RF75A Radio

Raddy RF75A Review – Pocket Radio with Interesting Bells and Whistles

Radioddity Raddy RF75A

By Robert Gulley K4PKM

The RF75A is an interesting little radio which (currently) retails on Amazon for ~$53.00 in the States. It can also be purchased via Radioddity directly for $53–if you use this referral code, you can save $15 off a $65 purchase.

Before we get into specifics, two things are worth mentioning right off:

  1. I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing this radio by our fearless shortwave listening leader, Thomas, and the copy I have was provided to me at no cost by Radioddity directly. (I have no other affiliation with them, but have recently purchased a GMRS mobile radio from them which I am looking forward to using when I finish my review of the RF75A.)
  2. This is, as you will see from the photos I am including, a pocket radio, not to be confused with a tabletop radio or a small portable radio such as the CCRadio Skywave or similar radio. I mention this because invariably there will be folks who expect tabletop or portable quality from a radio about the size of a playing card. It is not going to happen!

Having those thoughts out of the way, the quick and dirty answer as to the quality of the radio is, I am impressed. For those who have not read anything related to my past experience with radios, I have been a shortwave listener since I was about 10 years old, and now in my early sixties. So, I have seen a fair number of radios in my time (speaking as an old codger, or is that curmudgeon?) and have even moved with the times to incorporate SDRs into my radio arsenal.

Each style of radio has its place, and a pocket radio is designed to be the ultimate in portability and space savings. As light as this shirt pocket radio is, it still manages to feel reasonably solid, and of course, it could be packed into anything one was taking along for a trip.

Size Comparison with Playing Card and Cell Phone Battery

The radio measures 2.5″ x 3.5″ x 1″. Playing card and cell phone battery for comparison.

Here are some specs from the manufacturer’s website (saving you my long-winded descriptions!):

  • APP Control SW Radio: Thanks to the app intelligent remote control and Bluetooth 5.0 features, you can enjoy the convenience of RF75A. With its intuitive user interface and powerful wireless capabilities, you can easily control your radio from your devices (support iOS, Android, and HarmonyOS systems).
  • Wider Reception Range: Listen to FM, VHF, AM, SW, and WB, and stay up-to-date with your favorite radio shows and music with this powerful multi-band receiver. RF75A has a wider range of shortwave frequencies compared to the RF750.
  • Automatic Scan and Manual Storage: You can save up to 396 stations, so you can easily access your favorite stations. Experience powerful sound and crystal-clear reception with its 9.85′ wire antenna.
  • Personal Music Player: Boost your music experience with this all-in-one outdoor audio system. With Bluetooth 5.0 feature, a 3.5mm earphone socket, and a TF card socket, you can easily connect to your personal audio devices and connect to your computer as a speaker.
  • Outdoor Companion: This one-of-a-kind radio is designed to be small and lightweight, making it ideal for travel and outdoor activities. Use the flashlight and SOS for emergencies.

What’s in the box?

  • 1 x Raddy RF75A
  • 1 x Storage bag
  • 1 x Lanyard
  • 1 x Wire antenna
  • 1 x Type-C charging cable
  • 1 x Earphone

Reception

I always like to start a radio review by either listening to AM stations first, or WWV time stations for checking out shortwave reception. In this instance I started listening to AM stations in the daytime to see what I could hear on a typical day (no storms nearby, early spring, etc.).

Living in a fairly remote area I was surprised it captured as many stations as it did, making me think the ferrite bar inside must designed well for such a small radio. Evening and nighttime listening brought in many of the usual stations with which we are familiar, particularly the so-called Clear Channel stations. What was more impressive were the many small stations I was able to pick up, not only at night, but early in the morning around 8 a.m.

Ferrite Bar- Front View

Surprisingly effective Ferrite Bar

Ferrite Bar Side view

Side vide showing the magnetic wire wrap

One in particular caught my attention as I am quite certain I have never captured them before, was WHKY 1290, Hickory North Carolina. That’s a distance of about 285 miles, received in the morning. I am only about 50 miles from Cincinnati and cannot receive some of their smaller stations on any radio! Color me impressed!

