Sangean DT-200V is overrated
 

I finally took the plunge and shelled out $60 for a
Sangean DT-200V after reading so many glowing reviews
about it. I do agree that the reception is pretty good,
but it's actually no better than the reception I get on
my Sony sports walkman, at least for AM reception.

My major complaint is the user interface. The manner
in which one has to scan through the preset stations is
absolutely pathetic. Is it too much to ask to have presets
segregated into FM stations and AM stations, like that which one usually
has on the average walkman? Apparently so, as Sangean chooses
to lump AM/FM into a string of 19 allowable presets. Second,
there's this stupid little game one must play to reverse the
scanning direction when going through the presets! Is it
too much to ask that there be separate up/down buttons that
control this directionality? Apparently so. Sangean's brilliant
solution is to have you press down the "select" button a little
longer, and then quickly make your way to the up/down tuning
button to reverse the flow...and when you get to your station
you better quickly re-press the "select" button lest your desired
station fly on by! Totally ridiculous. There's so much spare room
on the front of the radio that a couple of more buttons could
*easily* be accomodated.

Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user interface.

JB

Joe Blow wrote:

I finally took the plunge and shelled out $60 for a
Sangean DT-200V after reading so many glowing reviews
about it. I do agree that the reception is pretty good,
but it's actually no better than the reception I get on
my Sony sports walkman, at least for AM reception.

My major complaint is the user interface. The manner
in which one has to scan through the preset stations is
absolutely pathetic. Is it too much to ask to have presets
segregated into FM stations and AM stations, like that which one usually
has on the average walkman? Apparently so, as Sangean chooses
to lump AM/FM into a string of 19 allowable presets. Second,
there's this stupid little game one must play to reverse the
scanning direction when going through the presets! Is it
too much to ask that there be separate up/down buttons that
control this directionality? Apparently so. Sangean's brilliant
solution is to have you press down the "select" button a little
longer, and then quickly make your way to the up/down tuning
button to reverse the flow...and when you get to your station
you better quickly re-press the "select" button lest your desired
station fly on by! Totally ridiculous. There's so much spare room
on the front of the radio that a couple of more buttons could
*easily* be accomodated.

Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user interface.

JB

I'm always amazed at the level of sophistication that is expected out of a
radio in this price range.

It 'is' a portable after all.

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8 and R8B

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

In article ,
Joe Blow wrote:

Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user interface.

Agree that the memory/preset interface could be better. The design is
dated; later radios used faster and friendlier ways to enter and retrieve
memory channels. But then, you have to ask: if this design is so old and
dated, why not just replace it with a newer model having a better
interface. It must be because it is still selling ... because it performs
well as a receiver.

Count me as yet another person who thinks that the DT-200T is over-rated. I
gave mine away because it just wasn't user-friendly. Now, when I go for
walks, I take my Yaesu VR-120. On it, I can listen to AM or FM if I want to,
or I can listen to about anything else on it as well. It only cost me $100
on eBay, and it even has a small ferrite bar for MW listening. No, it's not
as sensitive as a lot of radios, but it fits my hand really well and I like
the way its interface is set up.

N8KDV wrote in message .

Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user interface.

JB

I'm always amazed at the level of sophistication that is expected out of a
radio in this price range.

It 'is' a portable after all.


It *is* a bloody AM/FM radio! As in a walkman without
the ability to play tapes or CDs. Sixty bucks is even more
than what one would pay for a halfway decent walkman these
days. I have a Sony sports walkman, Model WM-FS555, that
gets just as good reception as the Sangean DT-200V. The
walkman is clunkier to carry around, no doubt about that.
I have no need for a walkman now that mp3 players have hit the
scene, but my iriver only offers FM radio....not good enough.

So, given how *little* I ask out of the Sangean, to provide me
with something which so many other electronic devices offer at
almost the same quality, I was expecting a halfway decently thought
out user interface. The other day my batteries ran dry, and no
battery warning indicated imminent battery death. This much I had
to infer from the spotty reception coming through. Truly, truly lame.

I'm just surprised that the reviews of this radio have been so uniformly
glowing, considering the price. Maybe my perception is skewed because
I live in New York City -- perhaps there's something about the nature of
radiowave reception around here with the busy airwaves that makes it
tough on portables -- but I'm telling you that the many walkmans with
AM/FM receivers that I've had in the past have gotten nearly as good
reception, with far superior user interfaces. I'm essentially paying
$60 for the convenience of fitting the radio in my pocket (but hey, the
Sangean ain't *that* small!).

It's a fairly decent MW receiver. It doesn't whistle. I can listen
to Vegas and Frisco in the morning when I'm hiking (I'm in L.A.
County). I've dropped it many times, gotten it pretty damp, brought
it back from the dead once.

I like it O.K.

You paid too much. I will agree to that.

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/1739396

On 20 Feb 2004 06:48:48 -0800, (Joe Blow)
wrote:

N8KDV wrote in message .

Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user interface.

JB

I'm always amazed at the level of sophistication that is expected out of a
radio in this price range.

