Eton FR1000 Crank Radio with Walkie-Talkie

While the likelihood of be ever living in a place where I would be completely off the grid is pretty unlikely, I still adore hand-cranked whatevers, even after owning a few and giving myself cramps trying to keep them charged. This new radio from Eton not only has an AM/FM/NOAA Weather receiver inside, but also a two-way GMRS/FRS walkie-talkie and a built-in phone charger. It’s also got a flashlight on one end and a carry handle around the back. It’s the all-in-one survival tool you’ll be too dead to use!

Oh, it’s got a name: the FR1000. Eton says to expect it in February for around $150.

Product Page [EtonCorp.com via Red Ferret via Electric Pig]

1. [zuzu]

   What is the deal with USA survival radios excluding shortwave from their reception capabilities?

2. [Rick Fletcher]

   It’s a nice toy, but note some of the limits of this “survival radio” (from the manual):

   “WARNING

   • • Do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.
   • • Do not submerge or expose for extended period to water.
   • • Protect from high humidity and rain.
   • • Only operate within specified temperature range (0 °C to 40 °C).
   • • Unplug and disconnect external antennas (not included) during lightning storms.”

3. [Jason]

   I love my Eton RedCross edition water resistant crank radio. We used it for 14+ hours during the last big NorCal power outage. I had some cheap ass one before and decided after the last major outage to get the Eton. It is truly wonderful, when we got bored of AM news we switched to the TV tuner and it was really clear.

   The crank gets tedious, put in some AA’s. You can do it — but it takes a good 5-10 min of turning the crank to get a decent period of play before it burns out.