Eton FR300 & Red Cross version “Not recommended".

I bought this radio because of frequency bands covered & the internal generator. It seemed to be a good radio for the stormy season and other emergency times when we are out of power. I have been an amateur radio operator for over 30 years and am a good judge of a radio's quality, sensitivity, and selectivity. I have a Grundig FR-200 which covers AM-FM and the major shortwave bands. It is a very good radio, for its price range. It also has a built in generator recharger. I figured the radio quality of the Eton FR300 would be similar to the Grundig FR-200 with a weather band and TV. They appear to be built very similar.

If you live out in the country, 500-100 miles from a concentration of radio stations, this radio may be OK. In area where there are several strong stations, or one strong station, the radio is a mess. It has Very Little SELECTIVITY. I live about a mile from a 3000 watt FM station. (Very low power as FM stations go) It is very difficult, if not impossible to pick up any other stations. The local station appears at about 10 places on the dial, blanking out most other stations. The local station only appears about 2 times on the Grundig and all other stations in the area can be received. The frequency dial of the Eton FR300 is also way off in calibration. I could fix that, but shouldn't have to. The local FM station(s) also appear al over the TV bands making the TV bands useless.

The AM radio is average, and the weather band works well and has sensitivity comparable to dedicated weather radios. The ability to recharge your cell phone was also a big selling point for me, but I have not used it that much.

The Eton brand radios do not compare with the quality & performance of the Grundig or Sangean brand. I notice that CC Radio has dropped the brand from their catalog.

From what I observed from a store model the Eton Red Cross version of the Eton FR300 radio is of similar quality and performance.

Note: In February 2009 the TV bands will be useless when TV stations start broadcasting digital. So if you want a much better emergency radio, buy the Grundig and a good weather radio.