Zenith, like some other manufacturers (such as Sony) often played games with confusing model numbers, using similar model numbers for very different radios and conversely, issuing very different model numbers for some very similar radios. This article will look at several models which share the same chassis and are essentially the same radios inside. Model confusion aside these are some very nice radios with amazingly good performance among bargain priced sets.

Read The Zenith Royal 32-35-640-645-645L Article:

Jay Allen

The Panasonic R-1492 (aka The Elmhurst) is an AM only analog portable radio from 1972. It is a simple 6 transistor design available in Black, Red, Orange and Green. It’s a great looking radio with a dual-faced tuning dial scale which can be viewed either from the front on the top…rather unusual. The few online reviews I found ranged from OK to mediocre so I was curious to see how well it would perform.

Read the Panasonic R-1492 Review:

Jay Allen

Readers of the Ultralight Group are aware of Gary DeBock’s pioneering efforts with FSL antennas and loopstick modifications to Ultralight radios and none have garnered more interest than his latest efforts adding a large 7 ½” loopstick to the amazing Qodosen SR-286. In my original review I was amazed by this little radio…Gary’s loopstick mod has made it even better.

Read the Updated Qodosen SR-286 Review: 

Jay Allen 

This is an update to the Radiwow R-108 Review published in 2019. A while back XHDATA had rebadged the Radiwow as the Sihuadon R-108. There have been a few updates along the way and this article will refer to those as well as the latest update available Spring 2024.

I ended up with three different production versions of this radio…we’ll check them out, compare them and take a quick look inside.

Read the Sihuadon R-108 Update: 

Jay Allen

Here’s another vintage radio which a reader loaned to me for review. This guy works in Vermont helping people who have trouble receiving their PBS station amidst obstructions caused by hilly terrain. He told me that among the collection of radios on which he relies the Sony ICF-5500W is among the best for FM. He sent me one on loan along with a dead set for investigation and I’m glad he did because although I had known this model existed, I never knew much about it and it has turned out to be a real find with unexpectedly great reception.

Read the Sony ICF-5500W Review:

Jay Allen

Since I first published a review on the Sears Model 6223 series I have obtained other Silvertone 800/900 models in the 3223 and 4223 series, some of which are called Silvertone 800 or 900 and others which are not. This is an updated article which discusses all of these models.

Read the Sears Silvertone 800/900 6223-3223-4223 Updated Article

Jay Allen

         (And a Look at some other radios which use Whip Antennas for AM Reception)

When Sony introduced the ICF-2001 in 1980 it was nothing short of a revolution in portable radios. Not to be confused with the later ICF-2001D (which is a completely different model introduced in 1985 and known here in the US as the ICF-2010…one of the longest-lived and most iconic portable radios ever made), the ICF-2001 was the first portable radio to offer direct frequency input via a numeric key pad with a digital readout and other digital tuning features. Somehow though the ICF-2001 seems to have faded into relative obscurity and I had never seen one or known enough about it to look for one until a reader named George graciously loaned me his 2001 for evaluation. As it turns out the ICF-2001 has some unusual capabilities which we will explore:

Read the Sony ICF-2001 Review:

Jay Allen

The new D-608 is a full-featured Emergency Radio from XHDATA who has become a major manufacturer of portable radios over the past several years. It provides excellent performance and all the features we have come to expect of modern digital emergency radios with few extra  features not generally seen as well. You might also find it great for general daily use as well. Read the XHDATA D-608 Review:

Jay Allen

Sangean’s HDR-19 is an upgrade to their superb analog-style WR-55 which I reported on a few months ago. It is housed in the same Natural Cherry ported wooden cabinet and shares the same powerful amplifier of the WR-55 but includes a digital interface with all of the features of today’s modern radios adding FM Stereo, HD reception, RDS and Remote Control. I’ll put the two radios side-by-side to compare them for you.

