KA500IP-RED Voyager Solar/Dynamo AM/FM/SW NOAA Weather Radio with Alert and Cell Phone Charger, Red

This review is actually for two radios, one which was purchase by me for my Dad and Mom, and a second for my wife and I: First: My Dad's review: Highlights: (1) Excellent Value (2) Good Quality (3) Good Reception (4) Great Sound for a short wave (5) Versatile Charging (6) Portable AND Rugged "Worth every penny! I waited to fully test the unit, and when I did I ran it through every aspect of use and charging. I surpassed ALL of my expectations, and worked even better with the external antenna I had my son order with it. The only function I was unable to test its charging ability from a wall adapter (hope to get a free one with the review). I am well versed in listening to short wave and in my opinion this Kaito Radio is superior to my C. Crane. For the price, It cannot be beat, and you cannot get a short wave as well built, does all the functions this one does, and have the price as low." ************************************************************************ My Review: When my Dad asked me if I would place an order for he and my mom (they have no credit/debit cards and prefer to use checks or USPS money orders) I was more than happy to agree after he told me it was for a short wave radio.Growing up I watched him rebuild and enhance broken electronics of all kinda: radios, generators, surround sound systems, Walkie-Talkies, CB Radios, ETC.). We were in the process of moving out to the to a rural part of the state (WV, and there was no internet, TV, and barely any cell service). This little guy and the separate antenna we purchased with it helped us stay entertained and up do date on weather and news. I'm not the electronics Guru my dad is, but I did my research and for a short wave that has all 7 NOAA radio bands, AM, FM, and 2 Shortwave bands; the ability to charge from a crank, solar, wall adapter (I too hope we get one), and USB; AND the ability to charge a cell phone or other USB devices from it is hard to find for this price! Add onto that fact that it is well built, though I would not recommend hammering on it or beating (it is and electrical device after all). Overall, my wife and I are very satisfied and my parents are with theirs too. It is a great product!

I have had this radio for about 3 months now. It has held up well, and I have no issues with it. Cranking to charge the included lithium-ion battery works great, and cranking to charge a cell phone for an emergency call works as well. The solar will run the radio (and very slowly charge the battery), but it is not intended to charge a phone. Reception is good for the stations in my area. Audio quality is as expected for such a small radio/driver...clear and intelligible, but without much low range. I can see this thing lasting many years as a standby in my bug-out kit, and probably at least a couple of years if we took it camping regularly. I kept the plastic insert so I could place it back in the battery compartment to prevent complete discharge and subsequent leakage of the battery while the radio is stored. I have been testing it for a few hours every couple of weeks, and have only had to crank charge it 4 times. Lithium batteries are the perfect power source for a little radio like this. They use a common 18650 cell which will make sourcing a new one easy in a few years.

I ordered this after this past Monday when our all our other devices didn't alert us to the tornado warnings. I researched sub-$50 radios. Most I found did not provide live alerts (emergency radios) or were cheaply made. This was the only one that was portable and had weather alerts that I could find in this range. I wasn't expecting much. I just wanted something that would work, I wasn't worried about sound quality or extra bells and whistles or even quality of materials. I was overjoyed when I opened this up. The radio is well made, has a sturdy feel and a soft touch rubber coating. It honestly feels as good as some of the work radios I've used over the years (the ones branded by Milwaukee or DeWalt, etc). Impressive start. Then I turned it on. I figured it would have static in the signal, low quality reception and such. Again, I didn't care as long as the weather bands came in. And again, I was pleasantly surprised. The sound quality was crystal clear and it picked up pretty much any station I could want out in the rural area we live in. I can pick up multiple NOAA bands as well and the one I need the most comes in like it was right next door. The shortwave bands pick up fine- admittedly I don't know much about those. FM is clear as is AM- which surprised me. The extra features are ones I didn't think I would care about, but the crank radio and lights are pretty convenient. Ultimately, I am more concerned with the weather alerts than anything. I can't test those, but I know I'll find out soon. If it's as good as the rest of the product I can rest easy. Right now, it's 4.5 stars. As soon as I hear the alerts I will update the review.

I think it is what it is advertised to be. I know one cannot judge a radio without a real antennae, using only the pop-up it comes with, the weather stations work great. I get at least one quite clearly, and frequently 2 or more quite clearly. Other bands are mixed, with AM-FM being fine, and the others not fairly tested enough by me so far. The power crank is as advertised, and does not take a great deal of cranking for the radio. Personally I like the red-look. The light is not bright, but I'll predict that in a power outage it would be plenty bright enough. Battery option of course, solar charge.USB and miniplug, and earphone (the larger of the two common ones) jack. So far, I could be critical and say the tuning knob could feel like a Collins radio and not an inexpensive weather radio. I could say "the light could be brighter." BUT for the price? And so far it all works? I'm a happy camper.

