Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio (Red)

Manufacturer : Eton In Stock : 7 List Price: $50.00 Price: $31.45 You Save: $18.55 (37%) Quantity : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Features

• Emergency radio is built to handle the elements, as well as a power outage
• Hand crank can be used to recharge the built-in battery
• Tunes AM/FM and 2 shortwave bands, including weather radio
• Tuning knob features a superimposed fine tuning control knob
• Features a white LED emergency light

Product Description

Be prepared for emergencies with this self-powered, battery-free radio– featuring AM, FM and even shortwave frequencies.

• 60 turns of the crank gives you 60 minutes of battery-free power
• 4-band tuning: AM/FM/SW1/SW2
• Fine tuning control allows you to pinpoint every signal
• Built-in emergency light
• Built-in DC jack and earphone jack
• 2.5" speaker
• Runs on 3 AA batteries (optional)
• Heavy-duty, splash-proof ABS construction
• Fold-away crank handle
• Soft, nylon carrying case
• 1-year manufacturer's warranty

Amazon.com Product Description

The Etón Grundig FR200 AM/FM Shortwave World Band Crank Radio and Light is the entry-level shortwave radio in Etón's line of emergency radios. With a dependable hand-crank power generator that powers the unit's AM/FM/Shortwave radio and built-in LED flashlight, the lightweight and portable Grundig FR200 is an economical choice for anyone in the market for a radio that can be relied on in emergencies or in environments where there are limited power sources.

Emergency lighting and radio tuning all in one compact package. View larger.

The easy-to-read radio dial. View larger.

The hand crank recharges the integrated rechargeable battery.

An emergency light shines the way.

Other models in Etón's line of emergency radios that we tested include the Grundig FR250, a shortwave radio that also includes a flashing LED light, cell phone charger and siren; the Grundig FR300, which includes the emergency features of the FR250, but offers television and weather station tuning instead of shortwave; the Grundig FR 350, a water-resistant variation of the FR250; and the Grundig FR 400, a water-resistant variation of the FR300.

Power When You Need It
At the heart of all of Etón's emergency radios, including the Grundig FR200, is an internal generator that recharges the internal Ni-MH battery pack and powers the radio and flashlight. According to the product manual, to achieve 40 to 60 minutes of uninterrupted power you must turn the crank at a rate of two revolutions per second for 90 seconds. In our test, after our initial 90 seconds of rigorous cranking, the FR200 powered right up and was still going strong with radio reception after an hour. At the hour mark, we briefly turned the flashlight on, and that too was at full force, with no perceivable drain on radio reception. The FR200 can also be powered via an AC adapter which, to our dismay, is not included, or from three AA batteries, also not included. The dynamo crank tucks itself nicely into the side of the radio and offers little resistance as you turn the handle. (Don't let the cranking requirements frighten you! A full 90 seconds of turning the crank can be tiring and may not be for everyone. With that in mind, we also recharged the radio with less than a minute of cranking and achieved over 40 minutes of continuous power.)

Design and Controls
At slightly more than a pound in weight, and with dimensions of 6.5 x 5.75 x 2.25-inches (WxHxD), the FR200 is designed to be tucked neatly into its handy nylon carrying case and can be easily stored in an emergency box, or packed neatly for a camping trip. An LED flashlight is set on the front of the radio, just to the side of the analog tuner. The flashlight is designed to help you down an unlit stairwell or enclosed hallway in a pinch, but the light is not directed or strong enough to help you much in a pitch-black forest or other open area. The radio and light can be operated simultaneously, though of course at the expense of power.

The FR200 includes a handy strap on the top of the radio for easy carrying, and the tuning and volume knobs are set to the side. The mechanical controls are extremely visible and easy to use. The volume control is a bit difficult to finesse, while the tuning knob, on the other hand, which features a smaller concentric fine-tuning control knob, is much easier. An earphone jack is set into the back, and the telescoping antenna tucks neatly behind the handle strap. The radio's 2.5-inch speaker is set directly in front and offers reasonable audio quality for the radio's purpose. The tuner itself is not illuminated in any way, which makes sense for reasons of power conservation, but in a darkened environment, it's literally impossible to see. For an "emergency radio," it seems that Etón might have addressed this problem with a self-illuminated background or lettering, For an "emergency radio," it seems that Etón might have addressed this problem with a self-illuminated background or lettering, as they did with the FR250, FR300, FR350 and FR400 models.

Tuning and Bands
The FR200 offers 4-band tuning -- AM, FM and two shortwave bands. Our AM reception was outstanding; we were quickly able to tune into every station we searched for. Reception for FM was also very good, though there was some extra fine-tuning on some of the stations. Our shortwave reception, however, was a mixed bag. We tested in the early and late evening, searching for signals in the more heavily populated SW1. While we found several signals during our test, honing in on them took a bit of finesse with the fine-tuning knob. And when we did find them, there was static and background noise with most of the signals.

It became clear during our testing that the FR200 is an emergency radio, with several outstanding features that include shortwave reception; its shortwave functionality, however, is not its primary selling point. But for a basic, entry-level and economical emergency radio to use in a pinch or during an outing where access to electricity is an issue, the Grundig FR200 more than suits the bill.

