Eton SOLARLINK FR500 User manual

American Red Cross
Radio Line By:
American Red Cross
SOLARLINK FR500 by Etón
Self-Powered and Solar-Powered AM/FM/Shortwave Radio with
NOAA Weatherband, Flashlight, Siren and Cell Phone Charger
Owner’s Manual

3
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
DO YOU NEED HELP?
If you need help, please contact us:
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., North American Pacific Time.
1-800-872-2228 from the U.S ; 1-800-637-1648 from Canada
650-903-3866, worldwide ; FAX: [phone] ; www.etoncorp.com
Etón Corporation, 1015 Corporation Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA
WARNING
• Do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.
• Do not submerge or expose for extended period to water.
• Protect from high humidity and rain.
• Only operate within specied temperature range (0 °C to 40 °C).
• Unplug immediately if liquid has been spilled or object have fallen into the
apparatus.
• Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not use detergents or chemical solvents as
this might damage the nish.
• Unplug and disconnect external antennas (not included) during lightning
storms.
• Do not remove cover [or back].
• Refer servicing to qualied service personnel.
Disposal
According to the European Directive 2002/96/EC all
electrical and electronic products must be collected
separately by a local collection system.
Please act according to your local rules and do not dispose of your
old products with your normal household waste.
ENVIRONMENT
American Red Cross Radio Line By:

4
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
The FR500 plays AM (520-1710 KHz), FM (88-108 MHz), SW
(shortwave, 5.8 – 12.2 MHz) and 7 NOAA Weather Channels:
Channel 1 162.400 MHz
Channel 2 162.425 MHz
Channel 3 162.450 MHz
Channel 4 162.475 MHz
Channel 5 162.500 MHz
Channel 6 162.525 MHz
Channel 7 162.550 MHz
MIN: Minute Adjusting
Power Supply Knob
Frequency Tuning Knob
Bouton de sélection des
bandes
Band Selecting Knob
DC in Jack (Adaptor)
Earphone Jack
Audio in Jack
PHONE CHARGER: USB Jack for
Charging the Cellphone (big)
DC in: USB Jack for Charging the
Radio (small)
Battery Compartment
Telescopic Antenna
Charging Light (left)
Power Light (right)
Multifunctional Knob
Hand Crank
Focus Lamp
Speaker
POWER: Power On/OFF
SLEEP: Sleep Power
SNOOZE: 5 Min Snooze
LIGHT: LCD Backlight
HR: HourAdjusting
TIME : clock adjust button
ALARM SET : set alarm time
AL/ON/OFF:open/close alarm function

5
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
VOLUME CONTROL
Turning the Volume Adjusting Knob (located on the lower right
of the radio) clockwise turns up the volume; counterclockwise
turns down the volume. Always turn down the volume before
using earphones.
POWERING AND TURNING ON THE FR500
The FR500 is powered with 3 AA batteries, the solar cell, the Dy-
namo (rechargeable Ni-MH battery), the AC adapter (not included)
or the DC computer input. Select BATTERY, SOLAR or DYNAMO
power with the Power Supply Knob on the upper right side of the
radio. The power sockets are on the back of the radio, under the
rubber covers. After applying power, select the correct position
with the Power Supply Knob and by pressing the POWER button.
Turn it off by placing the Power Supply Knob in the Off position.
Note: the radio can be played while it’s charging.
BATTERY POWER
Install 3 AA batteries and set the power selector switch to the BAT-
TERY position.
POWER: Power On/OFF
SLEEP: Sleep Power
SNOOZE: 5 Min Snooze

6
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
SOLAR POWER
When you’re in sunlight set the power switch to the SOLAR posi-
tion. This position also recharges the Ni-MH rechargeable battery.
DYNAMO POWER
The rechargeable Ni-MH (nickel-metal-hydride) battery is in the
battery compartment. To use it plug the battery into the socket
adjacent to it, then set the power switch to the DYNAMO position.
You may have to charge the battery; to do this turn the crank for
90 seconds. The rechargeable battery will eventually lose its ability
to hold a charge. Call Eton Corporation to order another one.
DC-IN 5V AC ADAPTER (not included)
This socket is located on the back of the radio, under the rubber
plugs. Plug in the AC adapter to the DC IN 5 volt socket. This also
charges the Ni-MH battery.
DC-IN USB COMPUTER SOCKET (USB cord not included)
This socket is located on the back of the radio, under the rubber
plugs. Plug in the AC adapter to the DC IN 5 volt socket. This also
charges the Ni-MH battery.

