Sangean PT-10 AM/FM Stereo LW/SW Shortwave World Band Travel Radio Review

I am a die-hard "small SW radio" fan and 'news junkie'. Will not buy the $1.- American newspaper when I can have the news free. Also, I will not acknowledge that ever since the Cold War is over, propaganda transmissions on SW (in English) are "over and out". HOWEVER, when you are in (Central) Europe, (North) Africa, Central and South America and you do not speak the local Arabic, Hungarian, Russian, Japanese, Hindi, and Urdu these little radios will keep you connected to the BBC or other English Language News.

PROS:
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Sound: very good for this size.

FM sensitivity very good. I compared to the Sangean ATS 909 -- Sangean's top of the line. However for weak stations, annoyingly dependent on antenna position.

AM sensitivity good (not outstanding).

SW "haphazard". Good on 49m and 31m bands. On 19m and 16m I could not pick up some stations which came in loud and clear with ATS 909.

LW: I could not test in the US. Past experience with other Sangean radios in France and 'Eastern Block' was only "mediocre".

The accuracy of the dial is exceptional! I could actually use the numbers on the dial to retrieve a SW, AM or FM station.

Cons:
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I did not like the design. The leather case is press-buttoned to the radio. Looks cheap, klutzy and ugly (with or without the case). The competition (e.g. the small Kaitos) looks and feels far more elegant.

Unfortunately, the mechanical built puts this radio in the "Chinese $25- to $35.- class".



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Sangean PT-633 AM/FM Stereo/Sw Travel Radio Review

I picked up this radio on an impulse purchase for about 40 bucks. My job takes me all over North America, so I wanted to have a radio that I could use for AM, FM and SW listening, but I didn't want to lug around something bulky and/or expensive.

This radio is one of the very few SW pocket portable models you'll find that still uses analog tuning. While it does mean that you don't know what exact frequency you're receiving until you get a verbal confirmation, I still sometimes prefer to tune through the bands using an old-fashioned analog dial.

It features a two zone clock -- one for local time, and one for world time. That's handy for fast calculations of when a particular station is broadcasting. The alarm feature is easy to use, and there's a 60 minute sleep timer as well.

Sound is decent (what can you expect, really?) from the small speaker, and pretty good when using the supplied earbuds. You can even listen to FM stero through them.

Sensitivity seemed best (to me) on FM, AM (or MW) seemed a little noisy, but that may have just been due to interference. Strong SW stations came through loud and clear. I attached a 23' wire antenna to the whip, although it's not a necessity.

Bottom line: This is a nice little radio with good performance for the price. It's not intended for daily or serious SW listening. For that I would recommend the Grundig S350 or YB400PE (among others.) The size makes it very easy to stick in a briefcase, and it's easy to use.

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Sangean PT-50 AM/FM Stereo SW Shortwave World Band Digital Travel Radio with World Time Review

This radio only can tune in stations via an old-school tuning knob, making it a MAJOR pain to go from one station to another!!! It has NO preset capability!!! And what "genius" decided to NOT include a power cord??? I would've had to shell out $25 extra at Radio Shack just to be able to plug this freakin' thing in!!! You're better off getting this model:

Sangean PT-80 AM/FM Professional Digital Stereo LW/SW Shortwave World Band Travel Radio

It has preset capablity, auto tuning, an included power cord, and an optional antenna to improve shortwave reception. You'll get more bang for you buck when you get this model.

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Am/fm Utility Radio Review

Am/fm Utility Radio I purchased this for my husband as a Christmas gift, after shopping around on-line and in the stores, with not much success. He really liked it, the quality of sound is excellant, along with all the other great features. You can charge your cell phone, it has a digital clock, it also has an LED light. Again the sound quality is great. All the other cheaper radios I looked at in the stores, didn't compare to this. We actually kept it in the house for a few days and enjoyed it before he took it out to the garage. I would highly recommend it for the guy who loves to work in his garage or basement or to take on a boat, and have a quality radio (stereo sound).

