KaitoVoyager Pro KA600 Digital Solar Dynamo Crank Wind Up AM/FM/LW/SW & NOAA Weather Emergency Radio with Alert & RDS, Flashlight and Reading Lamp + Smart Phone Charger, Black

First of all, I reviewed quite a few similar products before making the final decision.PROS: Seems to be well made, but probably not for rugged use. Some degree of care is required.Station reception is very good, but I do live in the suburbs of a major U.S. city. Harmonic AM hum can be eliminated by tilting out the solar panel part way as a stand, and lying horizontal. FM very clear. SW is adequate, better with a clip on Sangean antenna (ANT 60). I did not expect the capability of my Sangean ATA 818.Multiple power options. Crank works well, not flimsy. Solar charge will power radio by maintaining an existing charge level. Optional AC adapter charges unit fairly quickly. AC adapter can overcharge if left connected for long periods of time, and can shorten battery life. Since I am an electronics geek, at some time I will swap out the 600 Mah internal battery for a larger capacity. An AC charge of 4-5 hours is adequate.My intent was for a lightweight jobsite radio that doesn't chew up batteries, and also will serve for emergency use in off grid situations.I have been using as such for about 10 days, without any hiccups. It runs for about 7 - 8 hours a day. I loaded it with 3 Sanyo Eneloops, which I have hardly used, and are the backup power.The flashlight & "reading lamp" are bonuses in my view, but you never know when they may come in handy.Backlight display is very good.Digital tuner is superior to analog any day. Scan function is a big plus, especially on SWI receive 5 out of the 7 NOAA weather stations in my area, all crystal clear. I have not had the need to use the auto warn feature as of yet.VOLUME is more than adequate.CONS:Tuner knob is very sensitive. The overall compact design puts my big hands in contact with some of the knobs & buttons inadvertently, causing changes. I'm still getting used to using the lockout button AFTER setting to a station.WISH LIST:Add a crossover circuit to charge the 3 main batteries as well (AC & solar only)Add S.A.M.E. capability for weather and other emergency alertsUse a larger capacity rechargeable battery on solar / crank / AC circuit. A 1200 Mah would run this sucker for about 10 - 12 hours, but would require more or extended re-charge. ( A lot more cranking )BOTTOM LINE:I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED IN THE LEAST, and will purchase a few more as gifts for family.

A very cleverly engineered radio with digital features one doesn't expect to find in a radio in its price range. Not knowing what sort of filtering technology is used in the radio, it's selectivity and sensitivity are not comparable to my Yupiteru in the SW bands, but it does pick up its share of commercial SW signals given it's 5 KHz wide steps. It's automatic scanning feature is a welcome surprise; it actually works quite well and obviates the need to use the overly free wheeling manual Tuning knob (which does slew in notched 5Khz increments). The solar panel seems to be more robust than most as is it's manual crank which seems to put out o a decent quick charge. MW AM with 9 or 10 KHz wide steps is odd, but FM and weather channels are excellent with essential RDS and alert modes respectively.It's locking mechanism is equally essential because of the radio's small size and the real chance of disturbing settings when one grasps the radio. The antenna simply telescopes vertically but cannot be adjusted latterly which would be useful (though one can always attach a long wire antenna to the antenna in the field. The only Jack I cannot confirm is one labelled Line-in which could be for an external antenna input, though I haven't tried it since I have a very handy Archer spooled long wire antenna.

I have had this radio a few weeks now - but haven't tried charging the battery via solar yet.So I will tell you about the stuff I know about....I DID notice that there was a warning in the manual NOT to leave the radioin direct sunlight for too long - which is funny given the product being discussed.It's a decent radio - sounds good for a single speaker ditty.I mean - It's no BOSE, but it delivers the weather like you want it; clean and clear.Here's why it gets 4 stars:The case is really well built and feels solid - not like a cheap toy.The radio gets good reception on local stations and the weather stations.I like the scanning feature for the SW a lot. It saves a lot of time.The extra stuff like the thermostat and lights actually work well and the RDS display is nice.The flashlight is bright enough to really annoy my wife while she is seriously playing her MMORPG.The radio has a groovy handle on it you will never use but it looks James Bond cool just the same.They sent some earbuds I wasn't expecting and I appreciate that.The instructions are well written and in plain English.Here's why it don't get 5 stars:I think if you were stupid and didn't know your own strength -you would break the generator crank off pretty easily.It's not built too tough so don't let the kids crank it.The radio tuning knob on my radio has loosey goosey give in it for half a turn and then tightens up.This doesn't affect the digital tuning any but it's weird and I don't like it.PLUS - there's no fine tuning adjustment and that's bad.You get the staticky stations you get and that's it.I bought the 20' antenna extension. I think it helps but I didn't do much comparison testing.That said - I'm not pulling in as many SW signals as I had dreamt of getting when I bought this product.There is a LOT of dead air and I think a better SW radio would find more talkers. But I'm guessing.And also - many people in the world don't have the common courtesy to speak english and this radio doesn't translate.ha ha.Also - this radio doesn't do SAME channels and specific alerts for the weather.So that kinda sucks. But in all fairness - they didn't claim it does and I didn't expect it did.Anyway - I like this thing a lot and would buy another for a backup in case some idiot broke my generator handle off during the apocalypse.I think I will save up my coin and buy the more expensive Grundig with the SW fine tuning knob.Because I want to hear people speak in languages I don't understand - more clearly.I did not drop it to see how durable the case is.For that review you will have to find the same person who broke their dyno handle.CHOW!