Customer Reviews

KA009R 4-way Powered Emergency Crank Radio with Cellphone Charger and Shortwave Antenna T1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Okay, I really do like this little radio and I am definitely happy I bought it! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I bought THIS model due to the cell phone charger, but in receiving this model, it did NOT have a charge set up for MY CELL PHONE the LG 8400 and that was the reason I bought it for $20 more than the other one.
I also bought the flashlight that cranks. I feel that this was a very worthwhile buy especially when you have several choices for power. I especially like that if the a/c runs out, you have AA batteries, solar and if all else fails.......hand crank power! This is a worthy buy!
Oh by the way, it is also a short wave radio so you can listen to the world when all of the lights are out and you are bored!

It's an OK radio. The sound quality is no better than my little AM-FM transistor radio. If you want something to listen to your favorite FM radio station on a regular basis you might want something with better sound quality. The shortwave is OK I guess but I'm an absolute novice in that area. If you want something for serious shortwave listening you probably should get something better with a digital tuner. If you want it for the weather band you may be disappointed. You can only pick up weather band radio if you are in the radio stations range and there are lots of places that are not.

As far as quality goes it seems OK. I haven't used it a long time or taken it apart to check the inside. The battery cover could be hinged but it seems to snap on well enough.

Of course, the one thing this radio does well is what it was made for. It works from many different power sources. It might help to complete a cell phone call if you keep cranking it. It has a light. It's a small light but it's better than a dead flashlight. It comes with cell phone adapters, an auxiliary antenna, and an AC adapter. If you are in the market for an emergency radio this one offers a lot for the price.

I was caught without power after a wind storm in September and was not happy being without a source of information and entertainment that did not require electricity.

The unit is smaller than I expected but seems quite compact, portable and durable. The crank appears to be as solid as it can get for the price. The sound quality out of the little speaker is better than I expected. The LED light is a nice touch.

What I am not pleased with is the bleed through of FM frequencies into the shortwave bands. I know I live in a city with many FM frequencies flying around but I think this problem should be corrected in future products.

I think it's a good product for the price, but the tuner really needs improvement.

I bought this radio for the added cell phone charge capability. Well, I would never even end up using it. Why? Because I couldn't even get 1 FM station clearly. I live in an area with plenty of stations, both AM/FM. What kind of emergency radio can't even get FM? This one. I couldn't possibly imagine if there was an emergency....

I bought this solely as an emergency radio that would be useful for long-term power outages. I've read that the crank gives out after a few times, but I figured the solar power would be useful.

Given the price, I'm happy, but it's a real cheap SW radio.
Local FM radio bleeds over into all the other bands.
Selectivity is horrible.

BUT, in the event that our government declares martial law and
I want to hear what's going on outside our country, this will fit
the bill. That's all I bought it for. I would NOT recommend it
for regular SW listening.

Very nice radio with numerous options for the power supply makes it great for emergency situations power outages and severe storms. Where I live there is alawys the possiblity of losing power and this radio works great. They must be dependable or they are useless and so far this works great. I looked at quite a few brands and this one had the best options and price is reasonable.

CONS: The TV section is the old TV frequencies and not the new Digital TV Bands, so if you are expecting to pick up local TV news... forget it. MORE IMPORTANT, the battery compartment will not accept Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH). There is something on the inside that limited the size of an AA battery to the diameter of the standard Alkaline battery. The diameter of the Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) is just a little bigger than standard AA batteries. I use NiMH from Energizer and and Duracell. Either brands fit. Also, the band indicator are off by a considerable amount when looking for stations.

PRO: It does work well (as advertised) on Solar, Hand Crank, wall power, and Regular batteries.

I'll keep it as a back up or for trade when the end of our civilized world comes and get the Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception as a primary radio and use NiMH batteries for power.

Over all disappointed as this was recommended by a friend.

No charger output for BB or iPhone
Switches are very small
Air Band works fine
AM not very sensitive
Crank power is good

I spent a lot of time looking at emergency radios. I wanted one that I could use regularly, not one to put in a go bag somewhere. I first started looking at this one because there's an old red one at my place of business that gets used intensively. It's beat up, and it's antenna has been broken and patched, but it still works. This is a small radio with a small speaker, but I spent enough of my childhood with a cheap transistor not to be bothered by that. I use FM regularly, and the weather station works, but I haven't had a chance to test the rest. AM is hard to get in my neck of the woods. I can get scratch reception in my can, but I don't get it on this radio. The light is bright enough to read by within a small diameter. I like it that this radio works on AA batteries (3) and AC as well. It comes with the AC power supply. Looking forward to trying the shortwave, and will report when I do.

I purchased this dynamo radio from a local electronic store maybe 2 years ago. It seemed to play ok when charged and plugged in. The sound quality is fine for me. But just the other day, I tried using the crank for the first time. The handle broke at the hinge where the base turns the motor. I wasn't even turning the handle that fast. Cheap plastic construction is all I can say. I'm trying to glue it back together but with low hope. Looking at the broken pieces I can say that it wasn't made long term use. Very disappointed...