Read the Sangean HDR-19 Review: 

Jay Allen  

Sony’s iconic line of Super Sensitive radios were very popular models produced from the late 1950’s through at least the mid 70’s. They performed amazingly well even with somewhat simplified designs and were certainly desirable in many ways. The TFM-7300 is a lunchbox size AM/FM radio introduced in 1965 and is overall a very nice all-analog radio.

Read the Sony TFM-7300 Super Sensitive Radio Review:

Jay Allen

This is a rather unusual review of a rather singular product. The Qodosen SR-286 is based on the NXP TEF6686 DSP chip which is designed for car radio use. As such it offers levels of performance and adjustability far beyond what I have come to expect of portable radios. In some ways, this little radio has absolutely astounded me with what it can do. In some ways it is nothing short of amazing!

Read the Qodosen SR-286 Review:

Jay Allen

The newest production run has some important enhancements so I have updated the review to reflect the changes.

Read the Updated XHDATA D-109WB Review:

Jay Allen

For those of you who follow my website you know that for the past few years I have been discovering more and more vintage analog portable radios. This Motorola was recommended to me by a reader who felt it was the hottest radio he ever had and that it had outperformed some reference radios which I have rated as ***** which is quite a claim. I must admit I had never heard of this model before and I found very little information about it online but as usual I was extremely curious as to what it was all about.

Read the Motorola XP7C/XP7CE Review.

Jay Allen

At first glance the WR-55 appears to be an ordinary AM/FM table radio but it is actually an advanced design with performance that is surprising in some ways. Its release is timed to celebrate Sangean’s 50^th Anniversary and they have designated it as a 50^th Anniversary Commemorative Edition.

Operationally the WR-55 is a simple AM/FM tabletop design with a lighted rotary analog style tuning dial, volume and tone controls, AM/FM/Aux/Bluetooth mode selector and a Tuning/Mode LED indicator. But it’s got some surprises under the hood that make it special…let’s take the WR-55 for a test drive!

Jay Allen   

See It At Amazon: 

Here’s another classic all-analog AM only portable from the 60’s. Hitachi described the TH-812 as “Super Sensitivity”, plus, this is the first Hitachi radio I’ve had so I was very interested to learn all I could about it. It was introduced in 1964 and is a 9-transistor design with a tuned RF stage and three gang air variable tuning condenser…old school all the way and highly desirable. It features a 5” ferrite rod of large cross-section, a big slide rule dial, 3 1/2” x 5 ½” (approx.) oval speaker, leather case and gives very long battery life from its 6 D cells.

Let’s take the Hitachi TH-812 for a test drive!

Jay Allen   

XHDATA’s new D-109WB is an upgrade to their excellent D-109 which I reviewed several months ago. Most of its details still apply.

Original XHDATA D-109 Review

There’s good news and great news here. The new radio has all the same basic performance and features of the original D-109 but adds several new features and capabilities which make it a very worthwhile upgrade.

Read the XHDATA D-109WB Review:

Jay Allen  

Following the upgrade of the Skywave SSB to the SSB 2 several months ago C. Crane has now announced that the original Skywave is now upgraded to the Skywave 2. For most of the details on the Skywave’s design and operation you can read my original C. Crane Skywave Review

There are several upgrades and improvements which make a great radio even nicer…read all about the details in the C. Crane Skywave 2 Review:

Jay Allen  

I have been advised that the introductory price of $169 on Amazon will be in effect until next Wednesday when it will increase to $199. It is currently $199 on C. Crane’s own site but the lower Amazon price won’t update until next Wednesday September 27^th.

Here is my personalized Amazon Link to get it:

https://amzn.to/3JZJT2g

Here is my review of the radio: https://radiojayallen.com/c-crane-skywave-ssb-2/

The Masterwork M-2812 and M-2850 are AM portables from the early to mid 1960’s. I bought one of these as a kid when I discovered how sensitive it was…it was a revelation that let me hear my favorite weak station much more clearly than on my previous portable radio. Roughly 55 Years later (in 2023) I found them on eBay and was surprised at how well they perform today.

