Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio (Red)
by Eton
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio (Red)
Customer Review: Great Pproduct
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the Grundig radio for my husband. He loved it. He plays with it like a kid in a toy store. It was a great gift and the right gift for him.Customer Review: Very good emergency radio.
Summary: 5 Stars
Small, compact, with plenty of volume and pickup ability. Ideal
in our hurricane-friendly environment. I own 3 of them.
Customer Review: All (reasonable) Things Considered--A GOOD Radio--A GREAT Value!
Summary: 4 Stars
Below is a reposted review originally published on the page detailing this model in the yellow color ASIN: B00065HM1Y
I ordered the "yellow" model here...and found several "surprises". The Grundig (now Eton) FR-200 is a small "auxiliary" AM-FM portable which adds general shortwave radio coverage, an LED flashlight, and a three-way power design that allows for a quick "pick-me-up" to a replaceable and inexpensive rechargeable NiMH battery pack similar to one used in the typical cordless phone. A few minutes of cranking, `n you're back in broadcast business. With these options, it's virtually impossible for this radio to not find "juice". The FR-200 is imported by Eton from Tecsun in mainland China, and is marketed exclusively as an "emergency radio"...but I'm thinking--"perfect for the canoe and camping trip" where one wouldn't wish to lose something more costly to the elements.
The reviews on this product have run the course--from favorable--to horrible. This would clearly indicate either a serious quality control problem...a lack of reviewer perspective on just WHAT objective this product was designed to meet...or both. After pondering this unique little $40 radio for over two years, I finally unwrapped and evaluated one (the package exterior said "yellow"--a neon-orange model waited inside). The FR-200 is less than HALF THE COST of its most-similar alternative--the Freeplay Summit (which I have ordered--and twice returned because of substandard performance), so I was somewhat skeptical of this product format. Upon closer examination and use, the less-expensive Grundig (while not brimming with "digital glitz" and rows of small silver buttons) is higher in overall performance, easier to pack and carry, and much more "disposable" should that situation arise. My prior skepticism has turned into consumer gratification. This product is satisfying, useful, and an unquestionable value. Here are my performance observations...
AUDIO QUALITY: The sound of the FR-200 is crisp, clear, and natural. While far from "room shaking"--this unit is fine as a close-in companion; and more-than-adequate for its intended purpose as a standby "blackout radio", or convenient portable "sidekick" at home, in camp, or out on the water.
RECEPTION ON FM: The worst goes first...The FM capabilities of the FR-200 are sad to barely acceptable, depending on your listening location. In a small community, ANY nearby local station with brawny signal strength will overload the circuits in this radio to a point that renders it nearly useless--unless you enjoy the offending local station, which will populate itself on nearly the entire FM dial--crowding out even not-so-distant stations from out-of-town. In an urban area, with many powerful "close-in" signals, the FM band becomes a jumbled and distorted mess where "ONLY the strong survive"--but barely! Interestingly, out in fringe areas, where brutish FM signals are few and far in-between, the band shows signs of intelligible life...a plus for rural listening!
RECEPTION ON AM: Other than a few expensive "AM niche" and world-band receivers, the FR-200 is possibly one of THE BEST portable AM radios you can own! Sensitivity, selectivity (in the absence of a strong local station), and recovered audio quality are OUTSTANDING! NEVER have I seen a radio in this class (and several other classes for that matter) that provides as rich an AM listening experience. During the daytime, even very distant AM signals are intelligible and less-assailed by the all-to-familiar "circuit noise" that hinders weak AM station listening on most radios. Sensitivity remains consistent from the low (530 kHz) to the high (1700 kHz) end of the band--NOT typical for an AM receiver section in a radio at this price point. Right "out of the box" my FR-200 easily caught, and faithfully reproduced in early afternoon, six AM stations from Chicago--over 250 miles from my location. At night, this radio becomes a pint-sized DX-delight. Virtually EVERY channel is "alive", yet moderate-to-strong signals remain "separated" and fully intelligible. In the rare occasion that you may find, and choose to listen to, an AM station with a music format--you will find a hint of "hi-fi" in the reproduced audio. This level of AM performance is usually the domain of the "CC Radios" of the market; and at less than one-quarter of their cost--the FR-200 is an "AM standout". Here's another possible application: Your FR-200's headphone jack + a patch cord + the line input on your surround-sound = FAR BETTER AM reception and audio on that system.
