- AM (520-1710 KHz) & FM (87-108MHz) NOAA weatherband all 7 channels Built-in 3 white LED light source Powered by solar
- USB cell phone charger 3.5 mm headphone input Dimensions: 5.25 x 2.5 x 1.75 and 133 x 63.5 x 44.45 mm (W x H x D)
- Accessories: owners manual, warranty card Specifications subject to change
- Weight: 8.5 oz. and 241 g
Update as of 5/14/2012.
I let it sit out in the rain all day today, and it hardly got any water in it... It still works!
Of course,
M. Mason would want to know exactly how hard the rain was... The weatherman says up to 1"/Hour.
M. Mason would want to know exactly how long it sat in the rain? approximately 8 hours...
I took it apart, noticed about 4 drops of approximately 1 mm in diameter. After an hour, got tired of waiting and put it back together, it seems to work fine.
The AM/FM radio works fine, and the weather radio works. Of course, time will tell how the Dynamo works, but I don't expect water to effect the solar charging. I won't turn the dynamo for a while, as the battery should have a full charge as it sat out in the sun yesterday. How long? I just don't know, sorry M. Mason.
I finally packed it in an air tight container with an old packet of Desiccant to try and dry out any remaining moisture. As long as the packet isn't too saturated, it should work...I read numerous reviews about this product and had concerns re: people's feedback -quality, lack of A/C power adapter, time/effort to recharge a cell phone, USB charger which is useless when there's no power, etc. But I decided to buy one just because I've got a young family and it's my responsibility [gulp] to be at least minimally prepared. You got to admit that these storms in recent years (not to mention tornados, earthquakes, fires, and other disasters that occur constantly) demonstrate that help may take days or weeks to arrive. That's a long time when you remember that lights, ATM's, radios, etc don't work when bad things happen.
So I pulled the trigger w/ low expectations and am I glad I did. These FR-160's are ideal for their purpose: they provide basic lighting & communication (read: radio/weather) in case of emergency. The quality was shockingly good for only $30. And they're small -pretend your hand is in a mitten and subtract your thumb...about that size. They're not meant to provide music for a party so don't expect it amazing quality sound. They're not designed to be used on the ocean as your boat's only radio. Don't drop it off a cliff and expect it to be good as new. They're designed to be a compact combination radio/flashlight that can be a lifesaver if you ever need it.
Keep safe...This radio is an excellent radio for the price. No, it is not a top-end emergency radio, but it should work rather well for anyone looking for a basic AM/FM/Weather radio with both a solar and hand-crank charging option. I purchased mine about a year ago and used it only occasionally for the first few months. Then I placed it on a shelf with limited light and there it sat for about six to eight months. About six weeks ago I dusted it off and it actually worked for about an hour or so with no hand-crank charging. Later that day I sat it in the front window where it would get plenty of direct sun light. A couple days later I picked it up from the window and have been using it a few hours each day since; some of those days it was used for more than six hours in the basement. I have not needed to crank it at all, but did crank charge it for about one minute total just while playing with it for the record. Since then, I have been keeping it on the shelf out in the open where it is exposed to normal room daylight, no direct sunlight. The charging light does not light up in this setting, and I would not expect it to. I have occasionally taken it out on the front porch to sit a listen where there is direct sunlight, but only for about an hour or so each week. I really like the idea of not having to buy batteries, and the convenience of knowing I always have a charged radio.
The flashlight is minimal, but I would not expect more from an LED light source. I have my 6-D-Cell Mag light if I need a powerful (luxury) light source.
Tuning the radio is a bit sensitive and can be difficult to fine tune. I would consider this to be a SIGNIFICANT problem for an elderly person or anyone without the use of fine motor skills in their hands; but for me it is a minor hassle I am willing and able to deal with. I have considered getting the Eaton FR600 for its digital tuner. The reviews for that model suggest the battery life is pretty bad, so I have decided to wait for an improved model. For now, my FR160 is just fine. I would consider giving this 5-stars if the fine-tuning was much easier.
The USB charge does work, but know that it will not charge an iPhone 3Gs. This is more a problem/restriction of the iPhone 3Gs (a widely discussed complaint across the Internet for many-many generic charging devices) and is not because of the radio. Charging my old Samsung phone was not a problem.
The weather bands do pick up a signal, but to be absolutely honest, I have not used it much to provide any real opinion.
The hand-crank charger feels solid enough (I wouldn't abuse it) and tucks away securely when not used. I have found the manual crank-charger will provide about 25-30 minutes of radio time (at about 1/4 to 1/3 volume) for every minute of crank-charging. I average about 2 cranks per second or about 120 rotation per minute. Now I just count to 120 or so instead of watching the clock. This play-time per craink-time yeild has been very acceptable for me. After two minutes of crank-charging my hand does begins to tire a little, but just a little. If I leave the radio in a place with good direct sunlight when not using it, changing via the crank is never even needed.
In short, it works for what I want a radio that that can be charged by sunlight or by hand-crank when absolutely necessary. If you want the construction and feature-set of a $100+ radio buy a $100+ radio. But, for $30 (or less), I am pleased with the FR160.ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE THIS TO CHARGE AN IPHONE !!!! I have a 32GB 3GS that I purchased in February. I purchased the Eton Microlink FR160 for a Cub Scout campout to celebrate the 100 years of scouting. We were camping in a farm field with no access to electricity. When I used it to charge my iPhone, it FRIED IT! I mean no phone, all loss of data, completely black screen. The Apple store tried to due a hard reset and couldn't even get it to turn on. Thank goodness that the phone was still under warranty! Apple gave me a new phone, but I had to reload EVERYTHING! A HUGE time commitment and pain. Tech support from Eton was willing to replace my iPhone and very helpful. They emphasized to me to NOT USE this to charge an iPhone! All other features are awesome and weather band works great. I will keep it for that reason only.
JeffZman
The light powerful halogen type LEDs that power the device, as strong as a good bike light. Battery can be charged via solar or hand crank. Three to five minutes of hand crank has given me over two hours of battery life, and still no sign of dying battery. That's quite a great find for people who need a flashlight all the time like I do.
The radio a bit weak with the speakers, but works. Includes a weather band. A bit of a blah item, especially since the dials pop off all the time.
The charger Great little device. Can charge all your Apple iPod products, including bluetooth headsets, and your iPhone. A big reason I waited for the next gen Eton charger was for the iPhone charging...really great and works well. Charge your iPhone, iPhone 3G (and probably the new 3GS).
Well worth $30
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