My personal pick is the Tivoli Model One which goes on sale at 3:15 PM EDT today.
Today is Amazon’s “Prime Day” summer sale.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you might follow some of the deals that are being posted. This morning, I spent a little time picking out my favorites from all upcoming deals; ones that might interest SWLing Post readers.
I did not see a single shortwave portable in the upcoming deals, but there are other radios. Note that Prime Day pricing is only available while the deal is active or unless it sells out. Until an upcoming deals is officially posted, the sales price cannot be viewed, you’ll simply need to note the product url and return when it’s activated.
I’ve posted links to upcoming deals and current (pre-sale) pricing. I’ve also noted when these items go on sale today. I saw nothing that I personally plan to jump on. If I didn’t already have a Tivoli Model One, I would follow it closely.
Our Deal Picks
BaoFeng UV-82HP (CAMO)
This unit is currently priced at $62.89 US.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 11:00 EDT today.
UPDATE: Prime Day sale price is $44.95.
Click here to go to this product page.
BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen)
This unit is currently priced at $62.89 US.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 11:00 EDT today.
UPDATE: Prime Day sale price is $44.95.
Click here to go to this product page.
Tivoli Audio Model One M1CLA
This unit is currently priced at $99.00 US.
In my opinion, this is the Tivoli Model One is the deal to watch. I’ve owned the Tivoli Model One–it has excellent audio fidelity, smooth analog tuning, excellent FM and AM reception and overall brilliant build quality. It’s worth every bit of $99, so if Amazon discounts it further, it’ll certainly be a good deal.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 3:15 PM EDT today.
Click here to go to this product page.
TIVDIO V-112 Portable Digital Tuning AM / FM Stereo Radio
This unit is currently priced at $23.99 US. I have no clue if this AM/FM portable has any good performance characteristics. I encourage you to read the reviews prior to purchasing.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 4:35 PM EDT today.
Click here to go to this product page.
Trustin Portable Rechargeable 8GB Digital Audio Voice Recorder
This unit is currently priced at $39.99 US. Again, I have no idea if this is a quality recorder or not, but it receives a four star review from Amazon customers (take those with a grain of salt as well). Still, it has line-in recording and could be an inexpensive way to record radio in the field. It appears the line-in jack is the standard 1/8″ variety.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 8:00 PM EDT today.
Click here to go to this product page.
Feel free to post other relevant deals in the comments section of this post. Again, these prices are only available during the sale window and while supplies last.
One BaoFeng BF-F8HP on the way from Amazon, thanks for the heads up Thomas!
Anyone have this model who can share their thoughts? Reviews well on Amazon but I am a little concerned about programing after reading some reviews.
Renogy 100 watt panel for $100:
https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts-Volts-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B009Z6CW7O/ref=sr_1_1?s=prime-day&psr=PDAY&ie=UTF8&qid=1499788875&sr=1-1&keywords=renogy
I am watching the two Sangean HD radios – the portable one is $99 before a possible price reduction, and the tabletop is $129 (which is cheaper than it has been anyway) and which might be a part of Prime Day.
sangean hdr-16 am/fm/hd stereo radio
https://www.amazon.com/Sangean-HDR-16-Radio-FM-Stereo-Portable/dp/B01BY7YIOQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1499782759&sr=1-2&keywords=sangean+hdr-16+am%2Ffm%2Fhd+stereo+radio
sangean hdr-16 am/fm/hd stereo radio
https://www.amazon.com/Sangean-HDR-18-FM-Stereo-Wooden-Cabinet/dp/B01BY02B38/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1499782759&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=sangean+hdr-16+am%2Ffm%2Fhd+stereo+radio
Wow–please comment if you see these prices drop! Thanks, Robert!
Have you had experience with HD Radio? As I’ve commented elsewhere on this site, I recently bought a Sangean HDR-18 based largely on Jay Allen’s positive review, as well as because I was curious about HD. I ended up being deeply disappointed, and returning the HDR-18 for a refund.
My biggest area of dissatisfaction was that when a station’s HD1 signal is weak (the signal strength can vary even at different times of the day), there is a warbling sound as the signal goes back and forth from digital to analog. On the HDR-18 the digital signal cannot be disabled (I don’t know if this is common to all HD radios), so you’re stuck with the warbling.
There are other problems, inherent in the nature of HD Radio itself. HD2, 3, and 4 stations frequently drop out altogether. Also you can’t set the alarm to wake you with an HD2, 3, or 4 station; you have to tune it in manually from the initial HD1 position. Considering that there are no HD stations in my area that don’t also stream online, I find that I’m much better off tuning them in on my smartphone and streaming them to a radio with an aux input, using Google Chromecast audio, or simply plugging the phone directly into the radio. All in all, HD Radio is a half-baked technology that’s not ready for prime time, in my humble opinion.
(P.S.: I’d be very interested in the discounted Tivoli Model One if I hadn’t already bought the Sangean WR-50P as a replacement for my returned HDR-18. The WR-50P is an excellent radio, but expensive!)
HD Radio has been a disaster. Some stations are worth listening to, but the technology was a serious blunder as was the rollout. Overpriced radios, proprietary formats, crappy audio and bad signals made sure no one wanted to listen, and commercial radio’s propensity to do everything half-hearted and cheap made sure there was nothing to listen to. A handful of Public stations have some decent output, but that’s it.
That said, if you have a cheap RTLSDR and a Linux box (or Raspberry Pi) you can test out HD to see if you think it’s worth your time before shelling out more money. The software is finally out there to give it a whirl:
https://github.com/theori-io/nrsc5