# Small portable radios?



## paulr (Aug 23, 2003)

I'm thinking of adding a battery powered radio to my EDC travel kit in case of future power outages, earthquakes, etc.

Desired characteristics:

- It should be very small and light, though I'm willing to pay a moderate size/weight penalty if the radio has a speaker (as opposed to earphone-only).

- It should NOT have any dangling wires or cords to snag on things. I don't want a headphone radio where you plug headphones into it. I'm ok with a earphone radio where the radio is BUILT INTO the earphone (one solid piece, no wires)

- it would be nice if it can receive both AM and FM. However, single band is ok, with AM preferable.

- Preferably it should run on one or two AAA cells, since I'm leaning towards AAA's for all my gear (Arc AAA and PT Rage flashlights, Garmin Geko GPS, etc). 

- A built-in LED flashlight would also be nice (I've seen radios with these a few times)

- It shouldn't be expensive, let's try to keep it under $20, preferably way under. I don't need digital scanning with 100 memories or anything like that.

- None of the above (except the "small size" thing which is a relative term) is a hard requirement, they're just things that are desirable.

Thanks for any suggestions.


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## avusblue (Aug 23, 2003)

Hi Paul, 

I think you're unlikely to find all you want at less than $20. I'd recommend the Sony SRF-M37V which is a very small Walkman radio. I use mine every day. It does require headphones, but the unit is VERY small and lightweight, has a good belt clip, easy to use AM/FM digital tuning, great reception, and can also receive weather band and TV audio as well (which may be a good thing for an emergency radio.) It sounds great, and uses 1 AAA which runs for 35 (!) hours -- pretty good!





Best Buy and Target sell it for $30 (so you can go look at it) and Amazon sells it for 26 bucks with no tax and free shipping.

IMO, the small handheld "non-walkman-type" radios that have a built in speaker sound so bad, and cannot project enough volume, and consume batteries so much faster, that I say why bother with a speaker. 

Good luck,

Dave


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## ikendu (Aug 23, 2003)

*paulr said: ...very small..speaker...AM and FM...AAA's *

I have just such a radio that I carry whenever I travel. I got it from Radio Shack probably 10 years ago. It's about as big as a large fig newton or a little smaller than a small box of raisens. I later found the company that made it for Radio Shack...Sangean.

Here is a current Sangean AmFm AAA radio w/speaker 

It works great for the small EDC radio role!


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## raggie33 (Aug 23, 2003)

i get my emergeny radios from discount stores for like 3 bucks or so. a course they sound awefull but serve there purpose to me for news and stuff or a football game


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## paulr (Aug 23, 2003)

Thanks, that Sangean SR-1 looks very nice but more expensive than I want to spend for something that I'd use so rarely.

I might check discount stores for something like this:

http://store.yahoo.com/americanesuperstore/cx-5-silver.html

but it's a little bit on the big side (even though I think those measurements are in cm and not inches). 

I was pretty sure I'd once seen an earphone (one ear, not headphone) radio where the whole radio was built into the earplug, so it was tiny. That's the kind of thing I had in mind by earphone radio. I also remember seeing a radio built into a wristwatch (you had to plug in a normal earphone) though I wouldn't want to wear such a thing.

The purpose of a speaker is so more than one person can listen. Earphones don't really substitute. However, it does make the radio bigger, and earphone-only is better than nothing.


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## ikendu (Aug 24, 2003)

*paulr said: ...more expensive than I want*

Radios built around AAAs are likely to be of the "tiny but pricey" type. I also own a very nice Jensen that uses 2 AAs that is larger (it's my power failure radio for the house) but still pretty compact and about $10.

Jensen Am/Fm/TV - AA - w/speaker 

Got mine at Target.


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## brightnorm (Aug 24, 2003)

I EDC a tiny RShack radio that I've carried for years. It's 3" x 1.5" x .5", operates on one AAA. It sits on my belt next to my cellphone and I literally never leave home without it. I removed the wire and one earbud from a stereo pair and only use one ear so I'm fully aware of my surroundings. I walk around with it in my ear much of the time so I'm always current with news and my favorite talk shows. It came in especially handy once at the Denver airport when a tornado was bearing down, the tower was evacuated and we were all hunkered down on the floor of the UA VIP lounge and the customer rep and I were the only ones who knew what was going on. 

I tried a small radio with speaker but soon realized that the sacrifice in size, weight, runtime and convenience wasn't worth the inadequte distorted sound. For convenient and constant access EDC a non-speaker type radio is best, though a larger one might be appropriate for your pack.

