Radio Reviews

I've had this cd player for 3 years now and it still works fine, you CANNOT get it to skip. This player was worth the few extra bucks because I doubt any other player would of lasted this long with all the use and abuse.

Everything is great on this player. The batteries never run out because the system recharges the batteries, and it still has never skipped on me. It is really worth the price.

I have had my sony dream machine for over 10 years. It's survived numerous moves, countless spills, high school, college, exams, interviews, and a seriously grouchy un-morning person. The huge snooze button is a big plus and it's almost impossible to mistake it for the tiny "off button" in the back. Only now is my dream machine starting to lose some of its luster and I fear I may have to buy a newer model. Luckily, they still make it! If you want a simple, consistent, and durable alarm clock, the dream machine is for you.

This is a great little item at a rock-bottom price.It must have been designed for those who do not like buttons everywhere.This clock is very simple to set and works like a charm.

Hello folks , its Vince the radio man with another review for you . I've been a radio buff for many years , I have a large collection and I love to do side by side compares . The Sony SW07 is the replacement model for the discontinued SW100 . In my review of the SW100 I knocked it abit because of the price and the overall sound quality from both the internal speaker and the headphones ( ...and no, I dont need a new pair of phones) .... the SW07 is an improvement in this area , however , still high priced . Both radios are wonders of the modern world ...so small yet so powerful and functional . The SW07 is a little larger than the SW100 ( thank goodness for those of us who have large hands and fingers ) and I find it to be a bit better in the dynamic range department . Tuner selectivity and sensativity about the same . The 07 and the 100 are sold as kits . The come with an active antenna . I find the antenna with the SW07 is far better than the 100 . Also , the SW07 is built much more durable than the SW100 . The layout and button functionality is easier to use and better thought out . Also , a much nicer, clearer visual display with a luminescent blue background .As far as other miniatures on the market ( Sangean ATS 606, which is much cheaper , is about the best after the SW07 and SW100 but not in the same class ) ...there are really no other competitors . If you're looking to spend a decent buck on a quality shortwave set and small is what you need , look no further . If you like a full size set and have a few more bucks to spend buy the SW77 ( which is the King of all radios!!!! ) ...if not the SW07 is surely the Prince.

I have used the earlier (1980's)Radio Shack DX-400, the Sangean ATS-909 (Radio Shack DX-398), the Sony SW 7600G, the Grundig ETraveller VII and this radio. For the general user who wishes just to listen to foreign broadcasts and not bother with trying to tune in remote and low powered stations, all are excellent and comparable in sensitivity and selectivity. The SW-07 and SW 7600G offer synchronous tuning which somewhat aids intelligibility with reception that periodically fades and becomes distorted, but that provided in the SW07 is much quieter and more effective. The SW07 has more programmable station selections than any of the others. It has, as well, many convenience features that older Sony models and the other radios listed do not have such as an effective night illumination of its tuning screen and programmed time of day selected broadcast frequencies of a number of foreign broadcasters. The only truly portable decent shortwave radio that one can carry in a pocket, in my experience, is the Grundig which does quite well with its short telescoping antenna. Reception on all radios benefits greatly from the use of a long wire antenna, but the SW07 has a compact substitute folding circular antenna that, while not offering the performance of a wire, does better than the telescoping built in antenna.

No other radio is as good as this one for portability, great sound, and great reception. It is water resistant and I have taken mine into the shower without problems.

Best is to take this when working outside and get the rich full sound you can't get with radios 10 times the size.

For most stations, I don't even pull the telescoping antenna up, only on the weak distant stations.

The rechargable pack gives you an amazing long amount of play time before needing recharge.

The Model One has a slightly bigger speaker which gives it slightly better sound, but that one is not portable. I have two of each of these radios, and end up using the PALs more, because I can carry them from room to room, use them in the shower, take them outside, use them in the kitchen.

