Review on Kaito KA900 Voyager Max Emergency Radio: Digital Solar Crank, AM/FM/SW, NOAA Weather, Bluetooth, Real-time Alert, MP3 Player, Recorder & Phone Charger by Peter Sullivan

This is a new radio at the time of purchase from Revain. I have a Kaito KA600 and wanted to compare what upgrades this new model offers. The KA900 fixes some of the shortcomings of the KA600 and adds a few features. The KA900 adds a Bluetooth receiver function, an MP3 player if you add files from the microSD card slot, stereo speakers and a recording function. I want Kaito to keep RDS function on FM. The KA900 also has a larger battery, but cannot use alkaline batteries. (The KA600 had both battery powered options.) Kaito removed those push button switches on the top of this radio; It is no coincidence that I turn on the functions when I pick up the KA900 by the carrying handle. It still doesn't support SSB and I still don't like the auto mute when setting the SW. The KA900 comes with a separate 7m helical antenna to extend SW reception range. I use this type of antenna on my more serious SW radios. It is definitely a nice addition to the KA900 as these emergency radios have an antenna that is too short for serious SWL. I compared the SW response on KA600 and KA900. Both of my models have the same specs in their owner's manuals, and there were slight differences in sensitivity at frequencies with and without the optional antenna. AM, WB and FM sensitivity appear to be the same on both models. An oddity I found deserves attention. The display did not light up even though I reset the radio and changed the display settings. This appears to be caused by the flashlight/reading light switch on the top of the device. It's a slide switch that you can press further than the "off" latch. Gently moving it to the off position fixed the display backlight issue. All in all I like this radio. I really think it's closer to a 4.5 star rating. It's still not a perfect five.