Small Portable Radio's?

[Bullzeyebill]

I bought a CountyComm GP-5DSP and I'm a bit disappointed by it.

The radio is complicated. I was surprised by it's SW reception last night on 49 meters, using the whip antenna. Was picking conversations that my Radio Shack could not hear. A few minutes ago I tuned in 15000 for time, and it came in loud and clear on the CCom, and was barely audible on the Radio Shack. I know that the GP is a re-branded Tescan. I did look up a review here. This may be old rehashing of the GP/Tescan, and this review might have already been noted in this thread.

Bill

 

[Branbolio]

The G6 is a tried and true unit, and has proven itself to be a legendary radio, whereas the Skywave is a totally new and untested model, so there are no reviews or comparisons, no reliability data. Also, the G6 has SSB, which means it will receive significantly more SW/AM stations than the CC, and can hear more HAMs.

There's also the issue of price; a decent deal on the G6 will be cheap enough versus the Skywave that you could also buy a second basic weather radio. But I would only bother with the WX band if you both (a) live in a place prone to weather emergencies, and (b) don't have a local news station on AM/FM, which will usually provide a lot more info than the weather band will.

Im thinking of pulling the trigger on a used G6 for around $55 shipped today, seems the best deal I could find... Is that a good price?

What separate small radio with wx would you recommend to give me weather band and keep me a ways below the skywaves total pricing? (Closer I get to its price may steer me from 2 separate radios and lean me towards it)

 

[StarHalo]

$55 is a great price, that radio is worth far more on features alone. And the very basic WX radio I linked to is only $15, the combo still priced far below the CC.

 

[Branbolio]

$55 is a great price, that radio is worth far more on features alone. And the very basic WX radio I linked to is only $15, the combo still priced far below the CC.

Well got the used grundig g6 today and it is useless because of some sticky residue all over it. I did read one review about the plastic having a sticky feel but this is ridiculous. Have you actually had one of these? You can't even press the buttons without it totally leaving a weird residue on your hands and the radio not coming off your skin making it very uncomfortable to operate. If you press your finger anywhere on it you can literally lift it like its glued to your finger. I'm not sure if the owner did something to it or if this is the issue I read from the reviewer before. Either way its going back and scratching this model off my list. I'm thinking this is why it was discontinued because the size and features seem great but if you put this in your pocket all the lint will stick to it and make things even worse. Sux I may have to pay return shipping, but at least it's returnable since I got it on eBay.

Anyone else have the g6 with this issue. Is grundig really that much better than ccrane? I think I might just order the skywave as they really seem to have a great rep from all the reviews... I like my little tecsun pl-118 quality, but reading reviews on the pl-380 seems if you drop it 6 inches on a table it breaks into pieces. Anyone have quality issues with these tecsun radios?

I want something to last for years, if I have to spend a little more money I don't mind. I just don't want a lemon or some discontinued cr@p just to save a few bucks!

 

[StarHalo]

That sucks, I didn't know the G6 had the sticky case issue; sorry to hear that. The Skywave would certainly be next on my list, CCrane's been on a roll lately so it should be a good bet.

 

[Lebkuecher]

Branbolio

Older Eton products have a coating applied to the surface to help with the grip but unfortunately over time the coating starts to break down into goo. I have the same problem with an Eton E1. The problem can be solved using Isopropyl Alcohol 91% (rubbing Alcohol) and cotton balls. Take your time and gently rub the surface and the goo will slowly strip way. Test a small area first on different parts of the radio, if your radio is like the E1 then there could be some surfaces where the Alcohol will remove the paint. Some have had some success with Goo Gone. It is a small hassle but it's not the end of the world if your radio performs. I'm sure at some point I will have to strip my G5 and G3.

 

[timbo114]

I bought 2 G6 units - brand new in the box.
One was a sticky mess, the other was perfect.
Like Leb said - rubbing alcohol - the higher percentage will give a better /faster result.
You'll definitely be using some elbow grease as well, but it worked like a charm for me.
I used a micro fiber cloth, wiping in one direction only.

Goo Gone made my mess worse. 91% or 99% alky is the ticket for sure.

 

[Lebkuecher]

Hey timbo114

How's your A6 holding up and did you see a noticeable difference with the batteries your ordered?

