Tag Archives: Baseball Radio

Retekess V112: An Ideal Ballpark Companion

The Retekess V112 takes in the scenery at a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game in Allentown, PA

by Aaron Kuhn

In my previous post for SWLing Post, I suggested the characteristics of an ideal ballpark radio and considerations for radio selection. While researching that post, I came across the Retekess V112 which ticked a lot of the boxes I recommended – compact, cheap, unobtrusive.

The Retekess V112 has indeed turned out to be a compact, affordable, and unobtrusive companion for enhancing the game-day experience at the ballpark. Priced at a consistent $15.49 on Amazon [SWLing Post affiliate link] for over a year now, this little red (or Gold) radio has exceeded my expectations.

Unboxing and Accessories (and what to replace):

While the physical packaging is a distant memory to me, the V112 comes with earbuds, a neck lanyard, and a Micro-USB charging cord.

  • Earbuds: While included, the provided earbuds are notably uncomfortable and were quickly relegated to the recycling bin. My ears are not your ears of course, and they might be salvageable with interchangeable eartips if you have some lying around, but it’s highly recommended to bring your own comfortable earbuds or headphones. This is especially important as the headphone wires double as the antenna, and reception can vary significantly between different pairs of headphones based on the cable. My older Apple EarPods offered good comfort and reception, while Sony MDRE9LP’s performed poorly. Experimentation of pairing the radio with low-cost IEMs would be an interesting project.
  • Neck Lanyard: Surprisingly, the neck lanyard is the hidden gem of this package. It allows the radio to hang around your neck, keeping your hands free for hot dogs and foul balls.
  • Micro-USB Charging Cord: While USB-C would be a welcome modern update, the included Micro-USB cable is understandable given the radio’s price point and older engineering. It’s hard to complain about the cable-port standard chosen when they give you the cable you need, and you probably have multiple other Micro-USB cables kicking around in storage boxes and drawers already.

Portability and Power:

  • Size and Weight: The Retekess V112 truly shines in its portability. Weighing 45 grams (0.1 lbs) and measuring 3.3 x 1.8 x 0.5 inches, it’s so small and lightweight that it’s easy to forget you’re carrying it, and easy to lose it in your pocket (like I have done multiple times!) This weight is even more impressive given the battery is built-in. I like to leave my earbuds plugged into it and wrap them around the radio body for transport, producing a tidy, tiny package of everything I need.
  • Battery: Battery life is another strong suit – I have yet to accidentally run it down, even forgetting to charge between games. I typically throw the radio on a battery bank on the way to the game, or shortly before the game, and have never run down the 500mah battery. I can’t find a stated battery life, and due to my experience really can’t estimate a runtime besides “long enough for extra innings.”

Features and Functionality:

  • Antenna: While relying on the headphone cable for an antenna does impact reception, it eliminates the bulk and vulnerability of a traditional antenna whip. This helps to make the radio instantly pocketable and prevents accidental seat-neighbor-pokes or damage. There’s nothing fancy such as selectable bandwidths to really help you out here, so you’re either going to have usable reception or you won’t.
  • Power/Mute Button: The power button cleverly doubles as a soft-mute, perfect for cutting out commercials between innings. A quick button tap when the last batter is out mid-inning mutes until you see the next batter up, and returns the previously set volume quickly.
  • Keypad Lock: The keypad lock function is invaluable for setting the desired volume and then tossing the radio in your pocket or letting it hang from the lanyard without accidental button pressings changing stations or volume.
  • Presets / Direct Frequency Entry: The lack of a number keypad for direct frequency entry is a minor inconvenience and my only real complaint, but in reality it’s lack of preparation. The radio does offer presets, making it easy to save your preferred stations before heading to the game – as long you remember to do so.