RECEPTION ON SHORT WAVE: Plainly put--it is "pedestrian" at best. If you're shopping for shortwave agility--continue your search. Nor do I recommend this radio as an entry into "the world of shortwave", either. The SW feature on this product is obviously a "convenience item"--which turns out to be operationally inconvenient at times. The technical idiosyncrasies of that band are such that the ability to optimally receive it demands a product design with a distinct focus. Interestingly, Eton-Grundig is a "shortwave company" that DOES NOT market the FR-200 as a "shortwave radio"...It merely "includes" that feature.
THE GOOD ON SW: Prominent domestic and international broadcasters with big signals WILL find their way to your tiny FR-200, and strong stations can sound fairly good on this radio. In early afternoon (NOT a preferable SW listening day-part), I found the higher band ("SW-2") to be fairly-populated, and I was able to receive tiny 1000-watt CFRX Toronto, Canada here in the Midwest on the lower (inactive-by-day) "SW-1" band--a "catch" typical for a more-expensive rig designed for SWL. At night, on the active lower frequencies ("SW-1"), reception is generally decent with the built-in telescoping rod antenna, and can be improved with a "roll-up alligator-clip" wire antenna ($15 at "The Shack"). Unlike many small SW radios, the FR-200 can tune well below 49-meters (6 MHz)...even down to 90-meters (3 MHz) where several obscure domestic and western-hemisphere stations live by night. The laws of physics--and the laws of "affordable design" generally work to inhibit easy reception on these channels (if available) on low-cost SW radios. My FR-200 did an admirable job of snagging several of these signals with only its included antenna.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD ON SW: Little is gained thru a decent receiver design if the user can't find or identify a desired station. Imagine tuning a radio with your eyes closed. That would describe the experience of hunting for a SW station on the FR-200 solely based on frequency info. Three design factors (I should say)--design compromises make this radio a chore to tune overall--and nearly impossible to "direct tune" on shortwave. (1) This receiver's "single-conversion" RF design permits strong signals to repopulate themselves on an additional frequency--causing interference to other stations and confusion for the user. (2) Nearly the entire shortwave service is "squeezed" into two "bands" that occupy a minimal 1.75-inches of band-spread. Now that's "touchy tight", especially when you consider that... (3) This unit's manual slide-rule tuning (coarse and fine) is "mushy", and the numerical frequency layout is poorly calibrated.
IN SUMMARY: What we have here is a nearly-charming, color-coordinated campsite or canoe companion that can't come up short on "juice"--but CAN provide acceptable sound and outstanding AM radio reception in the middle of nowhere. A demure radio that throws in a nice bright tent-filling LED light so you can try to find that hyper-paranoid "end-of-the-world" shortwave talk show host to go with your adult beverages around the campfire. Even this radio's dismal FM reception might be mitigated by the location you tote it to, but I wouldn't bet on finding your favorite Jazz-Fest on "Wilderness 98.1", so few points are lost! There are more-expensive products in this class that do NO better job--and cheaper offerings that do NO job at all. Finally, if a bear tries to eat your trusty FR-200...or the canoe it's in capsizes--just find another forty bucks and start all over with a different color! I plan to keep mine...I'm getting fond of Neon-Orange.
Customer Review: The Little Radio That Could.....
Summary: 4 Stars
Well worth the small amount of money..... good play time for the amount of cranking. Reception in FM and AM is pretty decent. Shortwave will be disappointing for someone expecting to "listen to the world" when using the supplied whip antenna. However, using a single wire antenna clipped to the whip antenna will yield pretty decent results in the shortwave bands.
Build quality is actually surprisingly good for the low cost of the item. The red color shown in illustrations doesn't do justice to the actually deep red (ruby?) color. The plastic has that new "soft feel" (like a silicon skin almost). Dynamo crank is solid, knobs, etc. are solid as well. Tuning is problematic with this and any other small radio with a short band spread. Band separation is acceptable, but not great.
This is a great radio to use at the beach, keep in your car trunk, or have available for any emergency that might arise. Recommended if you want a great emergency or beach radio.
Customer Review: At least four stars or greater
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently revamped my emergency equipment and decided to add a hand crank radio. Little did I know how soon I would use it! On Dec. 16, 06, a major power station burned near my house. Two transformer explosions plunged 50,000 people into darkness, including me. I knew of the problem, since I had seen the fire on my way home from work.
I hauled out this little radio in the dark and cranked vigorously for one minute as instructed. (That minute can seem rather long when you are cranking!) I was rewarded with a loud and clear signal on both AM and FM. I was able to find a news talk radio station which gave me up-to-the-minute information regarding the fire and how soon we could expect power.
This is an excellent radio for the money, and I wouldn't waste your funds on more expensive ones. This works just fine, and does what it claims to do. I got about an hour's reception out of 60 sec. cranking and a fair selection of station reception.