Kaito Electronics Inc. KA500BLK Voyager Solar/Dynamo Emergency Radio - Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I tested the KA500 along with several other self-powered radios for a project I'm working on in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.I found that the KA500 is a very capable shortwave receiver it's just not nearly as rugged as its competitors. Here are my thoughts:

What I like about the KA500:
- Solar Panel--the KA500 is one of the only portable shortwave receivers out there with a built-in solar panel. The panel is effective enough that it will power the radio (if in direct sunlight) without batteries and produce a reasonable amount of volume through its built-in speaker.

- The 5 LED reading lamp -- This reading lamp is impressive. If the batteries are fully charged, the lamp works for VERY long periods of time. I'm also an amateur radio operator and found that the reading lamp is bright enough that it lit up my large radio table.

- Good shortwave sensitivity -- For a self-powered analog radio, I was impressed with the shortwave sensitivity. I also found the AM broadcast and FM bands adequate/average.

- Good selectivity -- When a station is tuned-in well, you don't often hear adjacent signals.

- Good frequency coverage -- I like the fact that KA500 covers the NOAA weather frequencies, FM, AM and a very large portion of the SW spectrum (from 3.2 MHZ to 22MHz, missing only a little used piece between 8 & 9 MHz)

What I didn't like:
- Quality -- Though the radio feels solid in your hand, I found through my testing that the quality of the KA500 is actually quite poor. More than once, the tuning mechanism would slip and the needle would get stuck in the middle of the dial. The worst part, though, is the poor quality of the hand-crank mechanism. The dynamo and crank arm feel cheap. Well, they are cheap.After only a month of occasional testing--and with me being very careful with the hand crank--the dynamo started showing signs of failing. The crank became less fluid to turn and would rub the side of the radio chassis. One day, while slowly cranking, the crank arm just snapped in half. No more crank power.

- No Fine Tune control -- Kaito fits the whole SW1 and SW2 spectrum on a small dial. There were a few times I wish this radio had a fine tune control like the Grundig FR200.

BOTTOM LINE:
I sent my KA500 back and did not get it replaced. It's a shame, really. I loved the radio's features and overall performance, but was very disappointed with quality.

I could only recommend this radio to someone who plans on tucking it away and using it on rare occasions or someone who wants a basic full-featured radio but never plans on using the hand-crank.I'd also keep the receipt handy for the return (and buy from an authorized dealer like Amazon or Universal Radio).

For my purposes, I will be using the Grundig/Et

Innovage Outdoor AM/FM Emergency Battery Free Crank Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)Do not buy this radio.The hand crank option failed to work on the one I purchased, which would seem to defeat the purpose of owning it.In addition, it is impossible to contact the manufacturer regarding a replacement.This is the second problem I have had with products from this company, as I also purchased a flashlight that did not work.Avoid Innovage Outdoor.

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Product Description:
The Innovage Outdoor battery-free crank radio is the ultimate necessity in almost every household. Durably built for everyday use, this self-powered marvel is ideal for use in emergencies like power blackouts, hurricanes, earthquakes, and more. Lightweight and portable, it's also a handy companion for outdoor trips like camping and hiking.

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American Red Cross FR500 Solarlink, White Review

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(More customer reviews)Great overall emergency radio. Read many reviews that indicated poor reception which almost prevented me from buying. Once purchased I tried the radio and was disappointed with the poor reception. Almost seemed like it was running low on batteries even though new ones were just put in. I learned that the multi-function knob (see manual) was set on "Alert". This seems to be a low power savings mode. Once I selected any other setting including "Off" the radio's reception was excellent (the radio is turned on via a different knob / see manual). I bought it at Radio Shack since it was on sale for $69.Radio Shack's site forgot to add that this radio also has Short Wave which is a plus in emergencies.

