The GRUNDIG FR200: The "Swiss Army Knife" of EMERGENCY Inexpensive Portable Radios

The Eton Grundig FR200 portable “emergency” radio has a number of features that remind me of a Swiss Army Knife. The radio has things about it you don’t normally associate with a portable radio, but which add to its appeal and could actually be useful in an emergency.

For example, it can be powered three ways. First, it has a hand-crank power generator which supplies power to (included) rechargeable Ni-MH-batteries. Second, you can plug it in to a 4.5V DC from 120V AC wall charger (bought separately). Or you can simply drop in 3 alkaline AA batteries.

Once empowered, the radio picks up AM/FM, and Short wave radio bands, and it has a built-in LED Flashlight.

The radio is the bottom-of-the-line product in Eton’s short wave radios, but even so it may be all the radio of its type you ever need. If you are putting together a “Storm Kit” of things to have in an emergency if your power goes out, this is an economical radio to put in along with the dehydrated food, bottled water, and the first-aid kit. It it would also make a nice gift for a boy or girl who might be or are beginning to develop an interest in short wave radio and how it is used. It is also just a nice little lightweight radio to have around the home, and it doesn’t need batteries, just a few turns of the crank to get it going. It’s a little big for camping, but its weight and self-sufficiency, combined with the LED light, could make it a good choice for that as well.

This would be a nice radio to have in the trunk of your car at all times. If the power grid went out, and cell phones, lights, radios, and all other grid-dependent power sources went out, you could still probably get information from this radio. Or if your car’s battery went dead and you were a long way from civilization. Or if you needed a flashlight for a small task like, say, changing a tire in a dark place, and your normal flashlight wasn’t around.

The FR200 is one of several radios of its type offered by the manufacturer. All of Eton’s emergency radios have built-in portable power generators like this one does. Two turns on the hand crank per second for a minute-and-a-half, according to the instructions, will get you about an hour of power from the rechargeable batteries. It has a quiet whirring sound as you turn the crank. The hand crank folds neatly into the side of the unit and turns easily enough for a child who wants a little task to help with.

The radio weighs just over a pound, and hardly seems to weigh anything compared to many portable radios I have used. Its dimensions are 6.5”W X 5.75”H X 2.25” D; roughly the size of a box of granola bars. It has an inexpensive nylon case for keeping out the dust and moisture.

It should be said that at a cost of only about $40.00, this is not going to be the World’s Best Portable Emergency Radio; it is good but not great or even excellent. But it probably is good enough to save your bacon in most short-term emergencies.

Two important examples of this good-but-not-superb quality have to do with the radio’s performance and the light’s performance. My experience with the radio’s tuner is that it brings in local stations to a high degree, and remote stations fairly well, but not with the ability of, say, a $500.00 radio specializing in acquiring short wave transmissions. This is not to say that it is mediocre, and especially not for emergencies, but if you intend to be a lifetime short wave radio hobbyist, you will want a much more serious piece of equipment. Likewise, the LED flashlight had the power of a Mini-Maglight, that is, a flashlight slightly larger than a penlight, but I doubt if you would want it for directing freeway traffic around a detour in a rainstorm.

Most of the manual controls are highly visible, very functional, and simple to use. The volume control and station tuning controls are on knobs, which I much prefer to sliders. The volume control knob is a little recessed, inhibiting easy turning, but it is acceptable. The tuning knob, however, is much easier and features a delightful fine-tuning inner knob. There is an earphone jack on the back (no earphone included, but you can get them reasonably priced at, say, Radio Shack) as well as the wall-charger’s power plug jack. The ubiquitous (and often useless, from my perspective) telescoping antenna tuck down easily below a small leather carrying strap. Speaker sound is fine, but again, not surround-sound quality.

One thing I really liked is that this radio comes in a variety of colors. My appreciation is not essentially aesthetic: a RED or YELLOW painted radio will often stand out so that you can find it when you need it. This is especially true in the messy environments of emergency, camping, and kid-room areas. Of course, some people will like the colors simply because they are colorful, such as a young girl or boy, or anyone else to whom a selection of colors are aesthetically important in a radio.

What are the pros and cons, as far as I can see?

Nice Stuff:

• Easy hand-generated power, eliminating the power grid and batteries
• Hand-power means you can use it anywhere in the world you can get a radio signal; you are free from USA/120V power
• Small, lightweight, ready to go
• Brightly colored, enabling rapid identification when needed
• Good, if not excellent performance
• Most controls very functional

Could Be Nicer Stuff:

• Performance good, but possibly not the best in emergency conditions.
• On-off switch is a little difficult to locate and understand at first
• No AC adapter included (but may be purchased separately)
• No way to empower a cell phone with a simple power output.
• Plastic case would have been more durable and nicer if it had been metal.

I see this radio really appealing to four types of people. First, those who want an inexpensive but functional emergency radio from a dependable company. Second, those who want to give a nice radio with short wave capability and flashlight capability to a young person. Third, those who simply want a nice little radio that can be used from room to room about the house. Fourth, possibly to the camper who has room in his pack for it.

The hand-cranked power and the low price are real selling points to me. The Eton/ Grundig people have an above average little radio here with some unexpectedly nice features. It’s a keeper.

Availability: Radio Shack, other brick & m's, and online retailers such as amazon.com.


Four Stars/****