It’s a weakness. AliExpress sent me an email — 50% off, free shipping.
It cost $27.28 — that’s just $3 per band. Looks big! Actual size is 105 x 45 x 118mm (4.1 x 1.8 x 4.6 in). So it’s at least not tiny. Product listing. It reminds me of a HanRongDa HRD-700 back in the day. The “Service Manual“; however, is tiny. Supposedly the “9 bands” are MW, FM and SW-1-7.
Features
The screaming deficiency for me is the lack of a digital readout. Also Shortwave is not full coverage, limited to 5.7-17.9MHz. MW tops off at 1620 kHz rather than 1710. The frequency response is advertised as 30 Hz – 15 kHz. Yeah, right. One reviewer said it had “good bass.”
It uses an 18650 battery (included). USB Type-C charging. IPX-31 weather resistant.
Given that it’s weather resistant, meaning outdoor use, the flashlight question arises, and apparently there is none. It does work as a Bluetooth speaker and can play music from a TF card. Surprisingly, it has ATS.
Is it a weather radio?
Tricky question. Nothing in the product description says that it is. The linked manual says some models have weather and others don’t. That manual photo shows a picture of a model J-101, not the J-101W pictured on the website, but it says it’s for the J101W. Usually the “W” suffix indicates the weather version. The manual, while mentioning the band, doesn’t explain how to invoke a weather function. If it DOES have the weather band then MW spacing is fixed at 10 kHz, otherwise switchable through some procedure not in the manual. The photo says ALERT, which typically suggest Weather, but it might refer to the SOS siren. The manual, however, doesn’t say “ALERT.”
It’s a pickle.
- IPX3 Provides protection against
Light rain
Water spray from any direction up to 60°
Occasional splashing
Being near a sink or light spray from a hose (not direct jet)
Does not protect against
Heavy rainstorms
Direct water jets (IPX5/IPX6)
Immersion (IPX7/IPX8)
High‑pressure washing
Submersion in puddles or dropping into water🤖 ↩︎