Big as a television, clunky, cheap, hastily put-together, lousy dials, inaccurate tuning that requires that you hit the sweet spot with your ears, and formerly known as the GE Superradio III, the RCA Super Port Radio, (RCA recently bought this radio division from GE) may be the best 45-dollar radio you can buy. In spite of the problems already mentioned, I've done reception and sound tests against more expensive radios and truth be told the Super Port Radio gets superior reception to all my Tivoli radios (Model One, Model Three, PAL, Songbook and they're no slouches in the reception department), which cost between $120 and $200 retail. The reception is similar to my big performers, including my Sangean PR-D5 (digital) and my Grundig/Eton S350 DL. The RCA seems invincible to computer interference as I can tune in KPCC 89.3 a usually difficult station with ease and keep the RCA right next to my computer! The sound is big and fills a room easily. If you get one, though, remember the tuning dial is off the mark so you'll have to find your favorite stations without much help from the dial. Also buyers complain of quality control. Some lemons are getting purchased out there. This wasn't the case with me. I got a good one, which cost me $37 with free shipping on Amazon about 3 years ago.
I imagine the radio's lack of frills and its incurable ugliness and cheapness is actually appealing to a certain type of radio purist who listens to radio in a monastic setting and who regards all the bells and whistles of new radios, complete with iPod connectivity and CD players, with disdain.
Purist or not,if you don't care about looks, build quality, or accurate tuning dial and you're on a radio budget, you can't beat the RCA Super Port.
Tom Welch has informed me that the RCA Super Port Radio is no longer going to be sold in the US market. Inventories in US vendors will run out and that will be it. Last I checked, The Great Hardware Store is selling it.
Posted by: Jeff McMahon | April 13, 2008 at 09:31 AM