Herculodge

Rare Panasonic RF-559 Radio Bidding for $10

I've never seen this RF-559, which is described as being in excellent working condition. I'm intrigued.

A Conversation with My Dog-Sitter About My Little Radio Problem

 

Shawn, who will be staying with my rescue dog Gretchen during my vacation, entered the house, passed a Panasonic RF-3000 in the living room and then passed two more radios on the piano, a Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo and Panasonic RF-1130, before he went into the kitchen. There he saw the kitchen’s three radios, a Sangean PR-D5 on the microwave, a Boston Acoutics Horizon Duo on the three-tiered fruit shelf, and a C.Crane CSW on the silver filing cabinet.

 

Shawn looked around the kitchen and said, “Jesus, you’ve got a lot of radios in this house. Dude, your kitchen alone has three radios.”

 

“Well,” I said, “I’m not simply a casual listener. I’m what you might call a radio hobbyist.”

 

“But, dude, you can only listen to one radio at a time. You’ve got three radios in here.”

 

“As I said, I’m not a casual listener. I enjoy comparing them or using which one my whims dictate or relying on one that performs better than the others due to inclement weather conditions, time of day or night, choice between talk and music, and so on.”

 

“I assume all your radios are good. So you still only need one.”

 

“All my radios perform consistently, more or less. But I’m not a casual listener. I’m not simply listening to radio content. I’m constantly scrutinizing each radio’s performance under different conditions.”

 

“But it’s not like you’re an engineer. It’s not like someone’s paying you to keep tabs on all these frickin’ radios.”

 

“I do it as a hobby. It’s a passion of mine.”

 

“Comparing radios? I don’t get it.”

 

“I don’t either. That’s the compulsion aspect of it.”

 

“A compulsion to listen to more radios than you could possibly need. Dude.”

 

“Correction. A compulsion to listen to more radios than I could possibly ever need and be on the constant prowl for a radio that outperforms all the ones I have. And then having found that radio, going back on the prowl and looking for another radio that might surpass that one and so on and so on. If you find a cure for this compulsion, please let me know, but I don’t think you will.”

 

“Dude.”

Managing Your Radio Content with the CC Witness

The equivalent of TiVo for television, the CC Witness is explained in this article. Thanks, Paul. 

Panasonic RF-1060 Buy Now for $30

Paul has alerted us to a Panasonic RF-1060, which is selling for a great price of $30 plus $12 shipping.

Seller provides no photo.

Rare Sharp FX 208U AM/FM Portable Radio

Bidding for $4.95, this Sharp Portable is intriguing. 9 inches tall, 5.5 inches across and sporting a 36-inch telescopic FM antenna, this portable is said to be "sensitive." I like it, but won't bid on it because it's powered by 4 double A batteries, which is not enough juice for my tastes. 

Finally, an iPod Boombox That Looks Good

Here's an iPod boombox with a good look to it--the i-Thunder. Starting bid is $60. Actually, the seller spelled it incorrectly. It's the MTX iThunder Boombox and it's hard to find in black. Sadly, the white and pink colors are available. 

Radio Bargain of the Day: Boston Acoustics Horizon Duo in Mint Condition for $80

Selling in mint condition, "used as new," a vendor through Amazon is selling the BAHD for $80 plus $10 shipping. Radio comes with manual and remote. This is a savings of $57 from today's Amazon price.  

Most Intriguing Watch Companies of 2008: Tsovet and Chotovelli

With the U-Boat watches costing between $3,000-5,000, a lot of watch buyers looking for a similar manly watch design are fortunate that Tsovet and Chotovelli have entered the business. From Los Angeles, Tsovet costs about $500 while the Chotovelli line, from Belgium, is about $300-$500. I've seen some good Chotovelli prices at Aviation-Time. 

Most Manly Watch for Best Price of 2008: The Invicta Force Lefty XL 4538

Looking at U-Boats for over $3,000 and Welder watches for over $1,000, I can't find a watch that gives you as much bang for the buck as the Invicta Force Lefty XL 4538 with a bezel of over 60mm. The price is $226. 

Spartan Facilities Mean Slim Pickens for 2009 Radios

Speculating about the fate of the much anticipated Redsun 3100, I have received the following information from Paul:

Last I heard, directly from Redsun, was that the RP3000/RP3100 project was on hold. As mentioned inhttp://www.passband.com, even the larger Chinese radio manufacturers such as Tecsun or Degen may have only one engineer in charge of designing their radios!

Quote from http://www.passband.com/25th-anniversary-passport-now-available/#comments

"You’ve got to remember just how Spartan these Chinese facilities are. For example, there is reportedly only one engineer who designs all the world band radios at Tecsun, Degen et al. It’s surprisingly rudimentary, but they work hard and they work cheap, like the Japanese did 60 or so years back."