Small Portable Radio's?

[this_is_nascar]

OK guys. I need some help. I live in NJ and I'm looking for an AM radio/setup that gives me the best chance of being able to receive the 1170-AM station referenced.

They have a 50k watt transmitter and a ham operator in Louisiana said he can pick them up, but he's got an elaborate setup and antenna.

http://www.mosquitonet.com/~kjnp/KJNP AM.html

 

[Lebkuecher]

All of these stations broadcast on 1170AM in the United States and Canada, it would be miracle if you could pull an Alaska station in NJ especially given you already have an AM station broadcasting on the same frequency in NJ and NY. Streaming would be your best bet if available.


• KBOB in Davenport, Iowa
• KCBQ in San Diego, California
• KFAQ in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• KJJD in Windsor, Colorado
• KJNP (AM) in North Pole, Alaska
• KJXX in Jackson, Missouri
• KLOK (AM) in San Jose, California
• KOWZ in Waseca, Minnesota
• KPUG in Bellingham, Washington
• KYET in Golden Valley, Arizona
• WAVS in Davie, Florida
• WCLN (AM) in Clinton, North Carolina
• WCTF in Vernon, Connecticut
• WCXN in Claremont, North Carolina
• WDEK in Lexington, South Carolina
• WDFB (AM) in Junction City, Kentucky
• WFDL (AM) in Waupun, Wisconsin
• WFPB (AM) in Orleans, Massachusetts
• WGMP in Montgomery, Alabama
• WKFL in Bushnell, Florida
• WLBH (AM) in Mattoon, Illinois
• WLEO in Ponce, Puerto Rico
• WQHC in Hanceville, Alabama
• WRPM in Poplarville, Mississippi
• WSOS (AM) in Saint Augustine Beach, Florida
• WWLE in Cornwall, New York
• WWTR in Bridgewater, New Jersey
• WWVA (AM) in Wheeling, West Virginia
• CBRH in New Hazelton, British Columbia
• CBUX in Port Alice, British Columbia

 

[this_is_nascar]

All of these stations broadcast on 1170AM in the United States and Canada, it would be miracle if you could pull an Alaska station in NJ especially given you already have an AM station broadcasting on the same frequency in NJ and NY. Streaming would be your best bet if available.


•KBOB in Davenport, Iowa
•KCBQ in San Diego, California
•KFAQ in Tulsa, Oklahoma
•KJJD in Windsor, Colorado
•KJNP (AM) in North Pole, Alaska
•KJXX in Jackson, Missouri
•KLOK (AM) in San Jose, California
•KOWZ in Waseca, Minnesota
•KPUG in Bellingham, Washington
•KYET in Golden Valley, Arizona
•WAVS in Davie, Florida
•WCLN (AM) in Clinton, North Carolina
•WCTF in Vernon, Connecticut
•WCXN in Claremont, North Carolina
•WDEK in Lexington, South Carolina
•WDFB (AM) in Junction City, Kentucky
•WFDL (AM) in Waupun, Wisconsin
•WFPB (AM) in Orleans, Massachusetts
•WGMP in Montgomery, Alabama
•WKFL in Bushnell, Florida
•WLBH (AM) in Mattoon, Illinois
•WLEO in Ponce, Puerto Rico
•WQHC in Hanceville, Alabama
•WRPM in Poplarville, Mississippi
•WSOS (AM) in Saint Augustine Beach, Florida
•WWLE in Cornwall, New York
•WWTR in Bridgewater, New Jersey
•WWVA (AM) in Wheeling, West Virginia
•CBRH in New Hazelton, British Columbia
•CBUX in Port Alice, British Columbia

Oh wow. Didn't realize that. They don't stream, so I guess I'm SOL. Thanks for the research and reply.

 

[StarHalo]

OK guys. I need some help. I live in NJ and I'm looking for an AM radio/setup that gives me the best chance of being able to receive the 1170-AM station referenced.

That's 3,300 miles away, so you'll need a very large outdoor antenna and very unique ionospheric conditions, not happening otherwise.

It's a bummer that most of the way out there smaller stations with unique content don't stream; one little station that's farther out but not far from North Pole is KBRW in Barrow/Utqiagvik, 3,600 miles away at the northern tip of AK, and they do indeed stream. Lots of national NPR content but sometimes they'll do local stuff, they do a happy birthday show where residents can call in an wish someone a happy birthday, some callers only speak Inupiaq..

 

[this_is_nascar]

That's 3,300 miles away, so you'll need a very large outdoor antenna and very unique ionospheric conditions, not happening otherwise.

