Herculodge

Amazon Radio Mixup: Selling Kaito CBR3 Retro Bluetooth Radio with Kaito 1102 (Including Mine) Review!

 

 

 

Here's a weird Amazon mixup I've never seen before. Amazon is selling the Kaito retro style CBR3 Bluetooth radio, but the reviews, including mine from 12 years ago, are for the Kaito 1102. 

Related articles

Vintage Vibes

Pre-Vacation Ramble

When Fathers Knew Everything

National Geographic Selling Eton Bluetooth SW Radio

 

 

 

Ed apprised me of an Eton Bluetooth SW Radio he purchased on National Geographic. He may write a short review soon. 

Overview:

Tune in to AM, FM, and shortwave radio at home or abroad. Bluetooth technology lets you stream your own music or podcasts from any compatible device. Includes local and world time settings, alarm clock, and sleep timer. Powers via AC/DC adapter, included, or 4 D batteries, not included.

 

Related articles

BeeWi smart home products - lighting and water control

New RadioShack SW Radio for Under $30?

Four Herculodge Radio Picks for 2014

Mark Roberts' First Impressions of the Sangean DT-160 Pocket Radio

First impressions of the Sangean DT-160(earlier reviewed by Herculodge)were so-so regarding sensitivity on FM, though good on AM. But today I did a head-to-head comparison at high noon (1 pm) on both AM and FM with my CC Pocket (v2) and on FM only with my Degen DE1123. On FM, all three were very close in sensitivity, judged by the number of stations received - 48 for the Sangean, 46 for the CC Pocket. (Degen: 50, but those added four were very weak.) The DT-160 and the CC Pocket were identical in number of stations received and the quality of signal received; the Degen was just slightly better. On AM, the Sangean and the CC Pocket were exact equals. I don't know what the AM bandwidth settings are on the Sangean; the narrowband position seems mushy. The CC Pocket does a better job here. The dual FM bandwidths is a nice feature of the Sangean, though, practically speaking, I don't know how important it is. Still, it made a very weak signal from Napa's KVYN more listenable, though still weak and in mono. It won't work miracles but it might help in DX chasing, if that's even possible on the currently overcrowded FM band.

Negatives: Only five presets per band. This is what, 2016, and a car radio from 1966 could do better in this regard? The long press to turn the radio on and off takes a little getting used to. Earbuds - whatever. I wish the automatic 90-minute sleep timer could be disabled permanently. Lock switch on the back isn't where you'd expect to find it. No speaker.

Positives: Ergonomics generally very good. Dual bandwidths on AM and FM a desirable thing to have. Nice big display. AM audio recovery good; also free from digital noises. FM sensitivity good; FM selectivity exceptional when the narrow bandwidth is used.

I'd recommend it.

Related articles

Sangean DT-160 AM/FM Pocket Portable

Radio Jay Allen Reviews the New Sangean ATS-405

Sangean HDR-18 HD/AM/FM Wooden Tabletop Radio

John Cannot Recommend the Sangean WR-15 Radio Due to Subpar AM and FM

Herculodge: SWLing Post Review of the Sangean DT-160CL Portable Radio

Jay Allen reviews the Sangean DT-160 pocket radio and calls it a "gem."

Jay Allen Reviews the Sangean HDR-18 Radio

Herculodge Sangean DT-160 Review

SWLing Post Review of the Sangean DT-160CL Portable Radio

 

Thomas has sent us his latest Sangean DT-160CL portable radio review. He likes it so far and is doing battery tests. 

Jay Allen Reviews the Sangean HDR-18 Radio

 

 

 

Thanks to Paul and Gary or apprising us of Jay Allen's review of the Sangean HDR-18 Radio.  Jay is pleased with both the FM and AM and heartily recommends this new Sangean offering. 

