, the tonal quality is satisfactory, and the radio excells at picking up shortwave broadcasts. Construction is solid, the radio is light and compact and actually has a tiny emergency light which is surprisingly bright. At $40 I dont think youll find a better deal. I love mine more than my more expensive Grundig digital YachtBoy radio.
On: 2005-08-26
A decent, but not great little shortwave radio for emergency or travel use.
Good: Decent sensitivity. Accepts three sources of power - hand generation, AA batteries, or external power adapter. Has a built-in flashlight. Inexpensive.
Bad: Annoying tendency to drift, no external antenna jack, you have to be careful where you put your fingers while tuning - its very easy to touch the antenna and block the signal while cranking the generator.
Bought mine used from a co-worker for $20 - Id say thats about the right price.
On: 2005-08-24
Be prepared to really turn the knob slowly to get the station you want, as there are lots of stations to choose from. Great generator feature! I was expecting to end up cranking nearly constantly and was pleasantly surprised.
Good price. I looked at a lot of models before choosing this one and am happy with my selection.
On: 2005-08-08
I bought this litte radio just a few weeks before a major regional blackout. Talk about timely. It gets decent AM/FM reception, and even decent SW reception if theres not too much interference. I was just looking for a good radio that I could use when the power was out. Itll take AA batteries or crank power. Ive used the crank power feature and it works fine. The little light is even handy when the power is out. Overall Id say its $40 well spent.
On: 2005-07-10
Small, compact, with plenty of volume and pickup ability. Ideal
in our hurricane-friendly environment. I own 3 of them.
On: 2005-06-18
Hi
I ordered the Grundig 200 as we enter the hurricane season here in Florida. I like the hand crank generator feature the best.The radio will play at moderate levels for at least one hour after cranking the generator for 90 seconds. I was suprised at the sound quality from this little radio. I recently beamed the signal from my satellite radio through it as I waxed my car and was very pleased with the sound. The shortwave section is of reasonable quality when you consider the $39.00 price tag of the Grundig 200. The fine tuning feature is very helpful when scanning for shortwave signals. The FM & AM sections performed well. Overall this is a home run.
Steve
On: 2005-06-17
1. In my environment (urban) I received no listenable shortware channels at all. Selectivity is nonexistant.
2. FM works fine...at the level of a $10 radio that is.
3. The sound is very, very tinny and having the radio level turned up causes distortion very rapidly.
4. There is a rather nice carrying case of the typical non-waterproof nylon variety. I find it useless.
Consider this *only* an *emergency radio*, without any other value at all.
On: 2005-06-15
I am very impressed with this unit when all limitations are considered. It is in my communications kit. WA4MUC :)
On: 2005-06-10
I got this just in time for storm season. It cranks easily, and I appreciate that it offers both radio and a light in case of storms. And no batteries required! I cant imagine what Id want the short-wave feature for, but its there as a kind of bonus. For $39, the value is amazing just for its crank feature, light, and good AM/FM radio. (The last crank radio I bought -- as a gift for my dad back for the whole Y2K time in 1999--cost $ 79 and it did not even have a light.)
