For survival purposes, it’s good to own a shortwave radio.
The ZHIWHIS ZWS-702X Shortwave Radio with Bluetooth, AM/FM/SW/NOAA Weather Emergency Radio is a multi-purpose radio that is meant to be small and for those who don’t need a big bulky shortwave radio. The only caveat, there are no numeric buttons to make things easier to enter a number but you will need to use the dial to change stations.
So, the radio comes with the AM (amplitude modulation – medium wave) /FM (frequency modulation – wide-band) radio that many people are familiar with. It also comes with the seven NOAA radio station broadcast frequencies in the VHF Public Service band: 162.400 megahertz (MHz), 162.425 MHz, 162.450 MHz, 162.475 MHz, 162.500 MHz, 162.525 MHz, and 162.550 MHz.
Short Wave is between 5.9 Mhz and 26.1 MHz. So, shortwave broadcasts from Earth’s surface are reflected to the upper atmosphere and can travel great differences.
With this device, you probably want to stand outside at various times (especially at night) and test the frequencies and if you do hear something, check a site like short-wave[dot]info and type in the frequency and see what you can hear.
I checked it out at noon PST and I was hearing a broadcast from the 5900 frequency and checked online what it was.
You may hear a broadcast from China, Russia, Korea, USA or some country.
Granted, it’s OK with the antenna provided for SW but I will admit, not having the numeric pad to key in the frequency is what’s missing because getting from 5 to 9’s in frequency takes quite a bit of time.
The device also comes with White Noise for those who need that noise to easily sleep.
The radio is dark green and has an orange backlit. Top portion features a compass and a flashlight with the buttons to change band, mode, light and more. There is also an SOS alarm switch on the rear.
Also, on the rear is a media player (via U drive or TF card) and it also has bluetooth receiver capabilities. And also buttons that are using to scan frequencies (long press on rewind or forward buttons).
The device considering its size does have really good bass. But it’s important to note that the audio is loud when it makes an announcement, so if you are trying to work this radio while people are sleeping and you want no one to hear, good luck with that. You can easily turn down volume (the compass area).
There are 120 presets and the radio can store up to 120 channels (40 each).
The unit does have a 4000 mAH power bank which charges via USB Type-C, but can also be charged by solar and handcranked.
Overall, if you are looking for a small, solid shortwave radio with a lot of extras (but has no numeric pad to enter frequencies), then check out the ZHIWHIS ZWS-702X Shortwave Radio with Bluetooth, AM/FM/SW/NOAA Weather Emergency Radio.
You definitely get your money’s worth at $48! So, for a shortwave radio at this size and pricepoint, it’s definitely worth it.