 

 

 

 

Herculodge Sangean DT-160 Review

 

Due to unstable reception on FM for both my Sangean DT-180 and Sangean DT-400 portable radios, I had been thinking of getting an upgrade. And then I read Jay Allen’s excellent review of the Sangean DT-160. Here is a portable radio for under $40 with DSP-enhancing FM reception. I was not disappointed. The radio is a keeper overall with a couple of annoyances.

The radio takes two AA batteries. So far so good. The battery compartment is easy to open and close.

Now the annoyance: The toggle tuning wheel on the radio’s right side. You hold it to set the time. You wait for the hour number to flash, then set with preset 1. You do the same for the minute. You have to click downwards to scroll through the numbers. The toggle feel is awkward.

You use the same toggle for tuning, and here I really dislike the tune/set jog wheel because it’s impossible to scroll through the stations without prompting the set button to flash. It’s like my wife doesn’t like me brushing my teeth in the shower. Don’t mix the tuning with the time set. They belong in separate chambers, so to speak.

Once you get your presets (5 for 2 FM bands and another 5 for one AM band), you’re done with this tuning nonsense. Make sure you change batteries when they’re low on the indicator light so you don’t have to use this annoying jog wheel.

The volume is not a wheel. It’s buttons.

Now the good news: FM Reception

While my aforementioned DT-180 and DT-400 are unstable on FM and while they bleed adjoining stations so you will too often get two FM stations on one signal, the DT-160’s DSP really improves FM in terms of stability, selectivity, and overall reception. This is evident here where I live in Torrance where KPCC 89.3 from Pasadena can be problematic. Not so with the DT-160. KPCC comes in loud and clear.

While I heard AM could be a problem due to a small ferrite, I had no problems with AM. It seems as strong on my DT-180 as my other portable radios.

Another annoyance are the earbuds. They’re like giant coin-sized buds, slightly smaller in circumference than a nickel, and are way too big for my small ear canals.

I threw them away and chose properly-fitting buds.

All in all, my DT-160 improves FM and allows me to listen to the FM stations I enjoy, so it’s a keeper.

Related articles

Radio Jay Allen Reviews the New Sangean ATS-405

New Sangean Stereo Radio: PR-D19

Jay Allen reviews the Sangean DT-160 pocket radio and calls it a "gem."

Jay Allen reviews the Sangean DT-160 pocket radio and calls it a "gem."

Thanks, Gary:

Jay Allen reviews the Sangean DT-160 pocket radio.

https://radiojayallen.com/2016/07/26/sangean-dt-160-amfm-pocket-portable/

Update: Based on Jay's review, I just bought one on Amazon. I hope to review it here in a couple of weeks. 

 

Related articles

Gary Makes the Case for Not Getting a Bedside Analog Radio

Radio Jay Allen Reviews the New Sangean ATS-405

New Lineup of Sangean High Definition Radios

 

Just when I thought HD radio had died off, Paul apprises us of the lineup of new Sangean HD Radios:

Sangean HDT-20 tuner
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/spcialty/3520.html

Sangean HDR-16
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/spcialty/4516.html

Sangean HDR-18
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/spcialty/6018.html

Related articles

New Sangean Stereo Radio: PR-D19

Sticky Buttons on My Sangean WR-2

Is It Goodbye to the Sangean WR-2?

Radio Jay Allen Reviews the New Sangean ATS-405

Viewer Request: First Look Panasonic RF-888 (Posted in 2008)

First Look--the Panasonic RF-888 PSB/AM/FM Radio

Released in 1973 and rare enough to fetch $202 on eBay, the Panasonic RF-888 arrived in mint condition today and is a spectacular radio worthy of sending shivers up the spine of any radio lover. The sound is big, bigger than my Sony ICF-5900. AM and FM reception on the two radios is equal, which is to say outstanding. I prefer the louder, in-your-face sound of the 888. 

Also my 888, unlike my 5900, has an accurate tuning dial. While I love the look of both radios, I prefer the big speaker on the 888. It reminds of of a mag wheel that would go on a sports car. 