 

[timbo114]

I love my A6.
I bought 2 OEM Nokia batteries (not the hi cap)
I've been listening to mp3s for many hours, still running on the 1st charge on the 1st cell.
Blackberry Smoke live in NC .... I'd swear those guys are in the same room with me.

 

[StarHalo]

The rubbing alcohol trick works, but it's usually recommended that you disassemble the radio to thoroughly scrub the parts - quite a bit of work for someone just looking for a good small radio.

Blackberry Smoke live in NC

I can feel a good one comin' on!

 

[StarHalo]

True story: On the night a defense missile exploded in its silo in Arkansas in 1980, journalists and law enforcement were on the receiving end of an information blackout from the Strategic Air Command; no information, no one answering the phone about the strange flash in the sky or the ground shaking. But the local radio station was talking about it and taking calls from residents who provided updates about what they saw and heard, including a man with a scanner who overheard site personnel talking about searching for "the warhead," confirming the weapon was indeed nuclear. The news and the law were completely in the dark, but anyone listening to the radio got up-to-the-minute live updates..

 

[Lit Up]

Im thinking of pulling the trigger on a used G6 for around $55 shipped today, seems the best deal I could find... Is that a good price?

What separate small radio with wx would you recommend to give me weather band and keep me a ways below the skywaves total pricing? (Closer I get to its price may steer me from 2 separate radios and lean me towards it)

The Kaito KA101 is a weather only radio that you turn on/off by pressing a large button. Can be had for 15.00 on Amazon. Takes 3xAA or Micro USB-powered

Another is Kaito KA-210 that has AM/FM and WX. Takes 2xAA Can be had for 20.00. Neither of these have the weather alert function, however, if that's important to you.

 

[Lit Up]

Thanks for the suggestions, however i think those 2 still may be a bit bigger than id like. The pl-380 is even pushing it...
right now I'm down to:

-pl-380
-g6
-cc skywave
-cc sw pocket
-cc pocket

hmm, what to do... any others out there in this small form factor? what would you guys pick?
.

The Skywave will do anything the CC Pocket and SW Pocket will do, plus a couple things they won't.

 

[Lit Up]

Your post actually hits on pretty much all the finer points regarding a good emergency radio; digital just uses more battery so stick to analog.

True indeed. My Kaito KA-210 that looks all analog but has DSP tuning was just now distorting and losing signal, signifying that the batteries are going dead. So I put in new batteries and it came right back to life. Then I took the so-called "dead" batteries and put them in the truly all analog Kaito WRX911. Fired right up and currently still going strong 25 mins later. When the chips are down and you need power conservation, it's analog every time. No question.

 

[Lit Up]

And now 15 hours later, those dead batteries are still going strong. I don't think I like DSP tuning very much. At least not in a pocket radio you take around with you.

 

[Lit Up]

Now the batteries are too low to run the analog Kaito WRX911, so now I have one of those batteries powering a red Gerber Infinty. Lol Think I may need a Dead, Deader and Deadest box to separate batteries that still have some useful juice left.

 

[StarHalo]

I don't think I like DSP tuning very much. At least not in a pocket radio you take around with you.

DSP is for casual listening, it makes the stations you already get sound better. Definitely not for stormy conditions.

 

[Lit Up]

DSP is for casual listening, it makes the stations you already get sound better. Definitely not for stormy conditions.

I noticed on the C Crane website that they state the Solar Observer has analog tuning w/ DSP. Are all radios leaning towards this unfortunate battery-sucking feature for just some audio improvement? ( I personally was just fine with AM/FM as it's been for decades. :shrugs

 

[Al]

I noticed on the C Crane website that they state the Solar Observer has analog tuning w/ DSP. Are all radios leaning towards this unfortunate battery-sucking feature for just some audio improvement? ( I personally was just fine with AM/FM as it's been for decades. :shrugs

Maybe this is of interest?

https://courseware.ee.calpoly.edu/~...s/notes & materials/dsp_analog_vs_digital.pdf

 

[Lit Up]

Maybe this is of interest?

https://courseware.ee.calpoly.edu/~...s/notes & materials/dsp_analog_vs_digital.pdf

None of that makes a bit of difference to me or even comes into play when listening, for me anyways. However, the 15 hours less of runtime a set of batteries gets on a dsp tuned radio vs.a true analog does. Until/if/when they shutdown the analog signal in the U.S., I hope the manufacturers still offer consumers a choice for the time being.