The Kaito KA500IP Voyager offers reliable AM/FM/SW and NOAA weather alerts, and the solar/dynamo options keep it powered in any situation. The added cell phone charger is a lifesaver. Compact, sturdy, and perfect for emergencies or outdoor adventures. Highly recommended for peace of mind in uncertain conditions!

I received the Kaito KA500 REd Voyager Weather Radio today, and after reading the users material that came with it, I powered it up. It is amazingly good. I received the weather band, fm, and Am, and NOAA. It is nice and compact and very ruggedly put together, and seems that if you take care of it, it should last for a long time. I especially liked the many ways of charging the radio, and the added feature of being able to charge your cell phone with it. Couple all of this together with a light, and emergency flashers, and head phones, and USB and you really have one very nice emergency radio. I didn't receive the AC Adapter for this radio, but Kaito, it is up to you to get that to me, according to the printer accessory order form down in the special offer section.

This is my favorite emergency radio. Decent quality sound and it will run all day on the little solar panel if you put it in the sun. I also really like that the battery is replaceable. I bought several extra so this radio should last me for a lifetime.

An excellent choice for an emergency radio with features not found in this price range. I was worried about quality because I immediately noticed the radio dial system is mounted slightly askew. But upon a thorough examination I found it is built solidly and has very good reception across all frequencies. I especially like the old fashion dial tuning, as opposed to digital, because it allows for fine adjustment in varying conditions. The hand crank is solid and easy to use. The speaker puts out good sound for a small radio and the two lights add versatility. I would make 3 changes: 1. put the antenna on a swivel, 2. upgrade the power selector switch - it doesn't have the same positive feel when you change positions like the band switches have, and 3. include an AC adapter. But these are minor issues considering it's an emergency radio - not an every day player.

This radio arrived just prior to the recent ice storm. There was an extended power failure and I was able to get the local news and find out what was happening. I also enjoyed listening to music which helped lift my spirits during the bad weather event with no power. The sound quality was very good. I haven't tried all of the features yet but I am very happy to have them.

I bought this for my grandfather and he loves everything about this radio. The built quality is great. The radio itself is quite sturdy and the speaker is of high quality. FEATURES Indicator light - the speaker has a light that comes on when you've correctly tuned to a given station. I thought this was neat little feature as it avoids you from feeling like you have to rock-and-roll the tuning knob to get the best reception. Once the light comes on, that's as good as it gets (and the audio is really really clear) Lights - the radio had a couple of sets of lights: /one set of LEDs on the back of the solar panel /a forward-facing LED which is not ultra-high power but will be an asset if you're in pitch black darkness. Turning on this light also activates a light on the tuning display so you can operate it in the dark. /an SOS light (red) which continually flashes. Although I'm not sure how useful that is because it's not nearly bright enough to be a beacon or anything. However I won't reduce my 5 star rating for something like this because this is just an added feature. Battery - the radio has a rechargeable battery provided and also has slots for three additional AA batteries which I thought was a great feature. The device also supports AC charging via a dedicated switch or via a micro-USB cable (accessible through a cover panel on the back of the radio) NOAA Alert system - Although this isn't very useful for Canada as this is a US based alert system for extreme weather alerts, it's still an excellent feature to have if you're living across the border or taking this with you on a camping or hiking trip in the US. The radio can be put into standby such that it will automatically turn on if there is a severe weather alert issued. All-in-all, this is definitely one of the best products I've ordered off of Amazon. It has definitely exceeded my expectations and is worth every penny I paid for it. My review also comes with my grandfather's seal of approval so.... Double win!

This radio is very easy to use. It operates as described and all functions worked on delivery. The price makes it a great deal for what you get. We camp a lot and can't wait until we use it on a trip. Update: On July 21st 2019, went for my first camping trip. Forgot my charger and it died. Found out the solar charger didn't work. I had new batteries for it and found out that that function didn't work. Works great at home where I can easily charge it but doesn't do well in the crunch on this one, away from home.

Arrived on time , secure and safely packaged , Hope I never have to use it in an emergency situation but I am sure it will do an excellent job . A Must for every survival Kit to keep you informed on what is happening .

good