Tiny Sangean AM/FM radios for everyday carry

MP3 players containing digitally synthesized FM tuners are plentiful in the marketplace, but I wanted a radio chiefly for listening to AM stations. It must be small enough to carry every day (EDC) in a shirt pocket and be powered by a single, easily replaceable battery.

I bought a Sangean SR-3 AM/FM radio which has a built-in speaker. It is slightly larger than the speakerless SR-2 I bought earlier. Both radios run on a single AAA battery and they are tiny enough to share a shirt pocket with other EDC items.

Nice little radio there. How's the reception with the SR-3? That's a real rarity to find one that small with a speaker. Sangean makes a lot of nice radios. Who did you buy from? Thanks.

Geoff

Flying Turtle said:

Nice little radio there. How's the reception with the SR-3? That's a real rarity to find one that small with a speaker. Sangean makes a lot of nice radios. Who did you buy from? Thanks.

Geoff

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Hi Geoff,

They are both sold on Amazon.com, though I bought the SR-3 locally at Fry's Electronics. Fry's did not stock the SR-2.

The AM reception is quite good, but the tiny dials aren't calibrated all that well. Tuning takes a fine touch. I can receive AM stations from 1000 miles away late at night.

The SR-3 is easier to use than the SR-2 because its controls are a little larger and you don't need earphones.

Audio quality through earphones is excellent. As you might expect, the built-in speaker is low fidelity, but that's fine for the type of AM listening I do.

The SR-3 is furnished with a wire antenna which you need for FM reception when using the internal speaker. It plugs into the headphone jack.

Both radios contain an internal AM antenna. The headphone cord serves as the FM antenna when listening through headphones.

I use SONY headphones because they fit my ears much better than the ear buds supplied with the Sangean radios.

I carried a Sangean DT-210V (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000066R6M/?tag=cpf0b6-20) for a long time, it's the digital and slightly larger version of your SR-3. It does indeed have very good AM reception, and the speaker actually sounds pretty good if you lay down the unit on its back onto a semi-resonant surface, like a couch or bed. And you can actually turn it up high enough to hear outdoors, which is rare in an AAA-powered radio.

It was superceded by the Sony SRF-T615 (http://www.audiocubes2.com/category/Radio/product/Sony_SRF-T615_Pocket_Radio.html) which is notably smaller, and has better-yet AM reception.

How is the sensitivity and more importantly the selectivity?

I still use the first "Walkman" style radio I ever owned to listen to AM on the go - a GE 7-1000A. It dates from around 1980 and it's got the best AM reception of any portable of it's size that I've ever used and good selectivity too. It is considerably larger than the Sangeans you posted, but because it uses 3 AA batteries it runs for a long time on a fresh set. I don't really mind the size because I just clip it to my belt or pocket and go about my business.

One nice feature it's got is separate volume controls for left and right, so you can drop the volume on one side to listen to conversation and still listen to Rush, the ball game, or whatever with the other ear. GE had lots of headphone models with separate L-R volume in the 80s.

Radiophile, the Sangeans are more than sensitive enough for the AM stations I want to hear and receive stations more than 100 miles away at night. Of course, my GE SuperRadio II is more sensitive, but it has a huge internal antenna.

I have larger radios than these Sangeans, but I carry several items (e.g., multitool, whistle, pens, pad, paracord, knife, flashlights, spare batteries, loupe, bandanna, keys, wallet, etc.) and have to pay close attention to the size and weight of each item.

StarHalo, thanks for the references to the other models. I saw the Sangean DT-210V, but it is twice as heavy as the SR-3 and I wanted a simple analog design powered by one battery.

As a longtime radio hobbyist, the Sony you mentioned looks neat, although not quite right for this particular application. I've not seen it before. Thanks.

Radiophile said:

I still use the first "Walkman" style radio I ever owned to listen to AM on the go - a GE 7-1000A. It dates from around 1980

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That's some ancient tech! I'd wager since it's GE it probably has a mammoth ferrite bar stuffed in there, it would be interesting to see how it stacks up against the Sangeans and better Sonys.

The balance volume is unique, though you wouldn't really need it with modern earbuds; a good set is completely transparent - you hear your radio program in detailed quality while still being able to hear everything around you as though your ears were bare..

It's still my go to headphone radio for a reason! I have two later versions of the same concept by GE, but this one is the best on AM. The others have rotary volume controls, but this has sliders, and I like the sliders - even with the noise.

The loopstick is only about 2.5 inches long, but it's got 4 coils wound on it, and the board is stuffed with inductors and capacitors - I just opened it for the first time in over 20 years. They're nearly the same size as the inductors and capacitors I've seen in CBs from the same vintage - big!

Would you believe I still have the clunky headphones that came with it somewhere? They sound great too, but I need to get some new foam covers for them. I have some 2XL earbuds that I got to see if I like the earbud concept, and they sound pretty good, but they do have a good deal of isolation from the outside world. With the sound off it's almost like I'm wearing the earplugs I wear at work. I would guesstimate a reduction of at least 9dB - maybe more. What earbuds do you use?

I use the Sony MDR-828LP buds (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008VF63/?tag=cpf0b6-20), they're sonically identical to a good pair of 30mm over-head/open headphones, but completely transparent and comfortable too; you can easily fall asleep with these in (voice of experience). And the best part, you can usually find them at Target for ~$8. Highly recommended :thumbsup:

I've always had trouble using regular earbuds. They just won't stay in my ear. I guess my ear canal is too small for them. So, the other day in Big Lots I saw a cheapo Sentry model that had a different design. Works much better. I can actually move around without them falling out. They are also 16 Ohm, which don't seem to require cranking up the volume as much as others that all seem to be 32 Ohm.



Geoff

Flying Turtle said:

So, the other day in Big Lots I saw a cheapo Sentry model that had a different design. Works much better. I can actually move around without them falling out. They are also 16 Ohm, which don't seem to require cranking up the volume as much as others that all seem to be 32 Ohm.

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Those are in-ear buds, the aforementioned Sonys are non in-ear; they rest between your earflap and the bump over your ear canal (between your antihelix and tragus, for you trivia/anatomy folk), which is why they're completely transparent and so comfortable.

Most people are either specifically in-ear or standard bud fans, it just comes down to preference.

I tried a pair of those Sentry earbuds for $4, but they sounded crappy to me. No bass and really tinny treble. I went back and bought a pair of 2XL "Snake eyes" earbuds for $10 and they sound great! I dig the in-ear style because of the isolation. I barely turn the volume up from minimum and I can hear ALL the music. Nice!

Radiophile said:

I tried a pair of those Sentry earbuds for $4, but they sounded crappy to me. No bass and really tinny treble.

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Mine really don't sound that bad, to me anyway. I'm just happy I can walk around without them falling out.

Geoff