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One Perfect Pocket Radio?
I'm searching for the perfect pocket radio.
* Cover AM/FM/SW * Digital tuning * Smaller than 4" x 3" x 1" * Weigh less than 10oz * Use AA batteries * Std 3.5mm stereo headphone jack * Offer SSB * Excellent & rugged "build" quality * Excellent performance on *all* bands * Priced less than $100 * I'd also like weather and TV (VHF & UHF) coverage. A few candidates that I've come across and with the exception of weather/TV for which I'd pay a little more where they fall short of my criteria are; Grundig YB400PE - * Expensive and big Grundig YB550PE - * Still too big and no SSB Eton E100 - * No SSB and not great performance Yaesu VR120 * Expensive, no SSB and terrible AM/FM And what's up with the manufactures that seem similar? Eton & Grundig & Tecsun? Kaito & Sangean? Thanx, Bob |
I'm afraid you're going to have shop for clothes with bigger pockets.
No pocket radio that I know of will do all this. Steve |
Steve is quite correct on this.
You might consider inflating your budget considerably and going with either the Sony ICF-SW07 or ICF-SW100S, particularly if size is an overriding concern. Can't think of anything of this size class that's going to have weather & TV while at the same time giving good performance on the SW bands. |
"* Excellent & rugged "build" quality"
Well, the SW100S build quality, while very professional, is not something that you can bang around alot... especially with the cover open. Yes, it's probably 3 times the $100 price he's looking for... This is one of the reasons I keep on thinking about something like the Degen DE-1105, which is $60 (incl international shipping on ebay) . I'd miss the syncronous detection I have on my SW100S... I don't use SSB much, so I wouldn't miss that. |
I own a small Westinghouse AM/FM/Shortwave shirtpocket size radio.It
used to work very good for it's size.One night when I was listening to it and I got up to go to my kitchen,the radio slipped off of my couch and hit my hardwood floor.I guess it landed on the tuneing knob when it hit the floor.There is sort of a little cube block thingy the tuneing knob is associated with in the radio and a lot of tiny solder points.The assembly broke loose when the radio hit the floor,I wouldn't mind getting the radio repaired,but I dont think I can repair the radio.It is not a cheap quality radio like them Bell & Howell and similar cheap quality radios. cuhulin |
On 17 Aug 2005 08:00:23 -0400, Bob wrote:
I'm searching for the perfect pocket radio. * Cover AM/FM/SW * Digital tuning * Smaller than 4" x 3" x 1" * Weigh less than 10oz * Use AA batteries * Std 3.5mm stereo headphone jack * Offer SSB * Excellent & rugged "build" quality * Excellent performance on *all* bands * Priced less than $100 * I'd also like weather and TV (VHF & UHF) coverage. A few candidates that I've come across and with the exception of weather/TV for which I'd pay a little more where they fall short of my criteria are; Grundig YB400PE - * Expensive and big Grundig YB550PE - * Still too big and no SSB Eton E100 - * No SSB and not great performance Yaesu VR120 * Expensive, no SSB and terrible AM/FM And what's up with the manufactures that seem similar? Eton & Grundig & Tecsun? Kaito & Sangean? Thanx, Bob Sangean ATS-606A is what I schlep around. No SSB. No Weather. No TV (BTW, I've never seen a TV band radio with UHF. I also have a little hand-held Casio TV). |
I did a www.devilfinder.com for,Pocket size Shortwave Radios.I
think that somewhere in the World there has got to be at least one company that makes a great little AM/FM/Shortwave Radio.Who that company is,(perhaps somewhere in Europe?) I dont know. cuhulin |
In article .com, jamulc wrote: Steve is quite correct on this. You might consider inflating your budget considerably and going with either the Sony ICF-SW07 or ICF-SW100S, particularly if size is an overriding concern. Can't think of anything of this size class that's going to have weather & TV while at the same time giving good performance on the SW bands. Sangean ATS-636 ... well ... if they ever decide to manufacture it. |
Some features are in Some radios.. No Pocket SWR has SSB ; - unless it's a Carpenters pants type pocket.. Degen DE1105 is supposed to be pretty good but is in early build stages.. No SSB Poke around in GOOGLE, check out radiointel.com - But I don't think that animals been made yet Heck, BUY Something.. ! You can live a full, happy life with a shirt pocket SW radio with no SSB |
Agreed, the SW100S would fail on the "rugged build" factor, as would
the SW07. Bob will need to prioritize from among these various criteria, since he can't have it all... Before acquiring the SW07, I used to carry a 606A around quite frequently. It's a reasonably priced radio with decent performance, although it's a tad larger (5 3/4 x 3 1/2 x 1 1/4) than what Bob is looking for and, as noted by David, lacking in SSB. |
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www.shop.com I saw an AM/FM/Shortwave portable radio there for $731.34
(seven hundred and thirty one dollars and thirty four cents) (for that kind of money,it better! be a d..n good radio) (too rich for my blood) But WAIT!,you save about one hundred and thirty one dollars! Sounds like that coon on tv pedaling that oxyclean (phoney crap!) stuff and you can hear him all the way to the Moon and back. cuhulin |
Stay away from Sangean's,,, the front panels on them are no good.Stay
away from Tiny Tenna's too,they never work at all. cuhulin |
SSB,that Sangean ATS 909 radio I bought from www.ccrane.com (and I
sent that no good piece of plastic JUNK back to ccrane) had SSB.I checked it out (SSB) once in a while and some guys on there were talking about cooking some eggs.I can easily do without SSB. cuhulin |
It's called a broken (like a broke d... dog Westinghouse radio,dude.
