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South Korea, Seoul
1 Level
498 Review
0 Karma

Review on πŸ“» Kaito KA500IP-GRN Voyager Green Solar/Dynamo AM/FM/SW NOAA Weather Radio with Alert and Cell Phone Charging Capability by Katie Chambers

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Updated Best Radios Review

I chose this Kaito over another brand that is $20 less. At this point, I'm not sure if it costs $20 more than the most popular weather radio on Revain. This radio has many moving parts and although it has many moving parts I feel that ALL the parts need to be treated with great care. To be honest the main goal was to have a weather radio. The weather for my area is coming loud and clear. The crank seems to give the radio and flashlight plenty of time, so that's a good thing. My biggest disappointment is that FM and SW are very limited. I think my expectations were too high. I'll probably order a 23ft antenna to see if the SW can pick up more than just Country and Christian stations. Maybe it was totally unrealistic, but I was hoping for the BBC or a Canadian radio station. However, my husband explained that SW is now mainly used by organizations that cannot afford to pay for AM or FM time. So my complaint seems to have nothing to do with the quality of the radio. Another disappointment is not being able to charge my Samsung Convoy phone which is about 3 years old. I don't have a smartphone and I don't want one. I will come back to this article for more reviews if anyone can tell me about the SW or other features of the radio. I'm giving 4 stars because the hand crank, solar panel and weather functions seem good. UPDATE - Charges perfectly with a solar charger. Charges normally via the crank, just not as long as solar. I have several local stations and a weather station. Remember I live in the country. As for shortwave, see the review above. I'm dropping the SW until I have the longest antenna available for this radio.

Pros
  • Perfect for Outdoor Activities
Cons
  • Too Dumb