For survival purposes, it’s good to own a shortwave radio.
The Lijiani V3.3 VER Shortwave Radio AIR/VHF/AM/FM/SW/Weather Bands is a multi-purpose radio that is meant to be small and for those who don’t need a big bulky shortwave radio.
The radio can take three AAA batteries, but a rechargeable battery with a USB Type-C cable is included.
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.
You may hear a broadcast from China, Russia, Korea, USA or some country.
Perhaps one of the biggest selling points of this radio is the fact that it offers AIR frequencies, a function you would often see in a few ham radios, but this radio allows you to access 108-117.95 MHz and 118-136.975 MHz air frequencies. For those who live near airports, will probably have more need for this function.
Now, seeing the numbers, you would think you could enter the frequency and you are good to go.
Granted, it’s OK with the antenna provided for SW but I will admit, I was excited because when I saw the numeric keys, I thought you could physically enter the numbers of a frequency by pressing the corresponding buttons, but the numbers are only for quick presets. You have to use the dial on the side.
The radio is black and has an orange backlit. The left side features a flash light (switch on the back), aux in and headset ports on the right side.
You can use this device for various things such as an alarm clock, sleep timer, reading lamp and more.
Also, underneath 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 and volume (decrease/increase) and band, step, frequency and record.
It’s important to note that this battery relies on the rechargeable battery or AA batteries, this device can NOT be handcranked. So, if handcranked matters to you, then this device is not for you.
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 Lijiani V3.3 VER Shortwave Radio AIR/VHF/AM/FM/SW/Weather Bands.
You definitely get your money’s worth at $57! So, for a shortwave radio with airband frequencies at this size and pricepoint, it’s definitely worth it.