Unfortunately the model I EDC is no longer available.

Brightnorm.


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## paulr (Aug 24, 2003)

I guess the small earbud radio is the way to go. There are a number of those that are pretty cheap. I was afraid of the wire snagging on something in my pack, but I the solution is to just wrap a fabric or tyvek pouch around everything when not in use. Thanks.


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## tsg68 (Sep 2, 2003)

I recently bought two of the Sangean SR-1's from this site for $29.95 and I must say they are extremely compact and of very good quality for the size. The site is Canadian but sells them for about $10 less than American dealers the shipping is very quick too, DHL got here in two days.

The radios are AM/FM with a FM stereo setting (for the earbuds) and come with very good quality earbuds (the right one on a longer wire than the left, for use as a single earbud like Brightnorm uses) the speaker is pretty nice with great sound quality for such a tiny radio. I'd have to say they are worth the money. My dad told me that Sangean is a very reputable manufacturer and he has a shortwave radio by them that he loves. They have quite a few models of radios and portables that also have shortwave and UHF/VHF reception.

Just thought I would give a quick little review.

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## Double_A (Sep 2, 2003)

tsg68-

A question for you, do you know how long it last on a fresh battery using the speaker? How about when using the earbuds?


GregR


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## Kristofg (Sep 2, 2003)

Have you thought about one of those freeplay models? They don't need batteries at all and thus provide unlimited playing time.

I combined a sony walkman with one of those solar charging garden lights to skip the battery problem.


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## Quickbeam (Sep 2, 2003)

This is the one I have in my disaster kit. Doesn't fit what you're looking for, but I think it's great. Used it throughout the 2½ day outage we had...

AM, FM, TV VHF, VHF Aircraft, and Weather bands.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F007%5F009%5F004%5F000&product%5Fid=12%2D756


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## avusblue (Sep 2, 2003)

In addition to your EDC / go-bag "very small" radio need that started this thread, I think that every household oughta have a portable radio powered by D cells that provides long runtime and decent audio. 

For this need, I can highly recommend the GE Superadio III. Outstanding AM (and FM) performance and a good sounding speaker. Not very expensive either. I have one on my desk that is always left on, and another at home that I use in the bathroom and around the house on 6-D batteries which seem to last forever (like more than a YEAR of daily intermittent use). It's model number 7-2887A. They are very well liked by radio enthusiasts -- it must be special when it has its own fansites! You can find out more about them here: The GE Superadio III FAQ Page Also, there are many user reviews of this radio at Amazon. And finally, here's a place to buy one for $39.50






Be prepared . . . . 

Dave


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## avusblue (Sep 2, 2003)

Here's another thread that may be of interest: 

Good AM Radio Suggestions?? 

Dave


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## paulr (Sep 2, 2003)

Thanks for the Superadio link. I hadn't thought about buying a big radio like that since I already have a random am/fm/cassette boom box that works pretty well. But it occurs to me the Superadio might be a good candidate for modding to take an aux input to plug in a cd/mp3 player. I don't know of any inexpensive boom boxes with that feature.

The Sangean receiver does look good but is way too expensive for the purpose I had in mind for it (it would get very infrequent use). There are some slightly bigger radios around in the $5 range and I'll probably pick one up even though it won't be as nice.


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## paulr (Feb 8, 2004)

Crosspost from a newer thread:

I just bought a couple of cheap FM-only earphone radios, 1 for $2.99 or 2/$5.00 at Walgreens. They run on two AAA's and are the size of a pager and have a belt clip. They're not as small as they could be, but they're very lightweight. The guts are on a 1"x2" PC board with a lot of analog through-hole components. These guys didn't use a ten-cent part if they could use nine one-cent parts instead. But about half the space is used by the 2aaa battery compartment. Overall, it's about 2.5" squareish and 1/2" thick. I bet you could repackage the PC board in about third of the total space, by using a coin cell instead of the two AAA's and ditching the plastic shell (just wrap some tape around it or something). A less drastic mod would be to just cut off the AAA compartment and take off the belt clip, use the existing plastic shell and knobs around the rest of the board, and power it with a coin cell taped on the back. A CR2450 coin cell should last maybe 2/3 as long as a pair of alkaline AAA's, which is probably tens of hours in a tiny thing like this. Further space savings can be had (as someone in the other thread mentioned) by separating the two stereo earbuds and throwing away one of them with its accompanying wire. In the more drastic mod, you'd also dump the plug and socket for the earphone, and just direct solder the wire. This is all for a $2.50 radio so you're not exactly destroying an expensive piece of equipment with such a mod.