This was the very last radio Henry Kloss designed before his death. He also designed the Model One, but none of the others in the Tivoli line besides the PAL were his ideas. He would have cringed if he saw the way they turned his ideas into clock radios and stereo versions with all the other features he didn't want in the radio. He wanted them simple, without any gimmicks, and that is what this radio is.

You will have a real "Henry Kloss" original if you get this one.

I discovered this radio at friends house. I intend to buy one for myself as soon as I save up the money. The design of this radio is nothing short of "cool" in its simplicity. Though it looks plain, you can tell by the heft of it that it's going to be better than your average radio. It is built solidly, with minimal surfaces to collect dust(which would make it the perfect job site radio).
When you turn it on the speaker makes one of the rich bass "pumff" type noises that bigger stereos make as the speakers come on. It has the sound quality that I've heard from Boss acoustic wave machines. Okay, maybe not that good, but very impressive nonetheless.
The nicest feature for me is the tuning knob. The knob that you turn has a five to one ratio to the outer indicator knob. This allows for easy fine tuning, great for the crowded parts of the radio spectrum.
And finally the reception is nothing short of the best I have ever come across. I live about 80 miles from the radio stations I listen to. Sometimes my favorites just don't come in. Not with this radio. In fact I discovered some Seattle stations I'd never heard before.
If you like owning the best, and can cough up the money, buy this baby. You'll be glad you did.

I have had my yellow Tivoli for about 2 years and it sits on my desk at work. I either listen to the radio, or use the aux to plug my ipod in or my laptop.
The sound this little yellow box puts out is a-mazing.

If you like to listen to radio and need to bring it with you (from room to room, camping, backyard, etc.), then this is the one. The sound is fantastic and clear; the reception strong, and the design well done. Easy to carry, easy to hold, easy to recharge.

Strange that I could think so fondly about a radio.

Given that this is my first scanner, some of my enthusiasm for its features and ease-of-use might simply be naivete. On the other hand, having a fairly deep technical background, I think my appreciation of this unit's abilities and organization are mostly based on Uniden's exceptional design. Over and over I find that this unit operates just as I'd like it to, showing that it's the clear result of several generations of refined scanner design.

The BC-780XLT provides both traditional frequency scanning, as well as trunk-tracking. Traditional scanning lets you program frequencies into memory banks, and then scan through them looking for active signals. You can also search ranges by programming the low and high endpoints, and having the scanner search between them for active frequencies. With 10 banks of 50 frequencies each, the BC-780XLT provides reasonable room for even the most crowded airwaves. (And, as discussed further below, the ability to upload and download the scanner from a computer extends this ability significantly.) Individual banks can be turned on and off, and individual channels can be explicitly locked out, allowing you to finely tailor your scan.

Where this unit differs from traditional scanners is in its ability to track trunked systems. In such systems a small set of frequencies is shared by many different organizations (e.g., police, fire, public works), and rather than assigning fixed frequencies to specific units, the frequencies are assigned dynamically as needed. The result is that a single conversation may hop between frequencies as it progresses. Tracking this with a traditional scanner is nearly impossible, as a single frequency will play host to parts of different conversations, and a single conversation is strewn across multiple frequencies. The trunk-tracking scanner is able to use the information on the system's control channel to follow the conversation, just like the radios of the participants. The result is that you follow a single conversation, rather than just a single frequency.

Uniden offers several models of trunk-tracking scanner, including the lower-priced 895, and the handheld 245. The 895 is limited to tracking either trunked systems or traditional frequencies at any one time. The 780 (and 245), on the other hand, can intermingle trunk and regular frequencies within a single memory bank, and be set to scan through both of them, or between banks which contain any combination of trunked and standard frequencies.

