Reviews American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio

I was really happy with the American Red Cross FRX3 Weather Alert Radio purchase! I tested the USB cable to charge my cell phone, it works! Great to have in an emergency. The radio, FM, AM, and the WB, all worked great! Clear and crisp, couldn't have it any better.

The reception in my area for all 3 functions is excellent. It comes with a retractable antenna which tucks away nicely when not in use. The flashlight is also great! On a pitch black night, I think it would be just fine to use, not super bright, but plenty enough for an emergency. The Eton ARCFRX3WXR American Red Cross FRX3 radio comes with a clock and alarm clock.

• Receives AM/FM/Weather band
• USB smart phone charger
• Hand turbine and solar powered
• LED flashlight
• Aux- input

I used the crank and charged up the battery to test it. This is the Swiss army knife of radios with AM/FM and weather alert station reception. The radio is powered in 1 of 4 ways: solar (takes 10 hrs of direct sunlight to completely charge the NiMH battery); an included NiMH battery which is what is charged by the solar panel & the hand cranking (90 seconds of hand cranking yields 5-7 minutes of radio use per the instructions).

The NiMH can also be powered by plugging the radio into a USB port on a computer (2 hrs to charge the battery this way). The radio can also be powered by 3 AAA batteries (not included). There is a simple 2 white LED light and a blinking red LED. Someone criticized this light, but seriously, if you want a good light, then buy a dedicated flash light!

What Others Are Saying About American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio

"I'm ready in an emergency! I purchased this hand-crank NOAA Weather Alert Radio after we had a tornado warning in our area. We are not particularly prone to these, however it seems at least once a summer we are told to take shelter. I was alone in the basement, and really could have used this product. Now, I am better prepared. Of course when it arrived, I tested it, and found it worked great! Better to be safe than sorry. " By Mary
 
"Great Emergency Radio. All three bands, AM, FM and the weather band have excellent reception. Audio quality which I admit isn't the primary reason to buy an emergency radio is really realy good. What makes this radio unique is the way it recharges a cell phone, instead of needing to use the hand crank, you charge the phone via a battery dump from the onboard rechargeable battery pack. " By
JohnJ. "bluemax" (Massachusetts)
 
"got it to compare with another weather radio and each is a keeper so far! handy, easy enough to set up and use and the weather alert feature works great. radio is clear sounding and it keeps its charge. crank is easy to work and the flashlight is bright. haven't used it in the wilds yet, but mostly we got it for around the house if we lose electricity and want to know what's going on and it seems that we'll be able to count on it for that. "By Meredith Neria "Safta" (Kemp, Texas United States)

This American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio product earned 172 customer reviews and 84% are satisfied (as 11/7/2013).

The built in LED light is adequate for a simple task, but it's not an "uber-lumen" light--I would suggest a Steamlight or Surefire light for a great LED light. After trying a few different emergency radios I find this one a keeper and I'm extremely happy with the purchase.