I am working on a disaster kit, and I saw this as one of the โmust havesโ for a disaster. Should one occur as I live in a fire zone, this is really a cool thing to own. It does everything that you need in case you do have a disaster. Besides it having a solar panel built-in, it also has a crank so in case you donโt have batteries, you have two ways of charging the radio just to charge your cell phone or any other kind of device. It also has two bright lights. The radio works well, so I really like owning one in case of a disaster. I even bought two more for each one of my children to have. Read more
This is a great item. I love the feature that allows you to charge your phone. The reception is very clear. Read more
You need a Shortwave or a weather radio because stuff happens, you're a prepper, or current events make you think over if you have everything in case the worst case happens. I am at this point, and i honestly didnt want to shell out 150 bucks for something all digital with fancy cases for a handful of uses. So After looking over different models I settled on this radio. It was 50 bucks, ,it had USB charging features, it had a Li-ion battery you can crank charge or usb charge from a power bank or plug adapter. Plus, it has a battery slot to run it off of (not included) 3 AAA batteries (not AA). Then once I recieved it, the thing had a few more cool things that come in handy...Solar strip for a charge, LED light bar (dimmable) if i needed light to do something like first aid or read a map...THEN it has a flashlight (dimmable), a red distress/panic beacon (it is a loud noise when you press the red button so ppl will hear it) and a nice little clip to attach to a bug out bag or molle slot. So im impressed. So the cons. there are a few. The compass is functional but probably wouldnt be my first choice to use. Get a dedicated hand compass...this seems kinda sketchy and off a tad. The buttons do have a slight wiggle but its not like they are going to fall off, just be careful not to crank on them and you should be good. Slight star dock for those few issues. The Pros. The radio is functional on all channels. Shortwave I was picking up Italian? Weather stations work crystal clear. AM comes in and FM is surprisingly clear and loud. This little speaker does the trick. definately worth 50 odd dollars to have all these features and I will for sure come back to update with any further things that pop up. Read more
Perfect for what I was looking for. Portable size, multiple ways to power it up and easy to work. Read more
Works great. Handy in emergencies or power outages. Read more
It works as advertised but it has hindrances. There's a LOT of frequencies on the SW band, but this radio has no fast way to skip way ahead of where you are. It takes a long time to get to a frequency far away on the dial, even longer at night when the scan feature keeps stopping at everything, even signals of strong static. How about the longer I hold the "tune" button, the faster it goes through frequencies? So 1 second to enter scan mode, then for every additional 2 seconds I hold it, it skips ahead faster and faster. While that'd still be annoying, it won't take an hour to get around the whole SW dial at night. While unplugging the USB or headphones, it's too easy to hit one of the flashlight buttons. You might even hit the SOS button and the siren will wake everyone up. Also, the SOS button is a different color than the rest, which is nice, but it seems like since it's already that much different, why not make it glow in the dark? Would it really be THAT much more expensive? I hoped the internal battery would've been easier to replace because eventually rechargeables don't hold charges well. Since it's an "emergency" radio, what if the emergency lasts for years and the internal battery doesn't hold a charge like it used to so you'd like to replace it? My other emergency radios have replaceable rechargeables so I have backups for them. Instead of playing the last band and frequency when I turn it on, it flashes "WX". I have to press "band" to start anything. I like the red flashing LED when I'm on weather alert mode, But I kind of wonder why it doesn't forward. The strap is too good at covering the solar panel. You're going to want to attach a better antenna for reasonable reception. With the buttons all in a row like that, I have to count as I feel my way across them to hit one I want at night when it's dark and I can't see it. This also requires being familiar with which button does what. The hand crank feels nice and solid, but it's not so easy to see the charging light while cranking. The battery level indicator is great because it has 4 dots of charge and while you're charging it, there's a red LED that'll turn green when it's done. The backlight on the screen is also nice. I plan to return this for something with an accessible internal battery, and maybe a number pad or tuning dial that can go faster. Read more
I wasn't expecting much for the price, but this thing works great! My daughter borrowed mine during a lengthy power outage and loved it so much that I had to buy one for her. Everything works the way it should. The radio sound is a bit scratchy but tolerable. It charges cell phones rather quickly. I like the fact that it has battery, solar, and crank options. If you're looking for an emergency tool and don't have a lot of money to waste, you won't go wrong with this one. Read more
Nice compact multi-use radio and flashlight. Sturdy construction. After getting online, I was able to easily locate which channel to select and listened to my local weather information. With antenna, even in house, it sounded pretty good. Really appreciate the optional ways to charge the radio. Read more