For me, where the 780 really excels is in its alphanumeric display. In addition to having an alpha tag for each channel, you are able to set up scan lists of talk group IDs. Talk group IDs represent a logical channel (rather than a single frequency), such as the police department's dispatch channels ("Dispatch 1" "Dispatch 2"). When following a trunked system, the scanner tracks talk groups, rather than individual frequencies, and the labeling will show you an alpha tag for the talk group (e.g., "Tactical 1"), rather than just he Motorola or EDACS ID number. This makes it much easier to know who you're listening to.

Public trunked systems are well documented (either on the Web, or in publications such as "Police Call"), but for those that simply appear out of thin air (you might stumble on a system's control channel while searching frequency ranges, for example), the 780 will also help you find the full set of frequencies. Once you have found the control channel in a Motorola system, you can use a "control channel only" mode to ferret out the rest of the system's frequencies.

The 780 has a serial port through which the unit can be programmed or driven by computer. There are numerous software packages for accomplishing this, available through the many on-line 780 discussion groups and websites. It's a good thing, too, as 500 channels, plus 10 trunk scan lists of 100 group IDs each (1000 total) would be nearly impossible to program through the scanner's front console. By keeping separate frequency files on your computer, you can easily download different sets of parameters (i.e., should you have more than 500 frequencies you want to keep track of).

The front console and menu system are reasonably easy to understand, given the complex function available in this receiver. A novice user can get up and running with traditional frequency scanning very quickly, and the unit come with introductory frequency guides. Getting a trunked system programmed is a bit more work, but still not too complicated. The manual has most of the operational detail you'll need, though it's not always well organized as a reference (e.g., items mentioned in passing in one section may not be repeated elsewhere where you might go looking for it). The manual also contains a few mistakes. The numerous on-line discussion groups can help out if you get stuck.

The reception with the included whip antenna is excellent in dense, urban areas. Where stations are weaker, obviously, an external antenna will be needed. The sound quality out of the bottom firing speaker is very listenable, though an external speaker (for which a connection is included) would improve the audio quality. The unit comes with both a wall-wart 120v adapter, as well as power cords for connection to a car battery and a car's cigarette lighter. Reports of mobile usage have been very positive.

Overall this has been a great purchase. I picked the 780 over the 895 primarily for the 780's sophisticated alpha tagging system, and secondarily for its ability to track trunked and non-trunked systems at the same time. Both features have turned out to be essential to my enjoyment. Hopefully Uniden will get all of these features into a handheld unit!

This scanner is by far one of the best ever! The receive is very sensitive. The display is large and easy to read. The back light can be set to off/med/high. The 780 also does a great job at following the trunked systems. You can also create your own text tags for channels or talkgroups. The WX alert is the best I ever seen on a scanner. You can enter the exact FIPS code for your County. By entering the FIPS codes eliminate false alerts. Great radio for the all around user. Did I mention it also has a computer interface? That is right you can control it with your computer (software is aftermarket, there is some "freeware" on the web).

PURCHASED ON CLEARENCE FROM TARGET=I AM TOTALLY HAPPY WITH THE PURCHASE. THESE ARE CLEARER THAN MY MOTOROLA SP21s PROs. THE SCREEN IS THE BRIGHTEST I HAVE EVER SEEN=PERFECT PLUS LARGE AND EASY TO READ. SIMPLE TO OPERATE NEVER READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. WELL CONSTRUCTED AND PERFORMED VERY NICELY. RECOMMENDED HIGHLY. COULD USE A FEW MORE DIFFERENT RING TONES NOT THE SAME OLD ONES. HAS WEATHER ALERT=WONDERFUL. GOT 3 MILES IN THE BURBS WITH THESE. THATS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. AGAIN ONE OF THE CLEAREST AND CLEANEST SOUNDING RADIOS I EVER HAVE HAD. WELL BUILT AND CONSTRUCTED. I HAVE TESTED ALOT OF THESE FRS AND GMRS RADIOS. THESE ARE THE BEST I HAVE FOUND FOR THE BUCK. RECOMMENDED

