Emergency Weather Radio - Solar Crank Radio Flashlight with Weather Band

Manufacturer : Earthtech Products In Stock : 1 List Price: $69.99 Price: $59.95 You Save: $10.04 (14%) Quantity : 1

Features

• No disposable batteries required, Ni-MH rechargeable battery
• Self-sufficient power - solar, wind up and AC/DC adaptor
• AM/FM radio with LED light
• Weather band tuning - 7 NOAA channels
• 25 hours of play time on full charge, 30-second wind provides 35 minutes of play time

Product Description

The EyeMax Emergency Weather Radio with Weather Band & LED Flashlight Delivers a fascinating new sensory dimension to radio listening. The rubberized yellow case is both eye catching and durable. The compelling design grabs immediate attention; and the features give reliable radio reception, weather information and light, anywhere, anytime. Weather Band covers 7 NOAA channels. The wind-up mechanism is the world's most efficient human energy consevation system. The winder can be cranked in both directions and the harder you crank the more energy you create. A crank level LED indicates the optimum winding speed, but only limitation to how much energy you can create and store is you. Solar Energy: The Eyemax's highly efficient and robust solar panel is powerful enough that, when exposed to sufficient sunlight, it will charge the batteries and drive the radio at the same time. Even when you're not using it the radio will charge itself up if left in the sun. AC/DC: The Eyemax Emergency Weather Radio is equipped with an AC/DC power in facility that allows you to charge the radio and run it from wall power for added convenience. An intergrated LED flashlight allows you to use your radio as a flashlight providing dependable access to light for everyday and emergency use. The Freeplay Eyemax LED with Weather Band covers 7 NOAA channels.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 5.00 out of 1 reviews

Rating :
Solid - Worthy - Bryan Lockwood, Feb 21, 2008

Since 9/11 and Katrina, quite a few people have been reminded that it is a good idea to be prepared. And so a fair number of emergency radio devices have appeared on the market to satisfy the increased demand.

Most of them are crap.

This one is not.

We had a different radio in our emergency kit when a storm took out our power for a couple of days. I became disgusted with it pretty fast. The sound was fuzzy, the radio was hard to tune from channel to channel, the crank was awkward to use and the radio only stayed charged for a few minutes at a time. Additionally the crank mechanism began to wobble and felt like it would break soon. After 3 hours of use, that other radio felt like it was going to kick the bucket any minute.

A little thought reminds one that all this cranking creates lot of torque, which flexes and strains the device in ways that normal consumer electronics never have to deal with. So, if you're looking at a crank-type radio, think much about how strong the device feels. If it feels light and cheap, it probably won't last long under the forces of being cranked up every hour (or less!). If you don't think it could survive being dropped down the stairs, it's probably not tough enough to be cranked on repeatedly.

I've since replaced that junky emergency radio with this Freeplay device. And what a difference! It's S O L I D, durable, and well made - as it should be. But this is not surprising coming from a company who makes products like this for third world countries where they will be used every day. The radio is easy to tune and the markings on the tuner are easy to read. The sound is sharp and clear - and the radio will go an hour after only a few minutes cranking on the solid crank handle - which you can turn in either direction by the way. It's comfortable in the hand. A light lets you know if you are cranking fast enough for optimal charging. When you're done cranking, the handle tucks neatly into a depression in the radio body.

FM and AM reception are pretty good, but perhaps not as great as you get from a digitally tuned radio. The antenna retracts into the body of the radio; you won't have to worry about it snagging on things or getting broken off. There is an earphone jack, though no earphones are included (it will work with any standard minijack earphone). An AC adapter is included, so you can keep the device charged. There is no provision for using it to charge external devices (like a cellphone).

There's also a flashlight. It can be confusing until you know the trick - just press on the light itself to turn it on or off. It's not the brightest light in the world but it's enough to get you around when it's dark - and during a power failure you find out just how dark it can get!

There's no tuning indicator for the weather radio, but it's not needed since there's usually only one channel per area. You just tune till the voice is loudest.

When the chips are down, you want stuff you can depend on in your emergency bag. You can depend on this device. All in all, I am greatly pleased with this radio/flashlight. Having looked at most of the others available right now, I think it is the best in its class, standing head and shoulders above the others.

A final note: when critical infrastructure is down, it's usually a pretty extraordinary situation, and no one seems to know when services will be working again. So you're listening mainly to find out other things - where the shelters have been set up, which stores are still serving customers, phone-in shows where people ask for or offer neighbor to neighbor help, and so on. It's still good to hear from all the other folks trapped in the same situation. Finally your lights come back on, and you tuck away the emergency radio for next time. And there *will* be a next time!

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