On: 2005-04-19
Im a communications engineer & have designed radios This one is intended to be used for broadcast reception. Forget SSB or CW. It does drift a bit - but that is in part a result of trying to minimize power consumption (and cranking). I was impressed by the fact that the antenna is properly matched nearly everywhere in the SW band (as evidenced by the fact that touching the antenna does NOT increase signal volume. If you see that effect - the antenna is mismatched and your sensitivity is poor. Doubt me? connect an antenna matchbox (impedance matcher) between an equivalent length of wire to the standard radio mounted antenna and such a radio - either use the ext antenna connections or collapse the stock antenna and use a clip. Now tune the matchbox for maximum background noise (indicating more RF is getting into the radio). Tune around and youll then hear 3 times the number of signals that you heard with the standard radio mounted antenna. The ones you could hear before are now much louder too. A "Freeplay" radio is a typical example of this antenna matching design error. The Grundig is much smaller, lighter, runs (i believe) longer than the freeplay for an equiv amount of cranking, is half the price and more sensitive (on HF). (The Freeplay drifts too btw - i have 2 of them). If you want a no drift single sideband or CW radio get a AOR 3000. At $1000, its out of the price range of the Grundig. It also doesnt have a crank. Why? the synthesized and microprocessed circuitry of the AOR draws WAY too much power - youd need a treadmill, not a handcrank. The flashlight is handy, but not a substitute for a proper flashlight (torch). You can find the radio in the dark in a shelter..its making noise. You can then find the flashlight..(its built into the radio) - using it you can then find your 3 D cell Kleig light. This is a low price emerg radio built to fill a specific need - which imho it does quite well.. It is NOT the equiv of a $1000 - $3000 communications receiver. I own a couple of those too, being in the emergency comms/homeland defense business. They have their places too - but one has to consider what class of equipment one is dealing with - and for what it was designed.
On: 2005-03-23
I wish to correct an earlier statement about this product! I mistakenly suggested that this product was garbage, turns out that Radio Shack gave me the wrong AC Adapter plug not once but twice.
The problem has since been corrected and the radio works fine! I highly recommend this product and take back any earlier comment.
On: 2005-02-18
No, the FR200 is not an expensive radio, but I expected more from any product Grundig was willing to put its brand name on. I bought this radio to have with me when I was working in the yard, fishing, etc. The problem is that it drifts off frequency so badly and in such a short period of time that I have to keep it nearby to keep adjusting it. I guess there is a lot of truth to the adage that you get what you pay for.
On: 2005-01-15
With about a minute of cranking I got over 30 minutes of power (it may have lasted much longer but I turned it off after that). The built-in light is very bright. The radio reception seems ok and there are course and fine tuner adjustment knobs that make it easy to dial-in a station.
You can power it with the crank, with batteries, or there are models with AC.
My only quibble is that the product feels a bit flimsy. The knobs especially worry me. The crank seems better but is still plastic. Overall though a nice thing to have around the house or for camping.
On: 2004-11-18
My need was simple- I like to go to bed to the news on the radio every night. Sounds odd I know, but since I was younger something about hearing the news or talk radio as I try to drift off into slumber always was good for me.
To go to bed to say the BBC or Radio Netherlands is even better. There has always been one problem, though- my trusty old Sangean shortwave does not have a sleep timer, and most of the high-end digitals are awfully expensive. So, this radio made complete sense to me. I simply work the crank for a minute or so before bed, tune to the right station and slowly drift off into slumber. The reception is quite good and I like the fine-tuning option. I may not get some of the more hard-to-find stations, but for a basic shortwave radio that picks up all the big broadcasts (BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio Habana, Radio Taipei, Radio Sweden, etc), this works wonderfully.
Its an interesting looking radio too! WIth its rugged, grey, army-esque design that has cool looking knobs, nice litle crank and a big, telescopic antenna, I feel like I should be taking it up the river with me in Nam and checking the trees for "Charlie." When people come over and see the radio, they always inquire as to exactly what it is. No matter how far-fetched the story is that I tell them, they buy it! Thats a testament to how interesting this little machine is!
The radio comes in a great carrying case and the literature provided by Grundig is actually quite helpful.
So whether you are looking for a nice little portable shortwave, or something that is healthier than sleeping pills to help you sleep, the Grundig FR 200 is a solid investment.
On: 2004-11-17
My need was simple- I like to go to bed to the news on the radio every night. Sounds odd I know, but since I was younger something about hearing the news or talk radio as I try to drift off into slumber always was good for me.
To go to bed to say the BBC or Radio Netherlands is even better. There has always been one problem, though- my trusty old Sangean shortwave does not have a sleep timer, and most of the high-end digitals are awfully expensive. So, this radio made complete sense to me. I simply work the crank for a minute or so before bed, tune to the right station and slowly drift off into slumber. The reception is quite good and I like the fine-tuning option. I may not get some of the more hard-to-find stations, but for a basic shortwave radio that picks up all the big broadcasts (BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio Habana, Radio Taipei, Radio Sweden, etc), this works wonderfully.
