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Since most natural disasters give us very little notice, staying on top of current events and warnings can be vital to your family’s safety. Even the one-way communications from a radio can provide life-saving information, such as evacuation orders, instructions to seek shelter, and other critical directions. It turns out that a small emergency radio can be huge asset to you and your family, and the Eton FRX1 is the most affordable one that I have found. Before hurricane season really gets rolling, here’s why you should consider adding this small and inexpensive device to your preparedness supplies.
This little radio has several important things going for it. First off, it features 7 Weatherband settings, so you can pick up your local signal from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Once you’ve got the info on your local weather or emergency situation, you can switch to FM or AM radio for some variety. This device also has an LED flashlight feature to provide emergency lighting. The lens is surrounded by a glow-in-the-dark border to help locate the radio when the lights are out. The power options are another great feature. It can be charged from any USB port, or by hand cranking. By cranking the hand turbine for one minute, you’ll produce enough of a charge to power the radio for 15-20 minutes.
Here are the specs:
– AM/FM radio
– 7 NOAA Weatherbands
– Built-in LED flashlight
– Powered by hand crank or DC power from a USB cable
– Built-in rechargeable battery
– Headphone jack
– The dimensions are 5.4 inches long by 2.5 inches wide, and its weight is 8 ounces
– The MSRP is $29.99
Here are my gripes:
The sound quality of the radio is pretty rough, but for the money, you shouldn’t be expecting great audio quality anyway. And I wish you could use rechargeable AA batteries, since so many other things work on that size cell. The rechargeable Ni-MH battery is in there for good. From some retailers, you can pick up a yellow colored unit, which would be good for visibility. But from the store I purchased the radio, gray was the only color option.
Do you have a weather radio? Tell us which one you have and how you like it by leaving a comment.