Pocket Radio Query

[Monocrom]

Kaito KA210 ~
Finally had time to put it through its paces last night.
In some ways, it was exactly what I was expecting.
Unfortunately in other ways.... It definitely was not.

First off, easily can be run off of 2AA rechargeable Eneloops.
The selector switch for AM/FM/NOAA, not ideal. Especially if you want AM. But you're not going to want AM because Oh My Goodness, it works horribly! No lie, only was able to get three AM stations. Not tuned in perfectly to three. Literally just three. NOAA reception is excellent. Just twist the tiny bar all the way to the left until it can't go further. FM worked the way I was expecting. Lots of stations easily picked up. And, nearly all with clear reception. Tiny bit of static with some of the other ones.

Definitely love the little green "tuner" light that switches on once you've got a station perfectly tuned in. Lanyard works as expected. Rest of the few controls work well. Love the headphone jack. But you don't get a pair of ear-pieces in the box. It can stand up, if you have a completely flat surface and not even a hint of very mild wind. Otherwise, don't do it. It is quite skinny. Will fit inside a pair of cargo pants leg-pockets. Weight? Hardly weighs anything. No digital presets means you can replace the batteries with no worries about having to re-program in all those stored presets every time new cells are needed. Since, there are no stored presets; ever!

Once again, good overall EDC radio for right around $15.oo (but not remotely good enough for use in a BOB).

 

[kilogulf59]

Nice review @Monocrom

I'm in central Wisconsin. With the two radios I bought for my grandsons FM was good, WX got one station clear, and AM was nonexistent. That's about par for the course in my area. I do have other radios that get better reception, however not much better and along the same lines.

In an emergency kit, BOB, GHB, or 3DSP, I'd like a radio with good AM reception. Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to happen in my area.

Reference Todderbert's video review, below. He's located in Chicago, I believe. He got excellent AM reception. AM starts at 09:51

 

[Monocrom]

Thank you. I appreciate it.
I'm surprised Todderbert actually did. I live in New York City and honestly expected better.

 

[Dave_H]

I recently picked up this little "Greadio" GR298 AM/FM portable radio from an Amazon return liquidation
store. Works really well, large display, runs on internal Li-ion cell (USB micro jack), decent sound from single speaker, no VHF weather band though.

Canadian "new" price seems high, have seen it for around $20-$22, I got it for much less but it was slightly used otherwise OK but no user manual, and no warranty.

Dave

Amazon.com

 

[TPA]

My gripe with a lot of the newer radios is that they either used sealed batteries or those Nokia-style batteries. Great for daily use. BUT, for emergencies you want to be able to use primaries.

 

[Flying Turtle]

It surprises me that the KA 210 is not better on AM. I've had the KA 200 for a few years now and it seems to do fine on AM for such a small radio. It runs on 2 AAA's. Maybe it's about location. Tall buildings probably mess with reception.

Geoff

 

[TPA]

I'm surprised to see such a focus on AM. In my area, ALL of the AM stations went dark. Even the Mexican and religious stations jumped the AM ship.

 

[kilogulf59]

This whole AM thing's got me going. Doing a little nosying around the NET, I found some info as to improving AM reception, what type of wave is AM, and is AM radio still useful. There is a lot out there some of which I listed below. I think I might do a little playing around to see if I can get better AM reception.

"Choosing the right AM Antenna requires you get to know a bit about your specific needs. What type of home do you live in? Wood-frame buildings with wood siding shouldn't cause much of a problem. However, brick, cement block, stucco, aluminum, or metal-sided buildings almost always cause AM reception problems (unless, of course, you have a lot of windows which do not usually block AM radio waves). These types of building materials block and prevent a majority of AM radio waves from reaching your radio."

And...

"AM radio stations use ground waves to transmit radio signals beyond the horizon, which is not line-of-sight propagation. Line-of-sight propagation is when radio waves travel in a straight line between the transmitting and receiving antennas, and is the only method possible at microwave frequencies and higher. However, at lower frequencies, radio waves can bend around obstacles and follow the Earth's contour, which is called ground wave propagation. This allows AM radio stations to reach listeners over large areas, which is useful for everyday broadcasting and emergencies."

And...

"AM radio still has a role today because it can provide reliable coverage in areas where other forms of communication may not be available. AM radio signals can travel long distances by bouncing off the ionosphere, a layer of the Earth's atmosphere that reflects radio waves. This allows AM radio to reach a wider audience, including people in rural areas and listeners hundreds of miles away from a station. AM radio is also a critical source of information during emergencies when cell phone and internet services are interrupted. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relies on AM radio to deliver safety alerts through its national Integrated Public Alert & Warning System."