cuhulin |
"David" wrote in message ... On 17 Aug 2005 08:00:23 -0400, Bob wrote: I'm searching for the perfect pocket radio. * Cover AM/FM/SW * Digital tuning * Smaller than 4" x 3" x 1" * Weigh less than 10oz * Use AA batteries * Std 3.5mm stereo headphone jack * Offer SSB * Excellent & rugged "build" quality * Excellent performance on *all* bands * Priced less than $100 * I'd also like weather and TV (VHF & UHF) coverage. A few candidates that I've come across and with the exception of weather/TV for which I'd pay a little more where they fall short of my criteria are; Grundig YB400PE - * Expensive and big Grundig YB550PE - * Still too big and no SSB Eton E100 - * No SSB and not great performance Yaesu VR120 * Expensive, no SSB and terrible AM/FM And what's up with the manufactures that seem similar? Eton & Grundig & Tecsun? Kaito & Sangean? Thanx, Bob Sangean ATS-606A is what I schlep around. No SSB. No Weather. No TV (BTW, I've never seen a TV band radio with UHF. I also have a little hand-held Casio TV). Which Casio do you have David? I have a EV-670 3" that I got off Ebay. Not too bad, though it dosent like the cold much. |
On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 10:47:37 -0500, "MnMikew"
wrote: Which Casio do you have David? I have a EV-670 3" that I got off Ebay. Not too bad, though it dosent like the cold much. I have the bottom of the line one. I'm a TV engineer and I just use it to make sure my stations are on the air. It lives on my front seat. If my employer would buy it, I'd have a demod with a drop-down LCD panel. But since they don't, it's this: http://www.epinions.com/_Casio_TV970__619519 |
In article ,
David wrote: (BTW, I've never seen a TV band radio with UHF. I also have a little hand-held Casio TV). Radio Shack had one, but they fell afoul of the ECPA (Electronics Communication Privacy Act). And/Or Radio Shack's cell phone marketing. AMPS (the old analog cell phone system) was a great way to determine business ethics. Ask the salesman if the phone system was private and watch him lie his ass off. Analog cell phones used former TV channels and the same modulation as TV, so any old TV set could pick some or all of them on channels 70-83. And a UHF band TV sound receiver would, too. Mark Zenier Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com) |
I do own one PLL radio.Sony AM/FM model number SRF-M40W radio I bought
brand new,it runs on two AA batteries and I also own a Sony AM/FM/cassete radio I bought brand new,model number WM-AF604/BF604 radio,the radio runs on one AA battery,it is a very nice little AM/FM/cassete radio and useing earbuds with it,(neither of the two Sony radios have a built in speaker) and Dolby,it puts out terrific sound and I own many,many other older Sony Radios too.Sony makes great things,so does Casio. cuhulin |
"David" wrote in message ... On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 10:47:37 -0500, "MnMikew" wrote: Which Casio do you have David? I have a EV-670 3" that I got off Ebay. Not too bad, though it dosent like the cold much. I have the bottom of the line one. I'm a TV engineer and I just use it to make sure my stations are on the air. It lives on my front seat. If my employer would buy it, I'd have a demod with a drop-down LCD panel. But since they don't, it's this: http://www.epinions.com/_Casio_TV970__619519 I watching Ebay for one of these http://www.epinions.com/_Casio_EV4500__619514 |
MnMikew wrote:
I watching Ebay for one of these http://www.epinions.com/_Casio_EV4500__619514 You might also look at the Trinity CT-V710. It's a 7 inch wide screen LCD with a built in rechargeable battery. |
I think the Degen 1102 is as close as you're gonna get...