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Sangean PT-80 AM/FM Professional Digital Stereo LW/SW Shortwave World Band Travel Radio Review

Pro: Not too large for a compact radio. Superior signal sensitivity and image rejection. Antanna is nice and sturdy. Reasonably priced. Tuning knob aids band-scanning a lot. No muting during band-scanning. The radio has a large LCD display.
Single-side-band is handy for listening to radio amateurs and utility stations.

Con: Leather case does not fully protect the sides and bottom of the radio. Magnetic clips are slightly weak. The case sags when acting as an elevation panel. The radio requires 4 AA cells; slightly inconvenient when using away from home. No power adapter supplied. The radio does NOT display the metre band; it says only "broadcast band" when entering into a broadcast band.

Overall, I like this radio, despite its flaws. I am planning on buying one for myself. I highly recommand it.

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Sangean ATS-404 AM/FM Digital Shortwave World Band Receiver Review

The Sangean ATS-404 AM/FM Digital Shortwave World Band Receiver is a great little radio. I have had mine for a bit over one month and really do like it. However, it is somewhat larger and heavier than I thought it would be. I bought it to take along on overseas trips, but I am afraid it is going to be too bulky for comfortably stuffing into my carry-on bag. Oh well, the unit is going to be a lot of fun at other times.

So far, I have not been troubled by the short battery life (20 hrs.) described in previous reviews. I suppose that could be a problem under certain circumstances, but AA batteries are easy to replace anywhere in the world that has paved streets.

I am a bit shy about describing my experience with the Sangean ATS-404 because several of the earlier reviews were apparently made by radio experts or aficionados much more knowledgeable than me. I am just an ordinary guy that likes to listen to the radio once in awhile, but I do have some observations from my experience with it that might be helpful.

First, the radio is touted to be an entry level shortwave unit. I thought that shortwave stuff might be fun to play with, but I quickly found out that listening to most programs from Europe and elsewhere is silly because I am usually asleep when they are broadcast. Nighttime is apparently best for shortwave reception. I find it best for sleeping. Further, the interesting shortwave broadcasts are hard to find among all of the bands and frequencies available.

Yes, I admit it--I am in over my head with shortwave. I even bought a book about shortwave radios that included programming schedules. I am still confused. I suppose a true shortwave fan might find this radio more usable in this area than I have so far.

The radio has a great "preset" feature that I like and use all of the time. Radio stations are easy to program in and to scan. I enjoy the sleep feature, the dual time display and option to lock the radio for travel so it doesn't turn itself on in the airport like my last radio did.

The AM and FM stations come very well and the digital tuning seems to be right on target every time. The Sangean-404 comes with an AC adapter which is nice, but it doesn't charge batteries in the radio. There is a backlight for the display window, but it is sort of feeble and is almost useless except in complete darkness--like maybe a cave or a closet with the door closed.

A set of low end ear buds is included along with a rubber-like envelope that serves as a case. I haven't used either one yet.

I think maybe this review sounds more negative than positive, but I didn't mean it to come out that way. The Sangean-404 is a dandy radio, I use it every day and I do recommend it.



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Sangean U-3 Utility Radio Review

I bought this radio for my boat. When I received it I read the owners manual and it said nothing about the radio being water resistant. However it did say "do not operate near water". This would be fine if my boat stayed in the back yard! Also it would not work on battery power. It worked great plugged into a wall outlet, and it worked fine using the dc adapter I bought for it. It is a large sturdy radio tho, with a very good sound. I don't use it on the boat because it may void the warranty and I can't use it on the beach because of the battery power problem. I can use it in the car with the dc adapter but it is really big and takes up the whole passenger seat. Amazon won't take it back because it is not their product. I have tried to contact Sangean but so far have had no luck.