Future Wishlist:

If any radio manufacturers are out there listening (get in touch, Retekess or Tecsun!) I still think there’s a few features that would make an even better ballpark radio as discussed in my article from last year:

  • Bluetooth Headphone Support: There are a number of small radios on Amazon that advertise themselves as having “Bluetooth”, but when you dig deeper the feature just turns the radio body into an external speaker to your phone/tablet/laptop. The exception to the rule is the Prunus J-618 which claims actual bluetooth headphone support. Bonus points to manufacturers – allow two sets of paired headphones to be driven simultaneously. Finding comfortable Bluetooth earbuds is way easier these days at retail than finding a pair of wired earbuds, and you probably already own a pair to your liking.
  • Replaceable Parts: Implementing Bluetooth headphone support is going to require the move to an external antenna, and with that I’d love to see an antenna that can be easily replaced if it snaps off / is broken. I’m pro-repairability on electronics, so it would be great to see parts kits available at a small cost up-front with the radio to increase the likelihood the device lasts for years. Think antennas, plastic trim/doors, clips, lanyards, etc.
  • Selectable Bandwidth: I’d pay a little more for a radio that has a selectable bandwidth feature on both FM and AM. Legible commentary for a ballgame doesn’t require a very wide bandwidth, and this would go a long way towards turning an unstable/fringe signal into something more enjoyable. I’ve made use of bandwidth selection on Tecsun radios at the ballpark in the past and this is a sorely missed feature.
  • USB-C Charging: It’s 2025 – the world has moved to USB-C. Any device worth its salt these days should include a USB-C charging port, with actual proper USB-C PD support – none of that hacked up USB-A to USB-C junk.
  • Multiple Mounting Options: The lanyard on the Retekess V112 is great, what would be even more fun is some kind of clip that could attach to a stadium cupholder, or be attached to a seat in some fashion. Being able to strap a radio somewhere with bluetooth headphone support would be the ultimate convenience.

Conclusion:

For under $17 delivered to your door, the Retekess V112 is a great investment for live baseball enthusiasts. This radio has consistently enhanced my enjoyment of baseball games with its portable size, performance, and ease-of-use.

At $25, the Prunus J-618 looks like it might be a contender to the Retekess V112 throne and is one I’ll likely be checking out in the future. The Tecsun PL-368 is an attractive proposition for a ballpark radio, but in my mind provides more radio than you need, at a price-point ($75-$100) where I’d be afraid of breaking it or misplacing it in a ballpark environment.

For what it is, I’m not sure there’s much else that can compete at this price with the Retekess V112 for a low-cost, turn-key solution to live baseball play-by-play.

Aaron Explores: Why a Dedicated Radio Enhances the Live Baseball Experience

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who shares the following guest post:


Live Baseball on the Radio: Radio Selection Considerations

The authors own Sangean Portable + AirPod Pros + a Bluetooth Transmitter rubber banded to the radio back, Coca Cola Park – Allentown, PA

In recent years, I’ve enjoyed attending minor league baseball games in my region. One of my favorite aspects of live baseball is bringing a radio to listen to play-by-play commentary. Experiencing the game in person while hearing the commentary in my ear offers the best of both worlds.

Over the years, I’ve brought various portable and ultra-portable radios to games, and I’ve realized that certain criteria make for a good “Live Baseball Radio.” Whether it’s form factor, size, or features, a live sporting event presents specific considerations and trade-offs for the radio you choose to bring.

“I’ll just stream the game on my phone”

While there are many options for internet streaming on a smartphone, like the free game audio feeds from MiLB.com, streaming game audio on a smartphone is not ideal for live baseball due to one major issue: latency.

Ideally, you want the action you see to match as closely as possible with the play-by-play you hear. With internet streaming, you’re subject to internet latency and buffering, leading to audio delays that you cannot fix. This makes streaming better for listening to games from afar, but not for live baseball.

Selecting the Ideal Radio

Picking a radio to bring to a game involves considerations that become obvious only after you’ve tried it a few times. Hopefully you can learn from my past mistakes and be more informed.

AM, FM, or AM/FM?

