Weather Watcher Kaito KA210 AM FM NOAA WB Radio Review

[@todderbert]

(paid links below) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you. ▶ The Kaito KA210 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2ID8rgf ▶ The Kaito KA210 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2DrAij6

[@teeeeeveeeee314]

I have mine and is it ever a good reception radio. My weather band is hard to pick up on other radios, but this comes out crystal clear! Got my money's worth from it!

[@todderbert]

Glad to hear, this radio is a cute one. Can see it getting a lot of use.

[@ok4todd]

I'm using 3 of these to feed an Emergency Alert System at a licensed LPFM. 2 monitor FM stations and the other monitors NOAA. I modified them to add a DC input. These radios NEVER drift. The audio is clear. And I don't require stereo for EAS monitoring. They're hidden away from the equipment rack and send their audio via cat5 cable. I have 2 years worth of EAS logs that prove the reliabilty of these things. The kicker? They are in the attic! The temps up there range from 0 to 150F. Since there are no capacitors inside I don't have to worry about them drying out. I bought mine from Amazon for $12 a peice. I think I'll buy several more just because I love a good pocket radio.

[@Buglet720]

That's interesting that these are that reliable.

[@ok4todd]

These are DSP based. Rock solid tuning. Beware the dreaded soft mute, though. It's unique. You either hear the station clearly or hear a strange growl with a ticking sound.

[@jeffking4176]

I’ve had mine for a good while now, and I like it. Not exactly a DX machine, but will receive some of the “biggies” from a few other cities on AM. FM sounds decent, and gets all of the local stations (incl. a couple of lower power stations). Kaito quality has continued to improve. This is a great little Radio- Hard to beat for weather radio. The price is good. 📻🙂📻 And again a great review 👍.

[@todderbert]

Sounds like an amazing setup! Would love to see a picture of it.

[@ok4todd]

I'll find a place on the web to put up a pic. I might find the time this weekend to do a KZbin video. Whatever I do, I will post a link here. Awesome review!

[@MatthewHajjar-Betters591]

I just got this in the mail yesterday, and it’s a pretty good handheld radio! One thing I want to note is how many stations you’re able to get during the day and during the night. It seems on the AM band during the day, there’s less stations, but during the night, there appears to be a few more. I think this may also apply to the FM band reception, too, and just maybe the NOAA Weatherband, I guess. Last time I counted, during the day, I counted nearly 40 FM stations, some if not most of which came in very clearly, and I believe when I used this during the first night I had it, there were 10+ AM stations that I was able to receive, and the most Weatherband stations I got during the day at best was 3! I’m just shocked at the performance of this nifty little device!

[@MatthewHajjar-Betters591]

Update: I just did an AM bandscan on this thing during this evening, and I think I got more or less than 25 stations that time!

[@jeffking4176]

Excellent little radio. Batteries last a good long time,too.

[@todderbert]

I'll have to test that, my NIA radio eats them up rather quickly. Though it doesn't have the weather band.

[@billconnelly4840]

I like this Radio Also fits in a pocket shirt comfortable and light.

[@wildone5295]

Thanks for the review. It's a nice little radio for the money. I like your picture with the radio and the apocalypse in the background. That was pretty cool!

[@todderbert]

Your welcome, I have that flood/tornado theme on most of my Kaito weather radios. Makes perfect sense.

[@Buglet720]

Nice radio. By your band scans (especially FM), I can tell that i live just a few miles from your receiving location. It's a good to hear how a given radio may perform here.

[@todderbert]

So we are neighbors. Cool. I'm near the Crystal Lake area.

[@Buglet720]

I'm in Lake Geneva, WI.

[@todderbert]

ah the land of the parking ticket sharks :)

[@Buglet720]

I'm very careful when I'm South of the Cheddar Curtain, as well. It seems that an out of state plate attracts attention.

[@todderbert]

Oh yes, don't drive through my town with crooked tags on your trailer. Thar be sharks down here too :)

[@marcosmza1962]

Nice audio for a pocket radio. Thanks for sharing!

[@todderbert]

Your Welcome, sharing is caring :)

[@hutch0791]

Great review.The sound from speaker sounds great. Good for on the go also.

[@todderbert]

The speaker was a pleasing find. Love it. So many inexpensive radios have that really tinny sound.

[@gerryb8879]

@@todderbert Just clarifying if you said the Kaito KA 210 outperforms your Sony ICF-P26 on the AM band? If so, that's high praise indeed!

[@todderbert]

@@gerryb8879 It may be during certain conditions, but I still find a need for the analog tuning circuit of the P26, and its lower noise floor. This video was made when my collection, and use was smaller. Countless Band Scans later, and the Sony seems to be the one I pick up more.

[@gerryb8879]

@@todderbert Thank you for your response. Would you pick the Kaito KA-210 or Retekess PR-15 for AM performance?

[@mickeybrumfield764]

Nice radio but it would seem you really need a pocket radio to go for this over the Voyager V2 by Kaito.

[@todderbert]

True, the V2 is my favorite, but this radio is really pocket friendly. I can see someone using this radio in most situations because its so portable. A nice addition would be a white LED...I thought about modding mine and adding one.

[@mickeybrumfield764]

todderbert Well I guess pocket friendly does count for something. The V2 does not look too pocket friendly.

[@MatthewHajjar-Betters591]

Weatherband aside, counting them separately, how many AM and FM stations were you able to receive?

[@todderbert]

That could vary on conditions. I may do a revisit episode in the future for this radio. Expect it to be decent reception. For $20 it performs rather well.

[@countingsheeple2428]

Hi Todd, what do you use for the antenna helper?

[@todderbert]

A 12' wire hooked up inside of my window's blinds.

[@alfredor.ronquillo5699]

Hello again, Mr. Todderbert. Is WX channel stations of this radio applicable to Philippines?

[@todderbert]

I don't think so, here is a list I found if you have a handheld VHF receiver. disasters2.jimdo.com/radio-frequency/

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

ALFREDO RONQUILLO Only in Guam and Sapian. Those US territories in the Pacific have NOAA radio. In other countries like Russia and Bulgaria, WX channel frequencies (162.400 - 162.550 MHz) has been used for taxi services in their country. There are no NOAA radio in the Philippines, Palau and Micronesia.

[@grayrabbit2211]

What, no Ironman song?

[@rickyhouchens9955]

Nice AM/MW dxing!

[@todderbert]

Thanks, I try to see what it can do. Seems very good for an inexpensive portable.

[@j3o300]

that's a good looking radio.

[@todderbert]

for the money, its not bad, I like the smooth edges. Pocket friendly for sure.

[@derickrichards1105]

Do not leave it in a hot car mine melted 😞