 

[bykfixer]

👆 well said

 

[kilogulf59]

My intent here is not to turn this thread. This is just information directly related to pocket/portable radios in general. Therefore, I though I'd pass it on for those of us who, like me, aren't "into" radios. That and I couldn't sleep and am now heavily caffeinated 😁.

I found this to be very well done, interesting, and informative, for those who'd like to improve their AM reception on their existing radio.
C.CRANE - Improving AM Reception

I found this to be also very well done, interesting, and informative, for those considering a new radio with AM listening in mind.
AM Portables Mega Shootout – 2024 Update by Jay Allen

OOPS…forgot the important one.
C.CRANE - How To Make A Simple Powerful AM Loop Antenna For Free

 

[Monocrom]

It surprises me that the KA 210 is not better on AM. I've had the KA 200 for a few years now and it seems to do fine on AM for such a small radio. It runs on 2 AAA's. Maybe it's about location. Tall buildings probably mess with reception.

Geoff

Can't discuss too many specific details regarding my 3rd shift job.
But I can say it's on the FBI's list of secondary Terror targets in NYC.
And, I can also mention that there aren't any tall buildings around where the client's site is located. Which is a bit weird. But tall structures getting in the way, definitely not the issue. Anyone wants to get a KA210 with an emphasis on enjoying hearing AM radio.... Seriously, buy something else.

 

[kilogulf59]

@Monocrom I'm waiting to hear back from the grandsons on how theirs receives AM. They live in central Illinois, on the edge of a city but almost in the cornfields. There a lot of flat, open, space by them. They should be getting decent AM.

Well, so far I've found out that the reason for many radios/areas getting lousy AM reception is, and this is the extremely condensed version, because AM is added to most radios almost as an afterthought. AM frequencies are being doled out for use by other than voice radio applications and a lower/shrinking share of the commercial market, et cetera. There are radios designed with heavy AM listening in mind (twin coil antennas), but inexpensive portables like the Kaito KA210 and many others aren't going to get great AM reception. There's a lot that affects AM signals. Just search "what causes poor AM radio reception" and you'll see what I mean. If you have a good radio for AM, there's much that can easily be done to improve reception as well. Even inexpensive, homemade, antennas can do a lot. There's also much on YouTube regarding this subject.

 

[snakebite]

Unless the radio is deaf as a stone interference is the limiting factor on am. Got to get away from all the noise.

 

[kilogulf59]

Sometimes a decent surge protector will help if running on AC. Also, if possible, ground the unit. Running electric appliance can play hell with interference, like fan motors.

 

[Dave_H]

My gripe with a lot of the newer radios is that they either used sealed batteries or those Nokia-style batteries. Great for daily use. BUT, for emergencies you want to be able to use primaries.

I agree on that, and it's why I keep a couple of small AM/FM radios around which run on 2xAA. I also keep a crank-type radio around but it also runs on three AA primaries.

Dave

 

[snakebite]

Make sure the emergency radio performs well on rechargeables.
At some point you will run out of disposables and solar charged rechargeables will be the best way to run things.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I experienced something very odd during Hurricane Irma in 2017. Tons of multipath interference across the radio spectrum.

Interesting. So a hurricane can apparently do crazy things with the ionosphere.

 

[kilogulf59]

Interesting. So a hurricane can apparently do crazy things with the ionosphere.

"The ionosphere also plays a role in our everyday communications and navigation systems. Radio and GPS signals travel through this layer of the atmosphere, or rely on bouncing off the ionosphere to reach their destinations. In both cases, changes in the ionosphere's density and composition can disrupt these signals."

Reference 10 Things to Know About the Ionosphere

 

[TPA]

Interesting. So a hurricane can apparently do crazy things with the ionosphere.

The odd part was that these were FM stations. I expect weirdness with AM/SW. FM's usually pretty boring and predictable.

Both my Panasonic RF-537 and Sony SW-100E struggled. The irony is that I just found my RF-537 last week... Last time it was used was for Hurricane Irma (2017)... and it still works! batteries didn't corrode. I've swapped them since.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

The odd part was that these were FM stations. I expect weirdness with AM/SW. FM's usually pretty boring and predictable.

Both my Panasonic RF-537 and Sony SW-100E struggled. The irony is that I just found my RF-537 last week... Last time it was used was for Hurricane Irma (2017)... and it still works! batteries didn't corrode. I've swapped them since.

Yeah, FM is normally pretty line-of-sight and I rarely pick up distant FM stations during ionospheric anomalies. There was one day though when some atmospheric ducting started to happen, and I was shocked to see that the channel dial on a rabbit-ears TV was full of stations from all over the place including many out-of-state channels. Since the FM band is in the middle of the VHF TV band, that probably would've held true for FM radio as well.