Prunus has become well-known for a wide variety of products and especially in the arena of very inexpensive radios with a good set of features and good performance considering their small size and incredibly low prices. These two models represent two interesting examples:

A reader named Chris Morris suggested I look at the tiny J-328. It is not a new model but it has received a few updates since it was first introduced several years ago. It is currently selling on Amazon for $16.99 and measures only 3.7″ x 1.9” x .75” and weighs a mere 2.54 oz. It is small enough to slip into a shirt pocket, yet it offers FM with Auto Search and Store (70 – 108 MHz), SD/Tiff card record and play (MP3 format only), USB charging with a 500 mAh battery, 3.5mm/1/8” Headpnone jack, Aux input, Lock mode, Lanyard FM antenna (see text) and a great sounding speaker.

The J-909 (currently $18.99 on Amazon) is larger but still mini-sized at 4.61″L x 0.79″W x 2.52″H and only .8” thick. It weighs 3.9 oz and offers most of the features of the smaller J-328 plus it adds the AM band, LED Flashlight and a 1200 mAh BL-4C battery rechargeable battery. It dispenses with the lanyard FM antenna of the J-328 in favor of a traditional FM whip antenna and although it also plays SD/TIFF cards it does not record as the smaller J-328 does.

The J-909 comes with a small key on its lanyard which slides into the back of the radio to allow it to stand up…the J-328 has a flat bottom and stands on its own..

Checking them out: The first thing I noticed was the unusual keypad layout on both models with the numbers placed differently than the standard keypad layout. This caused some wrong button presses until I learned to pay closer attention.

FM Reception was OK if not top tier but with decent selectivity with a slight advantage going to the J-909 probably due to its traditional whip antenna as opposed to the lanyard antenna on the J-328.  For regular reception of normal signals both are fine…just don’t expect cutting edge reception. FM is stereo through earbuds although earphone sound is a bit thin and lacking in bass.

AM Reception (J-909 only) is adequate for strong to medium strength signals but it is hampered on the lower portion of the band by some internal electronic interference. My sample had internally-generated interference up to about 700 KHz but none above that frequency where the reception was better. It is possible samples may vary in this regard. Again, fine for routine listening but if you are an AM enthusiast there are better choices.

Tuning is also a bit of a compromise on both radios as there is no way to tune up or down with a knob or Up/Down keys. You can enter frequencies directly via the keypad which is great, or you can use the Auto Scan to save presets…then you can scan those presets with Rew/FF buttons. But if a preset lands on say, 98.5 and you want to advance to 98.7 there is no “Up” button to do this…you must enter 98.7 directly…an inconvenience. Auto Scans on most radios usually land on some bad frequencies but with these radios you cannot manually add or delete presets after the Auto save function. I also noted that both radios cover the full FM band for all countries, down to 70 Mhz.

The Aux input on both radios is accessed through the USB-C connector and the supplied USB charging cable provides the needed 1/8” jack for this purpose… I have seen this arrangement on a few others radios recently. USB to C audio adaptors are also available on Amazon and elsewhere and the Aux input worked as exected..

The Owner’s Manuals also mention “Human body induction” …commonly known as “Hand Capacitance effect”. This means that reception is likely to be stronger if you are holding the radio as opposed to having it sitting on a table…your body acts as an antenna or counterpoise and this is very common, especially with smaller radios. The effect is very noticeable with both of these.

SD/Tiff Card Operation for recording has a bit of a learning curve with the J-328. It is easy to record from FM but in order to record from the microphone on a new card you must first record from FM to create a folder. It actually records from FM in stereo yet it plays back in mono but you will have stereo on the card if you copy the files to a PC or other audio device. Chris thoughtfully sent me this Quick Start Guide for recoding on the J-328.

1. How to record an FM station?

1) Insert the TF card into the <⑯TF card slot>.

2) If the TF card is empty, it will enter into FM mode directly. If the TF card has MP3s in, press <⑩MODE> to change to FM mode.

3) Tune to the station you want to record.

4) When it plays the radio normally, press <⑮REC> button to start your recording.

5) Press <⑮REC> button again to end the recording. The screen will display numbers such as “0002”, which means the radio program has been recorded and stored with this number. It will play

this recording MP3 right now and then enter into TF mode automatically.

2. How to record a sound?

1)Insert the TF card with MP3 files into the <⑯TF card slot>, and the radio will enter into TF mode.(Note: if it is an empty TF card, you can record an FM station first, and then you can record sound.)

2)Press <⑮REC> button to start the sound recording.

3)Press <⑮REC> button to stop recording. The screen will display numbers such as “0010”, which means the sound has been recorded and stored with this number. It will play the recording MP3

right now.

3. How to play a recording?

1) Press <⑩MODE> to switch to TF mode, and the radio will automatically play the MP3 files in the TF card.

2) Press number buttons to select the recording you want to play(Eg. Press For example, press button 2 to select the station recording file, and it will play the current recording MP3).

3) The same, you can fast forward, rewind, pause or repeat the recording MP3.

4) Pressing <⑩MODE> will change to other mode.

◆Long pressing <⑮REC> button can delete the recorded content

OK…so there is a bit of learning curve with this but the bottom line is that you are getting an incredible package for the money.

Final Thoughts: Comparing the two models it is hard to fault them given their tiny size and low prices. The J-328 has slightly fuller speaker sound and the ability to record on an SD/Tiff card while the J-909 plays only. The J-909 has a user replaceable battery and a flashlight in addition to AM. If you want a tiny radio with SD card Record/Play capability and true shirt pocket size the J-328 warrants your consideration. Or the J-909 might work for you want AM and can forgo SD record capability.

Both recommended in this category.

Jay Allen  

See the J-328 at Amazon:  

See the J-909 at Amazon: