Freeplay Weather Small Radio - Yellow (BOW-017-AUS-00-FO)

• Self-sufficient Radio
• Three recharging options- Solar, Wind-up, AC/DC adapter

Solid, reliable,compact:
I upgraded from my previous Freeplay model because the old unit was the size and weight of a tank. I checked out all the Eton models (and a bunch of off brand ones not worth mentioning) before buying this one. I can attest that the Freeplay brand (any model) has the best handcrank mechanisms on the market. Much more solid and better engineered - for example you can crank in either direction and the unit even tells you how fast to crank for optimal charge. The Eton's felt quite fragile in my opinion. And since the radio is for emergency use when you migth be a tad excited (I happen to be in earthquake country), a solid and forgiving charging mechanism is for me most important. The light works well and the radio can actually be held like a flashlight. Not true with Etons. I still keep other flashlights at the ready but it's good to have as backup. Alas, Eton can charge my cell phone, and this Freeplay unit can't, so Eton scores one. An oddity with this radio is how you tune the weather band - it's not part of the AM/FM band, but rather on the back. Weird, but usuable. Unfortunately, the reception for the weather band is a bit spotty; better on some days than others, which may or may not be the fault of the radio. The antenna is much smaller than my previous Freeplay, so less likely to be broken off. I actually don't need the antenna extended anyway; the radio circuitry is that good. The solar charger will be tested this summer when I bring the unit camping to keep up with baseball. During off season I keep the unit plugged in over my workbench so its always fully charged. The charging mechanism is smart enough to shut itself off when completed. Here's another thing to look out for - thie Freeplay unit comes with its own AC adaptor. Many Eton models don't, so if you want an AC adaptor - and who wouldn't - add another $10 to the price of the Eton and then add shipping, but only if you can find a place where the adaptors are stocked. Yup, the Freeplay is more expensive than the Etons but worth every penny. And I like the yellow - it's hard to misplace.

good radio:
I live in st. louis Missouri and can listen to 1200 WOAI San Antonio, Texas and 850 KOA Denver at night. I keep it in my bed room window to keep it changed. I have there Freecharge 12V to charge up my cell phone

Works Good, Looks Good.:
I LOVE my Freeplay radio. The radio picks up a lot of stations and they come in very clearly. I especially like the weather band when there's threatening weather. I like to use the radio in the yard because I can carry it with me as I move around instead of having a radio blasting from the back porch so I can hear it at the back of the yard. I'm sure my neighbors appreciate that. I like the fact that you can use the crank or plug it in to charge. I wish I'd had this when the power was out for four days last winter. I'm not sure what the case is made of, but it feels like rubberized plastic, so it won't slip out of your hand even if it's wet. Four stars because the light on the radio doesn't stay charged even for a few minutes. They might as well not have even included it.

Excellent am/fm/weatherband emergency crank radio:
I think very highly of the quality craftsmanship as well as the technological achievements present in this emergency AM/FM radio. It has the most efficient crank mechanism on the market and comes complete with an AC/DC adapter charger, a telescoping antenna, a large and good quality speaker, a single and bright LED flashlight, a separate LED for indicating the optimal charging crank-rate (that also makes a decent night-light and also shows that external AC power is being supplied to the unit) as well as a solar panel for both charging the internal batteries and also providing sufficient power to still operate the radio normally. The crank operates equally well using either a clockwise (cw) or a ccw rotation too so even if you forget, you can't damage it by turning the crank the wrong way! As advertised, 30 seconds of cranking gives 35 minutes of medium volume listening (or 25 minutes of loud volume levels) and the listening time increases proportionally if you crank it even longer. The system is totally analog, lacks shortwave and aircraft as well as TV bands. but is nonetheless quite useful as well as readily affordable if you wait for a sale. Freeplay also makes a much more expensive digital model with shortwave bands as well, but it is very hard to build all these as quality features including a digital PLL (Phase locked loop) synthesized radio for a reasonable price that people will also buy. My advice is too stick with a much simpler, quality made device that you know will work reliably in a pinch when it is really needed. One really nice feature for example is that the FM/Weatherband antenna can be simply stored in the radio when not being used, but when it is needed it can easily be fully extended. This also greatly reduces the chances of it being broken off inadvertently in an emergency situation in my opinion. The analog vernier dial is very easy to tune for both AM/FM and allows an extra large amount of turning to easily and precisely tune the am/fm bands. The Weatherband is also analog and is tuned separately on the back of the unit and is controlled using a separate on/off button (All 7 NOAA weather frequencies are available with very good volume levels unlike some of the smaller portable devices out in the marketplace). When the weatherband button is set to off the radio reverts to the last available band on either am or fm. The volume control on the side controls all available bands. It also has a jack for a earphone/headphone during quiet times. Finally the provided charger can also be left plugged in indefinitely because after the first 24 hours of preconditioning the battery pack (sealed internal Nickel Metal Hydride batteries), it will continue to keep them fully charged until the advent of an emergency by trickle charging (by applying only very small amounts of current). In the meantime you can feel completely free to use it as an everyday quality and very enjoyable listening device. Most of all I like how totally reliable and redundant the many independent systems are on this radio. For camping and roughing it, it would have been better if Freeplay had provided a carrying strap for the radio (to attach to the provided eyelet) just for something to grab quickly, but for general household emergency purposes it is just fine. Of course you can always add your own strap if you feel that you require it for camping, etc. In a real emergency however you will be very glad to have purchased this quality instrument in my opinion. Finally I intend to buy several more of these units for my immediate and extended family members who really need this device.

A great radio I can listen to almost anywhere!:
A fantastic radio at a moderate price. I gave it four stars because you can feel and hear the quality. The handle and mechanism seem very sturdy, and the casing seems very solid too. Though the speaker is small but its loud enough for a pretty big room, but not loud for working at a good distance outside. My one complaint is you cant use the light to see the radio tuner but I suppose this is a mild inconvenience. The solar panel works pretty good I let it charge in my east window for 12hrs on a cloudy day and got 2.5 hrs listing at max volume. So all and all a good personal radio, and a lot cheaper than a Tivoli.