Eoxsmile NOAA radio review

What the Eoxsmile radio is

The Eoxsmile is a multi-power emergency radio from a small online brand. Our catalogue notes it as an AM/FM/shortwave set with a NOAA weather band, a hand crank, a solar panel, USB and AAA battery power, a flashlight and a 5,000 mAh battery that can charge a phone. We found no official maker page or manual for it, and the same radio appears under similar listings, so treat these specs as the seller's claims and check the listing and manual you receive.

What NOAA Weather Radio is, and what a radio needs

NWS describes NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards as a nationwide network of more than 1,000 transmitters broadcasting official warnings, watches and forecasts 24 hours a day from the nearest National Weather Service office. It runs on seven VHF frequencies from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz, which a simple AM/FM radio cannot pick up, so a receiver must include the weather band.

NWS says a standalone receiver is best if you want to be alerted to warnings and watches day or night, while a multi-band radio is better if you only want to tune in the broadcast and do not care about alerts. Shortwave and AM/FM are extras; the weather band is the part that matters.

Features NWS tells you to look for

NWS lists the useful features of a residential receiver: a tone alarm, which NWS sends before most warnings and many watches and which sounds even if the audio is off; SAME technology, which limits alerts to the counties you choose; selectable alerting of events; battery backup; and an external antenna jack. NWS recommends receivers carrying the Public Alert or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo, and does not endorse a specific make or model.

Our catalogue records an alert function for the Eoxsmile, but not whether it supports SAME county coding or carries the logo. Check the listing: without SAME, a radio may wake you for storms several counties away.

Strengths and limits

Strengths: several ways to power it, a battery that can top up a phone, and a flashlight, in a kit-friendly size. These are the power choices that matter when the grid is down, and they cover the case when you cannot get a signal or a wall outlet.

Limits: a lesser-known seller with no maker site, specs that vary between listings, and a design very close to several rivals. Reception depends on distance from a transmitter, and NWS suggests an external antenna if reception is poor. Crank and solar are a backup, not a way to power it for days. For more, see our weather radio guide.

How it compares, and the verdict

On our weather radio comparison, the Raynic 5,000 mAh is the closest like-for-like, the Midland ER310PRO adds a power bank, and the Midland WR120B and WR400 are bedside alert radios with county coding.

Verdict: a reasonable second radio for a go-bag if it proves to carry alerts and the price is right on the day. Skip it if you want a bedside radio that wakes you only for your county, if you want a maker with a support page, or if you prefer a name NWS lists.

Does the Eoxsmile radio get NOAA weather alerts?

Our catalogue records a NOAA weather band and an alert function. NWS says to look for a tone alarm and SAME county coding, so check the listing and manual for both before relying on it.

Why can't a normal AM/FM radio get NOAA Weather Radio?

NWS says its broadcasts are on seven VHF frequencies from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz, so they cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM radio. You need a receiver with the weather band.

What does SAME do on a weather radio?

NWS says SAME lets you choose the counties for which you want alerts, so the radio responds only to alerts for your area and gives fewer false alarms for storms a few counties away.

Is a crank or solar radio enough in an outage?

They are a good backup. NWS also says battery backup can be crucial since outages often occur during storms, so keep fresh batteries and charge the radio when you can.