Back when I was a little kid there were all kinds of ultra-miniature radios available, that fit in pens, wristwatches, and whatever. I can't seem to find those any more. I don't know why. With surface-mount parts and a coin cell instead of that through-hole stuff and AAA's, the little Walgreen's radio could be the size of a matchbook.

FWIW, the radios I got look like same as the one in this package: http://store.yahoo.com/tressasvillage1/waraw.html

Also, it looks like Brightnorm's 1AAA radio is this one. It's much nicer than the cheapies I just got, but about the same total size.

Edit: oh my, this looks like the same radio I got but with the addition of a built in (LED?) flashlight, $2.39 in quantity with your logo printed on:
http://www.logoinc.com/Specials/LogoRadioSpecialPam.htm


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## DaveT (Feb 9, 2004)

I'll second avusblue on the little Sony radio - I replaced the headphones with earbuds, and it fits very compactly in a pocket, I carry it every day, and it's how (while stuck in the subway during the blackout) I found out the blackout was more widespread, and not likely to be fixed soon. 1010 WINS, the giant news station, was off the air, but WNYC (local public radio) was still broadcasting and able to clear up a lot of the confusion. Some people were still waiting on the platform for the next train - I had to convince them there wasn't going to be one. 
A good EDC choice.
Dave


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## avusblue (Feb 9, 2004)

Dave, I agree. I've been using the Sony as an EDC for over six months now and am AMAZED by how long the battery lasts. When I'm traveling and not sure of what stations to listen to, I like that I can receive weatherband and TV audio with this radio. I also appreciate the little "hold" switch to lockout button pushes or accidental turn-ons. 

Again, it earns my highest recommendation, especially considering its very reasonable price.

Cheers,

Dave


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## Harrkev (Feb 9, 2004)

If you don't mind going "ultra deluxe," you might want to try one of these:

http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=103&encProdID=rHqQH%2FVccfo%3D&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0

It is a LOT more than $20, but worh it. And it DOES have digital scanning with hundreds of memories. Picks up AM, FM, weather, TV, shorwave, police/fire/EMS, corless phones, Throw in a long-wire antenna, and you are set for anything...

But this is an item for a the descriminating customer. It is the "surefulre" of hand-held radios.

Here is what I carry every day (it also transmits):
http://www.kenwood.net/indexKenwood.cfm?do=ProductDetails&ProdID=5019&Group=5


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## paulr (Feb 9, 2004)

The Sony does look nice. It's a little larger than the $2.50 thing I just got, but it has AM, digital display, presets, and I'm sure it's built a lot better. I'd buy it if I wanted a general purpose radio walkman but I already have a cd/mp3/am/fm walkman that I use when I want to bring music along (say on a long bus trip). 

The Yaesu as you mention is the Surefire of hand-held radios, super quality and capability but way too big for this purpose. I'm looking for something more like the Photon II of radios, or maybe the Arc AAA of radios at most.

I put a partly-drained pair of AAA NiMH cells from my PT Blast into the $2.50 radio last night and it's been running all night and still going fine into my big Sony headphones. So a pair of alkalines should last at least 12 hours, maybe several times that. I guess that's plenty for this kind of thing. 

On the other hand, the headphone connectors (1/8" stereo plug and jack) in this thing are extremely flaky, both the internal jack and the plug on the earbuds. Jiggle the wire slightly and the sound cuts out. I haven't opened the second unit to see if it's better. Right now I have my big Sony headphones plugged into the first unit and that's a bit more reliable, and the radio does drive those headphones at reasonable levels. Spraying in some contact cleaner might help, or I may just take the thing back to the store. 

Humorous note: these things are sold under the "Lifelong (r)" brand and the package says something like "Lifelong (r) warranty included, details inside". Of course the warranty card inside is for one year. I just chuckle at this.


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## Phaserburn (Feb 9, 2004)

I have a Superradio, Radio Shack's version but identical. It does do a good job at pulling in stations and gets alot of use during football season in the fall. I like to listen to games while doing yard work outside, etc.


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## drs2000 (Feb 9, 2004)

A quick note regarding batteries in emergency radios. 

All of the digital, and, i think, any of the 'scanning' ones that remember the last station used, draw power from the battery to maintain memories and clock, if they have one. One of my Sonys'll eat a set in a few months without touching it. Always store these without batteries.

