Frank Dresser wrote:

You might want to consider radios larger than shirt pocket size. In my
expirence, the larger portables are the better performers.

Yea true. I've actually got I've got a DX-392, (Roberts RC818) so my focus
has been on the shirt/pocket size. And it could be that with pocket-sized
radios the chances of getting good FM performance is reduced. Made worse if
it's cheap as in cost, like the Sony ICFM33RDS is.

One could in theory say then, that generally speaking pocket portables
will not have particularly good performance on FM. That is different from
saying modern PLL portables generally speaking have not particularly good FM
performance. But even if this was true, that PLL portables in general
(not pocket) have not good FM performance, it could be price sensitive.
And you can probably always find something that does not fit the general
case. We are always looking out for these. :c) Or pay the higher price,
which may translate to no option but to go for bigger than pocket portable.
But, sometimes you really want a pocket portable.

I must suss out the right pocket portable in my price range (say up to £80
($120-ish). Whether I can get good FM performance for this cost I know not
yet. If it is true that FM performance is mediocre for modern pocket-sized
PLL RX's, then I'll not find what I'm after.Unless I were to find an
exception in that price bracket.

"Richard" wrote in message
...

Yea true. I've actually got I've got a DX-392, (Roberts RC818) so my
focus
has been on the shirt/pocket size. And it could be that with
pocket-sized
radios the chances of getting good FM performance is reduced. Made
worse if
it's cheap as in cost, like the Sony ICFM33RDS is.

One could in theory say then, that generally speaking pocket portables
will not have particularly good performance on FM. That is different
from
saying modern PLL portables generally speaking have not particularly
good FM
performance. But even if this was true, that PLL portables in general
(not pocket) have not good FM performance, it could be price
sensitive.
And you can probably always find something that does not fit the
general
case. We are always looking out for these. :c) Or pay the higher
price,
which may translate to no option but to go for bigger than pocket
portable.
But, sometimes you really want a pocket portable.

I must suss out the right pocket portable in my price range (say up to
£80
($120-ish). Whether I can get good FM performance for this cost I
know not
yet. If it is true that FM performance is mediocre for modern
pocket-sized
PLL RX's, then I'll not find what I'm after.Unless I were to find an
exception in that price bracket.



A good performing small PLL portable may be hard to find. People tend
to treat shirt pocket radios as disposable items.

I can't offer much advice on buying a good shirt pocket PLL radio, but I
have an old Sony Walkman SRF-19W analog AM-FM radio which is at least a
decent performer. It suffers from the usual headphone cord/antenna
problem, and it would be better with a FM stereo switch. The radio
autoswitches back and forth between stereo and mono on weak FM signals.
There used to be a few FM mono stations on the low end of the band and
the Walkman worked well there.

So, I suppose a FM stereo/mono switch would be a clue to the radio's DX
ability.

Frank Dresser