11/9/2023 0 Comments Pocket transistor radio![]() While no one expects top grade performance from a $10 to $20 pocket portable, picking the right one can make all the difference depending on what is important to you.įor this report I chose seven currently-available, inexpensive radios ranging from $9 for the tiny Degen DR797 (2.2” x 3.5” x 0.8”) to $15.59 for the Tecsun R-233 (4.5” x 2.5” x 1.1” ) and $19.95 for the Kaito KA-210 (4.5 x 0.75 x 2.75 in) and Vondior 926 (8.8 x 6 x 0.1 in). Some are better on AM, others are better on FM, and some have more balanced sound than others. The most interesting thing I found (the same as in years past) is how much these pocket radios vary in their areas of strengths and weaknesses. FM reception on the other hand can be very good and is sometimes much better than yesterday’s small portable radios. And since the internal AM ferrite rod antennas are necessarily small in these radios their AM reception will never compare with larger, more sophisticated radios, although the best are decent. Modern DSP radios range from mediocre in some sets to state-of-the-art where those chips are better utilized, so the presence of DSP is no guarantee of quality – each radio must still be judged based on its performance rather than its design concept. This design trend with more and more of the radio’s circuits all contained in individual chips can be both good and bad as long-time readers of this website will attest. Modern radios are chip-based to varying extents with many DSP designs which incorporate almost all the active circuitry in one chip, but even non-DSP types are still IC-based to simplify manufacture. Of course, today’s pocket sets bear no internal relationship with those all-analog sets of old. As a group they remind me of the old “transistor radios” we all carried with us in the 50’s and 60’s. These small radios will fit into a large pocket but they still vary considerably in size with the Degen DE797 and Kaito KA-200 literally half the size of others, so choose accordingly. Pocket Radios Under $20: Degen DE797 – Kaito – KA-210 – Tecsun R-233 – Vondior 926Īnd a comparison with other models from the original Pocket Portables review which are still available including the Kaito KA-200/Degen DE-333, Sangean SR-35 and Sony ICF-P26. Onto The New Review – I will leave the older review for reference at the bottom of this page but some of those models are no longer available. Earbud portables such as the CC Pocket and Sangean DT-160 are more expensive and are generally in a higher class overall with digital tuning and its associated features along with Stereo FM and enhanced overall performance. There are many other models available but the seven here represent the best performance and value of all the pocket portable radios I’ve seen which are designed primarily to be used with their speakers rather than with earbuds. (Radio Shack does still have a few larger portable radios on their site however so maybe there is still some hope that their pocket portables might reappear). Checking they all show as Out Of Stock and the ones I found at other online sites were at grossly inflated third party prices. I suspect that the Radio Shack radios are no longer available which is a shame because their Model 1200586 had the best AM reception in last year’s review. This can make tuning a bit finicky if not well-designed but some radios tune more easily than others.Īnother change is that all of the newly-introduced models feature stereo earphone jacks, so even though they only produce mono FM audio you will hear it through both sides of stereo earbuds…a decided convenience. This means they tune in increments, popping from one frequency to the next rather than gliding continuously as in older, true-analog designs. The biggest overall changes for this latest crop of pocket radios are that most currently-made radios are digitally tuned even though they have analog-like tuning knobs and dials. And one apparent clone of it’s well-known predecessor actually gives that discontinued radio a run for its money. Recently discontinued models may still be found here and there but sometimes at grossly inflated prices so buyer beware. Several new models have been added while some are discontinued. ![]() It’s hard to believe that it has been two years since I last updated the Pocket Portables Review, but here it is. ![]() A Bevy of Modern Pocket Portables – Zenith Royal 50 (Circa 1960 in Red) Left Rear
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