My most frequently used (and favourite) portable radio is the Panasonic RF P50 - it's a small silver-coloured receiver which i've found to be very reliable over the years. First released in 1999, the P50 is a little tricky to get hold of these days - I bought mine around five years ago for under £10 from Amazon, but eBay is one of the only online shops which still sells it. The current retail price is £11.99 (with free delivery), which I feel is a respectable cost for what is ultimately a quality product.

Design & Features
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In terms of its specifications, the RF P50 features the standard AM/FM tuner which is inline with Sony and Roberts' portable radio offerings. I would have liked to have been able to access longwave on the P50 (to pick up the test match cricket), but then longwave is usually lacking from pocket radios, and its exclusion is therefore no surprise. For elderly users, the radio is especially easy to operate, with a on/off volume dial on one side of the unit, and a tuning dial on the other. The tuning scale is large and easy to see, and there's a small red LED which illuminates when the device is switched on. The radio is light and easy to carry around - plus there's a cord attached which gives you something to wrap around your wrist if needs be. The dimensions are 11.6 x 7 x 3cms, and it will just about fit into a pocket.

The Panasonic utilises a telescopic aerial which is easy to extend and can be manoeuvred in all manner of directions. Said aerial does an excellent job of picking up stations, even in the downstairs rooms of the house which I've found won't get reception with my larger digital radios. To operate, the RF P50 requires two AA batteries, which will last a very respectable amount of time before needing to be replaced.

Audio Quality & Final Word
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In terms of the sound output, the P50's mono speaker is surprisingly clear for its diminutive size, and there's actually a fair bit of volume to play with once the dial is cranked all the way up to 11. Obviously this sort of device is best used when listening to spoken word as it just doesn't have the dynamic range to reproduce music as it's meant to be heard - however for me, this isn't an issue as I predominantly use the radio to listen to the football coverage on BBC Five Live. For those of you wanting a more immersive sound, the radio's headphone jack allows a pair of stereo speakers to be added.

Overall the Panasonic RF-P50 is an impressive little device which is reliable and easy to use - it's a great radio to take to the beach, and is tough enough to stand up to a little rough treatment.