Kaito Voyager KA500 Emergency Radio

My biggest complaint about this radio is that the tuner position and knob positions are not backlit. The LED lighting on the back would have been better served if placed so it illuminates the front of the radio. I would also like to have had an elbow connection on the antenna. I have no complaints about the reception or the charge capacity. I would buy it again, but if you plan to use it in the dark, keep an extra flashlight handy so you can see the dial position. Also realize that the antenna can be easily broken off or bent.

The Good: - Solar and crank work very well for charging the internal pack. Sun charged pack from 0v to 3.8v (full) in about 4 hours, and the solar panel is large enough to run the radio and charge the internal pack simultaneously. - AM, Shortwave, and NOAA reception is ok. - LEDs behind solar panel are very bright and useful. - Adjustable angle solar panel very useful. - Internal Ni-MH pack easily disconnected/removed/swapped if necessary. - Plenty of different cell phone charging connectors supplied. The Bad: - Tuning mechanism feels very cheap, tends to kick back in the opposite direction slightly after you let go. Plan on spending extra time centering the dial on your station. - FM reception very poor, there are inexplicable dead carriers around the FM band, and it sounds like the tuning is 'off' quite often. Has trouble receiving stations my super cheap pocket ebay AM/FM/SW radio gets with no problem. - Solar panel will NOT charge USB devices. USB port shows only 100-20... Read more

I do need an emergency radio for my indoor and out door use. We live in Los Angeles, all the rumours about earthquake made everybody be alet for the event might come an time , day or night. So, I start to serch for a radio that works for me. It is not only a adio we need , we need a gear that can be used in summer that I take with my son for camping, it is better that can charge the cellphone or rechargeable batteries if needed. So, I bought a Grundig FR200, a good radio like a rock. I like the fine tuning , but the dynamo would not charge after a summer. I did not expect to have a radio with a solar panel till I see the Kaito KA500. Yes, in California sun, you can charge anything you want, right ? Why not ? So, I bought this KA500, after I get it, I am so happy with all the details it comes with. The pictures on Amazon did not show the details, you can not see the 5 LED fight lihgt as a reading lamp on the back of the solar panel. But the Reading lamp is a key reason you should ha... Read more