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Sangean MMR-77 Emergency AM / FM Portable Radio Review

This little radio was purchased as a gift for my mom who suffers from Macular Degeneration. So she is homebound, can't see TV as she is legally blind, and her only real entertainment is listening to the radio. The analog dial is what cinched the deal for me. She can't use a digital tuner. But when I saw the radio and heard it's great sound, I knew I had made the right purchase. It's small size is perfect for my mom. She's been through lots of hand held radios but this one is by far the best she's had! She uses rechargeable batteries but in case of a power outage or if she just can't get batteries, the crank is easy for her to manipulate to recharge. Nothing is perfect, such as the little alarm it has. I don't think she'd ever use it. It's about the decibel of an alarm clock. But, that's okay, it still works and sounds great. Made my mom happy and that's all that mattered.

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Sangean RCR-8WF Internet Clock Radio Review

I purchased the RCR-8WF as a replacement for an old Panasonic clock radio mainly for the Internet radio capability and for use at night. It is not a bad radio but seems more like a work-in-progress than a well thought out product.

My issues with it are:
1) The sleep timer takes three button presses to work. Turn the radio on, press the sleep timer button, then press select. Try doing this in the dark when you are half asleep! It should take one - press the sleep button. This is the way their other radios work.
2) The display brightens to full when any button is pressed. The manual says that you can dim it in this mode but is does not keep the setting. You can dim it but then comes back full brightness the next time you hit a button.
3) The internet radio takes about 15-30 seconds to change stations or to come on the first time. I understand the technology involved, and could deal with this if it were not for the other issues.

I contacted Sangean a week go about these issues and still have not heard back. I will be returning it and waiting for a more mature product.

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C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna Review

This antenna is great. I used to get horrible reception from a boombox on my favorite stations, and [...] but I lost the FM antenna, so I bought this one. I now get very crisp reception - almost CD quality sound - and I am thrilled to listen to my favorite radio shows ("Brunch with Bob [Marley] and Friends", and almost anything on KPBS/NPR) over the airwaves. If you live in San Diego, I recommend checking out FM 94.9 from 9am-12pm for "Brunch with Bob and Friends". [...]

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Terk Technology AM-1000 Advantage Passive AM Indoor Antenna Review

I am way up in the mountains where AM reception is not even good from stations 50 miles away. Got this to pick up baseball games broadcast 300 miles from here. Works well at night, but daytime listening is still barely possible. But I was very impressed with the fact that it works next to the radio without being plugged in, and with the fact that it is so easy to tune in.

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Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner Review

I have a fairly high-end audio system -- around $3500 for amp, CD player, and speakers, so I was a little nervous about adding a component that sells for under $90!

The tuner is pretty basic and easy to use although I did have to refer to the instructions to figure out how to use the presets. After playing around with it for 5-10 minutes you're good to go. Because the unit itself is rather small, and I have it on a rack with my other components, it's pretty hard to read what station you are on from a few feet away without getting up and walking over to it. But that's a minor issue really.

When I first turned this on and heard the sound I was quite disappointed. Here in Austin we have a HD channel devoted entirely to local music which, aside from just being curious about how HD sounds, was the primary reason I bought this tuner. The song I heard sounded very tinny and totally lacking deep bass. After spending a good half-hour checking out the other stations, I came to the conclusion that perhaps this technology simply exposes more flaws in the source material, just as HDTV might show more blemishes of the on-air staff. Perhaps some of the local music simply isn't engineered as well as what we hear on the traditional analog stations.

Upon discovering a jazz HD station I really began to warm up to this tuner. The quality is more consistent and I am getting the deep bass and a more balanced and rich sound. And even the HD signals of the analog FM stations sound quite good. I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that HD radio comes close to CD quality, at least not on my system, (on a scale of 0-100, I'd give it about 80 in that regard) but this is way better than not having radio access at all, except through a Bose wave radio.

Overall, I have no regrets whatsoever.