Nighttime brought stations in from several thousand miles, as you would expect, yet I was likewise impressed with this little radio’s capabilities on AM.

FM

I confess to not being much of an FM listener, but I did tune around the band for FM stations to test its ability to “lock on” to signals (as indicated by a tiny red light) and to pick up stations from quite a good distance away with clarity and good sound.

This might be a good time to mention the quality of sound from the small 3 Watt(!) speaker and bass boost from the back. Again, this is not my Sangean 909 X2 with a large speaker, nor my CC Radio EP, but it has rather amazing clarity and volume capability for such a small radio. I cranked the volume up quite high with no distortion, and even though the speaker is small, the bass boost seems to round out the sound quite nicely, avoiding some of tinny sounding speakers common in such a small radio.

Weather

The radio has coverage of the NOAA weather radio stations and it surprised me with being able to receive 4-5 stations, more than I have gotten with most other radios. All but one of the signals were crystal clear, with the fifth having some noise, but still quite intelligible.

Air Band

This radio includes the air band frequencies and amateur 2-meter frequencies (30.000-199.975 MHZ). I am usually able to receive some signals, but I am quite far away from any local airports or repeaters, so my main reception is from CVG, Greater Cincinnati Airport. While the radio scans the air band frequencies, like any other radio, it is best to find local frequencies you want to hear and program them into memory so you are not wasting a lot of time scanning dead air (these are country specific). Likewise amateur repeaters or GMRS, marine, or public service channels would be best used in memory channels except when scanning for new frequencies.

SWL

Shortwave listening is very respectable, with frequency ranges between 4.750-21.850 MHz (it does not have SSB capability). Tuning can be accomplished by pressing and holding one of the directional tuning keys for about 2 seconds, a long press scans faster. A single press of either directional button will move the frequency increment based on the band/mode chosen.

The radio also features something I have come to really like: a pause button which works not only in music mode, but also when receiving regular radio signals, activated by a quick press of the power button. The frequency is held while pause is active, and then releasing the pause with a second quick press of the power button resumes with all your setting still active.

When comparing this with another radio it was particularly useful instead of having to turn the volume down like most radios. This feature is also nice for answering a call or other interruption, and you resume right where you left off.

Sound Effects, TF Card, Audio in, Bluetooth Usage and other Errata

I have not covered these features as they do not impact radio reception, but I mention them just for completeness. All of these features are available and can be read about in the user’s manual. I will mention the flashlight feature and the emergency siren features, as these are useful for portable operation. The light is quite bright, and the siren will hurt your ears if you trip it accidentally, especially more than once. Ask me how I know!

There is a sleep timer as well as an alarm clock function, with the sleep timer adjustable by default starting at 90 minutes. Most buttons have multiple functions depending on the mode employed, so reading the manual is important for some of these features. I was able to get up and running without reading the manual initially, but some features were functional only in certain modes, so eventually you will need the manual which can be downloaded from the Radioddity site.

The App

A bit of a novelty in this size and type of radio is the Apple/Android app available to control radio functions remotely through Bluetooth connectivity. I have to say, on Android at least, the app is beautiful and I wish more apps used such a clear color scheme and large controls. Your mileage may vary based on your preferences, but I like it!

Phone App on Android

The free Phone app on an Android phone. I like the crisp, clear layout and colors, and the intuitive design.

As to function, the app gives you more information than the radio screen, such as the Bandwidth, SNR, received signal strength and the volume setting in one display. As a side note, the radio can still be adjusted at the radio, and then changes are reflected in the app almost instantaneously.

Of course, the main use for the app is to operate remotely, and the controls are easy to use, including, most importantly, direct keyboard entry of frequencies! This is always the biggest drawback to small radios without a keypad. There are instructions for using the app, but for the most part the app is laid out so well you can control the radio pretty much intuitively.

