- AM (520-1710 KHz) & FM (87-108MHz), NOAA weatherband - all 7 channels, 3 Built-in white LED light source
- Self-powered aluminum crank with TurboDyne technology, Direct USB power transfer (includes USB cable), Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, 3.5 mm headphone output
- Telescopic antenna provided for maximum range and reception
- Includes: USB cable, owner's manual, warranty card
One issue... All the text on the unit ("Volume" "Tuning" "AM FM WB1 etc" "Eton" "Rover") rubbed right off! I was holding it with one hand and cranking with the other and noticed one of the words was smudged... not thirty seconds later I had completely rubbed off EVERY bit of text on the unit as if it were never there. I know some people have some kind of harsh sweat that does this sort of thing but I have never had anything do this before. I don't really mind, I know what the controls do and I actually think it looks better this way but it all just rubbed right off!! Like it was written with dry erase marker!! I know this will cause a problem with some users at the worst possible time.
Buy Eton NPT200WXB Rover Self-Powered Weather Radio with Flashlight and USB Cell Phone Charger Now
The device charges my HTC Evo phone via USB. I think it is one of the only hand crank flashlights on the market that can charge smartphones. I assume it would charge the iPhone 4 as well. Out of the box I plugged it into my phone with an extended battery it went from 50% to 60% charge before the battery on the flashlight was completely dead. It could be useful to charge your phone to get you by in a pinch however if your main goal is to have a self powered way to charge your smartphone without connecting to the grid you may want to reconsider. A cheaper external battery pack that can fully charge your phone may be a better option even if you have to recharge the battery pack via AC or DC power.Around 30 seconds of hand cranking gave me over 30 minutes of LED lighting. That was pretty impressive. The flashlight is pretty bright and covers a wide area. The beam is fairly focused as well. However because this unit is quite large it would be pretty hard to use as your everyday flashlight.
The unit is built fairly solid and looks great but I can tell a drop from a few feet onto a hard surface would probably cause some damage. Luckily it comes with a strap so you can attach it around your wrist to reduce the chance of an accidental drop. It would be nice if there was a hand grip but their isn't.
In the San Francisco Bay Area I was barely able to receive any radio stations indoors. There were a few AM stations that came in but FM was all static. My cheap alarm radio without an external antenna can pick up pretty much any station whereas this device can't. There are several weather stations that are preprogrammed on the dial. All of those come in clear.
Overall this is good product but kind of expensive for what you get. In retrospect I would have been better off getting a small flashlight, radio, and external cellphone battery pack for a emergency kit.
Update: After having this thing for a month I realized the dial that switches between AM/FM/Weather radio is loose. If I hold the dial with a solid grip the radio stations come in clear however as soon as I release it pure static. Most likely I got a radio with a manufacturing defect. Hopefully others that order this product wont have the same problem and have to deal with returning it to amazon. Even if everything worked perfectly I still would only give this 3 stars based on the cost/value.This unit is convenient, well designed and handy. It is lighter, smaller and in some ways more capable than its more expensive Axis brother and the FR series units. More advanced battery (Li-Poly). Greater charge in less crank time. Fully chargeable using a USB cord attached to an AC adapter. When fully charged, the radio can run for hours. Can charge cellphones when you are NOT cranking unlike other units. Analogue tuning allows use both in the United States and overseas. Digital units do not have that capability.Just arrived, had it out of the box for an hour so far. Ill update this comment with cell phone charging tests and longevity battery life. So far so good..... At first I didnt like the way the flash light button depressed. It felt squishy but then I realized its good to go and also you dont have to fully depress the button so you can kind of use it like a strobe function. Button just needed a little breaking in. Picked up some FM stations, tested the weather, cranked it a few times. Flash light came bright out of the box, its enough to light up a dark room thats for sure. This is no piece of junk, I cant wait to put it to the cell phone test, after about 2 hours of research this is the self powered radio I chose. Prettyyyyyyyyy cool. Little expensive but worth it. Going in my bug out bag, already found a little hershey kisses tin to keep it in to protect it from weather and crunches.
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It is compact while providing a lot of options. I like the fact that it contains a flashlight, a radio (including emergency channels) and can charge a USB device. It is very sturdy and the crank does not feel like it would easily break. Overall, a good item to have especially when living in San Francisco where we expect the 'big one' anytime soon!
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