Get Shortwave radios here (USA) bugoutroll.ca/collections/radios Get Shortwave radios here (Canada) www.canadianpreparedness.com/product-categories/comms-radios/

I live exactly where hurricane Irma hit, when that happened it felt like shtf, no gas not water no food cash was useless no way to get a hold of information. One of these hand cranked radios was priceless

When I was homeless I bought one from Fry's. I took it apart and removed the little solar panel. Got a very long speaker wire and had the solar panel in the hot sun while I sat in the shade. Solar wasn't very good at charging up the radio. Used batteries for night time use. Still have it I think. YES! Yes! Analog! Digital is really not an improvement.

This is the number one item for storage in a Faraday cage. Also include rechargeable batteries, and a solar charger.

That was one of the first things that I checked off on my preparedness list. 👍😎

I agree with you - analog radios are the way to go for long-term reliability in adverse conditions. I have an old analog Radio Shack AM/FM/SW radio that is over 40 years old and it still works just fine. It doesn't have solar charging, NOAA, USB, or any of that fancy stuff but I know it will work 10 or even 20 years from now if I ever need to dust it off and put in into service.

You need to crank the dynamo much faster- 2 revolutions per second. I spoke to the service technician at Kaito in California. The solar panel on the KA500 will NOT charge the internal battery. You need to install AA alkaline cells or charge the internal internal battery via USB. You might be able to power the radio using the solar panel, if you have bright sunshine. The smaller radio is designed to keep the battery charged via the solar cell, after you charge it via a USB adapter.

I hook my antenna to the neutral bar in my circuit breaker box. Then the whole power grid is my extended antenna. I picked up a station from China!

And don't forget to practice using the radios ( and ALL your prepper gear!) before you actually need it. Try using all the radios to tune to a particular station (like WWV), make up a dipole antenna for Shortwave, use the a solar panel to charge a NiMH cell or the Kaito radio, charge the Kaito using the crank, practice firestarting, purify some rainwater, pitch a tent, etc.

Sir, i agree with you concerning the analog vs digital. I have the analog version as well as the digital version. The digital one has a "time" always on which drains the charge all the time and it is actually harder to get a station "dialed" in because it will automatically skip over certain stations whereas the analog one allows for the manual "dialing" in of stations.

Awesome video CP. I really like that Voyager simply because it has so many different ways to power it. With any of these radios, the more wire you can get in the air the better reception you're going to get. It's a great idea using your rain gutters as antennas. If you're away from home, one could bundle a 50 foot piece of wire with an alligator clip attached to one end, to connect to the antenna if your radio. Some people might be wondering why the heck they need a shortwave radio. Well if you're in the disaster Zone, local FM and AM radio stations are also in the disaster Zone. Shortwave broadcasters are usually outside of your local area. They broadcast in a variety of different languages, and also on different bands. Now the thing that's important about the bands of those radios, is shortwave broadcasters will transmit on one band during the day, and another band during the night to reach the same target listeners. So it's important to know what stations are transmitting on what band/frequency, at what time of day. Like everything else in preparedness, we need to practice and train to make the most of technology. By the way thanks for the shout-out CP Julian STN

Great video CP! If I said it once, then I've said it a million times, knowledge is power! In a crisis, it's great to have comms between members of your own prep group, but you also need to get information from outside your circle that's being broadcast too. Whether it's severe weather or SHTF, you need to know what's happening beyond your line of site whether it's a mile or a thousand miles away and heading towards you. Thumbs up CP!

In my 30 years of survival-type radios, the ONLY one that is still operating is my BayGen Freeplay. The little cheap, crankers and solars are good toys, in my opinion. If you want something to play with, they are great. If you want a "survival" radio, you need to break out the billfold and get something that's going to last. Unfortunately, the BayGen is tough to find anymore. Glad I got mine when I did. I also would NEVER buy a radio with internal only batteries. Get something that takes easily found replaceable bats, such as AA or similar. Appreciate all your work n uploading vids. Thanks.

A recommendation for a book or booklet regarding the use of radio in disasters or emerencies would be helpful. If you usae a wirew to extendthe antenna, stay away from house! Electrical noise will always find you.

Just stumbled upon this video. Kaito is always a good choice. They have worked very hard to bring their quality control up. They have a great Tech support, and handle all Warranty problems out of California. I’ve dealt with them on a Tecsun, and have purchased a few Kaito radios. Kaito specializes in Emergency Radios,. The KA-500 is one of the most popular radios sold. And well worth the price. Sensitivity/Selectivity on the KA-500 is quite decent. I’m in Jacksonville Florida, and had no problems receiving all locals, semi-locals, and a few long distance stations. FM very good. Short Wave is fair, but improves with “Longwire “ antenna. 📻🙂

I like analog verses a digital band radio as one has more freedom to feel out faint signals as opposed to digital which has fixed settings. I also like the reading lamp as it is brighter than the flash light when moving from one area to another. Also having a selector knob to capture 6 other weather band frequencies and combined with short wave bands. There is also a switch on the back of the radio when selecting charging capabilities from dynamo to charge the cell phone, or recharging via solar panel. I like your review and antenna hacks and that you offer the adapter that is a seperate acessory to power the radio from a wall outlet. Or recharge the internal battery. Thank you Nate for posting this content on you tube.

