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A good combination of emergency multiband radio, light, cellphone charger, siren, and flasher. Solar or hand crank recharges included battery pack, in addition it can use separate user provided AA batteries.A bit confusing to use with all the available power and usage options. I would recommend using it for awhile to learn its many features.
This radio does not; it was very disappointing, to say the least. Eton, I know nothing about.
The radio arrived in a timiely manner. After reading all instructions and familiarizing myself with the radio's operation, I turned it on only to discover the LCD Screen had a large "black blot" across the middle of it and did not display anything at all.
I was looking for an Emergency Radio with all the features touted by the Eton/American Red Cross FR500 Solarlink Radio. The defect(s) mentioned above should have sufficed to have it pulled from the "shipping line".
The knobs for controlling volume and the light, siren, and SOS strobe rocked from side to side and felt "cheap" by any standards. Presumably, this radio is a product of China and it is a classically inferior product in terms of quality and quality control.
However, with the endorsement of the American Red Cross, one would have believed it would represent some semblance of quality. I returned it, and am not inclined to purchase another Eton product.
I'll give this radio 2 stars for some good features, however I'm returning it since it will not charge my iPhone, the main reason for which I ordered this item. I listed below other flaws I found:On the PLUS side:*good looks and appears durable.*solar and crank recharging, an internal rechargeable Lithium battery (included); accepts 3 AA batteries (not included).*nice bright LED flashlight.*loud alarm and red flasher for emergencies (however both cannot be on at the same time)*full digital clock with alarm, snooze, and back lighting.On the NEGATIVE side:*will not charge an iPhone; I tested other phones and they charged OK; I assume this problem applies to the iPod as well().; Eton customer service says the iPhone USB charging is a known issue.*radio reception is extremely substandard; I've had similar crank radios which were much cheaper and had excellent radio reception.*radio tuning knob sensitivity is very poor and terribly clumsy.*will only charge a phone while the radio is sitting directly under sun or while being cranked - not very practical.*AC/DC charger not included though sold separately.*must have a phone which charges via USB using its own cable, otherwise need to request an adapter from Eton (for free) and wait for it to be delivered; not sure if Eton will offer more than one adapter per customer - you likely have more than one type of phone in your household, requiring different adapters.
I would not reccomend the FR500 to anyone. The dynamo will recharge, but requires a ton of cranking to do so. The AM/FM radio is a joke - it will only recieve one station regardless of tuning it and changing the band. The solar panel will not charge the rechargable batteries. The FR500 will only work really if you put in regular batteries. I will I had not bought it.
Excellent backlight for the frequency/clock LCD display, easy tuning, plenty of bands to select from, and the built-in USB charger is a GIANT bonus. I have had no problems with reception, even in the sticks. I now own six quality Eton products, and this one is *easily* my favorite. I really like the added solar feature which compliments the crank function nicely. Mostly robust, though some of the knobs feel weak, particularly the "mode" knob. A directional antenna vs. the current vertical-only telescopic antenna would have been a nice touch.
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