It's a bummer that most of the way out there smaller stations with unique content don't stream; one little station that's farther out but not far from North Pole is KBRW in Barrow/Utqiagvik, 3,600 miles away at the northern tip of AK, and they do indeed stream. Lots of national NPR content but sometimes they'll do local stuff, they do a happy birthday show where residents can call in an wish someone a happy birthday, some callers only speak Inupiaq..

Thanks. I'll have to check that out.

 

[Gene]

Listed as 1020 mAh, battery says 1000 mAh (second pic). I might have gotten both off of ebay, but I know the black one was. Both work very well. Both are not stock with the ICR-100 - the one that came with it was gray IIRC, and it was so poor a performer I threw it out. It actually stopped taking a charge. Got a charger off of amazon:

(not sold anymore apparently)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N0BAEUM/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Thanks for that Don. I forgot all about this. All the ones I received with my radios and the ones I purchased on Ebay just don't last after a charge. They're even worse when I try to charge them directly in my radios. I have to charge them in a seperate charger I also purchased on Ebay but they still only would last a short time.

The original BL-5C is supposed to weigh approx 22g , fakes (low capacity) are usually quite a bit lighter.

http://www.cpkb.org/wiki/Nokia_BL-5C_battery

John

Thanks for that John.

Thanks. I'll have to check that out.

Hey, Hello Ray!
Good to see you're still kicking around! Gentlemen, Ray goes way back on these forums and is one of the most generous and helpful people there ever has been on these forums. He's right up there with Don and Steve who also are the same, (honorable mention to StarHalo ). Ray, you're among the best folks on these forums here and again, glad to see you're still around.

I think these BL-5C cells are so widely used in cell phones and radios nowadays is the reason there's so many fakes out there.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Thanks Gene. You're too kind.

 

[StarHalo]

This is similar to what we camera folk go through when buying proprietary li-ion batteries like these; the much cheaper copies don't last as long, it's preferable to just pay more for the brand name original. But the BL-5C hasn't been used in a phone for so long that I doubt any of the original manufacturers have made them for a long time, perhaps the market is entirely the subpar copies now.

 

[dgbrookman]

Oh wow. Didn't realize that. They don't stream, so I guess I'm SOL. Thanks for the research and reply.

Most of these stations are fairly far off the great circle path from NJ to Fairbanks so you just might be able to pull it in with a highly directional antenna. I plotted the great circle path from Newark to Fairbanks at http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=EWR-FAI (I don't know just where you are in NJ but the exact location won't matter much.)

A challenge for sure, but not impossible.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Most of these stations are fairly far off the great circle path from NJ to Fairbanks so you just might be able to pull it in with a highly directional antenna. I plotted the great circle path from Newark to Fairbanks at http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=EWR-FAI (I don't know just where you are in NJ but the exact location won't matter much.)

A challenge for sure, but not impossible.

Thx. I'm a bit southwest of the dot.

 

[schuster]

For those following the Digitech AR-1780, the SWL blog has a new review that is very detailed and practical. Quite frankly, the radio looks pretty good; of course, we're all hoping that the cheaper XHDATA clone has similar performance and build quality:

https://swling.com/blog/2018/01/jack-reviews-the-digitech-ar-1780/

Just a word about the reviewer: Jack Kratoville is a unique individual in this hobby, as he is also a working on-air radio professional. I hear him frequently doing fill-in shifts on WLTW-FM ("Lite" FM) here in Metro NY as well as across the country on other IHEART-affiliated stations. (A couple of years ago, my wife and I were in Charleston SC and, riding in a minibus which had a local FM station playing on the speaker - recognized the announcer's voice instantly).

He maintains several web pages on portable radios within his family's web site:

http://www.kratoville.com/jackjr/radio.html

He is particularly interested in FMDX, and mentioned listening with a portable radio in his lap during his commute to work via the Long Island Railroad.

Also a real nice guy.

 

[Retspin]

That's 3,300 miles away, so you'll need a very large outdoor antenna and very unique ionospheric conditions, not happening otherwise.

It's a bummer that most of the way out there smaller stations with unique content don't stream; one little station that's farther out but not far from North Pole is KBRW in Barrow/Utqiagvik, 3,600 miles away at the northern tip of AK, and they do indeed stream. Lots of national NPR content but sometimes they'll do local stuff, they do a happy birthday show where residents can call in an wish someone a happy birthday, some callers only speak Inupiaq..

At night WWVA dominates 1170 on the east coast. Maybe one day the Alaska station start streaming.