Awesome video, attaching a metal hanger to the antenna works well for better reception.

I bought a pocket Kaito multiband radio a few years ago. It runs on two AA batteries only, but they last a long time. I paid just $10 or so, and it is probably the most useful bang for $10 ever. The need to string up a huge antenna really depends on your location. I've never had a problem with reception.

I have a very good Digital compact version of which I keep in my Faraday Cage Box when not in use. But these radio's are a good item to have on hand when in a Natural Disaster SHTF situation. Another good item I have is a Compact "Solar Powered Battery Charger for AAA/AA" 4 at a time.

Google offers language translation earbuds about 170 apparently works best with high end smartphones like their cell line. This would be great for listening to different language shortwave broadcasts.

I have one leftgutter left didn't know what too do with it soo I just put it in my bugout bag thank u soo much now ik I should keep it for the radio

Buy the optional 6V adapter to use the KA500, because the cheap 600 mAh battery they put in the radio doesn't charge well or doesn't last long. The solar panel will not charge the internal battery, and is only supposed power the radio in bright direct sunlight, or to maintain a full charge after you charge it using a 6V source. Only the newer KA500 radios have the micro-USB input for charging the internal battery. Good luck getting a clear signal on the Weather Band unless you are close the to transmitter.

hello mate , i would love to see you do some videos on traps and trapping especially for long term survival / food procurement

When you crank a dynamo to charge the battery, you need to turn it 3 times-per-second. You will get nothing from turning it slowly or casually, as in this video. Since the dynamo charging is so inefficient, you are better off with extra power banks, or a big solar panel, which depends on sunny weather, obviously.

I've had one of these for a few years, the KA500 ( you may have mentioned them in an older video ), I appreciate the tip with the wire! I'll have to pick up a smaller one for my bag. Great radios!

Your channel is just awesome. One of the most informative and entertaining channels on KZfaq.

Fully agree brother,communications a real need! Cause I'm bugging out your direction,screw this swamp land,I prefer the cold! At least till I can make my way to my property in the west!

here in the US weather band channels broadcast emergency info and Amber Alerts. this a very nice set of radios, I used to have a shortwave "boom box", I enjoyed listening to Spanish language channels

I have the Kaito KA550 in Silver. Great little radio 👍 📻 🎶

Just Picked Up My 500A, Brand New In The Box For $20 on OfferUp. Thanks For The Review CP! 👍🏻

Usually, the batteries dont last long in the weather radios, ive putted batteries in mine like 5-6 days ago, and had to replace them yesterday (AA batteries). With the power cord, when theirs a power outage (happened a couple days ago for me) they do go out. Im on the east coast of the usa.

Lol. French. Love the gear reviews but even better is when you review them in the field. Thanks for the accurate reviews.

I don't want a radio. Ignorance is bliss. I'll be like those WW2 Japanese soldiers, 20 years later still on some remote island, keeping the war alive. Keep up the good work!

the man you are hearing is named Boukar Diouf. he is a marine biologist. he has a radio show in Québec.

I think the sun will power this with the battery removed or dead. My Kaito KA500L works great in the sun with the rechargeable battery removed. I was very surprised!

I've got so many items I want to order from you....especially your BugOut roll. Seems like every time I save a few bucks something breaks down. But I'm getting one dang it!

I used touch the TVs antenna ( no power don’t worry. It double my distance my walk-in talkie went a whole mile her whizz. It does work

I had this old paper clip. Like really old. I don’t know how but my older plasma was getting crisp HD channels. This was after the tv stations switched to whatever they use now. I don’t really watch tv. The tv also didn’t have that converter box built in so I thought that’s what made it strange. It doesn’t work anymore either. I figured the type of metal has a lot to do with it. Good stuff with this radio. It’s on my wish list due to the variety of ways to power it.

I have voyager v2 (well its more or less generic radio receiver, same radio different manufacturer) for few years now and for its price its great. Not as useful at day, good at night. I Live in central europe and can get Russian, hungarian, Turkish, UK channels with ease, English chinese every day, occasionally Few australian ones, and did hit one of those private christian radio stations from US once or twice.its great little radio, holds charge well (around 6 hours playing from fully charged internal battery pack), has good reception (esp with antenna mods) and is quite loud for its size. Not sure if its manufacture error, but mine has few mm of play on tuning knob, and it can be major pita to fine tune radio.

