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I'm very pleased no one bought my Panasonic RF-888 and RF-877 radios last week, which I foolishly put on the eBay auction block.
Today KCRW was giving my kitchen radio, the durable Sangean LB-100, static (a frequent problem) and I brought the RF-877 and played it on the batteries. Even with half a telescopic antenna, the RF-877 grabs 89.9 KCRW with ease. What a keeper.
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"New" radios are plentiful because...they're new, being cranked out in China in record numbers, slapped together quick and the first round of customers gets to do quality control. Your classics will become increasingly more difficult to find. They were crafted in Japan, to last a lifetime. Not so, the newer ones.
Keepers indeed.
Posted by: Angelo | November 24, 2013 at 04:22 PM
I might be aging myself, but I recall that the same was once said of the Japanese radios (cranked out, slapped together, made of cheap plastic and recycled soda cans, etc.). At that time, anyone who was serious about electronics had a European radio, and everyone else had an American radio. Sony and Panasonic had something to prove, made some great radios, and over time changed that perception. But now the environment is different: Moore's law and technology innovation allow for communication protocols to change rapidly, and as a result, consumers expect to have buy a new device of some sort every 2 or 3 years just to listen to music, watch TV or talk on the phone. I am pretty sure that the Chinese manufacturers are as capable of making durable radios as anyone else if they wanted to, but broader market forces seem to be against it. There are just not enough people who want consumer electronics that last 30 or 40 years.
Posted by: RadioFlynn | November 25, 2013 at 10:01 AM
Flynn: No doubt that they are capable of building great things in general---cars, electronics, etc.----but they're only as good as the requirements/demands of the company who contracts with them to build the stuff. I think corners are cut on most of the radio production, to an extent that makes these radios inferior to the classics. As for your comments on Japan----you might be right that some people perceived it that way, but it mostly wasn't true, particularly with Sony and Panasonic. Out of the gate, they were as good or better than Zenith, Grundig, etc. in terms of quality control and reliability. Today's Chinese radios are closer to the Hong Kong radios of the early 70s, not the Japanese ones.
Posted by: Angelo | November 25, 2013 at 03:59 PM
Amazon selling,"Tecsun PL-660SLV Portable AM/FM/LW/Air Shortwave World Band Radio with Single Side Band, Silver" for :$99.96 & FREE Shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/Tecsun-PL-660SLV-Portable-Shortwave-Single/dp/B004P5XW06%3FSubscriptionId%3D0MPWD72HP99X4W90FM82%26tag%3Dctrlqorg-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB004P5XW06
Posted by: Vimal | November 26, 2013 at 07:41 AM
Tecsun PL-660SLV today's price at Amazon : $95.92 & FREE Shipping.Seems gearing up for launching of pl 880?
http://www.amazon.com/Tecsun-PL-660SLV-Portable-Shortwave-Single/dp/B004P5XW06%3FSubscriptionId%3D0MPWD72HP99X4W90FM82%26tag%3Dctrlqorg-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB004P5XW06
Posted by: Vimal | November 28, 2013 at 09:20 AM