Read the Masterwork M-2812/M-2850 Review: 

Jay Allen  

A few months ago, I bought the XHDATA D-219 from eBay but not until I received it did I realize that it tuned in 9 KHz steps on AM and there was no way to switch it to 10 KHz. I found I was still able to tune into all my usual AM stations but they seemed to be at reduced volume in many cases. Since stations were received with several peaks, I guessed that some of the peaks were fairly close to the actual station frequency therefore making it possible to hear them, but I asked the good folks at XHDATA if they planned a 10K AM step version of the radio and eventually they did. I now have the new US version D-219 which tunes AM in 10K steps and putting it side by side with the 9K version the results were interesting. How does the XHDATA D-219 stack up?

Read the XHDATA D-219 Review: 

Jay Allen   

The original XHDATA D-808 was released several years ago and rapidly became a favorite model for radio enthusiasts due to its excellent performance and a very complete set of features at a relatively low cost just over $100. There may have been ongoing changes along the way but I am aware of two main revisions, one which occurred in 2021/2022 and one more recently in 2023. There has been much discussion online about reduced AM performance of the new version so I decided to obtain one to compare with my original D-808 and the results were interesting. Read the Updated XHDATA D-808 Review:  

Jay Allen

The new Tecsun PL-320 has arrived and takes its place as one of the recent crop of small, inexpensive radios with amazingly good performance for the size and price. When we heard about the new PL-320 we were told it would be “the same as the PL-330 minus SSB and Synchronous Detection”. As it turns out however, the ‘320 seems to have benefitted from a few upgrades so it has some plusses to consider and it does one or two tricks not available on the PL-330.

Read the Tecsun PL-320 Review: 

Jay Allen  

I am frequently asked how I test radios and decided it was time to explain exactly how I do it. There are many sources of information as well as disinformation on the internet and they vary from helpful to ridiculously inept so for the record here is an overview of my testing methodology.

Read Article: How I Test Radios   

Jay Allen

The new XHDATA D-109 has been quite a surprise with all-around excellent (I should say unbelievable) performance for its low price which is around $31 plus shipping from XHDATA as of this writing. I put the D-109 next to some other similarly sized (but more expensive) portables for some comparisons and the results were interesting…and impressive:

Read the XHDATA D-109 Review:  

Jay Allen 

Once again, I have updated the very popular AM and FM Mega Shootout articles. I have added all of the important new radios which have been reviewed during the past year and have made a few minor adjustments up or down for some existing models based on evolving technology and ongoing testing. As of now both of these articles are continuously updated so new reviews will be included shortly after their primary reviews are posted. Some very inexpensive radios have been omitted since they are designed for tiny size and convenience at the expense of top performance.

Thanks so much for all of your support during these past many years and I hope you enjoy the website!

Jay Allen

AM Portables Mega Shootout     

FM Portables Mega Shoouout

Expected Late January 2023)

Sangean just keeps coming up with new models that increase our expectations of what a radio should be, and they’ve done it again with their new MMR-99 Emergency Radio. We’ve come a long way since the early Baygen/Freeplay wind up radios with mechanical clockwork mechanisms which spun an internal generator to power the radio.

Fast forward a few decades and the Emergency Radio has grown up. The better ones offer a host of features which make these radios an important part of your emergency preparedness kit, including not only solar and hand crank battery charging but also the ability to charge a phone or other USB device, Emergency Lights, Weather Band with alerts and more. We’ll take a close look at the new Sangean MMR-99.

Jay Allen

Here we have another $20 radio (I’ve also found it occasionally for less) that offers not only FM or AM/FM reception but also SW and MP3 playback via an SD card. That seems to be a lot of features for $20…we’ll take the D-328 on a test drive to see what you can for your $20.