So, here's my question. Back in the old days, when TV signals were analog, you could get an AM/FM/TV audio radio from Radio Shack pretty cheaply. There were many occasions when bad storms hit, the power went out, and tornado sirens were blaring in the distance, I could break out that little radio and listen to the local news coverage for more information. Nowadays, since TV went to digital, no one appears to be making a AM/FM/TV radio anymore. At least, I haven't found one. Which is a shame since the local TV media can be a vital source of info in a cell down situation. Yes, there's local AM/FM stations. But, most stations only give small blurb on the half hour, or on the top of the hour, if you're lucky. TV media on the other hand usually goes wall-to-wall with thier coverage. News is their bread and butter. Wereas, music is a radio stations bread and butter. Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone out there knows of any good gear out there that is portable that will pick up digital TV audio? Thanks.

I reccomend just getting an SDR if you want maximum receive capability, or a ham radio if you want the ability to transmit. The main advantage of this thing is all the different ways you can power it.

Keep in mind, it can take months to discharge a radio battery in todays radios. As long as you are not transmitting.

There doesn't seem to be an emergency radio out there without a handful of easily avoidable design issues that make the price tag on them something dubious. One example is that you argue the reliability of analog, but these are digital devices. They're a circuit board bolted to the front half of a plastic case with some doodads attached that doubles as a power bank. So few of these have any decent indicators of battery life, and those that do have some glaring and inescapable issues of their own. The last thing I want is to be out and dependent on gear only for it to die on me unexpectedly, and being unable to diagnose problems before the impact of those problems becomes devastating is a hard pill when it's $60 in the air.

Interesting option....since most people in the cities, don't communicate openly...having this crank option radio is a good choice.

my SW antenna is a long wire wrapped around the waterpipes. i have good reception. i got china international and NHK japan with that antenna, and im located in Hungary

Awesome great info to have Canadian Prepper 👍

Digital stuff is sensitive to shocks, so if you would drop a digital radio, it might break. The analog radios are more sturdy, so you could bump it, throw it in a bag with tools, or anything else you'd do in a panic or a rush, and it should survive.

I've tryed lots of different kinds... Most don't do what is said as far as the power side there made to sit on a shelf and not used

I love it. Sold.

You've got a nice summer tan on. BEAUTIFUL

Great info. Best bet to having some type of information gathering devise. Stay strong

something i did was put the materials i need to make an AM foxhole radio in my bug out bag just as a back up. AM stations are not the best, but it's a back up.

Even if the needle dose get stuck and the needle is fixed, the dial will still get the channels , you just can't see anything.

Thanks

I got the KA500 from eBay for 42.99 USD free shipping which included all accessories (plus the 6V wall wort). Do not depend on the telescoping rod antenna for Shortwave, but it works pretty well for the NOAA weather, and FM reception. The radio works pretty well with a single 18650 outside the radio (you can parallel two 18650 batteies for longer use before recharging), or a 14450 with 2 dummy batterys in the battery case in the back, both are rechargeable batteries available used or new. Both batteries are 4.0V fully charged. You can use nickel metal hydride rechargeables with no modifications (1.4V fully charged even though most are rated at 1.2V after long storage). I would hesitate to use alkaline or zinc batteries as they cannot be recharged at all. ( The solar panel recharges any battery in the battery compartments, and alkaline or zinc batteries must not be recharged). When you cannot pick up WWV or WWVA with the rod antenna, this radio needs help with a longwire antenna that can be clipped to the unextended telescoping rod antenna with an alligator clip available at most Ace Hardware stores. The NOAA alert feature works well as I found out during the last storm system that passed through. It activated several times for tornado and severe storm warnings. All in all, this radio should have SSB capability for the price. Still, it is portable enough to fit in your "got to go" bag. Kaito should make a shortwave/AM SSB capable radio without the FM and NOAA features that is more selective and sensitive than their usual radios.

It's a tough time for delivery but, my ka 268 should arrive soon from ya'll.

I actually own that radio. It's actually amazing.

That's the radio that I have. It is awesome! works really well.

About the Chanel that you picked it was Radio-canada in Montreal. 95.1 Fm but i didn't knew they emitied on SW. The guys name is Boucard Diouf, he comes from Africa with a France accent. Hope that helps. 😊

I just got mine, great little radio.

Good prices,be my next purchase cycle! God bless

That's hilarious, all of my ex's live in Texas too lol

I have many all band all mode transceivers so that type of radio is not needed though I do own one.

I have that item - mine has a siren that I plug into my PA system, so I can do the theme of the black sheep 😎

Any form of info from the outside world during a grid down situation is important. People today are addicted to outside stimulus. Living in a house with absolute no noise can drive you crazy. Try turning off your electricity off for a few days and listen to the silence. it can cause you to go insane. I have been without electricity for over 2 weeks and any outside stimulus would have been nice. Makes the time go by quicker.