Negatives –

Yep, there are a few. When tuning with a single press each time there is some soft muting – fortunately it does not last long, but it is there. The buttons also make a clicking sound, not too loud, but it is there. If something like that annoys you, be aware all the buttons make a mechanical click.

I have noticed on several occasions that the band/mode button may stick slightly and take you past where you want to go. Not a big problem, but it does happen now and again. Of course, this could just be my unit.

Also, naturally, the buttons are small. And while I did not have much of an issue even with fairly large fingers, there were times when I pressed the desired button but also hit the one below it. Not a problem for me, but again, if you have very large fingers you may find the radio a bit tricky to navigate in some places. (This only happened on the front buttons for me, the tuning buttons are adequately spaced for most anyone I think.)

The telescoping antenna is probably the weakest point on the radio – similar to most radios, really. It is thin and could be bent easily. I had no difficulties, but I always took care to raise it gently and watched where I was moving the radio around. Then again, I do that will all my radios with telescoping antennas. Just a heads-up to be careful.

Concluding Thoughts

I like this little radio, and will probably keep it in my car for those times when I might want to listen to the radio out and about, check the NOAA weather forecast, use the flashlight, or (hopefully never need) to use the siren. The battery seems to last a long time on a charge when using the radio – I cannot speak to the MP3 drain or a prolonged flashlight/siren drain, but under normal use it seems excellent. It uses a USB-C connection like my phone, so charging is not an issue for me. It will almost fully charge in an hour; the instructions say 2 hours.

Pocket radios certainly have their niche, and I think this one does quite well in that role. If you are in the market for such a radio, I think you will be pleased, especially for the price and the addition of the free remote-control app. 73!

Click here to check out the Raddy RF75A at Radioddity.

Click here to check it out on Amazon.com (affiliate link).

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35 thoughts on “Raddy RF75A Review – Pocket Radio with Interesting Bells and Whistles

  1. John black

    Great little radio except for two things:
    Will not receive AM on VHF, so you can’t listen to aircraft.
    Will not do FM stereo through headphones.
    I’m surprised about both of these things, since even the lowly HRD-737 will do both.
    Otherwise, it would be my favorite travel radio.

    Reply
    1. Robert Gulley Post author

      Thanks for the kind words. I get the desire for SSB, that usually ends my interest as well, but for me this is filling a different niche, so my other SSB radios will be used when needed. Cheers!

      Reply
    2. David

      If you want to listen to SSB with ultra mobile radio, I recommend RF760.
      Unfortunately, it doesn’t have Bluetooth like this radio does, and it doesn’t produce a loud sound that is easy to hear.

      Reply
    1. Robert Gulley Post author

      Hi Mike,
      It does not appear to be a function (at least as of yet). I do wonder if there will be enhancements over time to the app which might give it more control? We shall see. (Just speculation on my part, nothing as such from the manufacturer!)

      Reply
  2. Kevin

    Thanks for the nice review. I absolutely love the retro late 70’s/early 80’s look! Sorta/kinda reminds me of the GE 9-volt-powered walkie talkies I had when I was a kid.

    Reply
    1. Robert Gulley Post author

      Hi Kevin,
      That’s interesting you mention that – I didn’t say anything in the review, but it reminded me of the little transistor radios of my youth as well – Cheers!

      Reply
  3. Barry Felstein

    I bought one of these on the day after it came out. I wish it had SSB, but I have a lot of other portables, both cheap and not cheap, for that. The antenna is super flimsy, as almost all the antennas on tiny radios are. For some reason, this radio does better at work on AMBC than seveal others I’ve tried. Most of the time, I get only two stations worth listening to, the rest are buried in RFI from all the computers in the building. On the Raddy, I can get 4 with a little turning the radio to null out part of the noise. The app seems to work well and for $53, I can’t complain. It came very quickly and the packaging was strong enough to come through totally intact, unlike a lot of other stuff sent in padded envelopes.

