Small portable radio...advice please

[British Red]

I have just bust my "pack" radio (used when in the woods and working away) and would appreciate advice on a replacement

I need a small light receiver. Must have the following attributes

FM
AM
SW
Speaker
Headphone jack
Robust
Good reception and tuning
Needs to run on AAs

Willing to drop up to £60 on one as I use it a lot....any suggestions?

Red

 

[sandbender]

I have an old Sony SW1, it has traveled the world with me, knocked about, exposed to dust and sand and was even dropped in a river and yet it still works twenty odd years after I purchased it.

I did replace the volume pot after two years (it was noisy) but other than that it has never failed. Worth looking for on Ebay or similar.

 

[British Red]

Looks like a good item - but spendy even second hand (a few going for well over the hundred notes). I'll keep my eye out for a bargain, but if anyone knows of anything a little more accesible in my price range for now, I'd be grateful!

 

[Mikko S]

Tecsun PL-380 has everything you want for about £30...

 

[Retired Member southey]

I have used one exactly the same as this but with a different name printed on for the last ten years, its been all over the world, bashed about, soaked and dried, left out in dust storms and still works great, the speaker is okay but the sound is fine through headphones, and a decent volume too, never failed to find something worth listening too, Personal digital radio haven't bought from these guys so cant comment,

 

[rik_uk3]

Here you go Red

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TECSUN-PL...nics_PortableAudio_Radios&hash=item27bd2debf1

I have one of these too, its a little cracker http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-TECSU...75363?pt=Shortwave_Radios&hash=item4a99de7ea3 I keep mine in my 'kitchen' box, bit of radio 4 while the first brew goes on and for what they cost you won't cry if it gets broken. Often listen to easten block radio on shortwave when camping.

Tecsun make some good kit from budget to higher end and they get very good reviews if you do a google.

 

[ganstey]

On a similar theme, I've been looking for a portable radio that will receive LW. I find that some of my most productive days are when listening to TMS. Trouble is, that the only LW receivers I have are all mains powered (including Sky box). It would be nice to be able to listen whilst I'm out and about. I don't go for radio much, so at the moment tend to listen to audio books on an MP3 player.

When test matches are on TV I see a lot of the spectators wearing radio 4 earpiece radios. Are these LW or do they tune in to a stadium system? If they are LW, does anyone know where I can get one from?

Sorry to slightly hijack the thread!
Graham

 

[British Red]

Thank you all

I will give myself a week to find a Sony - if I can't it will be a Tecsun

I appreciate the experience of the forum!

 

[sandbender]

Looks like a good item - but spendy even second hand (a few going for well over the hundred notes). I'll keep my eye out for a bargain, but if anyone knows of anything a little more accesible in my price range for now, I'd be grateful!

If I'd bothered to look I'd have seen that they seem to command a surprisingly high price, even after all these years. Good luck with the search.

"...Are these LW or do they tune in to a stadium system? If they are LW, does anyone know where I can get one from?..."

They are probably long wave sets, but perhaps older models, the BBC are running out of the sizable and rare valves needed for LW broadcasts, when they run out, no more LW.

 

[johnboy]

I have a Tecsun for exactly the same reason a light weight pack radio.. It's lived in the top pocket of my Bergen in a zip lock bag for a long time and is very frugal on batteries. It's pretty basic though with manual tuning but does have an input for an external antenna. I also have a Degen which is a bit more flash with digital tuning etc it's also very good.TBH they are as good as a Sony product. IIRC one of Sony's founders was a bit of a SW listening nut hence all of the R+D dollars sunk into Sony's 'world band' receivers.

 

[BigMonster]

I'm using a build in one on my sony ericsson w995...

 

[persistent king]

i have one of these,http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GELERT-WI...117?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item23149c9b8d

its ace when out or camping

 

[Old Bones]

I've just looked at my little radio (bought years back very cheap in a 'Next' sale), and although there are a lot of cosmetic differences and the buttons are in different places its very similar to the Tecsun R-9012, so I can testify to them being reliable.

The Tecsun Pl-380 would seem to do everything you want (including LW), but the PL-606 is pretty similar in spec. £35 seems to be the average (including postage) for the PL-380, and £32 for the PL-606.

You could have a look at the Roberts R9962 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roberts-R9962-12-Band-Radio-ideal-Service/dp/B0000ULWZM/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318887062&sr=1-5- At £33 its the same price as the Tecsun (although no digital display, etc) or the Sony ICF-SW11, but your talking £60 plus new.

 

[Trunks]

Better hurry up though Red, you'll only get 3 years use out of it!

http://m.guardian.co.uk/technology/...e-radio-switchoff?cat=technology&type=article

 

[Shewie]

Better hurry up though Red, you'll only get 3 years use out of it!

http://m.guardian.co.uk/technology/...e-radio-switchoff?cat=technology&type=article

I can't see that happening that soon, not enough folk have DAB in their houses let alone their cars

 

[Hetzen]

I know Red mentioned AM, FM, LW, but could I ask why not DAB? There are some very portable sets you can pick up from Tesco, even the Pure portable sets are around his price mark.

We have 3 DAB radios in the house and I tend to listen to it more than I watch TV these days.

 

[Manacles]

I would recommed the Sony ICF-B01, which is designed for emergency use. This is a compact radio that uses 2 x AAA batteries but also has a hand crank and internal battery. It has an ambient light for use in tents etc and an LED torch beam. It is approx 5" x 3" x 1.5" and is available in orange/white or black/silver. It has a headphone socket (with waterproof cover, FM, AM charge and frequency indicator lights. I have owned and used one of these daily for about 5 years now and it has never missed a beat. Get it from Amazon for £25

 

[British Red]

I know Red mentioned AM, FM, LW, but could I ask why not DAB? There are some very portable sets you can pick up from Tesco, even the Pure portable sets are around his price mark.

We have 3 DAB radios in the house and I tend to listen to it more than I watch TV these days.

I have (and like) a DAB but they eat batteries and this is intended to be a very portable unit...so (for me) no DAB

 

[rik_uk3]

I have DAB and its crap where I live. I gave the radio to my son in law as he can get a signal where he lives so £100+ down the pan.

 

[Old Bones]

I would have mentioned the Pure DAB portables (very good feedback from customers), but they only do DAB/FM, and all DAB sets suck batteries like crazy.

There is the Eton Global Traveler http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eton-Global-Traveler-SSB-Radio/dp/B001QTXKEW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1318965821&sr=8-10 for £80 on Amazon, which seems to get pretty good reviews. If you look at the picture, its marked as a Grundig, because its also known as the Grundig G3 http://www.sailelectronics.co.uk/ProductCard.asp?Pid=12054. But Tecsun make radios which also sold under the name of ...Eton! I can't find the same thing under the Tecsun name, but the PL660 isn't massively different, but your still paying about £75.

As for analogue disappearing - this seems to have been a sort of target from years ago, and is basically not going to happen (I do get oldies asking me in panic about this at work, because they've heard analogue TV is going...). And there is still plenty of LW stations around the world, even if the BBC does kill their service off (which will be about money, not valves).