This is the radio I’d been looking at for quite a while and would have bought had I not already owned one. I think it’s a good idea to have one in each location where you live and work, though. Keep one at your cottage, second home, office, in your car.
Plus, it looks really slick.:) And I don’t think there’s a single thing missing here, it has them all, except for being solar powered. Check out the Midland weather radio for comparison. Beyond this you might want to look into ham radio.
- Emergency radio is built to handle the elements, as well as a power outage
- Endorsed by the American Red Cross
- Tuning knob features a superimposed fine tuning control knob; hand crank can be used to recharge the built-in battery
- Tunes AM/FM and 7 shortwave bands, including weather radio
- Features emergency lights, plus a flashing beacon mode; cell phone charger
Product Description
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Stay informed and prepared for emergencies with this self-powered 3-in-1 radio, flashlight and cell-phone charger — no batteries required. The Hand-Crank Power Generator gives you unlimited power for AM/FM Radio, 7 international shortwave bands, built-in flashlight, and cell phone battery life when you need it most. So the FR250 is not only perfect for emergencies, but also for camping, hiking, or anywhere you need to stay in touch. More >>
American Red Cross FR250 Emergency Radio
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I just bought this model since my power went out for 3 hours and I didn’t have a good battery powered radio anymore. I am really impressed with the reception. I live in Oklahoma and was able to pull in a couple of AM stations from Chicago and an English language shortwave station claiming to be from Sweden. While atmospheric conditions can affect long-range radio reception, this is pretty impressive for such a small, affordable radio. The battery life seems to be very good with only about 30 seconds of cranking.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m wondering if anyone else has really tested the hand crank power on this radio. I let the rechargeable battery run down completely (not intentionally, but a good test for emergency preparedness), and I found that after cranking for a full 90 seconds, the radio only worked for a couple minutes. I was very disappointed and returned it, since I felt that in an emergency, this would be more frustrating than helpful.
Rating: 2 / 5
I was given this radio as a gift, and had absolutely no expectations. I have owned it for almost two years and have never put a single battery in it, I have never plugged it in (it doesn’t come with an A/C adapter) and it still runs well (though I can tell it’s days are numbered since I need to crank it more to get the same radio time). It has the best reception of the four radios I have tried in my apartment, and all without any electricity. I live in Cincinnati and can pick up Cleveland stations (about 250 miles away) at night.
I have used it as a flashlight in emergency situations and the light is surprisingly effective for the size. The only problem with the light is it will dim after a minute of use. You have to crank it for a few seconds every 2 or 3 minutes to keep it bright.
The cell phone charger says that you have to crank it for about 15 minutes to get one minute of phone time. That’s so awful that I never even bothered to turn in the card they give you to get the free adapter.
Overall I love this radio because it gets great reception and I don’t have to use any electricity or waste batteries. It’s very helpful in that during an emergency it does exactly what you need it to do and nothing more. I have recommended this radio to many people and will continue to do so.
Rating: 5 / 5