Portable radio recommendations

Hello to all. I'm in the market for a portable radio. I'd like to have very good AM/FM reception. I have the texon pl-390. It's a good radio but I hate how it tunes. It goes 105.1 105.12 and so on. I wished it would do 10 KHZ steps. I also hate how it mutes distant AM stations unless you turn the radio a certain way. I don't care if the radio has shortwave or not. Any ideas? I'm a hardcore DXer. I really appreciate you guy's help. The radio has to be real easy to use. I'm blind so I can't see it. I'd prefer it not to have any timers or clocks or whatever. But if those are the only radios that provide what i'm looking for so be it. If you're a bit confused on what exactly I'm looking for just let me know and I can try to clarify if need be. I'd like to get AM stations like the old time radios used to. I guess the radio would not have that chip like the pl-390 has. I don't know the name of the chip but I'm sure you guys get where i'm going with that.

I recently purchased the following portable radio. It provides excellent AM/FM stereo reception - even on adjacent channels. I live near both Seattle Antenna Farms and can receive out-of-market FM without the harmonics. AM reception is very good and selective. It tunes in 100mhz increments with a simple Up/down arrow.

Sangean DT-200X FM-Stereo AM/FM Digital Tuning Personal Receiver

Hello. Thank you for the quick reply. That defanatly sounds like something right up my alley. I'll go look at that radio right now. Thank you.

Hello. I also need the radio to filter out strong local stations on both am and FM. My pl-390 does a very good job of this. I basically want an easier to use version of the pl-390, I love the fm reception of the pl-390 but hate how it mutes out am stations at times. The audio quality on the pl-390 can be a lot better on both AM and FM. the radio has to have a good strong audio on the headphone jack. I have had a lot of radios with headphone jacks that sound like crap at times. I'd prefer it to have an extendable antenna like the pl-390 but it's ok if it does not.

Have you heard of CC radio's AM radios? I'd love to get one in the future, this radio is on my "wish list", the CC Radio 2 :
"The Premium Radio Designed for Long-Range AM Reception and Emergencies!

The CCRadio-2 has a little better AM Reception than the previous models and the addition of the 2-Meter Ham Band. The boost in AM performance comes from our patented Twin-Coil Ferrite® AM Antenna, and other improvements. Thanks to audio that's optimized for voice clarity AM stations continue to sound just right. After you select a station, the CCRadio-2 evaluates the signal for several seconds and then locks in for the highest signal possible. " (from CCRadio's site, quoted)

I've heard great things about the CC radio plus, but unfortunately I haven't tested one so can't give a real honest opinion. Here is their list of reviews, some good some bad! http://www.ccrane.com/radios/am-fm-radios/ccradio-2.aspx#prodReviews

What I like about CC radio's website, I myself am sight impaired (not totally blind) and like the fact they have a link to Blind Reading services, where you can listen online to blind radio. Nice touch, I've bookmarked the radio services website. http://www.ccrane.com/blind/reading-service.aspx

I know what you mean about finding a good radio that's easy to use especially for those with some sort of handicap. I like the way radios USED to work- switch on the power, tune a knob. I HATE buttons that are flush with the equipment, or radios that are so complicated you have to read the manual to perform simple functions. Alarms, 300 different "memories" and 5 different "memory pages" seem overkill to me.

Anyway, good luck to you and I hope you get as much a kick out of the radio reading services online stations as I do. Some station links aren't good anymore but some are. the first radio station on that link is to an Australian service and I enjoy it very much as they read the news as it's printed, along with some books reading during certain hours.

What do you all think about the CC SW pocket? I'm thinking of getting this radio. The CC 2 radio is too big for what i'm looking for.

For a reasonable outlay, I have gotten a LOT of mileage from my Grundig G3. Its simple, has good selectivity on both AM and FM and the headphone sound is pretty darn surprising. The speaker sounds like a tin can! I've had some pretty good catches with it too over the last two years. It travels with me everywhere in luggage and in hot and cold cars and even on my motorcycle in the saddlebag. Its also pretty easy on batteries if you don't use the backlight. Operating it in a dark room by feel is pretty easy for me too.