 

[5S8Zh5]

Thanks for that Don. I forgot all about this. All the ones I received with my radios and the ones I purchased on Ebay just don't last after a charge. They're even worse when I try to charge them directly in my radios. I have to charge them in a seperate charger I also purchased on Ebay but they still only would last a short time.

I use my ICR-100 so much I needed a spare so I got another one. It came with the green on I posted a picture of above - and it holds it's charge very well. New one just charged up - will see if it's a good one too.

 

[Gene]

I use my ICR-100 so much I needed a spare so I got another one. It came with the green on I posted a picture of above - and it holds it's charge very well. New one just charged up - will see if it's a good one too.

Funny, because the ones I received from Ebay are the green ones. My examples are just as lousy as the ones that came with my radios. ALL my radios that use them when charged inside the radios are not charged to full capacity. The charger I purchased from Ebay does better but I still suspect it leaves a lot to be desired and there's probably better ones out there but where? 😳

This is similar to what we camera folk go through when buying proprietary li-ion batteries like these; the much cheaper copies don't last as long, it's preferable to just pay more for the brand name original. But the BL-5C hasn't been used in a phone for so long that I doubt any of the original manufacturers have made them for a long time, perhaps the market is entirely the subpar copies now.

I think you might be right on this SH. I think even if you can find OEM's, they've been languishing on shelves for such a long time that they may not be up to par.

 

[schuster]

Universal snuck this guy onto their site overnight; Sangean HDR-14, AM/FM/HD 5"x3" portable powered by 3xAAs with full data display. Listed as a "future" release with no pricing yet.

Now officially listed on the Sangean US web site. No sign of the user manual, though.

http://www.sangean.com/products/product.asp?mid=230&cid=3

 

[Lebkuecher]

Thomas has finally posted his review of the Sangean HDR-16.

A review of the Sangean HDR-16 AM/FM HD Radio


I bought the HDR-16 last year and like Thomas I am overall pleased with the performance. While I might not consider the HDR-16 the ideal mega boom box that can blast deep base jams into a happening party the radio dose strikes a good balance between good audio fidelity and performance. I would be hard pressed to believe anyone would not be pleased with the radio provided they have reasonable expectations after reading some good quality reviews. There are of course better radios depending on one's requirements, there always is but options narrow significantly when considering HD. I would recommend anyone considering buying a HD radio to check to see if HD content is available in your area and of course determine if the additional content or quality of content would add value to your listening experience.

 

[schuster]

Thomas has finally posted his review of the Sangean HDR-16.

A review of the Sangean HDR-16 AM/FM HD Radio


I bought the HDR-16 last year and like Thomas I am overall pleased with the performance. While I might not consider the HDR-16 the ideal mega boom box that can blast deep base jams into a happening party the radio dose strikes a good balance between good audio fidelity and performance. I would be hard pressed to believe anyone would not be pleased with the radio provided they have reasonable expectations after reading some good quality reviews. There are of course better radios depending on one's requirements, there always is but options narrow significantly when considering HD. I would recommend anyone considering buying a HD radio to check to see if HD content is available in your area and of course determine if the additional content or quality of content would add value to your listening experience.

This is a very fair summary for the prospective buyer. The bottom line is what there is to listen to in your area, and how far you are from the signal sources.

 

[Lebkuecher]

NPR is offering the CCRadao 2E on final clearance for only $110.11. Note: (This item is on final clearance. Clearance items are in limited supply and are non-returnable)

I do not ever recall seeing this radio listed this low. If you are looking for the best currently produced radio on the market this deal would be hard to pass up.

NPR Link

 

[Sherbona]

NPR is offering the CCRadao 2E on final clearance for only $110.11. Note: (This item is on final clearance. Clearance items are in limited supply and are non-returnable)

I do not ever recall seeing this radio listed this low. If you are looking for the best currently produced radio on the market this deal would be hard to pass up.

NPR Link

Nice, thanks! But I wonder if this is the CCRadio 2 or CCRadio 2E? The listing calls it CC2 or [FONT=&quot]CCRadio-2 and the picture for the titanium one shows "CCRadio2" in the lower left. Yet the picture for the black one shows "CCRadio2-E".[/FONT]

 

[Lebkuecher]

Nice, thanks! But I wonder if this is the CCRadio 2 or CCRadio 2E? The listing calls it CC2 or [FONT="]CCRadio-2 and the picture for the titanium one shows "CCRadio2" in the lower left. Yet the picture for the black one shows "CCRadio2-E".[/FONT]

That is a very good question, I looked at the black one and saw the 2E and didn't notice the titanium without the E. That would make a difference.