Whether you are on an outdoor adventure or want to be prepared for any emergency you need a device which will keep you informed and take care of other needs. An emergency crank radio will fit such a requirement, as many models now have added features and built-in devices apart from the radio. The main feature of course of these radios is that you need not depend on electricity or batteries to power these devices. The emergency crank radio as the name suggests has a cranking mechanism which converts mechanical energy to electricity. It works on the principle of a dynamo which you might have noticed on a bicycle which powers the head lamp by the mechanical energy produced by pedaling. Similarly in this radio you need to vigorously turn the handle to achieve the same effect. The electricity which is generated, gets stored in a Ni-MH rechargeable battery inside the radio.

Eton corporation is known to produce quality emergency crank radios and one of their popular models is the FR160 which is also endorsed by the American Red Cross as a fit device for any emergency kit. This radio is compact and so can be packed easily in a backpack and taken anywhere. The radio can receive AM frequencies ranging from 520 to 1710 Khz and FM frequencies from 87 to 108 MHz. Apart from these frequencies the radio has all seven channels of Weather band by which you can listen to all the weather updates, alerts and emergency broadcasts in severe weather conditions. This information is of vital importance as the weather conditions have become highly unpredictable around the world and the frequency of natural disasters have increased drastically.

The Eton FR160 has a convenient hand crank handle at the back of the radio for easy turning and you can get more than half an hour of radio by cranking the handle for just half a minute. This feature eases your mind as you know you can never run out of power for the radio when you most need it. Apart from the cranking mechanism the radio also has a high-quality solar panel consisting of amorphous solar cells which will charge the radio in direct sunlight. These solar cells are enclosed in unbreakable glass which is also waterproof.

To make the FR160 emergency crank radio more versatile, Eton has included a powerful flashlight and a charger in the radio. The flashlight has three white LEDs and is placed on the side of the radio. The compact size of the radio and the convenient design makes it easy for the user to operate all the utilities very easily. The tuner knobs are large and the front panel displaying the dial can be easily read. The radio weighs less than a pound and the dimensions are only 1.8 x 5.2 x 2.5 inches. The charger in the radio can be used to charge devices like a cell phone and MP3 player through the USB socket. Overall a great radio to have in any emergency situation.