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.

Buy it here now!