There are no fixed rules about the frequency’s baseball teams use for broadcasting. Some teams are on AM radio, some on FM, and some simulcast on both. Some teams don’t broadcast on free-to-air radio at all, opting for streaming-only solutions. Choosing a radio that receives both AM and FM is your best bet to ensure you can use it at different stadiums.

Many ultra-portable “pocket” radios support only FM, which might leave you without audio if your local team is on AM. Conversely, vintage pocket transistor radios might leave you stuck with AM-only signal receiving capability, missing the FM signal.

Amazon Product Listing Photo for “ZHIWHIS” Ultra-Portable

Vintage RCA Transistor Radio, Photo by Joe Haupt – https://www.flickr.com/photos/51764518@N02/49435844673/

HD Radio

The Author’s recent ill-fated radio choice for a live game

While HD Radio seems like a great idea for live baseball, the HD signal suffers from similar issues as streaming a game: latency

I recently picked up an ultra-portable FM HD Radio for a great deal secondhand, only to take it to the ballpark and realize the HD Signal was delayed by nearly 20 seconds. Worse yet – the radio offered no way to turn off the HD signal and revert to analog! The radio was unusable for watching the game as play-by-play in my ear was nearly four pitches behind what I was seeing live.

If you choose a radio with HD Radio features for the ballpark, check the broadcast delay on the HD signal before the game, and ensure you can turn off the HD Radio features if necessary.

Radio Size and Antenna Considerations

Any radio can be portable if you try hard enough, but space is often limited at live sporting events. Stadium seating varies at some ballparks, you can spread out a blanket on a hillside, sit at a picnic table, or even watch the game from a pool (better check that IPX rating!). However, you’ll likely be using your radio while seated in your ticketed seat. Some stadiums offer spacious, modern seating, while older stadiums may have small, cramped seating.

Antennas on radios are another consideration. In cramped stadium seating, you may not have the luxury to fully extend the antenna for the best signal without poking the person in front of you or next to you. You might want to consider a radio without an external antenna, such as one like the Retekess V112, which uses the headphone cable as the antenna. You may also need to stand up and sit down repeatedly to let people through the aisle rows to their own seats, which is where going “antenna-less” can be useful.

Retekess Product Image for V112 Model

While a headphone-wire antenna setup may be a perceived undesirable feature for dedicated radio hobbyists, pocketability and ease of use in a crowd can be beneficial at a crowded game. Many stadiums are moving towards bag restrictions or not allowing bags at all, making the proposition of transporting even a modest-sized portable radio to a game a chore. A pocket-sized radio you can stick on a lanyard, wear into the park, or stick in a pocket may be the difference between being annoyed all game carrying around a radio, or just enjoying it.

On the flip side, if you plan on pairing your radio with a Bluetooth transmitter to use Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, you may want to select a radio with an antenna. The short cable run on many Bluetooth transmitters may not provide adequate reception for units that use connected headphones as the antenna.

Speaker or No Speaker

If you’re not using the radio for tailgating, consider whether you need a speaker on the radio. Many pocket radios omit a speaker to reduce weight and cost. If you need to unplug your headphones during the game, it might be better to avoid a speaker that could blast game audio accidentally and disrupt your neighbors. Ditching the speaker is also likely to save weight and battery life.

Cost Considerations and Final Thoughts

Choosing the right radio for live baseball involves considering factors like frequency options, latency issues, size, portability, and whether you need a speaker.

Everyone’s finances and purchasing abilities differ, but there are many adequate radio options available for under $20 USD that check a lot of these boxes, making it possible to have a dedicated radio for live sports without spending a lot of money. As radio hobbyists, we sometimes want the best for our listening experiences, but taking an expensive radio to a live sporting event can be risky due to cramped quarters, constant movement, and the potential for spills or accidents.

In my opinion, it’s better to enjoy the game with a “lesser radio” than to spend the entire game worry about damaging an expensive radio. After all, cleaning mustard out of your expensive radio’s speaker grill is not fun post-game entertainment. Focus on enjoying the day and the live sporting experience while enhancing it with the wonder of live ballpark radio – no matter what you bring along.