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Product Description:
Eton American Red Cross Solarlink NOAA AMFM Emergency Radio LED Flashlight White - Eton ARCFR500W

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Midland ER102 Emergency Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I hope I can give you some useful information about this radio and give you new ideas on simplifying your emergency items. I have been reviewing emergency radios for too many days, I think for most of us we want something portable for emergency AM or FM weather information and NOAA information and alerts during a loss of power that might last for a few hours or several days, I'm not looking for equipment to survive without power for months in the wilderness, just keep in touch and out of the dark during the emergency. I was considering the Eton RH500 (cool factor) but after reading about all the Eton radio models, I could not help but notice one serious concern with all of them, most reviewers said the Eton radio reception was not very good indoors... which is where I'm going to be during bad weather; an emergency radio without excellent radio reception has little value in my opinion. I opted for the Midland ER102 and I am very pleased. I like having the Dynamo feature, but I do not put a lot of value in it as my thinking is that all the emergency products I purchase must use AA batteries; they have a shelf life for 6+ years and they are cheap... aprox. $10 for 24 name brand batteries at W. Mart... The idea; one battery that fits everything! As for this radio; I live outside of the city and the AM and FM reception inside my house is excellent even without extending the antenna it picks up well, I can pick up 3 NOAA weather channels, two of them loud and clear, and one NOAA channel loud and clear without extending the antenna. Some reviewers complain about sensitive tuning; as for the tuning... the tuner is an analog (not digital) tuner with a digital display and it scrolls very smoothly (all the emergency radios that I have found use analog tuners.) To get clear reception it is not necessary to hit your station exactly (but is easy to do), as with analog tuners we have always tuned into the general area of the station then moved the knob back and forth until the station is clear, you never thought about it being sensitive since you just listened for the best spot without observing a digital display.Is the dial sensitive... no more than any other analog tuner, it might seem that way if you are looking at the digit to the right of the decimal point while rapidly scrolling, however a light touch when fine tuning and I find the tuner actually easier and much quicker to tune than if the display was the old analog type display other emergency radios have. The 3 LED flashlight is surprising bright, the backlit LCD display is very bright, AC adapter is included, the alarm is easy to use and it's kind of neat to look at the display and see the current temperature constantly displayed. I will note that I have a newer Nokia cell phone and although the radio comes with several adapters mine was not in the mix. Again this is not important to me as I don't want to crank the Dynamo for 5 minutes to make a very brief call....Better idea; buy a portable emergency cell phone charger that fits your phone. This $5-$20 device (you guessed it.... works on AA batteries) will allow you to start using your phone within 30 seconds of plugging it into a dead cell phone and talk say 2 hours on one AA. If you want to go all out you can purchase Lithium batteries which last longer than Alkaline and have about a 15 year shelf life. Storms and power outages are stressful enough and lots of work, I say keep it as simple as possible... and a bonus, all my stuff fits easily in a small drawer in the kitchen.
My 3 watt LED flashlight (about 80 lumens) lasts 2 hours on high, my Sylvania LED Mini Lanterns (L562) last up to 200 hours on 4 AA's and they are as bright as many large lanterns, and this Midland Radio all use the same cheap AA batteries....$20 buys 48 AA batteries and will last me a long time, how about 72 AA's on hand at a cost of $30.... I can go for weeks.

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Product Description:
Midland's ER102 radio is constructed to be water resistant, so it can be used in most any environment, and has a dynamo power crank to recharge its batteries without access to electricity. This radio runs on a Midland rechargeable NiMH battery pack that can be recharged while in the radio, and includes the ability to recharge devices that use a USB port including your cell phone.With a USB connector cable (not included), device may be charged either by rotating the Dynamo Crank, or when the AC Adapter is plugged into an AC source.This radio comes in a stylish black and silver color scheme, and is backed by a manufacturer's three-year warranty..
What's in the Box
ER102 radio with dynamo power crank, rechargeable battery pack, AC wall power adapter, user's guide, and warranty information.

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