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Bush CWR1
by broxi3781
A couple of months ago, my husband wanted just a cheap radio supposedly for upstairs ( really for fishing), so I looked about online and found this at Argos on sale for £8.16 ( it is still on sale at this price so maybe it is really only meant to be £8). At any rate, I liked this one because it means we have an emergency flashlight ... should one be needed for power cuts ever ( as long as he isn't fishing at the time). The nice thing is that while this is usually used with batteries, you can charge up with a wee crank, so you don't have to worry about running out batteries. I actually think this is so handy I have thought of buying a second one and keep one in the car and one in the house. Power cuts are rare here ( unlike water cuts!) but with young children I think it always best to be prepared. This means a few candles and some torches if needed. Neither of my boys are frightened by dark, but children grow very very bored in the dark and might get frightened if they could not turn lights on for awhile. On the other hand, a few torches and a sheet and you can have shadow plays, read stories even play simple games until the power comes back.
This device is basically a FM and MW radio, with built torch, and a plug where you can use this as an emergency charger for a mobile phone. It can be powered by 2 AA batteries, or buy a built rechargeable battery which you charge by cranking the dynamo. The size of this is roughly 16 x 10 x 4.5 cm not counting the crank for the Dynamo.
THE RADIO:
This is pretty basic. I think the sound is decent, but it is mono, is not going to be loud enough for a party, and is not going to match the quality of proper stereo system or an I-pod. The reception is also adequate. We live in a really terrible reception area, but it is good enough, although not the very best I have seen. The signal is available in analogue only. I do not know if analogue will eventually be phased out with the digital take over, but it works nicely now.
THE LIGHT:
I am not certain if the bulb in this is led or not and despite trying to find more details online, have been unable to determine this. It also looks difficult or impossible to change. If using a dynamo charge the light will dull as the charge wears down, but otherwise it is reasonably bright. I won't say it is the brightest torch I own, but it adequate and about middle of the range I would say. This would certainly be fine for indoors during a power cut, extra light to bait a hook fishing, or safety purposes if a car breaks down. It would not really do to spot a dog at a good distance when out in a filed at night, but as this is meant to be more of a camping or emergency light I will not mark it down for this.
THE DYNAMO:
I have weak hands but a minutes charge gets me about 4 minutes use of radio or battery, so it is going to take some effort if you are using this on dynamo charge alone. I think someone with better hands could do much better though. The dynamo is a nice extra for emergencies, and would be suitable if need be. It also is a nice educational toy as it helps children understand how electricity works.
THE PHONE CHARGER:
This came with a small bit of wire that plugs into the back of the radio and a fitting you plug your own car charger into ( please forgive non tech description). My husband did give this a quick try to see if the charging light came on ( which it did) but I am afraid we are both to lazy to attempt to fully charge a phone like this. I do think this is the type of thing you would really only use in an emergency - such as if your car broke down but phone battery was dead.
My husband loves this. It is a handy gadget for fishing as he can listen to the radio, or have an extra light. You can not however use both at once. My boys also love playing with the light or music and the oldest is interested in the dynamo and how it makes electricity. He did ask if you get something like that for TV and wii, but I am afraid the answer was no. I find this a nice radio just for listening to music upstairs and a useful emergency item. Although I did read some criticism of this due to sound quality etc... I think it is all a matter of what you expect. I never expected this to sound like an expensive stereo unit, nor did I expect a proper search light type torch. I do think this does everything it is meant to very well. My husband is also very pleased with it, and he does use it the most often, so I am giving this a full 5 out of 5 stars.
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Sony ICF S22
by jacb1983
Tucked away in the back of one of my drawers, I found an old Sony ICF S22 handheld portable radio, which I believe I originally bought for when we went camping, and to give us a bit of quick, cheap musical entertainment whilst we were away from civilisation. I remember buying this small radio for under £10 (well, by 1p) and thinking that ... it looked quite robust, and would be just the thing for trips into the countryside.
This is not a digital or DAB radio, it's not that advanced, relying on users tuning it in to AM and FM frequency numbers to pick up certain stations e.g. 88-91 FM is Radio 2 (or it was back when I was listening to it, I remember the jingle that used to go along with the info telling you where to tune into).
The handheld radio, although far from newly released, is not old fashioned in it's appearance, being a sleek silver colour and looking quite nice in general. Most of the front of the radio consists of a large speaker area, which means there's a good amount of sound generated by this product. Again, on the front of this portable radio is a display of the AM and FM wave numbers, which you can change using the tuning dial which is on the side of the device. Should you wish to listen to the radio on your headphones, you can plug them into a standard headphone jack on the side of the radio too.
To boost reception of the signals, there is a telescopic aerial which extends out of the side of the radio when in use, and when you don't need it, simply unextend it and it will tuck into the side of the radio and not get in the way. Once you have a good grip on a signal, a small red LED light will shine.
In terms of the sound produced, this is a good little radio and produces what I would call a very good mid-range quality of sound. Not everything is crystal clear as that depends on your signal, but once locked on, the sound quality is good enough for what I need it for, and it's easy to use and reliable.
The Sony ICF S22 is battery powered and runs on 2 x AA batteries. Unlike a lot of handheld devices, this radio doesn't seem to go through a lot of electricity, and I believe I've only had to change the batteries twice after around 3 years of irregular use - I might have only used it 4 or 5 times a year, but during those times it will have been on for several hours at each go.
The radio weighs just under half a kilogram, which isn't too much for a portable radio.
One of the best aspects to this radio is the fact it's durable. Whilst many portable radios will have their aerials snapped off fairly easily, this one is attached very firmly, and everything is still working well. The outer silver case is tough, and aside from a few scratches, shows no real signs of wear.
Although it doesn't pick up digital signals, this is still a good radio, or will be until the stations decide to only broadcast in digital, but I think that's a fair few years away hopefully.
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Roberts R 9924
by CaptainScarlet
I had one of the roberts small compact portable radios to take with me when I wanted to listen to the radio and keep updated as well as for listening to music. I think for £15 it is not too bad and it works with no problems when you need it.
You can use the radio with batteries and it takes only 2 AA size ones. I think that ... batteries lasted well in this and they did not run down all the time. I had to make sure I switched the radio off right and that way I was sure that I was not wasting battery power.
The radio is small easy to transport and use and picks up signals ok. I think that the look is ok. Its not all that stylish but it is neat, tidy and fine for use away from home, holidays, in the garden, when working etc. The carry strap can be handy when you take the radio with you and I used it with no problems.
The radio can pick up lw, mw and fm signals and the dial to pick up the signal is easy to use. The fm signal is the best. The ariel can be put up for a better signal and I did most often have to do that to get the best signal. When I did that the sound was very clear and easy to listen to.
I don't think there is much base or treble balance to the radio but I didn't mind too much. It is functional enough but its nothing special in the sound dept it works and its not muffled.
You can hear it clear enough and when its on its not too bad on the old ears. It won't win any awards for best sound quality, but its not the worst sounding radio I have heard. You can put the volume up or down and the led will show when the radio is on.
If you want to use the radio and not annoy anyone near you, you can use the headphone input and that works fine. I used that with no problems and found it a good thing to be able to use.
Its easy to plug in a headset to it and the sound you get back when using the radio like that is ok. Its a good way to listen to the sports when you are out away from home as you can stick it in your pocket and listen with earphones on. Good for hen pecked lads out with the wife.
I would recommend the radio for its compact portability and ease of use. It fits in the palm of your hand ok or can be used with the carry strap. Even though there is only a single speaker on this the sound is good enough.
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