Let me go through questions, pros, cons, and tips about the Eton American Red Cross FRX3. Te Red Cross and others suggest having a radio available for use in case of a power outage so I bought this one because it didn't require me to keep extra batteries on hand to use it.
To answer the question I think most people ask: Will this thing really charge my cell phone? The answer is…eventually. “Dump” charging didn’t do the trick for me. I expect that the Li-Ion battery in my phone stores far more power than the Nimh in this radio.
Try to be realistic about this. It takes several hours to charge my phone from the computer using a USB cord. So don’t expect your phone to magically charge in ten minutes by cranking the handle on this thing or dump charging from the battery. It’s an emergency radio that happens to have a USB plug on it. When I dumped the battery from this radio into my phone, the charge didn’t even go up ten percent before the internal batteries were empty. It will charge a phone…eventually…but you will have to crank it for a long time. Possibly for several hours, just like plugging it in. If your power is out, use a car charger. If you can’t do that, then this will do the job but it’s a last resort for “emergency” situations and you should expect it to work that way. You could buy an external backup battery for half the money but those only work one time and don’t come with a radio. Following the philosophy of use that this is an emergency radio that it just happens to be able to charge a phone, this will do the job.
The positive stuff: It seems solid although I doubt it would handle being dropped very well. I like the way it looks and it will easily store away or sit on a windowsill because of the size. The speaker performance is better than I expected but not exceptional. Cranking it is also easier than I expected. It charges relatively quickly from a wall plug USB adapter that came with my phone. It’s small and lightweight, the LED lights are decent but not exceptional and should run for a long time off the internal battery. The LEDs are angled down slightly so they work well for lighting the ground while walking and carrying the radio. Not overly bright but just fine for emergency use and if you want a better flashlight, then buy a flashlight. The weather alerts may come in handy and the ability to charge other items is a plus. Can also be used with regular batteries. The glow in the dark ring will keep glowing for many hours when you leave the radio in the light for much of the day.
The negative stuff: The batteries are pretty weak at only 800 mah. That’s about the same as a rechargeable AAA battery. There’s no place on the radio to store the charging cable which means you’ll have to find it whenever you want to charge the radio without cranking the handle. The charging cable is USB only, there’s no adapter to plug it into a wall, so you’ll have to use a 120V to USB sdapter that came with something else like an Ipod or phone if you don't want to charge it from a computer. The Alert function drains the battery so you’ll have to charge it every week or so if you leave the Alert on. The handle is pretty wide and not designed particularly well for holding it for long periods and often causes your fingers to hit random buttons. The buttons aren’t as easily accessible as they could be due to the buttons being on top of the radio under the handle. The antenna doesn’t sit flush at one end so it doesn’t lay flat on its back. And the words Volume and Tuning don’t stand out because they are the same color as the rest of the radio and are very thin letters. I made mine stand out slightly better by carefully tapping the end of a Sharpie against the raised letters but they are only slightly more visible than they were before because the letters are so thin.
Overall impression: Again staying with the philosophy of use, I’m very happy with this item. Something else might be the perfect solution to the negatives that I've listed but I'm sure it wouldn't be tihs small and it would cost much more. The radio plays clearly and the weather radio works well. I can see myself using all the other features at some time so I don’t think this will be something that I test once and put away for years until that one time when the power goes out. I expect I will use it every few weeks as either a flashlight or a radio in the garage just because it’s available, especially since it has an aux input so I can hook an Ipod or phone to it. I will have to try rechargeable AAA batteries to see if those work instead of alkalines. I don’t think it’s even remotely water resistant so I’d be careful if I took it camping or left it out to solar charge and it was rained on. I wish the batteries were a higher mah rating but they might be what they are based on the generator or radio itself. I don’t know.
Tips and tricks: If you are like me and don’t read instructions, the first thing you need to do is open the battery compartment and plug the battery in. There are three batteries strapped together with a plug coming off them. Plug that into the receptacle right next to the battery. Otherwise nothing will work.
Many smart phones can now get weather alerts like this does. If you have that option on your phone, you could save some money and buy the FRX2 which doesn’t have the Alert function but has the weather radio and will still charge a phone.
If you turn on the Alert function, none of the other radio functions will work. If nothing works and you don’t know why, check to see if the Alert is on.
The instructions say that you can’t charge this radio through a window. I tried it and I was able to charge it somewhat, but it has to be in the right window, facing the right direction. In a south facing window, it worked. I could keep it a little bit charged through an east facing window if I laid it on its side and angled it towards the sun but it will never completely charge unless it sits outside in direct sun for most of a day and the plastic will get pretty hot if you do that. A nice feature and it beats cranking the handle.
To extend battery life, don’t insert any alkaline batteries but switch the radio over to the alkaline setting by hitting the battery button at the upper right side of the front panel. The clock still runs but none of the other functions will work until you switch it back to the internal battery. This makes the internal battery last much longer on standby. I’ve had the battery indicator drop from three bars to two overnight but when I switched it to alkaline with no batteries in it, it stayed on three bars for several days. I don’t know if the Alert function will still work if you do this because there hasn’t been a weather alert since I bought it.
