Portable Radio

[johnb]

I've had a Tivoli Pal portable (FM) radio for about 10 years. It has proved very robust in spite of continual ill use, but recently it has suffered just one too many knocks and drops onto the floor resulting in the volume control being either silent or loud (with nothing in between).

One nice thing about the Tivoli Pal is that it has decent sound (for the size) and the battery lasts quite a long time (the blurb says 16 hrs, but you can take that with a large pinch of salt.

So I am looking round for a replacement. All the Tivoli Pal range are pretty expensive. There is the newer Tivoli Pal FM/DAB but they are very cagey about the batter running time, so I presume it isn't very long. The there is still the direct replacement FM/AM.

Any thoughts about a portable radio (i.e. one that can work either with or without mains power) with decent sound for the size of the radio and with a respectable running time when powered by battery? I'm not bothered about DAB. Cost of course is a factor but I would rather pay more and get something I like than pay less and be irritated with the damned thing.

[Nevalti]

Price? Size? Spec? Usage?

I rarely listen to music on portable radios, all of my portables are normally tuned to Radio 4 - so my views may not be relevant.

For clarity, I believe that a simple capacitor tuning system is superior to PLL. This also means they are cheaper usually.

Speakers pointing upwards, as some Tivolis, tend to hamper clarity.

For talk radio, stereo is of limited value.

For talk radio, large speakers are likely to be counter productive.

Conclusion: For talk radio, smallish, cheap, simple, mono.

The Roberts 996 is cheap and flimsy and it looks it but for RF performance and for voice clarity it really is difficult to beat. I bought one S/H from Amazon a couple of years ago for £10 to leave in the spare room for guests. When I heard just how clear it is, I put my old Grundig Yachtboy in the spare room and kept the little Roberts for my bathroom. Amazingly good at a pocket money price, as long as you don't desire bass. That is not to say it is tinny, it is not.

It does also manage to sound surprisingly musical if you must listen to music on it.

[Ant]

Hello John,

It's probably too late to say this but it sounds to me as if the volume control's solder joints were disturbed by banging the knob when you dropped it. It would probably not take long to re-solder the joints - indeed, it may take longer just to gain access to the innards!

Regards Ant

[Old Grumpy]

the batter running time, so I presume it isn't very long.

Not a Scot, perchance?