Its an interesting looking radio too! WIth its rugged, grey, army-esque design that has cool looking knobs, nice litle crank and a big, telescopic antenna, I feel like I should be taking it up the river with me in Nam and checking the trees for "Charlie." When people come over and see the radio, they always inquire as to exactly what it is. No matter how far-fetched the story is that I tell them, they buy it! Thats a testament to how interesting this little machine is!
The radio comes in a great carrying case and the literature provided by Grundig is actually quite helpful.
So whether you are looking for a nice little portable shortwave, or something that is healthier than sleeping pills to help you sleep, the Grundig FR 200 is a solid investment.
On: 2004-11-16
I am in emergency communications, live in Florida, and I know price/performance when I see it. Right after giving this radio a shake-down cruise that would be expected of any good transistor radio -- I did one thing -- I bought more of them for my ham radio friends.
The light is an LED, so worries about it burning out are out the window. No one knows the lifespan of an LED, because they have only been in general use since the 1970s!
Whoever designed this really thought it out. I would tend to write off the one-star reviews and hesitate not. Especially for the price -- this emergency radio has no equal for the price as of November, 2004.
On: 2004-11-10
This neat little unit is built upon the work of British inventor Trevor Bayliss, who came up with the idea of a hand cranked powered radio for use in Africa, and remote parts of the world, where batteries were almost impossible to get a hold of. In less difficult circumstances, the ability to use one’s radio after the batteries have died - for whatever reason - is a handy thing to be able to do. And at this price point, this Grundig unit’s performance shouldn’t disappoint.
On: 2004-11-09
This neat little unit is built upon the work of British inventor Trevor Bayliss, who came up with the idea of a hand cranked powered radio for use in Africa, and remote parts of the world, where batteries were almost impossible to get a hold of. In less difficult circumstances, the ability to use one’s radio after the batteries have died - for whatever reason - is a handy thing to be able to do. And at this price point, this Grundig unit’s performance shouldn’t disappoint.
On: 2004-10-26
(Review refers to the red version of this product). This thing is so great! With only 90 seconds of cranking the handle, you get up to an hours charge... the flashlight part is not big, so it wont light a large area, but its perfect as an emergency device. Radio works perfectly and there is even an earphone jack should you need to use the radio without disturbing others. This may sound geeky, but its a perfect thing to give every family member to keep in their rooms in case of emergency. For the price, its a really smart thing to get BEFORE you need it. If you are in a hurricane or tornado-prone area, you should really get one for your home. The red color actually has a little bit of a metallic sheen to it, so this thing is not only very practical, it looks cool, too.
Another good Grundig product is the Blackout Buddy - a smaller, plug-in device that you leave in a wall socket until you need it ... its a flashlight, radio and clock all in one.
On: 2004-10-25
(Review refers to the red version of this product). This thing is so great! With only 90 seconds of cranking the handle, you get up to an hours charge... the flashlight part is not big, so it wont light a large area, but its perfect as an emergency device. Radio works perfectly and there is even an earphone jack should you need to use the radio without disturbing others. This may sound geeky, but its a perfect thing to give every family member to keep in their rooms in case of emergency. For the price, its a really smart thing to get BEFORE you need it. If you are in a hurricane or tornado-prone area, you should really get one for your home. The red color actually has a little bit of a metallic sheen to it, so this thing is not only very practical, it looks cool, too.
Another good Grundig product is the Blackout Buddy - a smaller, plug-in device that you leave in a wall socket until you need it ... its a flashlight, radio and clock all in one.
On: 2004-10-20
Pretty good for an emergency radio. I would agree that it isnt for general use, especially since the sound quality from the small speaker isnt great. But it is useful as an emergency radio or for a radio to tote around the house and yard doing chores and work.
