Kaito KA500RED 5-Way Powered Emergency AM/FM/SW Weather Alert Radio, Red

There's lots to review on this radio because of its many features, so for people who don't like long reviews, the short story is that it's WAY better than I'd ever hoped, that I highly recommend it both for emergency and for everyday use, and that readers should at least scroll down to the part where I tell how I messed up the initial charge, just in case they are no more observant than I am. It does everything they say it will, and does it better than any radio I've had.Other condensed points for readers who are pressed for time:** Keep the box in a 2 gallon Ziploc bag--it may come in handy some day (see below)** If you want to listen to the radio, I *think* the manual says the radio works better NOT plugged in to the AC adaptor (if you ordered one) because it will cause some interference. True, not too much but some. Usually it's just a little hum and I often play the radio plugged in, but I think you're supposed to unplug it when you turn it off so the battery doesn't overcharge.** Check the date on critical reviews, and look for reviews elsewhere on the net. I did and decided the current radio would probably be good, and I'm happy.** READ THE MANUAL. It's short and very good.** Be SURE to plug in the internal battery correctly and securely before the initial 6 hour charge, if you get the optional AC adaptor. Otherwise, you'll get no charge. This is how I messed up!** PROS: Shortwave, AM/FM, NOAA weather; solar, crank, 2 AA battery charge, OR an optional AC plug; reading AND flashlight; cell phone charger and one or 2 more that I haven't tried. Good reception, at least to my satisfaction certainly (but I'm not radio savvy), small size that fits nearly anywhere and picks up stations nearly anywhere; lightweight for carrying in case of evacuation; and overall just very pleasantly surprised by the great value for the price.** CONS: None yet. I don't know how it will hold up over the long haul, especially since I use it every day, and I don't know what will happen if I need service, and I haven't tried the cell phone charger. But the Kaito is cheap enough that even if I break something and have to throw it out, I'll have paid no more than I did for the 2 NOAA "desktop" weather radios I already bought, not to mention quite a few other radios which only picked up, or CLAIMED to pick up, NOAA stations. And if I do break it, I will probably buy another and try to be more careful. I don't think the value can be beaten.Now for the details...I had looked at this radio for many months or longer but was always put off by some negative reviews. They said it was flimsy, wouldn't pull in stations, etc. I kept looking for reviews all over the web and didn't see these criticism, and wondered why. Finally I noticed the dates of those critical reviews. They were from around 2012, and I didn't see those complaints in more recent reviews. So I figured that maybe the company did have some problems with quality control in past years, which they overcame. So I decided to take a chance. After all, it was a great price, and I have spent way over that on weather radios that didn't last very long either, and had no features except NOAA stations. And those weather radios are hard to find the right place for, unlike the Kaito which fits anywhere and so far seems to get great reception anywhere.When I opened the box, everybody said, "Oh how cute!" I wouldn't care if it was uglier than homemade sin if it performed--and it does, way beyond anything I could have expected. I'm seriously impressed. This will not be an emergency radio, but my everyday radio now.It IS cute, or rather I would say, stylish and thoughtfully designed. You can see the photos yourself, and it looks really good. I will say, however, that while it gives the appearance of being a really tough field radio, I would doubt it's that tough. Some pieces look a little flimsy, but I'm thinking of the metal sliding piece that turns on the reading light and flashlight, so this doesn't apply to any high-usage pieces. Since I intend to set it on a shelf or carry it out in the yard maybe to solar charge sometimes, I feel it's sturdy enough for my purposes. I wouldn't throw it in the back of a jeep and go off road--unless I had a case for it. The crank that some reviewers complained about seems very good to me, having had several crank radios or flashlights before. I haven't tried the solar panel yet, but in the nuclear reactor that we call a climate here, I'm thinking it will work pretty well. In the past, I didn't have much luck with solar equipment some years ago when I lived in a climate more suitable for habitation, so you be the judge of your local sunshine. I know people here who grow beautiful vegetable gardens in what I'd call the shade, i.e. just a few hours of sun a day, so it's a really, really sunny place. I'm not in a position to really criticize the solar panel yet so look at other reviews to find out about that, preferably people who don't live in Africa or on the Equator or near me.That is one improvement the company might make. I think they are justifiably proud of this radio. Probably some talented people have worked hard on it. I really like to see a company take pride in their product, and try to respond to constructive criticisms to improve it, or even just to CARE if the consumer is satisfied. They seem anxious to make this product the best they can and solicit user feedback. If this little radio becomes a good seller as it ought, they might consider making a padded case, hard outside and padded inside, to sell as an accessory, with extra room for an AC charger, earbuds, whatever, and maybe a long shoulder strap. A good case like this would cost a good bit, but since this is, among other things, an emergency radio, some people might appreciate the convenience of a traveling case, instead of having to make their own--because anything as vital as a radio in an emergency needs to be well protected from hard knocks and bad weather. For now, I'll just keep the box it came in to pack it in if I ever have to be evacuated or something horrible like that. The box would do fine actually instead of a special case if you only need to transport it on rare occasions, since the box protected the radio just fine during shipment, but I'd put it in a plastic bag to weatherproof it for such transport which could involve bad weather, chemicals, radiation, whatever. I put my box in a 2 gallon Ziploc bag and there's room left for cords or small electronics--plus the manual! So actually, selling an optional