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Eton FR1000 Voicelink Self-Powered Hand-Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Two-Way GMRS Clock Radio with Flashlight, Siren, and Cell Phone Charger (Black) | 
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| Brand: Eton
Category: CE
Buy New: See price in cart
New (6)
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 7322
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 4.1 x 11.1 x 6.2
MPN: FR1000
Model: FR1000
UPC: 750254803017
EAN: 0050254803018
ASIN: B0014TCU9K
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | 22 GMRS (General Mobile Radio System)/FRS (Family Radio System) channels | | • | 121 privacy codes | | • | VOX (Voice operated transmission) | | • | NOAA weather radio and NOAA weather alert | | • | Can be powered from four different sources: rechargeable Ni-MH battery, 4 AA batteries, Dynamo crank alone or AC adapter (included) |
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Product Description
When your outdoor adventures take you off the grid, you need a device that can fill multiple needs. The American Red Cross FR500 is a compact unit that you can toss in your rucksack and take anywhere. It functions as an AM, FM, and shortwave radio with NOAA weatherband. It also has a flashlight, an emergency beacon, and an emergency siren. Plus, you can use it to charge your cell phone or MP3 player. This little wonder can be powered with the hand crank, or solely by the sun.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Terrible June 1, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have owned an earlier model of the Eton hand-crank emergency radio for several years. That product works quite will. I purchased this new model for the several functional enhancements it comes with: 1) Digital receiver, 2) NOAA receiver, and 3) FRS/GMRS radio base station transceiver capability.
Once I started to use this new FR1000 model, I realized just how much of a piece of junk it is:
1. Bad battery pack - The rechargeable battery pack failed from the beginning. I charged it overnight out of the box. Two days later, when I used the radio in the field, it lasted all of 5 minutes.
2. Terrible reception on all bands - I used the FR1000 in two separate and very different environments, and compared it to two other common radios. In the field, where there was very limited reception, the FR1000 could not pick up any FM stations, and only 1 AM station. My mini-van radio picked up all sorts of stations on both AM and FM bands. In town, the FR1000 could pick up a few local stations if the signal was strong. My motel room el-cheapo clock radio picked up far more stations on both AM and FM bands. The FR1000 never did pick up any NOAA stations.
3. Poor station change dial switch design - On the FR1000, in order to change stations, you have to turn the upper right-hand dial upwards or downwards. On order to do that, you have to get your finger into the space alloted for the horizontal dial. I found that doing so caused my finger to jam into that limited space. Searching for stations was both uncomfortable and difficult. This is a really annoying design flaw.
4. No radio carry case - My older model radio came with a carry case, for protection and easy transport. This model does not have any such case. That is really annoying. I feel like Eton added insult to injury when they decided to go the cheap route and not include a carry case. Jeez, this radio costs $150, and is supposed to be used in emergency situations! What were those guys/gals thinking about?
I returned the FR1000 and will stick with my older Eton analogue model. Half the size, half the cost, has a carry case, and is far more functional. Oh, and it actually picks up radio stations! Wow ... what a concept!
Oh well.
 Almost perfect! May 31, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
First, don't buy the case Amazon Bundles this with. I can not see any application with the two and the case is about half the size of the Radio.
Yes the radio isn't water proof or resistant. It would be nice if they would fix that, it really wouldn't take much. I went out to a local store and payed $3 for a water proof bag to seal this in.
It would also be nice if the radio had a shortwave feature since they have everything else.
As for everything else this is the radio you have to have for emergencies! It has everything in a rugged design and you never have to worry about stupid batteries. In an emergencies the last thing you are going to find is batteries.
Needs revision May 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just got my FR1000 which seems to be well built and do all the things advertised. I am not sure who wrote the instruction manual but it needs serious revision. Several details either not covered or information given is incorrect. My only complaint at this point is how the heck would you charge a cell phone with this device? While there is a charging port, I have never owned a cell phone that had a plug that would fit the port provided. I hope Eton can shed some light by contacting them. This is truly an "emergency" radio as the sound quality is nothing you would want to listen to for very long!
Very good product with some flaws May 5, 2008
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
I haven't tried all the features on this radio, but so far it's very good. Extremely solid with very clear sound and reception (mono - the radio only has one speaker). Very good battery life. About water resistance... I don't know about that. As a product designer there's a serious design flaw I can spot right away, and it's about water. Once you pick up the radio by it's handle, the battery compartment gets facing up. Frankly, the compartment will not keep water outside, even less if water is dripping from your hand in case of a shower to a facing up cheap battery compartment's cap. Inside the compartment there are a couple of holes that give direct access to the interior of the radio. Well... You do the math. The problem could have been prevented by using a simple water tight cap attached with screws. Lame. Anyway I'm still loving the device. I'll handle the water problem myself. It has a very readable green display and crank operation is very smooth. Solid antenna. Flashlight is bright indeed. I hope this helps.
*** UPDATE ***
I returned the FR1000 and purchased a FR500. The FR500 has all the attributes of the FR1000, but is solar (it works), has way better water protection and shortwave! Yeah I'm missing the two way radio thing, but is not such a big deal. The range is short anyway (~10 miles)I can always get a good receiver with the money saved in the FR500. Uff... now I'm in love indeed.
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