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Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception Review

If anyone is considering, the Sony ICF-SW7600GR world band receiver radio, I suggest looking for another portable set. I read the reviews and then made the purchase. My main interest was to purchase a good shortwave radio.

This radio cannot pull in the signal very well at all even after clipping an extension wire onto the antenna.

I located an old Grundig YB305 portable digital shortwave radio to compare to the Sony. The old Grundig is far a better radio then the Sony. The Grundig YB305 pulled in every signal and locked on. The Sony scanned right over them as if they weren't even there. Here's a brand new Sony radio and I am going to have to see if I can get some warranty work to fix the problem.

To compare the sound, I will say the Grundig YB305 is better. There is a fuller rich sound for playing the FM music. Sony is okeh, but not great.

You would think that if it's a Sony it's gotta be good, but the Sony is a phoney.

Currently I am only using the Sony as an AM/FM radio.

I looked into warranty work and Sony will replace it with a refurbished one that may have cosmetic damage. I didn't purchase this radio to trade it in on someone's old refurbished radio. The cost to me would be the price for mailing the radio in, maybe $25. $25 extra to listen to SW...that is if the replacement radio will work as intended. Still taking a chance here. I am now attempting to locate someone who can maybe fix my radio. If not, I will continue to use it as an AM/FM only.

In the old days the radio could be brought to a Sony repair station to be fixed. There used to be one in the area but that is not the case now. Getting someone else to fix it is not worth the cost as the total would equal the purchase price.

Appears with the mass produced chinese @#$* products there is no quality control. You may get a good one or you may get a bad one. Word of advice, do not throw out the box right away like I did on trash collection day.

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Sangean DT-110 Digital Pocket AM/FM Stereo Receiver Review

Great: Reception, bass boost
Good: Sound quality, Priority Station key, Button Layout, Case/Belt Clip
Needs Improvement: Could be smaller

I think $40 for a radio is a reasonable price. I was really looking for an audiophile radio for a higher price but could not find one. I had an Aiwa CR-LD100 for a decade but lost it. Very small, great sound.

The Sangean DT-110 arrived on time with earphones, case with belt clip and manual. You can auto-set station memory for AM and FM seperately. It is easy to set and even swap stations in memory. You can assign three stations to the priority button and access them quickly.

I'm buying a radio, not earphones. To test I used Klipsch Image X10 earphones. The radio sounds great for the price range. The bass boost is intelligently designed similar to the Super Linear Bass on the Aiwa. It is not designed for dirt cheap earphones which is a good thing.

I easily pick up powerful FM stations from 70 miles away. The AM reception is such that I do not have to turn the radio to tune local AM stations. There is no hiss on local stations and near hiss free on stations at a medium range.

The buttons are designed ergonomically so that you can distinguish them by touch. The Hold switch stops everything but the analog volume wheel. The position of the wheel prevents unwanted changes. The Hold switch also serves to preserve memory on battery changes. Digital volume control is annoying when the steps in volume change are too large. The analog wheel is an intelligent choice.

I use Rayovac IC3 15 minute rechargeable batteries available on Amazon. They actually do recharge in 15 minutes with the Rayovac charger. I have not had to recharge them after using the radio daily for a week. The batteries are about two years old.

This radio is a little larger than I am accustomed to. I haven't cracked it open. It may be the AM antenna. The Aiwa was smaller but did not have near the reception this radio offers. The belt clip is a good compromise.

For the price I am very pleased with the radio and recommend it. I will continue looking for a smaller radio with high fidelity sound.


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Sangean WR-1 FM/AM Wood-Cabinet Radio (Black Cabinet, Silver Face) Review

Sangean has been known to make really good radios, and this one does not disappoint. It was received on time and it was even better than pictured. The radio itself is just the perfect size (using it in the kitchen). The dials/knobs are perfect, very easy to operate and locate all radio stations. The sound is great as well. Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase.

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