Home > Consumer Reviews > American Red Cross FR1000 Voicelink Hand-Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Two-Way GMRS Clock Radio with Flashlight, Siren and Cell Phone Charger (White)

A hand-cranked radio, flashlight, walkie-talkie receiver, all-in-one gadget, is one of those things you want to use BEFORE something happens to make its utility necessary.

I've been really lucky, cause thank God, I haven't had a need to actually use this. Ever since 9/11, my husband purchased a smallish Grundig AM/FM hand-powered radio, one that had gotten good reviews, and we've used that device outside (grilling, sunbathing), and we've been pleased with the performance of the AM-FM bands.

I wish I could say the same about American Red Cross radio, which was produced by the same maker as my smaller model. The AM-FM reception, as others have said, is just abysmal, and I live in probably the most high powered AM receiver market in the country.

To get good AM reception with this device, you'd probably have to sit ON the AM tower!

But what gets me is that my smaller Grundig radio does just fine with radio reception. Go figure.

I guess because the big thing to me about having a hand-cranked emergency radio was...the RADIO. This Red Cross gizmo (love the branding...!) has a flotilla of other functions: cell phone charger, siren, flashlight, walkie talkie communication, and a host of others. It can do everything but...be a radio!

The flashlight and siren gizmos work about as well as my Grundig, which is to say, they're good. I don't know anyone with a walkie talkie, so I guess I'll have to be stuck in an avalanche with one hand free to wind it up to figure out how handy that will come in in an emergency.

My husband used it to charge his cell phone, and he said it was functional (but that if he had to keep cranking it that much for more than a few minutes of cell phone operation, he'd have the biggest biceps in the Western hemisphere.)

The unit is well made and solid. Thank God, we haven't needed it because we haven't had the type of emergency for which a device like this is made.

I just don't think, God forbid, if you find yourself in such a horrible place, scanning the dial of your hand-cranked radio and being unable to get any reception, that that would be the time you wish you had picked another device!

I highly recommend the Eton/Grundig radio devices, many of which are hand powered and do a yeoman's job. Pass on this unit.

I've had this radio for a few months and tested it so my review is based on some experiences.
First off I'd say if you don't have any emergency radio at all this one is worth consideration. It looks rugged, is easy to grab in a hurry, and has a ton of features. The weather band and Emergency alert alone are worth owning this. I have not tried the two way radio feature yet, so can't comment on that. This will run on batteries as well as a hand crank rechargeable battery. The problem is that the rechargeable battery they put in this thing will barely hold a charge! You'd have to crank for at least 10 minutes to get a 30 minute life cycle, and that's pushing it. I had another Grundig recharageable radio and it had the same poor battery in it. I would not depend upon this thing's rechargeable battery in a pinch, and that's a shame because the hand crank on this one is really well made and sturdy, with a positive friction.

Another problem with the radio is poor AM reception, even in a city! Not much range on the receiver, and lots of static. Similar experience with the FM band. Summing up, I'd say this is a decent emergency radio if you've got batteries on hand and have no other radios. It's a very well designed unit hampered by poor electronics and rechargeable battery. Take a look at some of the Freeplay radios if you want better reception and battery life.

No question, this radio "looks good", seems like strong construction, and has quite a list of features. Yes, the flashlight, siren, and SOS beacon work well. The NOAA Weather channels seem to work, depending on your location. The GMRS/FRS radio performance is dismal. But most important to me as an emergency source of information - this unit fails its primary function: AM/FM radio reception. AM reception is nearly non-existent, and I live near very powerful AM stations. FM reception is very weak and includes a lot of static which I have never heard before on FM. Yes, I have tried the AM/FM radio bands in numerous locations - home, lake, mountains, flat lands. Little or no reception. One would think that with a digital display of radio station call signs that you could precisely tune in stations -- not so. For $150 - $200 and with a reputable name like ETON/Grundig, I expect MUCH more and much better performance. Like nearly all things these days, these units are made in China - so I believe ETON needs to look into their quality assurance process to ensure they are using top quality components and that assembly is complete. I have returned my unit - makes no sense at all to keep a radio which costs $150 but will not even tune in AM and FM radio stations. Also, I see many identical and similar reviews now across the internet - "pretty, feature rich unit; but very poor radio performance". I would advise against purchasing this unit until such time ETON acknowleges the problem and fixes it.

First, a confession: I'm not great with alarm sounds and noises. I tend to think something is about to swoop in and grab me or the world is about to explode. In this case, a tornado was in our area and the radio was my first warning system, faster than the television set or even the storm sirens in our area.

I was about to leave the house and I did not. Trees fell across the road and some people had parts of their roof torn off. One person was struck by lightening. Hail fell. It was nasty weather and I'm glad I stayed inside, thanks to this radio.

So that is how it affected my life and spared me anxiety, other than the initial rapid heartbeat I experienced when hearing the alarm.

I am totally bonded with my radio now and think of it as a trusty companion, waiting to let me know of impending storms. Having noted that, the manual (as another reviewer noted) can be a bit complex. It took a small bit of time to figure out all the features....but then....I was amazed. There is a radio, a cell phone charger, TWO types of battery backup, including a rechargable battery pack in case the regular batteries die. There is also a hand crank to recharge the batteries.

If the power fails or you don't have electricity, this radio will still work. That is worth a lot to me. Also, I admit we did drop this once and it didn't even get hurt. Another advantage? If anyone you know has a similar radio, you have a potential two-way connection. How cool is that? You do have to follow all certification requirements to use this to transmit or receive messages from others.

It was very easy to find our weather channel, unlike another weather radio we had. The flashlight is powerful, the siren is strong and I can verify that the warning info comes through quickly and accurately, alerting one to potential danger.

Also, the knobs are very user friendly and my elderly mother had no trouble turning them. There ARE quite few knobs so you do need to become familiar with which ones tune the radio and set it to weather channels or regular stations. But it really isn't that hard to do.

This radio is very nice and does everthing it is advertised to do. The manual is a bit complex, but if you stick with it you can figure everything out.

Interestingly, the most important feature--charging your cell phone---doesn't work right out of the box. You have to first go and register your radio at the Eton site and then sign up for the "adapter tip" required for yourr particular cell phone. There is no charge and the adapter came in less than two weeks, but it was a bit annoying.

The only negative is that the radio is rather oddly shaped. There is this plastic bow-shaped pieced on the back of the radio that isn't quite a handle and doesn't seem to have any particular use (other than making it hard to store the radio.

Other than that minor gripe, this is a very nice package that should come in handy the next time the lights go out.