An old metal slinky makes a good antenna

I've had some thing similar to the medium size version for years in my SHTF bag... It has some bulk but I'd rather have it and be able to ditch it then to be with out!!!

Thanks CP I guess I had a hand in this video after asking ya on Instagram ! Lol keep up the great work dude it's much appreciated

"...the chair is against the wall. The chair is against the wall. John has a long beard. John has a long beard..."

Please upday. Thank you

I've owned the Voyager for about three years and it's okay, but the shortwave reception has a major downside...no fine tuning. You have to turn the knob painfully slow to pick up shortwave on it. If they put in a fine tuner or spaced the band out more, it would be so much better. The USB charger is mostly useless too, but other than those two downsides, it's a solid radio for $40.00 American.

The CBC no longer broadcasts SW which sucks when ur way in the bush and want some kinda radio. What North American frequencies have others found SW uses found?

KA500L and KA600L versions have larger solar panel, 2000 mAh battery and better sound, but do not have the 3 AA batteries option for power. For me the L versions are preferable. Also for SW reception you need a improvised wire antenna of 5 to 7 meters, or you can buy several models like Kaito T-1. There are also AM antennas for improved reception in this band like AN-100 and AN-200.

ATTENTION: June 1st is NATIONAL YELLOW RADIO DAY. ( ...And the first day of Hurricane Season). This day is set aside to remind people, wherever you are, to be prepared for [ any] disaster. ( large or small). {You can GOOGLE - National Yellow Radio Day “( And see what pops up) Good video. 📻🙂

4:45 should have shown the entire length of the cord as proof this thing can charge a phone.

I want a rugged compact hand crank Sirius XM sound system

That's why I never understood why television went from analog to digital...lol..lol

You can get it for 44.00 with all the adaptors, I just bought the smaller one, 2 for 27.00 Walmart.com

Have you ever done a comparison of similar size solar radios from a dead battery to full charge to find out which charges fastest given the radios happen to also have the same capacity battery?

CP likes a stiff, smooth, crank. Duly noted. :) But seriously, I've never been a fan of crank radios. Every single one I've seen has been a cheap gimmick and I've never known anyone who put more than a few minutes cranking on one or actually used one for any length of time in a real situation. I've got lithium ion battery powered lights and a basic solar setup to ensure they always have power which I consider far more reliable than any crank light. Radios are pretty easy on batteries. You can cheaply stock a LOT of days worth of radio runtime in batteries. But yes, batteries have a shelf life and self discharge over time. That is why I prefer a general purpose solar setup over crank or even the tiny solar panel on this radio. My little Anker 14 watt panel with USB AA and 18650 chargers will get a lot more done than that crank or solar panel. I suppose if you live on frozen planet Hoth where it's dark half the year solar might not work in which case I'd be stocking batteries. Put a multimeter on that crank and solar panel and do the math. :)

Dab + radio will change analogies radio

Great idea!

*I think that maybe the solar (circuitry) and the radio would be nullified if SHTF because of a EMP detonation. However, until THAT happens I am getting one to use in the meantime! Seriously!*

Would the Hand Crank recharge any of the AAAs you would insert? That would be handy.

9:22 ... there it is! No digital for me...

How do they do in very cold weather living outside?

My friend Juliano really needs to buy one. I have tried to tell him for a long time, but he wont listen. What should I do in order to make him buying one?

Exactly!

Theres an alternative one for 23$ at canadian tire it might not be the best but for 23 bucks what do you want you can even charge ur phone solar powerd and crancked

You should to talk about the most important item to have in your kit. The Bible.

Awww...stereotype busted! I thought all Canadians spoke both English and French. Glad I was wrong!

What radio do you suggest to date now? @canadianprepper

What do you think of Tecsun PL680? I need a good shortwave radio to use from home. Thanks.

Last weekend I was checking items in my GoBag and decided to see if the little red square Etón 300 crank radio still worked after almost 30 years, although none of the cellphone connectors for charging are still in use as USB wasn’t the standard yet. I also tested a 20 year old Etón 350 we had, crank radio worked fine, but the rubber pieces on the ends have become sticky. Thinking of replacing it with the Kaito KA500, but wonder about the rubber on that becoming sticky in time. Any thoughts?

I think one must get one that can also transmit for emergency communication. Is there such one that exists?

... can you update this - if time allows? Thanks in advance.

very Nice review .can it be used full time on my night stand as a noaa alert in case of nighttime bad weather alert? of would you recommend a stand a lone noaa weather alert radio? thanks

Own 2

I recommend Fospower a3 (changeable 2x 18650 battery + radio is water reprellent)

Sweet that’s what I have 😘👍✌️.