Read the XHDATA D-328 Review:  

Jay Allen  

The WFR-39 is the latest WiFi Portable Internet Radio from Sangean and would appear to be an update to their well-known WFR-28 portable. It is much smaller than the WFR-28…about half the size, yet offers improved audio with an advanced technology speaker – sometimes the sound coming from this smallish box is amazing. The WFR-39 offers battery portability along with all the features of an up-to-date WiFi Internet streaming device.

Read the Sangean WFR-39 Review:

Jay Allen

The tiny V112 is another interesting model from Retekess who has offered many models of widely varying quality over the past few years. The V112 is a no-frills, truly tiny earbud-style radio (we used to call them Walkmen) offering AM and FM stereo in a very small, inexpensive package. What can you get in a $20 radio? Read the Retekess V112 Review: 

Jay Allen

The Retekess PR15 is not a new model but is worth checking out as it packs a lot into its tiny size. Measuring a mere 3 ½” x2” x 5/8” it is a true pocket size radio but despite its tiny size it is surprisingly usable, featuring not only standard AM and FM but also NOAA Weather band. I got mine from eBay for $17.99 with free shipping. How good can a sub-$20 be?

Read The Retekess PR15 Review:

Jay Allen

When C. Crane first introduced the compact Skywave and Skywave SSB radios I was frankly amazed at what they had accomplished and I described the original SSB model as the “Swiss Army Knife of Portable Radios”. The Skywaves are unique in their band coverage and as far as I know are the only travel-sized radios to cover all the bands they do. For a bit of history, you can read the original reviews here:

C. Crane Skywave: 

C. Crane Skywave SSB: 

Most of this information still applies to the still available original Skywave and the upgraded Skywave SSB 2. The SSB 2 arrives nicely packaged with a handy protective travel pouch, a reel-up SW antenna, a set of CC Earbuds, and a clever Antenna Adapter Plug which allows bare wires to be connected. The Skywave SSB 2 is currently selling (at the end of 2022) for $169.99.2

So, what is new with the SSB 2?

Read the C. Crane Skywave SSB 2 Review:

Jay Allen   

I recently received a beautiful NordMende GlobeTraveler II radio and I was excited about it because I had briefly checked one out many years ago and was impressed. Fast forward 15 years and another friend sent one to me because he wasn’t using it and thought I would like it. Well…I do! The GlobeTraveler II is the US import version of the TN6000 which looks very similar but has FM limited to 104 rather than 108 MHz.

I’m not sure exactly how many years this model was sold but I found it in the 1968 Radio Shack catalog and the 1969 Allied catalog selling for $179.95 which translates to $4,990 in 2022. Being typical of other German radios of the era such as the large Grundigs it is a very large, heavy chassis with an incredibly complex design, housed in a leatherette-covered wooden cabinet. Many technicians have quipped that if there was a more complex way to do something that’s how these old German radios were designed and they can sometimes be a real challenge to service due their complexity and difficult access. We’ll take a close look inside, work out a few problems then see how well it performs.

Read the NordMende GlobeTraveler II Review:

Jay Allen    

And A comparison with the previous ICF-P26

The Sony ICF-P27 is a very basic small AM/FM portable radio which is well suited for non-critical use where size and weight are of prime concern. It replaces the similar-looking ICF-P26 which may still available at increasing prices as a discontinued model…the ICF-P27 is currently selling for $23.88 at Amazon and the other usual retailers.

The Sony ‘P27 appears virtually identical to the outgoing ‘P26 but is a total internal redesign using a DSP chip whereas the P26 was all analog. We’ll put them side by side to see how they compare.

Read the Sony ICF-P27 Review:

Jay Allen   

As most of you know the long-awaited Eton Satellit was finally released to less-than-glowing reviews. Problems included a high noise floor, muting while tuning and problems with the PBT Passband Tuning among others. Fred and Barbara at Universal have told me that there are remaining issues with the radio’s performance after this initial update but that Eton is aware of the complaints and is “working to address as many as possible”.

Some people have decided to delay their purchase in the hopes that Eton may indeed improve the radio again and I have decided to wait a bit. Others will still want to get the new radio as soon as possible and let’s hope the revisions will please them.

