Mesqool 5000mAh review

What it is

Mesqool's page describes an emergency radio with NOAA weather, AM, FM and shortwave reception, a 5000 mAh battery rated at 18500 mWh, and a built-in phone charger. It lists a 3-watt flashlight, a 2.5-watt reading lamp formed by flipping up the solar panel, and a 116-decibel SOS alarm with a red flashing beacon.

Mesqool gives the size as 6.8 by 3.7 by 2.9 inches and the weight as 0.93 pounds, with a strap and carabiner. That is small enough for a go bag. Our weather radio comparison and hand-crank radio comparison show how it sits against others.

Power: five ways in

Mesqool says the battery is backed by four options: a Type-C input, the solar panel, a winding handle and three AAA batteries. It says you can charge your phone from it to make calls or check for updates.

The page gives no crank minutes, solar charge time or battery run time, so there is no figure to plan around. Check the port on your unit before you buy a charging cable.

The weather alert question

The National Weather Service says NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts on seven VHF frequencies, from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz, and that the broadcasts cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM receiver. Mesqool's page headlines it as a "NOAA Certified Weather Radio" and says it is officially approved by NOAA to provide urgent alerts.

The NWS explains that a standalone receiver might work best if you want to be alerted to warnings and watches day or night, while a multi-band radio might be better if you just want to tune in and do not care about alerts. It says it does not endorse a specific make or model, and its logo page says the NOAA Weather Radio program office is not a certification laboratory. What the NWS does approve, model by model, is use of the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo, and only receivers with S.A.M.E. or 1050 Hz tone alerting can apply. Mesqool's page text does not mention that logo, S.A.M.E. or a tone alert, or say whether the radio wakes up on its own for a warning, and Mesqool is not among the manufacturers on the NWS receivers page's list of logo approvals. Mesqool's own site lists a separate S.A.M.E. radio with a 12000mAh battery, so look at that model if county-specific alerts matter to you.

Where it fits in a kit

Ready.gov's kit list includes a battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery. This radio covers the first item and receives the weather band, but its page does not say it has a tone alert, which is what Ready.gov's NOAA Weather Radio item names. It does not replace phone alerts: Ready.gov says Wireless Emergency Alerts go to WEA-enabled phones and are not affected by network congestion.

Weather radio reception also depends on where you live. The NWS says coverage typically reaches about a 40-mile radius from the transmitter on level terrain, and that mountainous areas may not have reliable reception. Check your county's coverage on the NWS site before relying on any weather radio.

Who should skip it

Skip it if you want automatic, county-specific alerts that sound a tone through the night, since Mesqool's page does not promise that; Mesqool's separate S.A.M.E. model, whose listing names S.A.M.E. county alerts, is the type to look at. Read the manual that comes in the box, since we could not access one for this version.

Does the Mesqool 5000mAh receive NOAA Weather Radio?

Mesqool's page lists NOAA weather reception along with AM, FM and shortwave. NWS says the seven NOAA broadcast frequencies run from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz and cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM radio.

How can it be powered?

Mesqool lists a Type-C input, solar panel, hand crank, and three AAA batteries as backups to the 5000 mAh built-in battery. The page does not give crank time, solar charging time or battery life.

Does it have S.A.M.E. county alerts?

Mesqool's page for this radio does not mention S.A.M.E. Mesqool's site lists a separate S.A.M.E. radio with a 12000mAh battery, so check that listing if you want alerts for your county only.

Can it charge my phone?

Mesqool says it can, and describes the 5000 mAh battery as a phone charger for emergency calls. The page does not say how many charges you will get, so do not count on a set number of charges.