My biggest gripe is that I was never able to get a lot of playing time by charging the battery using the crank. 100-200 turns got me only 5-10 minutes of FM playing time. Batteries are a must!
On: 2004-10-19
Hurricane season here in South Florida was a tad awesome this year - and with that reality check, my hurricane grab-bag has included as many multi-power source units as possible. This little radio made the list with its built-in generator.
When I recieved it, I tried out the generator immediately. Following instructions, I cranked for 3 minutes - no problem there, the equipment isnt pissed-off-gorilla proof, but it isnt fragile, either. After my crank time, I flipped the switch, and the radio worked immediately. THEN I pulled out he antenna. Great reception.
What more could I ask for? Radio works, generator works, it also takes batteries. It has a hole for an AC adaptor - however, mine did not come with one... but while I have this generator, who cares? Radio works a long time for 3 minutes of cranking.
On: 2004-10-18
Hurricane season here in South Florida was a tad awesome this year - and with that reality check, my hurricane grab-bag has included as many multi-power source units as possible. This little radio made the list with its built-in generator.
When I recieved it, I tried out the generator immediately. Following instructions, I cranked for 3 minutes - no problem there, the equipment isnt pissed-off-gorilla proof, but it isnt fragile, either. After my crank time, I flipped the switch, and the radio worked immediately. THEN I pulled out he antenna. Great reception.
What more could I ask for? Radio works, generator works, it also takes batteries. It has a hole for an AC adaptor - however, mine did not come with one... but while I have this generator, who cares? Radio works a long time for 3 minutes of cranking.
On: 2004-09-23
This thing is so great! With only 90 seconds of cranking the handle, you get up to an hours charge... the flashlight part is not big, so it wont light a large area, but its perfect as an emergency device. Radio works perfectly and there is even an earphone jack should you need to use the radio without disturbing others. This may sound geeky, but its a perfect thing to give every family member to keep in their rooms in case of emergency. For the price, its a really smart thing to get BEFORE you need it. If you are in a hurricane or tornado-prone area, you should really get one for your home. The red color actually has a little bit of a metallic sheen to it, so this thing is not only very practical, it looks cool, too.
Another good Grundig product is the Blackout Buddy - a smaller, plug-in device that you leave in a wall socket until you need it ... its a flashlight, radio and clock all in one.
On: 2004-09-22
This thing is so great! With only 90 seconds of cranking the handle, you get up to an hours charge... the flashlight part is not big, so it wont light a large area, but its perfect as an emergency device. Radio works perfectly and there is even an earphone jack should you need to use the radio without disturbing others. This may sound geeky, but its a perfect thing to give every family member to keep in their rooms in case of emergency. For the price, its a really smart thing to get BEFORE you need it. If you are in a hurricane or tornado-prone area, you should really get one for your home. The red color actually has a little bit of a metallic sheen to it, so this thing is not only very practical, it looks cool, too.
Another good Grundig product is the Blackout Buddy - a smaller, plug-in device that you leave in a wall socket until you need it ... its a flashlight, radio and clock all in one.
On: 2004-09-18
The Grundig FR 200 was just the small type of camping / emergency radio that I was looking for to carry on short camping trips etc.It is lite weight and has a smooth band search with a good sound.The light is an extra touch for those times in the tent when you need it.Its just what it says it is "An emergency radio,constructed well".Im listening to the Baseball game now as I send this message.
On: 2004-09-17
The Grundig FR 200 was just the small type of camping / emergency radio that I was looking for to carry on short camping trips etc.It is lite weight and has a smooth band search with a good sound.The light is an extra touch for those times in the tent when you need it.Its just what it says it is "An emergency radio,constructed well".Im listening to the Baseball game now as I send this message.
On: 2004-08-24
I recently suffered through Hurricane Charley without a radio (power was out of the question). My radio batteries were gone before the storm actually hit land. I decided Id never be without a radio again, and bought this item. Ive cranked it a few times, and its working great! Good sound and even the flashlight included is stronger than I would have expected. Ive read about the complaints about how much cranking is necessary, but I dont care (when the power is out, what else do you have to do but crank the radio?) Ill never be without radio contact again when I need it most. I hope Ill never use this radio for its intended purpose, but Im sure glad Ive got it!