If you don't need SW and want a strong performer, you will definitely enjoy the powerful Panasonic RF-888. 

 

Released in 1973 and rare enough to fetch $202 on eBay, the Panasonic RF-888 arrived in mint condition today and is a spectacular radio worthy of sending shivers up the spine of any radio lover. The sound is big, bigger than my Sony ICF-5900. AM and FM reception on the two radios is equal, which is to say outstanding. I prefer the louder, in-your-face sound of the 888. 

Also my 888, unlike my 5900, has an accurate tuning dial. While I love the look of both radios, I prefer the big speaker on the 888. It reminds of of a mag wheel that would go on a sports car. 

If you don't need SW and want a strong performer, you will definitely enjoy the powerful Panasonic RF-888. 

Things Get More High-Tech and Complicated with the 2.0 Sangean WR-2

I haven’t had a radio review in a while. Sedated on the Sangean Kool-Aid evidenced by a Sangean U3 worksite radio in my office/gym, a Sangean PR-D4 in the kitchen, a Sangean-made C.Crane CCRadio-2E in the bathroom, and the Sangean WR-2 as my “crown jewel” bedside table radio.

I haven’t had a Sangean WR-2 in a year because a year ago Southern Cal Edison fried all the electronics on our block doing unauthorized work. They had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to residents. I was paid about $400 for the loss of some of my electronics, including my Sangean WR-2.

For a year I used my CCRadio-2E as my bedside radio. A great performer on AM and FM, the 2E suffers from a telescopic antenna (hooks around my arm when I get up at night) and sticky on/off and preset buttons, a common complaint with a model that costs in excess of $160.

I decided to get my beloved black WR-2 back. This radio, which I first purchased in 2005, is one of those radios that marks my entry into being “radio-minded,” a guy who is very aware of the radio performance hierarchy.

The WR-2, with its wire antenna, is very sensitive on FM and very capable on AM. I like its heavy low-profile, which makes it difficult for me to knock off the bedside table. With fond memories of my WR-2, I recently bought another. To my surprise, the black WR-2 was different than my previous one, noticeable in two ways:

Different speaker calibration: Brighter, louder sound out of the box with “15” being very loud. In contrast, you had to crank the WR-2 1.0 up to “40” to get decent volume.

Different interface: The WR-2 1.0 had a separate clock setting button with separate hours and minutes buttons. This made setting the time relatively simple.

Below, you can see the WR-2 1.0 and 2.0 respectively:

Goodbye to simplicity with the WR-2 2.0. Now you have no separate clock buttons. You must press a menu and scroll through the following:

Clock Setting (set time with Tuning Wheel)

RDS

Factory (settings)

Loud On

DST (daylight savings time)

Snooze

Clock 12/24 Hours

FM 100KHZ

AM 10KHZ

VER P.01 (your radio’s software version)

You use the volume control to set hours and minutes.

You must follow 4 steps for Snooze.

You must follow 5 steps for setting alarm.

The Good News:

The complexity of the interface is not a deal-killer by any means. So far no bugs have been detected.

The sound is actually better than the 1.0 version—brighter, louder, crisper, less muddled.

The AM and FM performance seems identical.

Final Thoughts

I’m no Luddite who cringes in the face of radio DSP chips, software updates, Internet radio options, Bluetooth, etc. However, a part of me, the romantic with fond memories of those majestic vintage Panasonics and Sonys from the 1960s and 1970s, loves the simplicity of an analog radio.

Because I do not have my father’s engineering and math genius (I turned out to be a college English instructor), I don’t have the tech proclivities to maintain vintage radios (cleaning the pot, ridding static, etc.), and my vintage radio quest halted several years ago. But I wonder if I would have been happier getting a new analog radio from Sangean: The Sangean WR-15. Perhaps in the near future I will get one.

Related articles

Citizen's Flagship Pilot Watch: The Citizen Promaster Sky with Duratect

Jay Allen Reviews Eton Field 550 Radio