I've got some of the Baygen radios. But they sure won't fit anywhere small. Tho the original one has enough room inside that you could probably put the emergency kit inside the radio.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif The C.Crane modified Baygen was cool, as they put a jack on the back, and gave you a three white LED 'car trouble light' that plugged in and ran off the generator, essentially replacing the shunt regulator in the radio. So you really do get 'free' light, as that energy would be used as heat in the reg, otherwise.

But they sure ain't small.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

yours, drs the crazed.


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## LEDmodMan (Feb 9, 2004)

They use AA batteries instead of AAAs, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the County Comm $10 shortwave radios.

Great radio for the $$$. See this thread


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## AlphaTea (Feb 9, 2004)

Yea, I too was wondering why the countycomm $10 radio's were not mentioned. These are great!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif
I made a purchase from countycomm and decided to get one of the little radio's on a whim.
It was so popular, I ordered 5 more.
They are tiny (4"X 2.5" X .75") or about the size of a deck of cards.
Even if it isnt _exactly_ what you need, you wont complain about spending $10 on it.


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## drs2000 (Feb 9, 2004)

By the way, the Superradio and the RS version are really nice machines. I have all four versions, IIRC, and they're all excellent. Specifically designed for pulling power, which could be nice if a BIG disaster hit and there aren't any locals left.

I was reading the Urban Emergency Kit thread, and was reminded of a funny. (Craig, you'll appreciate this...) I collect old transistor radios, 50s and early 60s, with some exceptions. When we had an area-wide power outage a few years back while I was at work, we needed to monitor broadcast radio to help us decide what to do. Nobody had any radios.. Then I remembered. Ran upstairs and grabbed the only one of my novelty transistors I had at work. It's called "Little John". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I actually thought of snapping a picture of this, but no Polaroid film..

Picture this: Electrical Shop Dept Head, Facilities, Operations and Maintenance Dept Head, Airport Electrician Foreman and myself (Electronic Tech) standing around a desk, lit by a twin tube Ray-O-Vac lantern, intensely staring at a miniature pink toilet...........

It was a long day.. But Little John did the job.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smoker5.gif


By the way, the wristwatch and in-the-ear radios are probably a bad choice for emergency use. They are a minimalist design that just barely works, and use small, odd batteries. Those Sonys, Toshibas and the like are much better radios.

DRS the home with a cold..  /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sick.gif


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## milkyspit (Feb 9, 2004)

*drs2000*, I have the GE Superradio that's pictured farther up the thread. But I've also read elsewhere, in some posts by shortwave enthusiasts, that the older versions of that radio were actually better. Apparently GE has cut some corners in recent years to hit their price point, or something. Wonder if the older ones are still available anywhere?

On another, possibly off-topic note, what ever happened to those crystal radio sets? As a kid I remember hooking one up from parts, and listening through an earphone. If I understand correctly, it actually drew its power from the radio signal itself. The radio had an antenna and a grounding wire that needed to be physically connected with the Earth, at least temporarily. Then there was just enough juice to drive a small earphone.

In a real disaster with extended power outage, I'm wondering it it might be useful to have one of these around? In theory, it could work day and night, for as long as necessary, and be stored indefinitely until it's needed...


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## paulr (Feb 9, 2004)

The Countycomm is a good deal, but rather big and heavy for tossing in a travel kit, which is what this thread was originally about. It's 2.5"x4"x.75" or so, and feels packed with stuff, i.e. heavy even for its size, 4+ ounces with the AA cells inside.

I sort of remember once having a 1AAA FM headphone radio about the size of a Zippo lighter. I wonder why they don't make those any more. This thing I just got for $2.50 is about twice that size. Except for its flaky earphone connectors (needs some contact cleaner spray maybe), I guess it's not bad. It's maybe a third of the size and weight of the Countycomm. I better check whether it uses any battery power when turned off, but I don't think it does.

I've left it on continuously since last night on two partially discharged 700 mAH NiMH AAA's and it's still going fine. So it should run at least 24 hours on alkalines. I guess that's plenty. If they made one half the size and weight that ran 12 hours on 1AAA, that would be perfect.


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## BlindTiger (Feb 9, 2004)

I know what you're talking about. Toshiba and Aiwa made them. they were smaller than a zippo and were high quality.
I just sold one for a few bucks and the lady who bought it loved it. For their size they pulled in a lot of stations and were quite loud. Back then they were $50 but that was during the mid eighties with the walkman craze.