On: 2004-08-23
I recently suffered through Hurricane Charley without a radio (power was out of the question). My radio batteries were gone before the storm actually hit land. I decided Id never be without a radio again, and bought this item. Ive cranked it a few times, and its working great! Good sound and even the flashlight included is stronger than I would have expected. Ive read about the complaints about how much cranking is necessary, but I dont care (when the power is out, what else do you have to do but crank the radio?) Ill never be without radio contact again when I need it most. I hope Ill never use this radio for its intended purpose, but Im sure glad Ive got it!
On: 2004-07-23
Heres a little tip on how you can "recharge" the Ni-MH/Ni-Cd batteries without having to turn the handcrank. If you have a cordless phone, check to see if the plastic connector on its Ni-MH/Ni-Cd battery matches the battery in your Grundig FR 200. If it does, plug it in and let it charge overnight, it will fully recharge the battery and last for weeks.
The Grundig FR 200 is a powerful little radio, I judge radios by their ability to pickup out of town stations on the AM Band. And this radio passes the test with flying colors.
On: 2004-07-22
Heres a little tip on how you can "recharge" the Ni-MH/Ni-Cd batteries without having to turn the handcrank. If you have a cordless phone, check to see if the plastic connector on its Ni-MH/Ni-Cd battery matches the battery in your Grundig FR 200. If it does, plug it in and let it charge overnight, it will fully recharge the battery and last for weeks.
The Grundig FR 200 is a powerful little radio, I judge radios by their ability to pickup out of town stations on the AM Band. And this radio passes the test with flying colors.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-06-13
FOr the price and convience of having a portable emergency battery radio, its OK.The AM/FM tuner is OK. Its not great. Its not very precise and you need to fiddle with the tuner to get your station locked in. The shortwave is hit or miss. The light works. The hand-crank broke after 3 times using it. It seems it was glued. It was easily fixed using plastic crazy-glue, but somewhat disappointing. I really wanted a FreePlay radio, but I couldnt justify the price. This radio is OK if you have a fresh supply of AA batteries and some crazy glue :) Peace
On: 2004-06-07
From reading the other reviews, I see most people love this radio, but some dog it. Theyre both right. Your level of satisfaction with this radio will have more to do with your buying motivations than the product.
Grundig has a well established reputation for making fine products. If you are a shortwave enthusiast who is looking for a good shortwave radio, sadly I must admit that you need to keep looking. The tuner is iffy (by your standards) and it does not have the Grundig Feel of their more expensive products.
But notice Grudig calls it an Emergency Radio, not a shortwave radio.
If you want something for peace of mind -that you will never be caught without a radio because of dead batteries- then this is a great product. I live in a hurricane zone and every time there is a storm approaching, all my friends wait in long lines to buy batteries. I know Im ready 24/7. As an added bonus Ill always have a flashlight with me. (which is more handy than I would have guessed)
(Here is the kicker-) If you want an emergency radio AND you like to listen to the BBC or Radio Canada every once in a while, then this is definitely the product for you.
Ive had mine for a year and a half and I use it at least 3 times per week. The best way to describe the tuner is "credible." It can pick up all the big name stations, even indoors, but it is not stunning. The tonal quality is acceptable but Im usually listening to the spoken word and not music. (I have an iPod for that ;-)
I bought it because I wanted a cheap shortwave. The fact it had a crank and a flashlight was gravy at first, but it is more and more important as I use it.
Some notes about the battery:
Youll never turn the hand crank enough to fully charge the internal battery. I have a fancy NiCad charger so I charged the battery fully and it lasted 6 weeks of near daily use during Gulf War II. (Id guess 120+ hours, I was amazed) Problem is, your arm would fall off before you got there. Even if you dont give it a full charge, I find the cranking to listening ratio pretty good.
Bu |