"Bob" wrote in message . 14... I'm searching for the perfect pocket radio. * Cover AM/FM/SW * Digital tuning * Smaller than 4" x 3" x 1" * Weigh less than 10oz * Use AA batteries * Std 3.5mm stereo headphone jack * Offer SSB * Excellent & rugged "build" quality * Excellent performance on *all* bands * Priced less than $100 * I'd also like weather and TV (VHF & UHF) coverage. A few candidates that I've come across and with the exception of weather/TV for which I'd pay a little more where they fall short of my criteria are; Grundig YB400PE - * Expensive and big Grundig YB550PE - * Still too big and no SSB Eton E100 - * No SSB and not great performance Yaesu VR120 * Expensive, no SSB and terrible AM/FM And what's up with the manufactures that seem similar? Eton & Grundig & Tecsun? Kaito & Sangean? Thanx, Bob |
If that degen doesn't burn out and burn your house down,that is.I flat
dont want one.The Great Escape movie is on tb (tb,Dennis the Menance) now. cuhulin |
I like the yaesu vr-500. As a communications receiver, it's a jack of
all trades master of none, but it still works pretty well for what it is and it offers all the coverage and modes you are after in a diminutive size. I find the biggest difficulty with this type of radio is antenna as no single antenna will fit the bill. I have a couple of rubber ducks for it and a wire on a bnc for hf listening. I still seek the perfect antenna for it. Battery life on 2 aa's is decent as well. It uses the 3.5 mm jack, but is mono and not stereo. |
Thanx everyone for the feedback. Seems I'm not the only one at least
possibly interested in a good pocket radio. How about if I double my budget to $200 and give a little on the size requirement to maybe 5" x 4" or thereabouts. (I'd like to use this radio while backpacking so too big or heavy and I suffer or the radio gets left behind which is also the logic behind wanting rugged build quality and weather band coverage) I can probably live without the stereo headphone but still need std jack size. SSB would be nice but I guess this can be low on the list. Does this create new candidates? If I were to consider something like the Grundig YB-500PE as a possibility it appears to be the same as the Tecsun PL-230. Are "same" radios the same quality or for instance does Grundig have higher standards or slightly different technical spec? And who makes what for who? Radio Shack = Sangean? Grundig = Tecsun? Kaito? Degen? One other "twist" is digital broadcasts... Am I going to finally buy some radio only to find nothing to listen to on a SW radio without digital receive capability? Thanks again for all the help, Bob Bob wrote in . 14: I'm searching for the perfect pocket radio. * Cover AM/FM/SW * Digital tuning * Smaller than 4" x 3" x 1" * Weigh less than 10oz * Use AA batteries * Std 3.5mm stereo headphone jack * Offer SSB * Excellent & rugged "build" quality * Excellent performance on *all* bands * Priced less than $100 * I'd also like weather and TV (VHF & UHF) coverage. |
On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:49:10 GMT, (Mark Zenier)
wrote: In article , David wrote: (BTW, I've never seen a TV band radio with UHF. I also have a little hand-held Casio TV). Radio Shack had one, but they fell afoul of the ECPA (Electronics Communication Privacy Act). And/Or Radio Shack's cell phone marketing. AMPS (the old analog cell phone system) was a great way to determine business ethics. Ask the salesman if the phone system was private and watch him lie his ass off. Analog cell phones used former TV channels and the same modulation as TV, so any old TV set could pick some or all of them on channels 70-83. And a UHF band TV sound receiver would, too. Mark Zenier Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com) You can also listen to analog 800 phones 21.4 mHz below the actual phone call on many scanners. |
Sometimes I hear some gals and guys dialing a message service on my
scanner radio. cuhulin |
I listen to what they are saying too.I used to listen to some real
juicey dirt on my scanner radio before they got them spred spectum telephones.oooooo la la! cuhulin |
Yaseu radios are good,so I have heard before.I dont own one though.
cuhulin |
I love to listen in on juicey dirt.
cuhulin |
In article ,
David wrote: On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:49:10 GMT, (Mark Zenier) wrote: In article , David wrote: (BTW, I've never seen a TV band radio with UHF. I also have a little hand-held Casio TV). Radio Shack had one, but they fell afoul of the ECPA (Electronics Communication Privacy Act). And/Or Radio Shack's cell phone marketing. AMPS (the old analog cell phone system) was a great way to determine business ethics. Ask the salesman if the phone system was private and watch him lie his ass off. Analog cell phones used former TV channels and the same modulation as TV, so any old TV set could pick some or all of them on channels 70-83. And a UHF band TV sound receiver would, too. Mark Zenier Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com) You can also listen to analog 800 phones 21.4 mHz below the actual phone call on many scanners. There was also the trick of feeding a 45 MHz signal into a TV set to add a pseudo-carrier into the IF amp, so that you could use the fine tuning (and the inter-carrier sound system) to pick up most everything. I did that a couple of times and found that your typical cell-phone call makes the Voice of (North) Korea sound interesting in comparison. Voyerism is boring. Mark Zenier Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com) |
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