carrying case might not really be necessary, if you just keep the box for carrying.HOW I MESSED UPBefore I forget, I should mention how I messed up, to spare others of my ilk (somewhat clumsy and careless--I can't be the only one) from this boo boo. The manual said to charge it for 6 hours using the AC adaptor (if you ordered one extra) before first use, so I did. There's an internal battery that must be connected before charging, and I did that, per manual instructions. I noticed that the battery access cover was just slightly akilter and I wondered why, but I plugged it in and waited impatiently for 6 hours. When I tried it out, not one thing happened! From having similar radios in the past, I thought batteries (3 AA batteries) would probably still work, so I opened the battery bay and saw that the internal battery, which I had plugged in, had become unplugged before I even started the 6 hour charge! I plugged it in more carefully to be sure it was well seated and tried again.But after waiting 6 hours, I HAD to see if it would pick up any stations at all, so, well, I didn't wait for the proper 6 hour charge before I tried it, as the manual said to do. I figured I could always buy another internal battery if I mess this one up. I don't live in a great spot, far from everything, so I didn't expect much, and boy, was I amazed. It had the clearest reception of any radio I have, even the car radio (at least the stations I like--can't speak for the others). It picks up FM stations I never knew existed and in the evening scads of stations on SW1 and SW1. Shortwave stations are more limited during the day, which I think is to be expected, but the ones that do come in are loud and clear. My knowledge of shortwave is limited to using my father's set years ago and I expected to be constantly retuning the stations as they drifted in and out. To some extent, I do have to with the Kaito, but nothing like I did years ago. Besides, I consider this the full, interactive shortwave experience! So no, it's not digital, but I don't care. Also, this good reception is without the optional antenna, which I didn't order initially. I'm curious now to see if I could get even better reception with that.I also like the small size of this jewel. It's easy to find a spot for it, and in this one radio I can switch from AM to FM to SW bands to NOAA weather (just to get the daily forecast fast), use emergency lights, etc., so it's terribly handy and works well for my limited space. I have two other AM/FM radios which I have to put in bizarre locations to pick up a few stations and I am getting rid of those. I have a couple of weather radios that I may give away or store since I don't have much space. This Kaito runs rings around all the others that I have, plus has shortwave and more charging options, a reading light, a flashlight, a cell phone charger (though the manual says don't expect too much of that, like using it with a totally dead battery, yet they say it works within limitations), and can use the optional external antenna, plus another couple of features I haven't looked at yet.I also have an Eton American Red Cross radio but I was never really happy that it had no shortwave. I really wanted shortwave because I just like listening to the weird stations, but also because if there were a big disaster in my area, I still might be able to pick up SOME news from other countries or locations. The Eton doesn't seem to have AM/FM either, now that I look at it. It quit working so I put it up and later realized what might be the problem, right before I was ready to throw it out. I just now cranked it and it works find by that method, but only for weather, so I wouldn't recommend it, unless NOAA weather is all you care about. If so, an Eton would be fine, but why not get something you can use every day?Incidentally, desktop weather radios that are so popular can also be fragile. I now have a Midland which I got to replace my first "desktop" NOAA radio that was promoted by the local TV station. I can't remember if that was a Midland too or not, but I knocked it off the table and ruined it. A teeny plastic piece held the antenna connection and that broke, so I had to toss it.The Kaito's weather radio picks up several stations in my area, and I just had to turn the knob from stations 1 to 7 to find the one I prefer, no codes needed and none of the ordeal of going through every state and county in the USA to find my station, as I have to do with my Midland weather radio. Again, NOAA comes in extremely well. I forgot I have yet more crank weather radios which don't pick up anything at all. I guess that's 2 more radios I can toss now. I MIGHT keep the white Midland like most people use since I already have it and I'll just use it for alerts. I'm not sure how to use the Kaito for alerts. It certainly has that feature, but I see no need to risk running down the battery just before I need it for an emergency, since I already have the Midland. I'm not sure if I can plug the Kaito in and set it on "NOAA alert" because I think the manual says not to overcharge the radio and to unplug it when not in use. Guess I should ask the company about that. I don't really like the NOAA alerts anyway because the Midland beeps so loud for alerts that it could give anyone a heart attack, which sort of defeats the purpose of preserving one's life in an emergency!Be sure to READ THE MANUAL!!! It's just a leaflet, but it's full of info and deserves careful study. I know that seems an unAmerican thing to do, but read it anyway. This little radio has so many features that it's really necessary to know the precise settings etc. required for each one. You'll be glad you did, I think, and avoid frustration from not using the radio correctly. I'm going to read mine over again to be sure I understand all the features. The manual should answer most questions a new buyer will have, and reading it will give you something to do while waiting for the initial 6 hour charge for those who got the AC adapter. Of course, being an American I didn't read it ALL before I started using the Kaito, but that's what one SHOULD do. And it's all in English! No leafing through 10 other languages before you come to the one you want!I've been so excited about this terrific little radio that I forgot until just now that my favorite candy also came in this shipment! Yes, I love my Kaito, I'm very pleasantly surprised at how great it is, and I heartily recommend it, except to people who want to throw it in their jeep's floorboard or let the kids toss it around. This is what I've wanted for many years.