I wanted to get something with better range than my basic FRS radios. I went ahead and got the FCC license for these online at the FCC site while I was waiting for them to arrive. If two or more of us were driving on a trip, I wanted something that was clear up to at least a mile. I tested them the other day and I walked about 1 mile down the road. The area between me and the other person was solid trees and they were on top of a mountain and I was down below. At about one mile, we could still talk fine, but the Boost button was needed. That was about the limit thru the trees. I would expect it to be much better in a more open environment. There are only two minor annoyances and the first is you have to wait about 1 second after you push the talk button before speaking. I think this model has the handfree option where you can just start talking, but I don't care for that. The second thing is they feel a little slick on the sides to me. They are not real heavy, but I felt like I had to squeeze a little harder to hang onto it. They do have another model that is the same thing, but has a rubbery outside case and I think it would be a better option. If I order another set, that is what I would get.

This CB is perfect for any person interested in CB radios. Mounted it in my 94 Ford Explorer easily. Every aspect of the CB is useful. The dynamic squelch is very useful for beginners when they're not quite sure how to set the squelch just right. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a CB.

This unit looks and works great. Installation was easy and the performance has been great. Has all the adjustments that I was looking for plus the weather channels. I didn't really want the weather channels at the time of purchase, but I'm glad I have them now.

The cosmetics are great -- chrome dials, silver face, green back-lighting, analog signal meter.

The unit is not a compact unit, but I was able to fit it under the radio in my '96 Ford Ranger without too much trouble. The 9' microphone cord seemed really long to me when I saw that on the spec sheet, but it is actually about perfect.

There are a couple of downsides: The Dynamic Squelch Control is completely useless. As far as I can tell, it just automatically sets the squelch to a higher-than-appropriate level. With DSC on, you miss all low-powered transmissions and some high-powered ones. DSC works great if you're only interested in a ~300' radius. I never turn mine on.

The other downside is that it's nearly impossible to determine the knob positions by sight. That is, you can't easily look down and see that the volume is at 1/2 and squelch is at 1/8, etc.

Neither of these downsides are that big of a deal, though.

BTW, I use the RF Gain control much more than squelch to fine tune my reception. Don't buy a CB radio without RF Gain.

This is an awesome scanner that is absolutely amazing for nascar events. But my question is why would anyone buy this scanner when you could get the Uniden SC200 scanner which has the exact same interface and looks the same as this scanner. Unlike the SC180, the SC200 is PC programmable, which means you don't have to spend hours programming frequencies and TEXT-NAMES into the unit. The SC200 also has and extra 100 channels for a total of 200 and it has CTCSS/CDCSS tone squelch control which ALL the NASCAR drivers use. Drop an extra $20 and get a scanner you will REALLY love.

I love this scanner. I use it when I attend Nascar races. It has several nice options which I like. This scanner has 100 channels that you can preset frequencies on. It has alpha numeric capabilities that allow you to save names on the channels. You can set Priority frequencies for every bank of 10 channels or so. It has automatic weather with one push of a button. This model is rechargeable, and comes with an AC adapter to keep the batteries well charged throughout a race. This scanner also has a backlight so you can see the channels in the dark for those night races. This is the same scanner that Racing Electronics sells at the race track on Winston Cup Weekends. They also have several nice options available for this scanner such as a splitter for 2 headsets, various headphones/headsets, short nubby antenna's etc.

Bottomline, this scanner is awesome. If you are a Nascar fan, you don't know what you are missing if you haven't brought a scanner to the track. The Sportcat 180 gives you everything you could possibly need, and will greatly enhance your racing experience. Buy this scanner now before you head to the track!!!

Great reception! Great range! VOX works great as a Baby Monitor! Unlike the Memorex Base Station I also have. I do not have any complaints about this UnWired brand. The Memorex seems to randomly allow a lot of static and squealing. The Unwired does not have this problem!

This product is a great buy. I would suggest this product to everyone.