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## paulr (Feb 9, 2004)

The one I had was probably Aiwa but may have been Sony. It wasn't a no-name and it wasn't anything like $50. I'm sure it was under $20. I may still have it in a box somewhere, but not much chance of finding it.


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## Avix (Feb 9, 2004)

maybe a bit more than you want to pay ($35.00), but it's got solar, crank, nihm internal and AA batteries. AM/FM/WX/SW.

http://tinyurl.com/2b4pa

comes with ear buds and wire antenna.


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## paulr (Feb 9, 2004)

Avix, thanks, but it's not just an issue of cost, I want something TINY, like cigarette lighter sized or built into a wristwatch or whatever, and solar and crank power just don't fit in with that.


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## this_is_nascar (Feb 9, 2004)

They don't get much smaller than This.


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## this_is_nascar (Feb 9, 2004)

This radio looks small too, however I can't seem to stay focused on the radio.


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## paulr (Feb 9, 2004)

Ray, thanks, that's exactly what I want (China toy factory coin cell radio, looks the same as the Unique Stuff one). I wonder where the volume control is (if there is one?), what type batteries it uses (hopefully 2032), and who retails them for less than 20 bucks. I found the same link as a Google text ad when I looked for tiny radios, but it didn't work at that time. Anyway, the link works now. I probably won't buy one anytime soon but it's good to know that it's there.


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## shankus (Feb 9, 2004)

Hmm...group buy?


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## brightnorm (Feb 9, 2004)

FROOGLE PAGE FOR SONY SRF-M37V

Brightnorm


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## tsg68 (Feb 9, 2004)

I see this Coby radio at drug stores all the time for between $4 and $7 and it looks good, smaller than a pack of cigarettes, uses one AAA (like my $30 Sangean) has an external fm antenna for extra pull, and has an external speaker as well as ear buds. Cheap and uses one battery with no digital drain. I carry a small AAA case that holds four AAA's and a single AA to give me more power for the radio as well as my Arc AAA and AA which usually accompany me everywhere.

Ray, my wife would kill me if I got one of those (not talkin' bout the radio) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

Tad /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## drs2000 (Feb 10, 2004)

I'll try looking around at the flea market this weekend. Lots of small import units..

Milkyspit: The earlier Superradios were better built and more selective, with better frontends. But the current one's pretty good. I'll look out in the garage and see which ones I've got..

Somewhere I've seen a very small radio with an internal speaker of the type found in laptops. Not the best sounding, but very useable, and still small. I like the idea of a speaker, if more than one person would like to hear..

The Coby above is close.

Still here. DRS the crazed..


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## paulr (Feb 10, 2004)

My experience with tiny speakers is it's hard for more than two people to listen, especially if there's breaking news, which tends to get people talking over it. So I've let go of a speaker as an important requirement for this radio. Note you can separate stereo earbuds from each other, so two people can listen. For home use, you want a radio with a reasonably powerful amplifier and big speaker, that can fill a room with sound. The Superradio or a medium sized boom box should do the job.

I haven't seen that Coby radio but have seen a couple of other Coby gadgets (a walkman and a travel alarm clock) which were really junky, cheaply made and ready to fall apart. I hope the Coby radio is better made than that other stuff.


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## tsg68 (Feb 10, 2004)

I've seen the following Coby for sale around $11 to $15 dollars as well and it's a little bit bigger than the other (3 1/8x 5 x1 1/8) but is still very small for a SW radio. Has 9 bands (AM, FM, and 7 SW) and features a DX/local feature to pull more distant stations incase of loss of local ones. I think it takes AA's but I'm not sure.






Tad


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## paulr (Feb 10, 2004)

That Coby looks pretty similar (but not the same) as the slightly smaller Countycomm $10 radio labelled "Kaiwa", fwiw.


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## DaveT (Feb 10, 2004)

I'm not too high on the Coby brand...had a very small radio from them - smaller than a pack of cigarettes, had a built-in lanyard to hang around your neck, thumb-wheel adjustment for stations, AM/FM - worked well for about 2-3 months, then it started having problems with keeping a station steady and audio quality. 
That's when I got that small Sony, which I've had more than 8 months. I love the digital tuning and memory presets, and will gladly trade that for the battery drain - I think the life on it is still great.
Dave


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## fuego (Feb 10, 2004)

I'm happy with the Grundig Traveller II.I got it on ebay for $26.AM,FM,SW.Uses AA(4)and is approx 5x3.5x1.Definitely not a POS.


