I like puzzles, one of which is figuring out where radios come from.
Where Radios Come From
The ZWS-2415 got its FCC Type Acceptance under model HD-2415 by a Chinese company called Shenzhen Huedeli Electronics Co., Ltd. The company’s website says they make weather radios, but none of the models they show are the typical emergency radio with a crank. I presume that they worked as an OEM for the ZWS-2415.
The HD-2415 FCC ID application shows a photo of the radio, indicating another brand it’s sold under, the Raddy SH-906 (adding a compass to the strap and deleting the accessory wire antenna):
The Zhiwhis ZWS-2415 is shipped with a 3-meter clip-on wire antenna, so that’s how I did my initial test today. I went up to the local pickleball court where there is a convenient picnic table and set up the wire antenna (not pulled taut) and three radios: the Zhiwhis ZWS-2415, an XHDATA D-109WB and my new Jstvro ATS25 max-Decoder.
I went out around 3:20 pm local time in central Virginia or 20:20 UTC.
The XHDATA D-109 has a reputation as a good shortwave radio, but one plagued with overloading when operated in strong signal areas (like where I don’t live). It has also proven to do a good job with auto tune storage (ATS). It has an external antenna jack, but for this test I clipped the wire onto the end of the collapsed telescopic antenna. It tunes up to 3o MHz. I used its ATS to pick stations. The Music / Voice option was set for Voice.
In the center position is the Zhiwhis ZWS-2415, the prime focus of this exercise. The external antenna was clipped on the end of the collapsed telescopic antenna.
And on the right is the other new kid on the block, the Jstvro ATS25 max-Decoder, one that I’ve had very little time to study. Again the antenna was clipped onto the end of the supplied collapsed telescopic antenna.
All three radios have a feature that I very much appreciate when comparing radios, a MUTE button. It’s a >|| button in the D-109WB, a short press of the power button on the ZWS-2415 and a MUTE button on the touch screen of the ATS25.
Nuynix PS21K solar battery pack and flashlight – Fake
More or less random pick from Amazon, $18.99 before coupon. It can charge from USB or solar (slow) and output up to 3A at 5V. It’s rated at 38,800 mAh.
FRAUD ALERT
This isn’t what it claims to be. I should have done the math before buying.
According to the product description, this Nuynix PS21K battery pack, including case and solar panel, weight 8.3 ounces, or 235.3 grams. According to multiple sources1 the maximum energy density in commercial lithium polymer batteries is 200 Wh/kg (some as low as 140). For this battery, the theoretical maximum energy capacity would be 0.2353 kg × 200 Wh/kg = 47.06 Wh. At 3.7V (which is the specification on the product label), this comes to 12,732 mAh, three times the advertised capacity.
Over the years, Amazon has been plagued by fake batteries and fake memory devices. Don’t get ripped off.
A story Amazon doesn’t want you to hear
Deleted Amazon Review
While they emailed me to say my review had been approved, it was subsequently deleted without notice. I understand why, I guess. Amazon doesn’t allow reports of inaccurate product descriptions in reviews. I could rewrite the review, but that would involve testing the product and I’ve already sent it back.
So I asked Microsoft Copilot: “I have a blog called Blog or Die! Can you design a seal that says “Blog or Die – Seal of Approval.” Image should be simple and minimalist.”
Copilot: “Your “Blog or Die – Seal of Approval” is on the way. I hope it captures the essence of your blog! If you need any adjustments or more designs, just let me know.
Me: “maybe the image without the skull and the pencil”
But, but, but, I thought that unpronounceable green thing was the incoming radio (Incoming Radio: Sttfaishen S10). It didn’t work out. Not only was the product description wrong (color and size), it just didn’t work well on weather band. So another radio will be welcomed into the arms of Goodwill Industries. Sigh.
Some of this comes from old memories, but I think it’s fairly accurate.
Kaito
Back in the day I bought a nice emergency radio, a Kaito KA-600.
Kaito KA-600 Emergency Radio
It had many features, including LW, MW, FM, SW and weather bands. It had FM RDS and weather alerts. It had one other feature, a non-slip rubberized coating that turned to goo after a couple of years. I cleaned it up the best I could and it went away.
Eton
Still on a name brand kick I got an Eton Solarlink FR360. It was just MW/FM and weather.
Eton Solarlink FR360
I don’t remember how well it performed. I accidentally left it out on my deck and after the rain, the radio never worked again.
AI generated content may appear occasionally in articles and will be denoted with the 🤖 [robot emoji] symbol. Content comes most often from Microsoft Copilot, but may also come from Perplexity, ChatGPT, Duck.ai, Grok or Deep Seek.
