Kaito KA009 4 Way Powerd Emergency Radio Black

by Kaito

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 2.2 x 5.5 inches ; 14.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000E68282
• Item model number: KA009
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,588 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

The unit is a versatile emergency radio to keep in the trunk or take on your next camping trip. Although its performance on any given band is modest, it does receive an amazing number of bands: AM, FM, TV Audio channels 2-13, Weather 162.55-164.4 MHz, VHF high band 145-174 MHz and four shortwave bands (6-9, 9-12, 12-15 and 15-18 MHz). The versatile unit can be powered four ways: From 3 AA cells (not provided), via the built in solar cell, via the hand cranked dynamo generator (which charges the internal Ni-MH cells) or with the supplied AC adapter. Comes with earphones and antenna wire with clip. 6.5x5.4x2.6 inches (166x138x68mm 477 g).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good radio, January 14, 2006

By 

Bug fan (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kaito KA009 4 Way Powerd Emergency Radio Black (Electronics)

I bought this radio not only as an emergency radio but also as a portable radio if I need it on a trip. I live in NYC, so there is no shortage of strong TV and radio stations. The radio came with an AC adaptor, earphones, and a small shortwave antenna which attaches through the earphone jack. As a bonus I also got a T1 shortwave antenna which can eiter plug into the earphone jack or attach to the telescopic antenna. The instructions were brief and gave specs and basic operating info for the radio. The external plastic case did not seem especially sturdy but it did not seem flimsy or slipshod either. The radio was otherwise fairly small and light and would not present a burden to carry around.

When I got the radio it was already partially charged. I ran the batteries down after a couple of hours, then tried the dynamo. After about 30 seconds of cranking, it gave roughly 30-40 min of radio play. The dynamo didn't feel flimsy and there was a certain amount of resistance when using it. The radio also comes with a solar cell, but anything short of direct sunlight will not operate the radio directly (according to the docs, it can still recharge the built-in NiMH batteries). The radio can also take 3 AA batteries, or can use the AC adaptor to recharge the internal batteries and operate the radio. 2 LED's show the internal battery status - green if the power is good, red if the power is low. A third LED lights for the tuner or when the dynamo is used.

The radio functions pretty well. AM/FM reception was good and gave me no trouble. It does not have stereo but that wasn't important to me. One nitpick was that a couple of the printed numbers for the tuner were slightly off, but otherwise no big deal. The TV tuner also worked pretty well. I got all the major VHF stations with very little effort except channel 5. There was a lot of FM interference on that channel and it was difficult to get a fix. As far as the other bands are concerned, I know very little about them so I can't say much. I got a few stations on the AIR band but most of it was static. For the weather band, I got a rather low but clear signal around the center of the band. Everything else was clouded by interference from VHF channel 7 and FM. For shortwave, I managed to get a few foreign language stations, but without knowing what to look for there was not much I could do.

The radio also came with a white LED embedded in the side, with the on/off switch located just below it. The LED looked like a typical 5mm LED - not a Luxeon or Jupiter - which gave out a narrow flood of light and was adequate to light a short distance, or writing held close to the light. It otherwise wasn't as bright as a dedicated flashlight - my Infinity Ultra and Arc-P were significantly brighter, but it's good to have in a pinch if no batteries are available.

Overall, I found this to be a good emergency radio for its size, power and price with a good selection of useful options.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother, January 6, 2006

By 

James Tedford (Bothell, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

The Kaito KA006 appears to do it all - AM, FM, shortwave, TV audio, weather and aircrafts bands - plus mulitple power sources: AA batteries, AC adaptor, solar power and hand-crank dynamo. Just the radio you'd want to have around for any situation, right?

Wrong. As a radio, it's totally inadequate. Like most radio that cover many bands, it doesn't do any of them well. Dial resolution (the ability to see where you are tuning) is dismal, and reception quality is horrible. You'll hear stations everywhere they shouldn't be, and the shortwave, weather and TV audio bands will be full of mulitple "ghosts" of local FM stations. The audio is rather tinny, to boot.

The hand-crank dynamo is unwieldy, and the internal battery doesn't hold a charge very well. Three or four minutes of steady cranking gives you maybe fifteen minutes of radio play, which is substandard for this type of radio. The radio will play in direct sunlight via the solar panel, but you have to prop the radio so the panel is directly facing the sun, which means the speaker is facing away from you.

Horribly overpriced. This is probably the worst performing of the crank/solar radio models. If you are going to rely on this thing in an emergency, you are going to die.

If you have to have a hand-crank radio, look to the Grundig FR-200 instead. Better yet, buy yourself a decent AM/FM/TV audio portable and a big package of AA batteries.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Radio For the Price, June 13, 2007

By 

RockLobster (Clear Lake/Bay Area, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaito KA009 4 Way Powerd Emergency Radio Black (Electronics)

After experiencing Hurricane Rita, I felt I needed to buy an emergency radio. I keep this one at work and my Grundig FR400 at the garage at home. I've had nothing but good experiences with the radio. I can get the weather band fine, hear the major TV stations in the Houston Area, and pick up the airline bands nicely. It comes with a ac adaptor unlike the Grundig. The built in rechargeable batteries are a great feature. I've only used the dynamo a few times and it worked. I've not tried the solar. It is stored in an office so I expect it to last many years. I've tested all the bands and work fine. The LED light works. It does seem fragile. I wouldn't drop it above 3 feet. It is compact. Small enough to bring it to an Astros or Dynamos game to hear the play by play. I wish they would make a digital tuner with programmable pre-set buttons.

Edited: 6/18/2007. I own an Eton/Grundig FR300 not FR400 as stated above.