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## paulr (Feb 10, 2004)

Well, the $2.50 radio stopped running last night. It had been on for more than 24 hours nonstop, but less than 36 hours, on partially discharged 700 mAH NiMH cells, running a big pair of Sony headphones (instead of the tiny earbuds which probably use less power) for about half of the run. So I think a pair of alkaline batteries can probably run it for around 40 hours. That means a CR2450 coin cell could run it maybe 20 hours, and a CR2032 maybe 10 hours. Not bad, not bad at all.


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## paulr (Feb 11, 2004)

Further: I've been seeing more similar radios with the same interface, scan and reset button and no tuning dial. They must all use the same chip. I just saw one at the local liquor/convenience store for $1.99 including two cheap AAA's. This one is in a different form factor like a highlight marker, about 1 inch wide and 5 inches long, with a pocket clip. You could carry it in your shirt pocket like a pen. It might be a little more packable than the squarish ones I got. It might also be a better candidate for a coin cell mod (saw off the lower 2 inches or so where the AAA's are). Spending 20 bucks on that one from Uniquestuff isn't looking attractive.

The Countycomm radio is a Kawai KA-989 which got some decent reviews around the net. It apparently normally sells for around 20 bucks. 

For higher class radios, I'd lean towards the Sony 1aaa model with the TV and weather bands plus AM/FM.


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## Lux Luthor (Feb 11, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*Avix said:*
maybe a bit more than you want to pay ($35.00), but it's got solar, crank, nihm internal and AA batteries. AM/FM/WX/SW.

http://tinyurl.com/2b4pa

comes with ear buds and wire antenna. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I have one of those - the older model without the digital display. It's made by Kaito. It's an excellent unit, but a lot bigger than what's been called for on this thread. Still an excellent choice, though, and you can get by completely without batteries by just winding it a few seconds every couple hours.

Still looking for something smaller to complement it, though.


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## Lux Luthor (Feb 11, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*Harrkev said:*
If you don't mind going "ultra deluxe," you might want to try one of these:

http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=103&encProdID=rHqQH%2FVccfo%3D&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0

It is a LOT more than $20, but worh it. And it DOES have digital scanning with hundreds of memories. Picks up AM, FM, weather, TV, shorwave, police/fire/EMS, corless phones, Throw in a long-wire antenna, and you are set for anything...

But this is an item for a the descriminating customer. It is the "surefulre" of hand-held radios.

Here is what I carry every day (it also transmits):
http://www.kenwood.net/indexKenwood.cfm?do=ProductDetails&ProdID=5019&Group=5 

[/ QUOTE ]

That Yaesu looks pretty similar to the Icom IC-R5. Are you familiar with that unit? I've been eyeing the Icom for about a year, but didn't know about the Yaesu. I'll be looking into it. Thanks for the link.


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## Harrkev (Feb 11, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*Lux Luthor said:*
That Yaesu looks pretty similar to the Icom IC-R5. Are you familiar with that unit? I've been eyeing the Icom for about a year, but didn't know about the Yaesu. I'll be looking into it. Thanks for the link. 

[/ QUOTE ]

The Yaesu model was a competitor to the Icom IC-R2, and is an older version. It is far better than the IC-R2, but I have not compared to the IC-R5. Both are probably good choices.


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## avusblue (Feb 12, 2004)

Hey guys, be alert that the Sony SRF-M37 referred to above is available on eBay for $13.98 shipped. It has an American Express logo on it, but its sucha good deal that I went ahead and snapped one up as a spare. As of this writing there are 12 left.

Here's the link. 







No affiliation, yada yada, just posting as a public service.

Cheers, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Dave


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## tsg68 (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks Dave, I just ordered one. We'll see if it's a goodie or not. If not, I live here in the city so I'll just return it in person. Used but they look like they're in good condition. Probably an American Express promotional product but still less than half price. Should get here pretty quick.

Tad /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## milkyspit (Feb 12, 2004)

Tad, I think I was in line just in front of you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I picked up two. Hope they're okay! Incidentally, for those who haven't looked at the listing yet, the first one costs $6.99 with $6.99 shipping, but each additional one tacks on only $2.00 shipping. Figured I'd average down my cost a bit by going for a couple. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## paulr (Feb 12, 2004)

Group buy? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## tsg68 (Feb 12, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*milkyspit said:*
Tad, I think I was in line just in front of you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I picked up two. Hope they're okay! Incidentally, for those who haven't looked at the listing yet, the first one costs $6.99 with $6.99 shipping, but each additional one tacks on only $2.00 shipping. Figured I'd average down my cost a bit by going for a couple. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif 

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL Scott, I watched the quantity drop by two as I was viewing the listing and then the seller's feedback! I figured what the heck for $14 it was worth a shot, looks like you scored by ordering two for the minimal shipping increase. According to other listings of the same product in their feedback section these are in excellent condition, so it looks like a good deal. These radios are highly recommended by Dave T and he's a great guy so this was a good opportunity. Thanks again for the tip Dave (Avusblue).