    Reply
    1. Tommy Coe

      They do make a radio the same size as this, and it includes the ssb function. (Being a ham, I ordered one). The problem was that putting the radio, at least the one I had, was like hitting a mute button. It just died as far as receiving anything. I returned it within the 30 day trial they offered when ordering directly from their website.

      Reply
  4. Frank Vettel

    Wirklich eine schöne Rezensioin! Ich habe das gleiche Modell von HanRongDa, es heisst HRD-787, hat aber die exakt gleichen Eigenschaften. Die App, die verwendet wird, heisst Radio-C. Die kann nur außerhalb des Google Plastores heruntergeladen und installiert werden. Man kann sie über den folgenden Link herunterladen: http://www.szdipusi.cn/file/Radio-c.apk.

    Ich habe über das Modell HanRongDa HRD-787 auch eine Rezension verfasst, erschienen in der aktuellen Ausgabe der ADDX, allerdings auf deutsch (dort beschreibe ich auch das Hören von TF-Karte und die Nutzung der App zur Titelauswahl). Lässt sich natürlich mit Google gut übersetzen, und ich kann den Beitrag als PDF bereitstellen.

    Reply
  5. John

    The US airband uses AM rather than FM. Does this radio receive AM on the airband? When using the app to control the radio, can the radio audio play through the phone?

    Reply
    1. Robert Gulley Post author

      Hi John,
      The radio does not play through the app when in “radio mode. I did not test playing any music with the TF card as I don’t personally download or record MP3s. Hopefully someone who does might be able to comment.
      As for AM mode on the airband, I have not been able to find a way to switch demodulation schemes within the set frequencies.

      Reply
  6. Adam

    Can someone with more knowledge than me explain the size of a SSB module/chip/board whatever? I’m surprised new radios come without SSB capability but understand there probably is a market for them. The C Crane Skywave 2 SSB has it in so it can’t just be size.

    If this had that capability I’d snap one up!

    Reply
    1. David

      The radio DSP used in RF75A is AKC6958.
      chip features the AUX input/output that are popular on Chinese radios.

      Reply
    2. ConradN

      There’s a viable market for SSB; in the early 1969’s had a Zenith Transoceanic while living in the Mid-East for 10 years. Radio was handy but had to add a SSB injector to it (old tube radio on giant drycell). And then, was able to truly appreciate the SW sections where a lot of SSB was going on. To me this is a great little radio in a pinch but without SSB it’s a showstopper to not purchase it. Also, that his for the heads up on one that does have SSB.

      Reply
  7. Frans

    Thanks Robert for your nice well written review.

    What a fun little device!

    I tried to find the app so see if it’s available for my iPhone but I find nothing under the name “Raddy” or “RF75a” or “RadioC”

    Do you know the name of the app? So I can check that before I buy the radio device itself.

    Reply
    1. ROBERT GULLEY

      FRANS,
      I believe you have to get it directly from Radioddity. Let us know how it works when you get it. I do not have an Apple device.

      Reply
    2. David

      iOS version APP name is “Radio-CT”
      Developer name : Shenzhen Dispo Technology Co., Ltd
      It seems that the name was changed because an APP called “RadioC” already existed in iOS.

      Reply
  8. Mario Filippi

    Nice review Robert, thanks. Lots of features for a shirt pocket-size radio that’s very affordable and handsome-looking hihi.

    Reply
    1. Robert Gulley Post author

      Hi Tom,
      It is non-removeable – in fact, I was only able to crack the unit open far enough to see the ferrite bar – no amount of wiggling etc. allowed me to get the rest of the back off other than the four screws I removed. The screws on the top are quite small, just holding on the plastic guard over the flashlight.
      If you figure it out let me know!!
      Cheers! Robert

      Reply
    1. Robert Gulley Post author

      Yeah, might be fun to scare the cat now and again – the smoke alarms send her running when I burn something for dinner!! It’s about the same volume level!

      Reply
  9. Tom Stiles

    I just got this radio and I am amazed at what it can do. I plan to do several shows on this radio on my YouTube channel. Thanks for your review and information.

    Tom Stiles

    Reply

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