It 'is' a portable after all.


It *is* a bloody AM/FM radio! As in a walkman without
the ability to play tapes or CDs. Sixty bucks is even more
than what one would pay for a halfway decent walkman these
days. I have a Sony sports walkman, Model WM-FS555, that
gets just as good reception as the Sangean DT-200V. The
walkman is clunkier to carry around, no doubt about that.
I have no need for a walkman now that mp3 players have hit the
scene, but my iriver only offers FM radio....not good enough.

So, given how *little* I ask out of the Sangean, to provide me
with something which so many other electronic devices offer at
almost the same quality, I was expecting a halfway decently thought
out user interface. The other day my batteries ran dry, and no
battery warning indicated imminent battery death. This much I had
to infer from the spotty reception coming through. Truly, truly lame.

I'm just surprised that the reviews of this radio have been so uniformly
glowing, considering the price. Maybe my perception is skewed because
I live in New York City -- perhaps there's something about the nature of
radiowave reception around here with the busy airwaves that makes it
tough on portables -- but I'm telling you that the many walkmans with
AM/FM receivers that I've had in the past have gotten nearly as good
reception, with far superior user interfaces. I'm essentially paying
$60 for the convenience of fitting the radio in my pocket (but hey, the
Sangean ain't *that* small!).

The Sangean DT-200V is my Pocket Radio for my Fishing Vest for
up in the Mountains and Down in the Valleys where the Rivers flow.
The Sangean DT-200V brings in the AM/MW Signals, which other
radios just don't seem to hear.

Is the Sangean DT-200V over priced at $60 ? YES ! But if you want
AM/MW Reception in difficult and remote locations IMHO the Sangean
DT-200V is worth the price.

jm2cw ~ RHF
..
..
= = = (radiok3pi)
= = = wrote in message om...
(Mike S.) wrote in message ...
In article ,
Joe Blow wrote:

Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user interface.


(1) The AM/MW reception is fantastic. I have no other radio that can
null like this one.
(2) The fact that it has a speaker is a plus. Being able to use the
speaker with the earphones still attached is neat.
(3) very good battery life
(4) Robust. Takes a licking and, well you know... My brother has one
and he absolutely abuses the thing (drops, salt water [not
recommended], dirt, etc) still running.
(5) Very very easy to use in the dark, low light conditions
(6) I actually think the mixed up presets is a plus. I have a
combination of AM and FM favorites and I like not having to make
another selection to get to the separate presets. 19 is a weird
number though...wonder how they arrived at that.
(7) Ability to go "mono" on FM to get the weaklings

I have never found a pocket portable that pulls the AM/MW stations
like the DT-200V.

The only things I don't like about it...wish the bottom was flat, not
rounded, so it would stand up easier. Also wish it had a momentary
back light for the display.

I agree $60 is pushing the value envelope. I think I got mine
somewhere on the internet for like $45 and when they closed them out
at Radio Shack for $30. I got two in use and one in reserve for when
(if) one of them craps out.

Russ

On 2004-02-19 said:
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Joe Blow wrote:
I finally took the plunge and shelled out $60 for a
Sangean DT-200V after reading so many glowing reviews
about it.
----SNIP----
Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user
interface.
JB
I'm always amazed at the level of sophistication that is expected
out of a radio in this price range.
It 'is' a portable after all.
Steve

Yep, it is a small shirt-pocket-sized portable. The most sophistocated user
interface they could have chosen for that radio would be a two-position band
selector, one position for FM and one for AM. They might even have four
positions, adding FM stereo, and maybe even AM stereo. Stations would be
tuned by a nice easily-turned knob, like on the old Sony SRF-42 FM
stereo/AM/AM stereo model. You're right, Steve, I do expect a certain level
of sophistocation in a small portable, especially given how cheaply they can
be made in China these days.

Reply to:
Brent Reynolds, Atlanta, GA USA

That thing is stuffed full of electronics.

They also make an analog dial version.

On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 03:33:23 GMT, wrote:



On 2004-02-19 said:
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Joe Blow wrote:
I finally took the plunge and shelled out $60 for a
Sangean DT-200V after reading so many glowing reviews
about it.
----SNIP----
Why do people rave so highly about this portable radio? While I
think it's a good one overall, it is definitely overpriced...it's
about a $30 radio to my mind, considering the *lousy* user
interface.
JB
I'm always amazed at the level of sophistication that is expected
out of a radio in this price range.
It 'is' a portable after all.
Steve

Yep, it is a small shirt-pocket-sized portable. The most sophistocated user
interface they could have chosen for that radio would be a two-position band
selector, one position for FM and one for AM. They might even have four
positions, adding FM stereo, and maybe even AM stereo. Stations would be
tuned by a nice easily-turned knob, like on the old Sony SRF-42 FM
stereo/AM/AM stereo model. You're right, Steve, I do expect a certain level
of sophistocation in a small portable, especially given how cheaply they can
be made in China these days.

Reply to:
Brent Reynolds, Atlanta, GA USA