Tad /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## paulr (Feb 12, 2004)

Yes, good deal spotting that Ebay sale, thanks. I do notice that the way Sony sells those things, they come with nice looking headphones instead of those cheap earbuds. The earbuds are preferable for compactness, but lower quality ones tend to have flaky plugs.


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## tsg68 (Feb 13, 2004)

I doubt I'll use the buds. Sony's headphones are stinko anyway, I have a few pairs in brand new condition because I always replace them with Koss Sportapro folding headphones immediately. A buddy of mine that worked at J&R music and really knew his stuff showed me how some of the electronics made by Sony could be the best on the market if they just had better phones and now I always want to test stuff with the Koss' first before buying. I mean it is really that big of a difference. 

Tad /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## paulr (Feb 13, 2004)

Sony makes some pretty good headphones (I have their MDR-V6 which are excellent). Maybe their standard Walkman phones are no good, I'll take your word for that. I have no direct experience.

I looked at that Sony radio in the store and it's noticably larger than the $2.50 thing I got, but it's sure a lot nicer. I might buy one, dunno. Anyone else want one? Maybe we can split the shipping charge, those things should weigh just a couple ounces and cost less than a buck to mail.


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## milkyspit (Feb 18, 2004)

Got my Sony SRF-M37's today from the ebay listing. They look and work great. One does have a minor scratch on one edge, so non-critical that I didn't even notice it until hours after I started playing with that particular radio. The other unit is near-perfect cosmetically. In the more important (for emergency use, anyway) category of function, both work as advertised. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BTW, while I was finding a place to stash these new radios, I rediscovered a really small Sony unit I had a friend send me direct from Japan a few years ago. I don't think it was ever sold over here. It's a Sony SRF-M90. I have the silver one shown here...






It measures about 3-1/2 by 1-3/4 by 5/8 inches. Runs on 2aaa batteries. Very nice! But I got it to clip on my jogging shorts while running, then found it doesn't have a clip. Now I don't really need it.

If someone could use it for their emergency kit, I'll sell it for $20 plus postage and Paypal fees. I paid much more than that to get it originally, but otherwise it'll just sit in the closet. Might as well let it be useful for someone else. I'll send some bud-style earphones, too, although not particularly good ones. PM me if interested.


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## paulr (Feb 18, 2004)

That's an FM-only unit, right? How big is it compared to the SRF-M37?


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## milkyspit (Feb 18, 2004)

*Paulr*, it does *both* AM and FM. If you look REALLY closely at the text under the words "FM STEREO" in the photo, you can barely see where is says, "FM/AM RADIO".

Sizewise, it's about half the thickness of the SRF-M37. Its height is the same as the SRF-M37's width. Its width is about two-thirds that of the SRF-M37.

Put another way, turn that little silver radio on its side, put it on top of the SRF-M37, and it'll come up to the bottom edge of the SRF-M37's display. Does that make any sense to you?

Subjectively speaking, it "feels" like it's half the size.


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## paulr (Feb 18, 2004)

Hmm, how does the FM sound? Does it have the right channel spacing and equilization for use in the US?


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## milkyspit (Feb 18, 2004)

Yes, Paul, yes. FM is fine. Everything is fine. The unit actually has a "secret" button combination that toggles the frequency steps for use in Japan or USA. It's currently configured for USA, and everything is fine. It's totally fine.


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## avusblue (Feb 18, 2004)

milkyspit, I'll take it if it's still available!

PM also sent.

Thanks,

Dave


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## avusblue (Feb 18, 2004)

Aaaaand . . . PayPal sent!

Thanks Scott, this radio looks very cool. I am looking forward to receiving it!