If you plan to keep this radio stored away for long periods of time, you might want to unplug the battery before you put it away. I don’t know how long it will hold a charge but I can guarantee that if you leave that battery plugged in, the clock will kill the battery.
The easiest way to crank it is to hold it down on the edge of a table or counter with one hand and crank with the other rather than holding it in the air with both hands. It will crank in either direction so it’s usable by either hand in either direction.
Crank it per the instructions which say about two revolutions per second. Cranking faster won’t charge the battery faster because the charge controller won’t let more than a specific voltage through so save your energy and just expect to crank it for a while.
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From the manufacturer
Be Red Cross Ready
The American Red Cross encourages everyone to be prepared for emergencies and disasters. Since these events can strike suddenly, individuals and families can make a difference by gathering important emergency supplies, making a plan and being informed.
Being Red Cross Ready is to join the ranks of the millions of people who are preparing themselves today to face and overcome tomorrow’s emergencies. Simple preparedness actions can equip people with the necessities that can make all the difference should an emergency occur.
Safe and Sound
Keep your household prepared with the American Red Cross FRX3. The hand turbine rechargeable FRX3 is a preparedness radio with AM/FM, all seven NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather band stations and the “Alert” system. When the “Alert” function is on, the radio will automatically broadcast emergency weather alerts for your area such as hurricanes, tornadoes and severe storms.
More Power to You
Spin the hand turbine for one minute to get 10-15 minutes of radio and flashlight use or place the FRX3 in the sun for a passive charging option. There are also AAA battery and DC power alternatives (mini-USB included).
Don’t Just Use It At Home
The American Red Cross FRX3 is great to take on camping trips. It will light your way, provide music around the fire, give you access to news & weather and also can charge your phone.
Power Your Phone
The American Red Cross FRX3 also serves as a renewable power source for your other critical devices because of its USB smartphone charger. Simply plug in your phone into the USB port and power will automatically “dump charge” to your phone, just like plugging into the wall. There are many products out there that have a USB cell phone charger, but most don’t have the capability to charge a smartphone like the FRX3.
Lights the Way
The bright LED flashlight is always handy…at home, at the office, or even in the car. And the red flashing beacon is ideal for emergencies. Thanks to the glow-in-the-dark locator, the FRX3 is always easy to find.
- Height: 6.9" (17.5cm)
- Width: 5.8" (14.7cm)
- Depth: 2.6" (6.6cm)
- Weight: 0.93lbs (0.42kg)
- The American Red Cross logo is a registered trademark owned by the American National Red Cross. Official Licensed Product of the American Red Cross.
Listen Up
Stay in tune and up to date with this AM/FM/NOAA weather band digital radio with display and alarm clock. If you want more than just the radio, there’s an AUX-input to play your own tunes. And, when you want to listen alone, just plug in your favorite headphones.
- Receives AM/FM (digital radio)
- All 7 NOAA/Environment Canada Weather band radio broadcast
- “Alert” function that broadcasts emergency weather alerts
- Hand turbine and solar power for recharging on the fly
- USB smartphone charge
- Long-lasting LED flashlight
- One red LED flashing beacon
- AAA battery option (batteries not included)
- DC power option (mini-USB cord included)
- AUX-input to play music from external MP3 player
- Headphone output
- Glow-in-the-dark locater
- Back-lit display and Illuminated buttons
- Alarm clock
Compare with similar items
This Item  The American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Crank NOAA AM / FM Weather Alert Radio with Smartphone Charger, ARCFRX3WXR |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $39.99 | $59.98 | -7% $42.99 List: $45.99 | $39.99 | -26% $36.99 List: $49.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Raynic Electronic | Myriad Traders | yunshengzhang | Tenergy Corporation | Oliver's Pantry |
| power source | Solar Powered | Corded-Electric, Solar,Rechargable Battery,Hand Crank,AAA Battery | Solar Powered, Battery Powered | Solar Powered | Battery Powered | Solar Powered, Battery Powered |
| supported bands | 7-Band | AM/FM | — | FM, AM | AM/FM/Weather | — |
| connectivity tech | USB | Auxiliary | USB | USB | USB | USB |
| hardware interface | usb | usb, 3 5 mm audio | usb | usb c, 3 5 mm audio | usb | usb |
| display type | VFD | LCD | LED | LCD | LED | LED |
| frequency | 108 MHz | 108 MHz | 108 MHz | 108 MHz | 108 MHz | 108 MHz |
| voltage | — | 3 volts | — | — | 5 volts | 5 volts |
Reviews with images
Incredible for Backpacking!
My partner and I used to have a handcrank radio/light/charger of a different brand, but it didn't work well and our backpacking lifestyle was too much for the delicate thing. This one is So much better! We got this one a month ago and it doesn't have one scratch, reception is easy to find, picks up plenty of stations, it is loud and clear. I LOVE that it displays time AND has an alarm clock! Which can be important when your phone dies, your camping in the woods, but have to be somewhere at a certain time. Then that brings me to the phone charger, works great! The hand crank is very easy to use, and the solar works amazingly. That light came in handy for reading at night too. Over all, I'd say this is the perfect product to get for backpacking!