I will keep you posted.

Jay

I have been using C. Crane’s FM transmitters since the original model was introduced many years ago. Their new FM Transmitter 3 is an upgrade over their previous Transmitter 2 which in turn was a substantial improvement over the original FM Transmitter. Once again, C. Crane has taken a singularly-excellent product and made it even better. Most of my career was as a professional broadcaster but I’ve also been a home hobby broadcaster since I was 13 years old and I still love the ability to program my own radio station with exactly the stuff I want to hear.

We’ll check out the new C.Crane FM Transmitter 3 and discuss way tot enhane yhour enjoyment of it.

Read The C. Crane FM Transmitter 3 Review:  

Jay Allen

The Zenith Royal 500N-G/Royal 555G were introduced in 1965 and were available in White or Charcoal. They were the last of the famed Royal 500 line, one of the most iconic lines of its day. They were later rebadged as the Royal 41 and Royal 56 to freshen their names but they used the same circuits and were therefore identical in everything but their model numbers. This renaming is something Zenith did with some of their other models in the mid to later 60’s when new product introductions were expected each year.

The 500N and 555G were identical radios with the only differences being the Suncharger on the Royal 555…the 500N ran on regular AA cells. The Suncharger feature was a first for Zenith and makes the 555 an interesting model but how does it compare with the earlier Royal 500’s?

Read the Zenith Royal 500/555 Suncharger Article:   

Jay Allen

The Radio Shack/Realistic DX-390 is a rebadged Sangean ATS-818 and was available between 1992-1993. The 1992 Radio Shack catalog lists the radio at $239.95 while the 1993 catalog showed a “New Low Price” of $219.95. This is the successor to the well-received DX-440/ATS-803A. My sample carries the Realistic name as shown in the catalogs but I have also seen the Radio Shack name on this model which is curious. Interestingly the Sangean version seems to have been available at a lower price but various sources quote it as having been between $175 – $220 so I’m not sure of the exact amount. They were also sold under other names such as Roberts R827 and Siemens RK 665. Radio Shack also marketed a version with a built-in cassette deck as the DX-392 as did Sangean as the ATS-818 CS albeit with a smaller speaker to make room for the cassette mechanism.

The DX-390 was one of the first serious multiband portables I owned back in the day. Now, years later I decided to try one out again to see how it compares with the many receivers I’ve owned since.

Read The DX-390/ATS-818 Review:  

Jay Allen   

This is another in a continuing series of retrospectives remembering some of my favorite vintage analog radios.

Between 1955 and 1964 Zenith marketed the highly acclaimed Royal 500 series of radios. The 500’s packed a powerful punch and helped Zenith earn their reputation as a leader in technological development and overall quality. But the Royal 500 series commanded premium prices and as competition from low-priced Japanese imports heated up Zenith had to offer lower priced models to remain competitive. And offer them they did with several models selling for less than the 500’s.

This time we’ll look at the Royal 400. There were several others of this same size and general design, including the Royal 250, 265, 275, 280, 285 and 300 and they were generally good performers. However, the Royal 400 is interesting because of all Zenith’s lower priced radios it is in some ways the closest in overall performance to the 500H.

Read The Zenith Royal 400 Article:

Jay Allen   

This is another entry in my look back at some of my favorite analog portable radios of the past. If you scroll down the Home Page you will see several of these radios which I’ve recently reviewed and more are planned. In this article we’ll take a look at two, perhaps lesser-known models from Zenith – the Royal 450 and Royal 475.

These are 7 transistor horizontal designs with vernier tuning. Both measure approximately 6 ½” x 4 ¼” x 2”. The Royal 450 has an untuned RF stage with a two-gang air variable tuning condenser while the Royal 475 has a tuned RF stage and a three-gang air variable, and each runs on 6 AA batteries. The Royal 450 retailed for $59.95 (equivalent to almost $600 in 2022!) and was available from 1958 – 1960 in Ebony, White and Orange. The Royal 475 was introduced as an upgrade for 1961 -1962. It retailed for $49.95 ($475 in 2022) and was available in Ebony or Beige.