Dave


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## tsg68 (Feb 18, 2004)

Picked up my SRF-M37 Sony (from ebay auction) at the PO today and mine's very nice, almost new condition with only minor scrapes under the clip. Judging from the branding on the bag it came in and the print on it, they look to have likely been once preset to recieve sponsored broadcasts of the US open to viewers in the stands and provided by American Express, then resold to the ebay dealer sans headphones (probably a resale restriction due to health code issues) There's probably less than a few hours runtime on them. They recieve very well on all bands, have great sound quality and I like the presets. All in all a good deal! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Tad /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## avusblue (Feb 22, 2004)

My eBay Sony SRF-M37 arrived on Saturday in good order. Mine was mint and absolutely perfect. The little "American Express Radio" logo came off in a jiffy with careful application of very fine sandpaper followed up with Meguiar's plastic cleaner / polish. A pleasant surprse is that it came with an Alkaline AAA (Sony doesn't supply one). Overall I'm very pleased with the deal (I was already very pleased with the radio!)

I may put this up for sale, as I'm looking forward to receiving my SRF-M90!!

Cheers,

Dave


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## paulr (Dec 14, 2004)

Heh, this old thread is still around.

I was just at the local Walgreens and found that they had not one, not two, but three different ultra-small earphone radios at $5.99 each, powered by button cells. All of them would reasonably fit in an Altoids tin PSK and each probably weighed under 0.5 ounces. So this is what I was looking for at the start of this thread, a "Photon II" class of radio.

There was an FM radio with a scan button similar to the cheap pen radios we've been seeing everywhere, probably with the same chip inside, powered by two LR44's. Then from another manufacturer, there was an AM model and an FM model, both with analog tuning. The FM model used two LR44's and the AM model used one LR44. The AM model looked like it had a tiny ferrite bar antenna. As I remember, both FM models had pieces of wire hanging from the earpiece, to act as antennas.

I didn't buy any of them so I don't have any test reports, and I didn't have a camera with me so I didn't take a photo. I might go back and buy one of the radios sometime though, probably the AM one.


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## Aloft (Dec 14, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*avusblue said:*
...
I may put this up for sale, as I'm looking forward to receiving my SRF-M90!!

Cheers,

Dave 

[/ QUOTE ]

avusblue. . . where are you getting the Sony SRF 90? I did a google on it, but all the sights are non-english. Is it available in the US yet? I'm very interested, and I'm also interested about your impressions of the M37. That's a pretty inexpensive radio even if it has analog tuning. 

Please post or PM. . . I may have to get one (or more!) of each!


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## Flying Turtle (Dec 14, 2004)

Big Lots has AM/FM/SW radios for $7.99. Of course, I couldn't resist. They are analog with a digital readout, run on 2 AA, have FM only alarm, 9 SW bands covering most everything from 5.5- 24 Mhz. This is the Coby CX-CB91. It performs at least as well as the price predicts. The readout is surprisingly accurate for AM and SW. FM is off by 0.2. Reception is fairly decent on all bands. Strong local AM does overload, but not excessively. There is a local/distance switch that has minimal effect of FM only. The first one I got seemed faulty. The radio alarm only came on in FM. I took it back for trade, and the second did the same. I guess this fact was lost in the translation. The second unit had a much smoother SW band slide switch and the batteries squeezed in bit easier, so quality control may be an issue. 

Geoff


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## freeze12 (Dec 14, 2004)

Take a look at this radio as I ordered it & it is an excellent radio.. VERY small,great sound & very good battery life & lots of features for the price.

http://www.radios4you.com/kaito-ka105.html


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## georget98 (Dec 14, 2004)

I bought an SRF-M37 about a year ago and brought it back. AM sensitivity was poor, FM easily overloaded, and I don't think the battery lasted 5 hours; and when the radio decided the battery was gone it just quit dead with no warning.


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## Lux Luthor (Dec 14, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*freeze12 said:*
Take a look at this radio as I ordered it & it is an excellent radio.. VERY small,great sound & very good battery life & lots of features for the price.

http://www.radios4you.com/kaito-ka105.html 

[/ QUOTE ]

That looks like a nice small radio. I'm familiar with those Kaito wind up shortwaves, and they are good units.


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## brightnorm (Dec 14, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*georget98 said:*
I bought an SRF-M37 about a year ago and brought it back. AM sensitivity was poor, FM easily overloaded, and I don't think the battery lasted 5 hours; and when the radio decided the battery was gone it just quit dead with no warning. 

[/ QUOTE ]

My experience exactly. I've gone back to a tiny Plain Jane R Shack analog radio. Not as convenient but reliable, battery lasts forever and fades at the end rather than sudden death.

Brightnorm


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## MicroE (Dec 15, 2004)

Another vote for Dave's (Avusblue) suggestion on the Sony SRF-M37V. 
I have two and they are fantastic. I got them after reading an old thread here in the Cafe. 
Digital tuning is the way to go!---Marc


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