May not be the best out there, but that has been my experience.

Although this won't help on AM, on FM it will hold 100 presets and they can be tuned with the wheel. I set mine up with a preset for each FM channel. Unfortunately on AM 100 isn't enough to get every 10khz channel.

austingrace said:

Hello to all. I'm in the market for a portable radio. I'd like to have very good AM/FM reception. I have the texon pl-390. It's a good radio but I hate how it tunes. It goes 105.1 105.12 and so on. I wished it would do 10 KHZ steps. I also hate how it mutes distant AM stations unless you turn the radio a certain way. I don't care if the radio has shortwave or not. Any ideas? I'm a hardcore DXer. I really appreciate you guy's help. The radio has to be real easy to use. I'm blind so I can't see it. I'd prefer it not to have any timers or clocks or whatever. But if those are the only radios that provide what i'm looking for so be it. If you're a bit confused on what exactly I'm looking for just let me know and I can try to clarify if need be. I'd like to get AM stations like the old time radios used to. I guess the radio would not have that chip like the pl-390 has. I don't know the name of the chip but I'm sure you guys get where i'm going with that.

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If you want a Walkman style radio, SRF-59 for analog tuning, SRF-M37W fro digital tuning.

Portable with speakers - CCrane- EP radio is most sensitive portable currently on the market. It does have an overload problem if you are too close to a lot of high powered stations on the top of the band. But the narrow IF setting and analog tuning make it extremely good. Only modded tuned RF models that are no longer sold are better.

It isn't a shirt pocket size radio, and it has its shortcomings (most receivers do), but I love my Sangean PR-D5.

The giant ferrite antenna really is effective. It was the radio I using when I snagged 640/KFI, 680/KNBR & 540/CBK.

I'll add my two cents worth for the Sony SRF-59. I don't use it as my main DX radio, but I have one, and it has narrow enough selectivity to where you can tell the channels apart while tuning across the dial, and it's wide enough to where you get decent fidelity on AM. It's pretty sensitive, and can be boosted with use of a loop. Mine cost less than 20 dollars at a local box store.

The tuning knob has a very positive feel to it, also, unlike a few other walkman style radios.

Agreed. The Sangean PR-D5 has the best AM reception I ever heard. If you would like something a little smaller, the PR D7 is good,as well. AM reception is not as good as the PR D5 but is close and it uses 6 AA batteries instead of the 6 C's the PR D5 uses and it uses rechargeables and you can power them inside the radio.

I just got the Tecsun 390. Best FM reception on any radio, but I don't like the fact it scrolls in .1 increments. However, the ETM and ATS tuning does make it easier.

Off topic, on the Tecsun..this radio takes getting used to,but it is a powerful receiver. Is there a way to just punch in 1 through 9 on the radio to a preset? I haven't found a way to do this.

benale said:

Agreed. The Sangean PR-D5 has the best AM reception I ever heard. If you would like something a little smaller, the PR D7 is good,as well. AM reception is not as good as the PR D5 but is close and it uses 6 AA batteries instead of the 6 C's the PR D5 uses and it uses rechargeables and you can power them inside the radio.

I just got the Tecsun 390. Best FM reception on any radio, but I don't like the fact it scrolls in .1 increments. However, the ETM and ATS tuning does make it easier.

Off topic, on the Tecsun..this radio takes getting used to,but it is a powerful receiver. Is there a way to just punch in 1 through 9 on the radio to a preset? I haven't found a way to do this.

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Add each FM station as a preset manually using the M button. It will hold 100 presets on FM which is just the right amount to store everything from 88.1 to 107.9. It will take several minutes to set up, but once you store all stations as presets you press the VM button to switch to the preset mode. Now the scrolling wheel will tune between presets so it will go directly from 88.1 to 88.3, etc. You can also key in the preset number on the number pad meaning #1 will go to 88.1 and #100 will go to 107.9. I find the FM side much more usable with the stations stored as presets using VM.

