American Red Cross FR300 Emergency Radio, Red
By: Eton Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 14
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 On: 2008-10-07
This is a handy little gadget that is a perfect gift for anyone in the country - including yourself. We ordered one for Christmas last year for everyone on our list. It has EVERY THING youll need in various weather conditions.
alienface
 On: 2008-09-30
Ok, first and foremost, this is a great disaster radio, BUT, having just lived through the disaster that was hurrican ike, let me tell you one teency weency little problem we noticed during our little red cross moment.
Impressed with how awesomely prepared we were for the hurricane, we eagerly broke out our fabulous brand new radio at my mothers house. "How cool we thought". I had the manual in my hand, and I read off the list of features to my mom. Disaster channels, hand crank, LED, tv channels, siren, AND, holey moley, CELL PHONE CHARGING!!! It had EVERYTHING!!! Or at least we thought it did. Little did we know, because the box made no mention of it, if you wanted to charge your cell phone, you had to mail a postcard to request the charger. :( For as much as we paid for that radio, it should have included every possible adapter. Adapters are CHEAP. Theyre all made by slave labor in china anyway so why not just include them all!? "But theres just too many" you say. Au contrare my good friend. Thankfully, as a christmas present, a grandparent had sent us a small emergency crank flashlight the year before that included a cellphone charger that actually came with the attachments you would need to charge your cellphone (I know, I know, AMAZING CONCEPT). So, at least we werent totally screwed. Anyways, now that power has been restored to the city and the mail is working, I just mailed the request for our cell phone adapter. Its still a great radio, but, include everything in the dang kit people!!!!!!!!!!! Until then, its four stars for you Red Cross.
On: 2008-09-22
every home should have a radio with fresh batteries and a back up "crank generator". this is a good product at a reasonable price.
On: 2008-09-04
I was bummed out when I discovered that the ARC FR300 did not work right out of the box. The radio couldnt pick up any stations on any band. I confirmed this with ETON and then contacted Amazon. Amazon over-nighted a replacement at no charge and provided me with a return label for the defective radio. The replacement works great!! Some hassle involved, but Amazon gets 6 stars for the way everything was handled and the radio gets 5 stars.
On: 2008-07-03
This radio seems to do all that I could expect of it. It alerts to storm warnings, plus gets local television audio. The wind-up charger for the cell phone should be handy in case of a total power outage. Hopefully I will not have to use it, but the peace of mind is well worth the low price that I paid for it.
On: 2008-05-20
Im not a professional HAM radio operator or nothing but this product does everything as promised. I tried every feature: AM, FM, TV1, TV2, and Weather using manual (crank) power and battery. It came with all the adaptors and attachments for cell [but I havent tested them yet]. Im currently using the radio actively in my newly renovated shop. Strangely enough after getting the FR300 for $13+SH I found a FR200 at a yardsale for $3. So now I have 2 for my emergency kit.
 On: 2008-01-18
I got good enough reception on almost everything, but the rechargeable battery in the unit only works for a short time after cranking. The cranking power does not last nearly as long as advertised. The LED lights in worked fine in mine also.
 On: 2007-08-11
If you are thinking of buying this radio---FORGET IT... Reception sucks. The TV setting got nothing but 3 Mexican radio stations. Its nothing more than a piece of crap!!!!!
On: 2007-04-25
I noticed that both of the negative reviews were written by owners in Hawaii. I agree that there are problems with getting a long charge out here. When I first got the radio, I got about 45 minutes with two minutes of cranking; after six months, two minutes of cranking got six minutes of radio time. I suspect our tropical climate is more the problem than the radios dynamo. Ive put batteries in mine (rechargeable, of course) and have had great reception, even inside buildings that usually interfere with reception. I can also receive several TV stations with no problem, and the National Weather Service channel comes through loud and clear. I really like this radio, and it was my constant companion during the earthquake. I just need to make sure Im proactive and keep the AA batteries charged up so its ready in an emergency.
