Eton emergency radios

5447 Views 21 Replies 14 Participants Last post by MikeyPrepper, Jan 8, 2013

gitnready4it

Discussion Starter · Jan 28, 2012

If you are looking for a small hand crank/solar powered emergency radio be sure you check these out. The Eton fr160(top) and Scorpion are both very compact and are great for bug out bags. Even though the Scorpion has more features(ac adapter port,digital tuner etc.) the fr160 is my personal favorite. I own them both and think the fr160 is a little more user friendly but they are both fine choices. I have a review of both on my site.

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acidlittle

· #2 · Jan 29, 2012

Where did you get them and about how much do they each run?

gitnready4it

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 29, 2012

You can get them through my web site http://www.extremesurvivalgearreview.com or directly from amazon. The fr160 is $29.63 and the scorpion runs $49.99.

ElennaRoma

· #4 · Jan 31, 2012

Thanks. I need to keep one in my car.

SurvivalFreak

· #5 · Feb 28, 2012

I'm thinking about getting one of these, but I am torn between this and a shortband radio. I want to listen to stuff around the world.

Durogity

· #6 · May 29, 2012

I love mine, 15 minutes of cranking charged my completely drained iPod touch so that I could use it for another hour..pretty cool

PrepperThyAngus

· #7 · Oct 6, 2012

Hey Getinready,

You have a pretty vast selection of emergency radios and knowledge. I'm looking for a radio with AM/FM/ and shortwave capability, small footprint and hand crank capability.

Any recommendations?

dontlookatme

· #8 · Oct 12, 2012

They are not good for charging smart phones.

Watercanlady

· #9 · Oct 12, 2012

I am very uneducated on this subject. If the grid goes down with the EMergency Broadcase system still broadcast?? Will it with an EMP ?? What exactly would you be getting a broadcast from ? I guess this is where I need a lesson for Dummies... LOL

PrepperThyAngus

· #10 · Oct 12, 2012

I'm not an expert either but it is very possible the major established transmitter frequencies could be affected by EMP. However, those who have prepared, would have stored/protected their transmitters from EMP. Those individuals are the ones who would be broadcasting transmission if they choose to do so.

Watercanlady

· #11 · Oct 12, 2012

Thank you Gregs///M...... Sorry if I ask some dumb questions....

J.T.

· #12 · Nov 26, 2012

I was looking at the Eton emergency radios but ended up going with the Kaito Voyager. This thing is loaded with feautures. In addition to AM/FM, its got shortwave 1 & 2 bands and seven NOAA weather bands. Reception is great and the speaker is actually loud and clear too. What I like most is the many ways to charge this thing: solar, hand crank, AAA batteries, or just plug it in to recharge the built-in nimh battery. It has a USB port to charge your phones, ipods, etc. and even comes with five power tips for the most common cell phones. On the back are some LED lamps for reading and on the side is a more powerful flashlight with an SOS function. Also has a red signal light.

Although probably a little bigger than some of the Etons, its still pretty small. But man is it handy. Here's a few pics of mine and shown next to my hat to help see the size....

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punch

· #13 · Nov 26, 2012

Nice find. I have a Sangean radio but I have heard good things about Kaito.

survival

· #14 · Nov 26, 2012

J.T., thanks for the recommendation on the Kaito. One question for you, Have you been able to pick up anything on the shotwave bands? Seems to me like every SW radio I pick up, I cannot, for the life of me, pick anything up. I guess I'm not holding my head right or something.

J.T.

· #15 · Nov 26, 2012

You know, I don't think I even ever tried the shortwave bands. I'm heading to bed now but will check it tomorrow after work and report back to you.

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punch

· #16 · Nov 26, 2012 (Edited)

Check a site called "Prime Time Shortwave" you can check for broadcasts by GMT or local time. Stations do not continously broadcast but once you find something that interests you note the time. I found a prepper type program on 9980 but have not picked it up consistantly. I just program my favorite frequencies on my radio and scan the channels. When I have the time I try to find new freq/programming to add. So if you find any interesting frequencies or programming hollar. To improve reception try attaching a wire to your antenna and extending it 10-20 feet. You should see a noticeable improvement. I have an external antenna jack but you can find inexpensive diy antennas on youtube.

punch

Reactions: 1

J.T.

· #17 · Nov 27, 2012

Okay so I just quickly scanned through the two shortwave bands but didn't get a whole lot. On shortwave 1 i picked up a political station (I'm assuming political because they were talking about Obama but I only listened for about half a minute) and then I picked up another broadcast that sounded like it was in spanish but couldn't tell for sure as there was alot of static. Didn't get anything on shortwave 2 except for static but at one point it sounded like I was starting to get something.

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survival

· #18 · Nov 27, 2012

J.T. said:
Okay so I just quickly scanned through the two shortwave bands but didn't get a whole lot. On shortwave 1 i picked up a political station (I'm assuming political because they were talking about Obama but I only listened for about half a minute) and then I picked up another broadcast that sounded like it was in spanish but couldn't tell for sure as there was alot of static. Didn't get anything on shortwave 2 except for static but at one point it sounded like I was starting to get something.

Thanks for testing that out. Thats what I needed to know if you could even get anything from it. The ones I've tried (they were big name brands also) never gave me anything. I'll read up on what it takes to get a better reception for SW in some of my HAM radio books. Again, thanks for testing it out (at one point I thought SW was a Myth :razz:

punch

· #19 · Nov 27, 2012

Look at the Sangean shortwave radios. They make radios for Radio Shack, C Crane and others as well as their own brand name. I have a Radio Shack DX-402 and it gets pretty good reception. Its rated pretty high in online reviews. The digital model is great for me as I am lazy and scanning is an easy way to see whats out there. Found it on ebay for $25.00 Tecsun is another off brand that is pretty good and affordable too.

punch

SOCOM42

· #20 · Nov 27, 2012 (Edited)

Even if a large percentage of stations were lost within the pulse zone, listening to SW, will let you hear from outside the affected area to glean what information that will be available.
It would take a day or two for them to get a perspective on the scope of the disaster.
The pulse radius would be so large that you could be outside the transmitting radius of those medium wave stations of the EBS system still operating.
Gov broadcast stations like the military station out of Andrews AFB, MAINSAIL, will still be operating, they are emp proof.
They are not continuously broadcasting. If you never hear them, say in 4 hours, you can consider us pretty much screwed.
The are the backup to the military satcom system. They are on upper sideband at a freq of 11.175 MC.
They gave the go codes for the launch of the all the of the latest wars.
They are so powerful that you get two echo's from them when attack orders are given. I'm guessing a million plus watts.
The first is from the ground wave coming back around the planet and the second is from moon bounce!
The signal is so powerful that they peg my "s" meter and i am over 400 miles away from them!

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