Pros

• Compact and lightweight; ideal for emergencies or travel
• Clearly laid out functions and controls
• Excellent internal power generator

• Tuning dial should be illuminated for darkened environments
• Shortwave reception inconsistent
• Should include an AC adapter

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.00 out of 145 reviews

Rating :
3 Years & Still Going Strong - Jengaworld, Jun 22, 2008

I received this (in brown) as a Christmas gift for weather emergencies; three years later it's still working great, with impressive radio life from minimal cranking. I live in a tornado-prone area and was delighted to receive this as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. The radio reception is excellent in my area (South Central Wisconsin) and I easily get 45 minutes to an hour of reception with less than 60 seconds of cranking. It also holds a charge for long periods of inactivity -- I turned it on after 6 months of no use and immediately received a perfectly acceptable signal on our local NPR station, even without additional cranking.

A few months ago for "Earth Hour" I was fiddling with it on a lark to see if it really received shortwave. China Radio International and Radio Havana both came in quite well -- the same quality as I get on my Sony ICF-33W and Grundig YB400, when those radios are operated on battery power without an external antenna. I don't know that I'd buy this for shortwave radio specifically, but I was pleased nonetheless.

We will probably upgrade in order to receive the TV bands, which are not available with this model. The reason for this is that our "local" radio stations don't carry much weather info during tornado warnings so we really need access to the TV bands -- although I'm not sure if they'll still work when the stations go digital in 2009.

Overall this radio has exceeded my expectations and proved durable and long-lasting. Highly recommended.


Rating :
Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio Yellow - Lawrence W. Callahan, Jun 05, 2008

Great buy! Great Product! I am familiar with Grundig products, and I am pleased with my Grundigh radio.


Rating :
A good choice for local emergency reception - Ian Johnston, May 08, 2008

I've owned this radio for two years now, as my desk radio at work. I decided to run an experiment, and only power it with the crank. I've cranked this radio every day for the last two years.

After about a year, one of the dynamo gears lost a tooth. A call to Eton got me a replacement dynamo set under warranty. I installed it myself (which is not a job for the faint of heart, but is within the skill of anyone who's handy with a screwdriver). The new dynamo and gears lasted through the recent breakage of the winding arm (which was not replaced with the new dynamo), which has relegated it to alkaline power. Of course, now the radio's well out of warranty, so I don't expect any free replacement parts.

However, that's pretty good. In an emergency situation, it's unlikely you'll crank the dynamo even 1/50th as much as I did, and it held up quite well. I'd typically crank for 30-45 seconds, and get about the same number of minutes at low volume. Increasing the volume markedly shortens runtime.

Reception is fine, although I've only played with shortwave a little bit. There's no way a radio like this can make a good shortwave receiver, so that feature is a bit silly. It would still be potentially handy in an emergency, when a lot of local interference goes away. For local FM reception, it does quite well. I haven't really tried AM, so I can't comment there.

The little LED flashlight would be handy in an emergency, especially the fact that it can be recharged by cranking. More important would be one of the higher-spec Eton crank radios such as the FR250, which include cellphone chargers -- SMS messaging is an important communication method in many emergencies.

I heartily recommend this radio for emergency use, particularly given the robustness of the dynamo system.


Rating :
Has Several Significant Flaws - Anchoret, Apr 27, 2008

While I am a fan of Etón portables -- not least because they frequently turn up at tiny fractions of their MSRPs -- I found the FR200 pretty disappointing for several significant reasons that are overlooked by most reviewers here.

First, it is not a true dynamo radio like the Baygen, but a battery-powered radio recharged by a dynamo. This would not be as significant an issue if there were not potential problems with battery longevity. There is no AC adapter included and the use of a generic adapter of the appropriate voltage but higher amperage apparently will result in over-charging and damaging the battery, according to the supplied documentation. The Etón AC adapter (only optionally available) is very low-current unit. The life of the battery pack is also limited by the number of charging cycles, so one may not use this unit routinely as a daily radio with the crank without reducing the life of the batteries for subsequent emergency use. The FR200 FAQ on the EtonCorp site somewhat evasively addresses this:

"The rechargeable battery/dynamo-crank system is best used purely for emergency use, but it's not explained well in the owner's manual...When the emergency use factor is understood, this product is excellent for that purpose."

So, as supplied, the only way this product should be routinely used is with the normal AA battery option.

The shortwave analog tuner is adequate at best, but will get strong signals if they are available, which they generally are not in most daytime hours in some seasons. Users who are not experienced with shortwave listening are usually shocked by the difficulty with which audible signals are typically obtained. Shortwave, usually dismissed as an obsolete technology, is often critical in disasters -- I was in a major earthquake in the US years ago and for many hours the only accurate information locally available was from the BBC on shortwave. More expensive Etón SW portables come with a retractable longwire antenna, something that can be approximated with the FR200 simply by clipping a very long wire to the telescoping antenna.

The emergency crank seems relatively sturdy, but was broken on the display model where I purchased mine, so caution is advised.

Etón portables are coated with a thin, rubbery goo for non-slip handling, but this tends to wear off fairly quickly, giving a somewhat mangy appearance.

The mechanical analog tuning is, as always on a small portable, imprecise and approximate -- especially with shortwave. The fine-tuning knob helps this situation a bit.

The AM/FM sound quality is quite pleasant and much richer than one would expect from a unit of this type.

Assembly, fit and alignment are crude compared to other Etón products, but are adequate.

An additional oddity is that the included cloth case has magnetic snaps, so be cautious in placing these next to credit cards or other critical magnetic media.




Rating :
Perfect Backup Radio - Gregory C. Douglass, Feb 19, 2008

Hopefully we never will need to depend on this radio, but in case we do it will be ready and works well in all our testing.

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