Let’s check out the Zenith Royal 450 and Royal 475:

Jay Allen

The RF-738 is a medium size AM/FM design featuring a 2 ½ x 4″ speaker, a Hi-Lo Tone Switch and a dial light. It runs on 4 AA cells and has a built-in 120 volt AC power supply. It is heavy and solid in the tradition of the best old radios and it sports a large ferrite rod antenna of approximately 7” so the potential is there for great AM sensitivity.

The Panasonic RF-738 is a cool-looking AM/FM all-analog portable radio manufactured around 1965. It was recommended to me by a reader who is fond of this model and thought I should check one out and I thought it would be interesting to see what a mid-line AM/FM radio from Panasonic’s heyday might be like. This is part of my continuing look at several vintage all-analog portable radios.

Let’s take a look at the Panasonic RF-738.

Jay Allen  

…plus a look at two AM Stereo Radios and some Wideband AM Mono Radios

and a comparison with other models offering Wide Bandwidth AM options.

Recently a reader graciously sent me two radios for evaluation – the much sought-after Sony SRF-A1 AM Stereo Walkman and the Aiwa FR-C30U. Manufactured around 1983 the Sony was one of several Stereo AM receivers available as AM Stereo was being promoted. The sender was particularly interested in my feelings about these with regards to their wideband sound quality and some reports which once circulated claiming that AM Stereo “sounded better” than FM.

Having worked at two AM Stereo stations I had several recollections of our experiences with AM Stereo in its heyday, and I still had my Realistic TM-152 AM Stereo Tuner, so it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look back at AM Stereo and to look at the state of AM broadcasting today in terms of audio quality.

There are no AM Stereo stations receivable at my location but I do have an excellent mono AM transmitter and the unique Cuthbert C-Quam Stereo AM transmitter which allowed me to do some interesting tests and comparisons. Does AM Stereo sound better than FM?

Read The Rise and Fall of AM Stereo:

Jay Allen    

…and a look at clone radios in general…

For many years I had been curious to check out Radio Shack’s Realistic 12-665 radio because it so closely resembles one of my favorite portables, the Sony TFM-7250W.

The whole topic of radio clones is an interesting one and has been around for decades.

The Realistic 12-665 initially sold for $39.95 and later $44.95. It caught my attention at the time because I owned the Sony version which retailed for $69.95, and it looked so similar I wondered if it was really the same radio or a cheapened copy. Let’s find out!

Read The Realistic 12-665 Review:

Jay Allen      

The new Sangean WFR-32 Internet Table Radio is the latest offering from Sangean, a company with a long, proud tradition of top-quality products. Externally it resembles their RCR-40 Stereo Table radio, but internally it is a completely different design with an almost entirely different feature set, and in fact it does not even contain an AM or FM tuner at all. It is a dedicated Internet/WiFi device and in that realm, it offers a wealth of capabilities for those who want easy access to everything other than regular AM and FM stations. It’s list of features is long and we’ll check them out on our Sangean WFR-32 Test Drive.

Jay Allen   

The XHDATA D-901 is an interesting device for several reasons. I got mine for $29.98 at Amazon:  

The D-901 is a DSP-tuned analog-style portable. It covers AM from 520 – 1730 KHz, FM from 64 –  108 MHz and SW from 4750 – 22,999 KHz. It features an analog-style tuning knob and dial scales, MPs playback via Tiff card or USB stick, Bluetooth playback, Aux audio input, SW/FM antenna input, headphone jack, a flashlight with a simple slide switch for easy access and an unusually comfortable soft carrying handle. It also has a digital readout showing playback modes such as BT or Track number and it can run on a built-in USB (Type C port) rechargeable 18650 Li-ion battery or 2 conventional D cells.

