Are you worried about the sky falling liking Chicken Little, or the Cloverfield monster returning?

Then you are the perfect candidate for Eton’s Solarlink FR-500 emergency radio. The FR-500 retails for around $70 because of its upgraded features over the standard emergency radio.

A standard for any emergency radio is an AM/FM tuner. The FR-500 goes one better with a shortwave receiver (shortwave boasts a maximum of 12200 KHz) and 7 channels of NOAA weather alerts. While the shortwave and weather channels sound good, the AM/FM channels tended to have static that would drown some of the sound. Another unfortunate drawback is the inability to add on an external antenna.

The design of the body was well thought out. It was easy to grip and designed to take bumps. The controls were easy to use, and boasted an alarm clock with back lit LCD display. Another excellent feature is the LED lights. The FR-500 has one flashing red LED light that can be used as a signal beacon (along with the emergency SOS siren) or as a night-vision saving flashlight. An additional 4 white LED lights can be used to chase away any darkness. The ports also have rubber caps to protect the unit from moisture, but the FR-500 is by no means waterproof.

Solarlink is the namesake of the FR-500. The solar panels are tough and well built, but take approximately 10 hours to fully charge. Another extra is the large and useful hand crank for charging when batteries and the sun are not available. It takes approximately 3-4 hours of continuous turning to fully charge the unit. 3 ‘AA’ batteries will also power the FR-500, or an optional (not included) 5v adapter.

The FR-500 also features a USB, Mini USB, 5v DC Port, and 3.5mm audio jack. You can charge a cell phone, but you’ll have trouble charging a PDA, MP3 player, or GPS. If you want an all-in-one emergency radio, the Solarlink FR-500 is good choice overall.

Thanks to our sponsor, Digital Foto Club, for sending this product for us to review.  To get the product yourself, just visit their website: http://www.digitalfotoclub.com/sc/search.asp?keyword=fr500