7
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
REGARDING CHARGING
How much operating time does hand cranking provide?
Cranking 120 times per minute, for 1 minute, plays the radio for
about 4 minutes at low volume. Since volume is relative this may
be higher or lower depending on how loud the volume is.
How long does it take to fully charge the battery by hand
cranking? It is not practical to charge the battery via hand
cranking. Since the battery capacity is 600mAh (milliamp hours).
Fully charging it by cranking would take 3 hours at 120 turns per
minute.
How do you switch from hand crank direct power to just
charging the battery? When in the OFF position, cranking or
solar cell is charging the cell phone or MP3; when the switch is at
the other 3 positions, both the solar cell and cranking can charge
the battery.
Can the solar cell power the radio on its own, or is it just
used to charge the battery? Yes, the solar cell can power the
radio on its own, and also charge the battery.
How long does it take the solar cell to charge the battery? It
will take 12-15 hours for the solar cell to charge the battery.
A fully charged battery will last about 6 hours at low volume when
receiving radio programs and about 5 hours at low volume when
receiving aircraft band.

8
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
ORDERING A CELL PHONE ADAPTER TIP
Send Eton Corporation a post card with your name, address and
preferably your email address (telephone number is OK). Include
the radio model and the brand and model of your cell phone (the
model is often found on the body of the cell phone, under the
battery). The rst adapter tip is free of charge; additional adapter
tips are $5 each.
Alternately, you may call and order an adapter tip via our toll-free
number or send an email (go to www.etoncorp.com).
CHARGING CELL PHONES
If you revolve the Power Supply Knob to the OFF/PHONE CHAR-
GER position the radio will charge cell phones. Plug the cell phone
charging cord into the USB PHONE.
CHARGER
Jack at the rear of the radio. Plug the cell phone charging adapter
tip into the other end of the cord and then into the jack of the cell
phone. Then put the radio in the sun or revolve the hand crank to
charge the cell phone. About 10 minutes of cranking results in one
or two short emergency calls.

9
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
CHARGING AND POWER LIGHT
Charging Light
• If charged by turning the hand crank, the charging light is green.
• If charged by solar, the charging light is orange.
• If charged by the external adaptor, the charging light is red.
Power Light
• If the battery power is full, the power light is green.
• If the battery power is medium, the power light is orange.
• If the battery power is low, the power light is red, please charge.
LCD BACKLIGHT
Press the LIGHT button to turn on the LCD backlight. It will light
for 5 seconds and then turn off.
SELECTING BANDS AND TUNING IN STATIONS
Turn the radio on. Select the band with the BAND Selection Knob
and by looking at the red light above the radio’s display. The red
light appears to the left of the band or the weather channel that
you’ve selected.
When listening to FM, Shortwave and Weather channels, pull up
the telescopic antenna all the way. When tuning AM stations the
telescopic antenna is not needed and can be lowered. Tune in sta-
tions by revolving the Frequency Tuning Knob.
The weather frequencies are on channels WB1 through WB7. Try
all of them and nd the one that’s strongest; the strongest one is
your weather station. Tune to it before setting the Weather Alert
feature, described below.

10
AMERICAN RED CROSS SOLARLINK FR500 OWNER’S MANUAL
SETTING THE WEATHER ALERT FEATURE
NOAA weather alerts warn you when a severe weather system is
approaching.
Turn on the radio and tune in the weather channel that has the
strongest signal. Then turn the Multifunction Knob (on the lower
left side of the front of the radio) up to the Weather Alert position
.Note that the weather alert LED lights up to the left of the
weather alert symbol above the display and to the farthest right.
After you’ve done this, the radio can be played on any other band,
when an alert comes it will be heard and you can change to the
weather channel.
SETTING THE TIME AND ALARM
IThe clock is a 12-hour clock, showing PM in the display starting
at Noon. Turn off the radio. While pressing and holding the TIME
or ALARM SET button, toggle the HR button (located above the
display) to adjust the hour. Then toggle the MIN button (located
above the display) to set the minutes.
TURNING THE ALARM ON AND OFF
With the radio on or off press the AL ON/OFF button. Notice that
when it’s on, ALARM appears in the lower right of the display.