Well guys. this is a lot to think about. ahhahaha quite a bit overwhelming to be honest. ahhaa OK. I don't want a radio the size of a boom box. I want something like the pl-390 or a bit bigger. is that ccrane ep2 like a boombox? I'll wait until the pl-390 dies. ahha. I'd go for ccrane or sangyon as of right now. The g3 was awesome but again, it muted out weak am stations.... I'd be willing to spend 100 or more if it came to it. I don't have room for external antennas and stuff. I'd prefer whip antennas. Sorry if I seem a bit confused. There is only so much you all can do. But I do appreciate the ideas. Am I wrong or aren't sonys known for overloading very easy? I can't have a radio that overloads very easy. I live in Orlando.

Austingrace,
I have two Sony AM-FM radios I DX with (a Sony WM-FX101 Walkman, and a Sony SRF-59), and also have a Sangean AM-FM-SW radio which uses a Sony IF chip, and I have used all three with loops, and haven't had any overload problems with them.

According to some ultralight radio AM DXers that are more into radio circuitry than I am, the SRF-59 is known for being practically immune to overloading, because its IF chip is a new design.

I have just started getting acquainted with my SRF-59, and it's a very good performer for only $18. I use it with a loop and haven't had any problems. Earlier tonight I was able to pull up WCCO-830 through the splatter of a local station on 820, with readable signals. WCCO was even coming in without the loop's help.

austingrace said:

Well guys. this is a lot to think about. ahhahaha quite a bit overwhelming to be honest. ahhaa OK. I don't want a radio the size of a boom box. I want something like the pl-390 or a bit bigger. is that ccrane ep2 like a boombox? I'll wait until the pl-390 dies. ahha. I'd go for ccrane or sangyon as of right now. The g3 was awesome but again, it muted out weak am stations.... I'd be willing to spend 100 or more if it came to it. I don't have room for external antennas and stuff. I'd prefer whip antennas. Sorry if I seem a bit confused. There is only so much you all can do. But I do appreciate the ideas. Am I wrong or aren't sonys known for overloading very easy? I can't have a radio that overloads very easy. I live in Orlando.

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Lucky - central Florida is a DX'ers dream location. CCrane EP should do very well in Orlando. Next time I go over there I'll take mine and see how it does - my feeling is that it will pull out things like WSB on AM daytime. That will be a good test, because I could do it in Daytona daytime, right at the limit of receivability. On FM, it will probably do all the Tampa stations, probably even the big Sarasota ones. The Melbourne, Cocoa, Daytona, Ocala stuff will probably come in, Gainesville a bit iffy. It probably takes an external antenna to do Jax and Miami stuff. But late night all of the major stations from Jax and Miami will probably come in with the whip, especially on nights after significant sea breeze front events.

Night AM I remember the major NYC doing very well on a GE SR-2, which is similar to the CC-EP. WOR doesn't, but the rest do well.

My trusty old Realistic DX-440, is my best performer, my Sangean PR-D5, is another good radio...however, for the biggest bang, in the smallest package, it's my Grundig G8. Pocket sized, AM/FM/SW (the FM is exceptional), adjustable tuning steps, stores 100 stations in each band, sleep to one station and wake to another...it's a great little travel radio.

~BG

HMMM this EB2 sounds very interesting. I may look into it. I may get the cc SW pocket as well. they have another radio coming out at the end of this month that caught my interest.

Tincap said:

My trusty old Realistic DX-440, is my best performer........

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I have the Sangean 803-ATS (same unit) and it is a pretty darn good radio. Its not terribly selective on FM though. AM is excellent. Connected to an external antenna it is easily overloaded.

Well guys. I ended up settling on the CCrane CC sw pocket. None of the analogue radios were what I was looking for. A lot of the radios that were recommended may have well been called boom boxes. ahhahahaha LOL. I guess I should have started off this whole topic by saying I wanted a pocket radio. Anyway, I'll have the radio by tomorrow and I'll keep you all posted.