Can a $30 radio with all of these capabilities live up to your expectations? Let’s take alook and find out.

Read the XHDATA D-901 Review:     

Jay Allen   

I just want to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a happy and safe holiday season. It has been another tough year for many people and we all hope, once again, that next year will be better. I hope you will all be able to spend time with family and friends and to remember the things that are most important in our lives.

I have also updated the very popular AM and FM Mega Shootout articles. I have added new radios which have been reviewed during the past year and have made a few adjustments up or down for some models based on evolving technology and ongoing testing. As of now both of these articles will be continuously updated so new reviews will be included as soon as possible.

Thanks so much for all of your support during these past many years – I look forward to 2022 with hope and optimism.

Jay Allen

2022 AM Mega Shootout:

2022 FM Mega Shootout:

The GE 7-2875A is one of a few mid-sized GE portables unofficially referred to by hobbyists as “Baby SR’s…smaller relatives to the very popular original GE Superadios. They were sold in the late 70’s and 80’s concurrently with the Superadios and although they are quite different internally than the SR’s and don’t actually perform quite as well, they are nevertheless very nice analog portable radios with good performance and many positive attributes. The GE 7-2875A is one of the nicer models, and we’ll also look at the confusingly similarly named model 7-2857A…just two transposed digits but a completely different radio. GE nicknamed the 7-2875A “The Performer” and advertised its “Big Sound”. It is an all-analog design and as such features smooth, natural tuning and low current drain…let’s check it out.

Jay Allen

The Sony TFM-7250W is one of a long line of “Super Sensitive” radios Sony offered over the years. The TR-84 and 6R-33 Super Sensitive radios were earlier, AM only models which had great performance and are radios I also have in my collection. There were also several AM/FM/SW portables in the Super Sensitive series such as the TFM-8000 and CRF-5100. The TFM-7250W has had a special place in my heart since I first got one in the mid 1970’s. Not until fairly recently did I decide to try one out once again to see what I would feel about it in the context of 2021. Was it really as good as I remembered?

Read the Sony “Super Sensitive” TFM-7250W Review:

The Radio Shack 12-625 was available between 1985 – 1993 and sold for $39.95. Described as “Our Best Full-Size AM/FM” in some ads and “High Performance” in others the 12-625 was a step up from the less costly 12-716 “Budget Priced” ($24.95) model. The 12-625 boasted switchable AFC on FM, a 4” speaker and a variable Tone Control knob. In 1994 the 12-625 was replaced with the seemingly similar 12-639 which was sold through 2000. I bought basket cases of each so we’ll take them apart to fix them, then see how they perform. I love vintage analog radios for their natural tuning feel so we’ll see how they perform.

Read the Radio Shack 12-625/12-639 Review:

Jay Allen

Read The Radio Shack 12-726 Review

The Radio Shack 12-726 is one of many seemingly pedestrian portables Radio Shack offered over the years. At the time these were current I had little interest in them, assuming they were mediocre performers and not in the same league as some of the sexier radios then being offered by companies like Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Channel Master, Zenith and others. Lately however I’ve become more interested in old-school AM or AM/FM analog radios and curious to see how they perform compared with the best portables of the day as well as some of today’s digital radios.

Jay Allen            

I have been having a problem trying to reply to some emails I have received…the email addresses end with outlook.com

Several readers with outlook.com emails have written to me and when I try to reply I get an error message saying it cant find the address. If you have recently emailed me and not heard back (I almost always reply within a day) please see if this might be the problem. Or if you have an alternate email address you can use that should let me respond to you as well. Hopefully this will eventually be resolved but for now please read this:

Unable to receive email from Gmail accounts in Outlook.com [WORKAROUND]

We are aware that some users may not be able to receive email from Gmail accounts. We are investigating a possible problem.

WORKAROUND

Check that you have not accidentally blocked the Gmail domain when blocking one Gmail user.

Open your Blocked Senders list.

If Gmail.com is in the list, select the Remove next to the entry and press Save

Jay Allen