Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel (the Amateur Astronomer), who writes:
I’m rather – uh – call it OCD re: equipment cases (and bags/packs).
All of my […]astronomy equipment is well secured & cataloged in several dozen cases.
I [also] wanted to protect my shortwave radios. I like the neoprene cases that Tecsun ships with their radios as they have a bit of shock absorbing capacity. I went online at Amazon & eBay and I bought “neoprene” cases of various sizes made for GPS units, external hard drives, and tablets.
Upon receiving them I’ve found the 3.5-4″ GPS cases are perfect for the Grundig G6 and similar sized radios.
Belkin “Grip” tablet cases are perfect for the Grundig G3/G5. And the larger “iLuv Gaudi” case is prefect for the YB400 & Sony ICF-SW7600GR. The iLuv even has memory foam. I feel I could drop any radio in this iLuv case from a reasonable height and the contents would be perfectly fine.
Including shipping, I spent $6 for the most expensive case and as little as $3.95 for the least expensive.
The iLuv memory foam case, in silver, was only $4.99 and free shipping via Amazon Prime. Some of the cases have exterior zipped pockets perfect for ear buds and a USB cable. The neoprene has the capacity to stretch a bit, so all of them are a snug fit. Though there is an extra 1/2″ on the iLuv case, the memory foam quality ensures a nice, tight fit.
I’ve attached a few pictures to illustrate my finds.
BTW, I also noticed today that The Worldwide Listening Guide is priced at $21.62 on Amazon. That’s down from $24.95 and a good deal with Prime.
Thanks so much for sharing your research, Troy. I have just added the iLuv case to my Amazon cart. Like you, I have a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and it gets taken to the field a lot. The 7600GR comes with a nice custom case/cover, but it offers little in the way of protection–$4.99 is a reasonable cost to protect one of my favorite portables.
Like you, Troy, I have a serious addiction to quality bags and cases. I hope you know that you’re only enabling me! Ha!
Readers: Please share your radio case/bag recommendations as well!
Good info. I too have used GPS cases, and prior to the explosion of smartphones with cameras, I found camera cases for inexpensive cameras that fit well, too, and since cheap cameras aren’t particularly popular any more, stores were selling the cases cheap.
I find small cases are great for traveling, I have one for radios, one for smartphone accessories, one for a mini wifi router etc. If the TSA or foreign equivalent want to see something, it’s easy to just grab the case and open it.
I have even used ladies “makeup” bags/pouches before all the neoprene GPS cases hit the market.
I don’t know why, but when in stores or shopping online, I always give the “cases” a once over. And yes, I sometimes buy one “just because!” Or for some future radio!
Thanks for the tips.
Great. Just grabbed the last case for my 7600G which will be in my backpack for 6 months while I trip around Europe and Asia this year.
I wish I’d been a little more careful with my Tecsun PL880. “i dropped it while getting onto a minibus and now the whip antenna is so swivelly as to be a pain in the backside: Warranties FTW, I hope.
Does anywhere do a custom case for this radio that still allows you to use controls etc please?
This just goes to show the extra time putting it back in its usual closed-in case is time well spent.
Thanks if anyone can help: this is a long shot I know.
These are very nice cases. I tend to want a little more protection and space so I use a tactical military type shoulder bag for my portable radio kit. It hangs nicely off the back of the passengers seat in my car and allows me to keep my PL-660, spare batteries, portable wire antenna, earphones, frequency lists, and other gear all together in a handy pack. It cost around $13.00 on e bay with free shipping. Any extra protection is better than none for a radio used out in the field.
Broadwing: Could you post a link to your bag?
I would also be interested in the bag for my 2 x PL-660 🙂