Radio works good, not great all the time but can pull up all kinds of weather info on different bands, cool night light for use on my bed table. Quality of case is good and it has USB power connector in back. Good value, still working really well. Glad have not use for survival stuff.

After having lived through one too many hurricanes (in my case, Dorian) I decided that a multiband hand crank radio is a necessity. Before I go any further let me explain that the best hurricane equipment is the stuff that never gets used. You want to have it around anyway just in case, and this Kaito Voyager seemed like the most sensible choice.First things first: It comes in several different colors. Do yourself a favor and listen to this old sailor --- never, ever buy safety equipment in any color except yellow (and black) or orange (and white). Those colors and combinations immediately recommend themselves to the human eye and if you find yourself under conditions of darkness and without a power source you want to be able to *find* this radio quickly, especially if you are under stressful conditions like a storm.For a fifty dollar radio this model Voyager has a lot of flexibility. It comes with a rechargeable battery pack already aboard, and you can add three AA batteries. It also has a hand crank for charging. Two minutes of cranking will get you going, though you'll probably feel like Ole Gramps in his Stutz Bearcat while you're winding the handle round and round. The Voyager also has a small solar panel for power, though it probably works best in the Sonoran Desert. I strongly recommend the optional, not included but absolutely necessary AC Adapter (sold separately).Out of the box it weighs a little more than a pound. It's flattish, so if you need to carry it in a knapsack it doesn't take up much space or add much weight. A hand carrying strap comes as part of the body of the Voyager, the colored faces are rubberized against rough usage, and it has a telescoping antenna. I STRONGLY recommend that your purchase the separately sold 23-foot reel antenna. It really will make a difference in the reception. The KA500 lacks a separate input for the reel antenna, so just clip it to the telescoping antenna with the clip provided.The Voyager comes in a white box with a slip sleeve. Since it has no separate storage case I suggest keeping it in the original box when not in use. Make certain you use the slip sleeve as well, because it has pictures of the radio on it, making it much easier to identify among your survival supplies than just a plain white box. Fortunately, the box is large enough to hold the radio, the reel antenna, the AC adapter, the USB cord, and loose AA batteries (you'll need three) in one place.The Voyager receives signals from standard AM and FM stations, and from two separate Shortwave bands. It also comes with seven National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) station presets. When you get the radio you can check and see which setting(s) gives you the best NOAA signal. There is also a NOAA preset which puts the radio into "standby" mode until and unless NOAA issues an alert.A word about the tuning. It's not digital. It uses an old-style tuning knob. If you remember transistor radios at the beach as a younger person the sound and "feel" of the Voyager will seem very familiar to you. If not, it may seem a bit odd.The Voyager comes equipped with an onboard flashlight, a reading lamp (on the opposite side of the solar panel), and an "SOS" light that projects a flashing red laser that observers / searchers can easily see, especially in the dark. There is also a USB port (and included cord) so that you can charge your phone or other device, or alternatively charge the Voyager off your computer if need be.There are drawbacks to the Voyager, most of which have to do with the controls. The click-knobs and switches are small or very small, and it is genuinely hard to read the microprint on the Voyager when you are trying to find the correct settings you need. Eventually, like any other printed-on text, the microprint will wear off or be rubbed off through usage and it will all become a bit of a guessing game for you. There isn't much, ultimately, that you will be able to do about that.My best advice? Spend some time playing with the KA500 when you first get it. Try out the different settings. Unreel the reel antenna and reel it back up. Hand crank it to charge. Figure out how everything works BEFORE you need the Voyager in an emergency.If you aren't going to use the Voyager for an extended while (like the three seasons that do not experience hurricanes) disconnect everything --- the internal battery pack and the AA batteries inside especially --- and keep the radio boxed along with all its add-ons and doodads. You don't want to have to use this thing, but if you ever have to, make sure it works like Gangbusters for you.

Still works after years of use. Just give it a charge every 6 months.

This radio was a life saver when we lost power for four days after a recent storm. The crank takes long but it works and it also runs on three AA batteries! The sound is very good, very impressive

Great to have on hand. Still going strong after 5 years