On: 2006-11-08
My wife and I used the FR300 during the week-long Queens blackout this past summer and this little radio delivered. One 2 minute winding lasted for an hour on medium volume. The cell phone charger is cool, but it takes a lot of winding. The light is good in a pinch, but not particularly useful.
On: 2006-11-07
My wife and I used the FR300 during the week-long Queens blackout this past summer and this little radio delivered. One 2 minute winding lasted for an hour on medium volume. The cell phone charger is cool, but it takes a lot of winding. The light is good in a pinch, but not particularly useful.
On: 2006-10-27
Sounds to me like the folks who had a beef with this radio must have been looking for $300 quality in a $50 radio. Ive been really pleased with this unit and its pretty incredible array of features.
I will concur that the plastic on the unit is not the most-durable feeling material, but its certainly sufficient. Plus it comes with a nice little nylon case to protect it and carry it, so that more than makes up for it.
First, the quality of the TV and AM reception is superb. I love talk radio, but hate the constant fade in/out. This unit does much better than any radio I have -- a couple of which are pretty expensive -- on picking up weak signals.
The sound quality also is good for the size of the unit. Clear, good quality sound thats easy to hear and not tinny.
The plastic is lightweight, which doesnt feel so great, but it does make the unit easy to carry. And a minute of cranking generates plenty of listening time. The three-LED light array is plenty bright and a great little area light in case of emergency. The variety of power sources make this a no-brainer for emergency use -- cranking, built-in rechargeables, alkaline or lithium AAs or a power adapter, if you want to buy one.
Heres what I found best though. I use a Palm Treo, so the unit didnt come with a charging tip that would fit it. I contacted the company, Eton, by e-mail to inquire if I could purchase one somewhere. Within a few hours, they responded to say that not only was there now a Palm tip available, they would provide me one at no cost. So terrific customer service.
If you want a really thorough review of this product, I suggest you visit thetravelinsider.info. I think hes spot-on with his assessment.
Great, fun little unit -- great value. I highly recommend.
On: 2006-10-19
I agree with the other feedback. I dont know what the other reviewer was on but this product has got to be the worst product I have ever bought. When the earthquake occurred this product ran off on me.
Cons:
1. Terrible radio reception.
2. Takes a long time to crank for any good use. I ended up putting regular batteries in it.
3. Cheap material means low durability (mine wouldnt play the radio because the switch wore out.
4. The light was weak.
5. Couldnt even get tv reception.
Pros:
1. None
Conclusion:
Dont buy this radio. I returned mine and chalked it up to lesson learned. Next time I will take a closer look and test the product before buying when it comes to electronics.
On: 2006-10-19
Dont waste your money on this piece of junk. I bought one and found it to be the worst investment I have ever made. The radios light wouldnt work. The rechargeable battery in the unit only works for a very short time after cranking. When I took a closer look at the material I found that it was made of a cheap plastic and the seams showed cheap manufacture. This radios reception is not even as good as that of radios Ive found that only cost five dollars. This radio looks like one of those that magazine companies give away with their subscription. This is a perfect example of cheap parts=maximum profits for the manufacturer of this product.
On: 2006-09-11
I had a crank radio since 1999, and it finally gave out this year. I was excited to find this one at a decent price, and with the added bonus of a cell phone emergency charger! The adapters fit most phones, and its just good to know that wherever you are, you can make a phone call even with a dead phone battery. I read some reviews about a difficulty getting the battery case open, but I had absolutely no problem with it. Yes, it would be great if it came with an AC adapter (and I wouldnt have it without); I just rigged up my own with a Wal Mart universal power supply for $15.00. It takes 4.5 -5 volts. It runs for HOURS after charging it with an adapter. Reception has been good, not only in northern Wisconsin, but in Illinois as well. NPR is great! and who really needs the TV stations! (though I do get one once in a while).Anyway, I recommend it!
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