Herculodge

Nixon 51-30 in Gunmetal Is a Looker, But It's Jewelry, Not a Full-Functioning Watch

I've recently got some comments and emails regarding the Invicta 51-30 in gunmetal, which I bought on eBay for $340. It's a looker, to be sure, and fits nicely on my 8-inch wrists, but I think it's too pricey to recommend especially since it doesn't have lume.

As I post this there are two watches far cheaper that I believe deliver far more bang for the buck: The Invicta Offshore Russian Diver 4157, all silver, for $170 on Amazon (photos below) and the Invicta Pro Scuba in silver for $120 and $10 shipping on ShopNBC. They have the blue one in the photo, which is sold out. The silver one, which I like better for this watch, is still for sale. You can see it in the video.

No, I don't work for Invicta. I just think they deliver a lot of wow for the money. 

For German Market: Hitachi Worldspace Radio

 

Ante has apprised us of the Hitachi Worldspace Radio.

Best Ways to Power Up Your Tecsun Portable Radios

 

Thanks, Craig:

The USB cable is for slowwww charging off your computer power supply. My 380 never came with one either. I use a 700mA quick charger for all of my battery operated radios.

I looked at the specs of my 380 and couldn't find power consumption ratings but I read that someone tested a 310(same size as the 380)at 25mA.

Which means that if you are using 1100 Ni-MH batts you're good to go for aproximately 40 hours. I can attest to this, as I use the supplied 1100 batts and only recharge them about once a month (I use it for a little over an hour a day).
The 390 with twin speakers should consume slightly more power than the 380/390 so you might want to use something with more capacity(I use 2300mA batts with my Tecsun 660 and G5).

Happy listening from WA...
Good night.

 

Invicta II Military on Clearance: $59.93 Plus $10 Shipping

 

 

 

Excellent deal for this Invicta II Military with black dial, leather strap, and 45mm bezel. 

Ed Brought His Tecsun PL-390 Over: My Initial Impressions

Ed stopped by to see my twin girls who recently turned one. He also brought over his Tecsun PL-390. My first impression of Ed's Tecsun PL-390 was how small it was. Then I turned it on. Very sensitive, especially on FM. It reminds me of the Kaito 1103 in this regard.

The AM was more than adequate. There was a little noise on 570 but not much. 

I found the tiny speakers complemented each other. You don't get big sound but I appreciate the stereo effect. 

Ed pressed the radio's ETM button (Easy Tuning Mode) and the PL-390 finds all the available stations and stores them in memory. Very nice.

One slightly sour note: Contrary to the Amazon description of being packed with a USB cable, the 390, delivered from Kaito here in Southern California, did NOT arrive with the USB. 

With a small radio like this, I'd buy a battery charger and use rechargeables. I can enthusiastically recommend the 390 but I say buy from a vendor who delivers the USB, especially when the USB is in the product description. 

 

Sony TFM-8000 for $189 Plus $15 Shipping

 

 

The Sony TFM-8000 is an apex performer on both AM and FM, but this is a bit pricey considering Ed bought his a couple of years ago for $100. 

For the Radiopassionata to Sniff At: The Toaster Radio

 

 

 

I am an unapologetic member of the radiopassionata. I like my radios rugged, bold, and high-performance. I doubt this toaster radio fits the bill. Thanks, Mark, for apprising us of this newfangled item.

Dan Gives Thumbs Up to His Tecsun PL-660

 

 

 

I got my Tecsun PL-660 from ANON-CO on ebay before it was available in the US. With express shipping, it cost me about $118. I love this radio.

One of the coolest features is its Auto Store feature - press and hold the button for the band you want it to scan and the radio scans for active stations (on SW you can scan either the meter band you are currently tuned to, or the entire SW spectrum) and it places them in memory on Page 0, so you can quickly flip through them. On SW, this is especially cool - it will scan the entire SW bands in about 3 minutes or so, and voila you have 40 to 60 stations pre-stored for you to flip through.

Just an overall good radio imho

 

Sangean WFR-27 Portable Internet Radio Announced on Universal Radio

 

 

Ante has apprised us of this new Sangean offering on Universal Radio.

Universal Radio Announces February 28 Release Date for the Sangean 909X: $259.95 Plus Shipping

 

Thanks, Blake:

Now the Sangean 909x will be released this Monday according to Universal Radio

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/2909.html