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A review of the Sony SRF-59 — cheap, fun Mediumwave DX thrills

The Sony SRF-59

A few years ago, I heard a lot of buzz in AM/Mediumwave radio circles about a small, inexpensive radio called the Sony SRF-59. Discussions were focused on the incredible performance of this diminutive low-cost radio and how it held it own against some real benchmark receivers. Out of curiosity, I did a search on the radio to see what it looked like–I expected some Tecsun PL-like unit–and found that, much to my surprise, it’s a simple, analog, totally unassuming AM/FM walkman. Say, what?

The far biggest surprise came with my price search, however. The SRF-59 is easy to find at $14.95 US. Really, you ask? Oh, yes–and it’s readily available at many online and big box stores.

So–carefully counting my pocket change–I took the plunge, and bought one.

The radio came in a basic plastic blister pack, and it also included headphones. I can’t comment on the headphones as I didn’t even bother unpacking them; instead, I plugged my new SRF-59 into my favorite Sony earbuds.

I have to admit, the AM band on this little radio does indeed shine. Not only is the receiver sensitive and relatively selective (meaning, I don’t hear adjacent signals when tuned in), but it also has excellent audio. Amazingly, it lives up to all of the praise I had heard about it. I’m quite amazed, in fact, at how well this little unit can null out stations by rotating the radio body a few degrees. Most impressive.

Though I’m no major FM radio listener, I can also vouch for its FM performance, which is quite good.

Pros:

lightweight–indeed, one can safely say, “ultralight”
very inexpensive, by comparision
operates almost indefinitely on one AA cell
simple design, durable construction
AM (Mediumwave) sensitivity and selectivity comparable to $100 shortwave portables
because tuning is analog, it works in North America just as well as in Japan (see cons)

Cons:

tuning is analog, thus no stations can be saved to memory and there is a noticeable amount of receiver drift if listening over long periods of time
no fine-tuning mechanism means that tuning in weak stations takes precision skill on the SRF-59’s very small dial
no built-in speaker (this is a Walkman, after all)

In summary, you will regret not purchasing this radio should Sony pull it from the market without warning. While it is a walkman with the above listed limitations, it’s nonetheless a first-rate AM/MW receiver and might be a great avenue into the fun hobby of ultralight DXing.

In short, the Sony SRF-59 is a real gem. But don’t take my word for it, either–go check one out for yourself!

Where to buy:

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Radio St. Helena Day 2010

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[UPDATE: Radio Saint Helena Day 2010 has been canceled. Please read this updated post with info.]

Want to chase some fun DX? Radio St. Helena Day 2010 is almost here–this time being held in October. Details below:

(Source: Jaisakthivel via Hard-Core DX)

Radio St. Helena Day 2010 : Date,Times and Targets
————————————————————-
RSD 2010 will be on 11092.5 kHz USB, Saturday, 9th October 2010

Target Region Times (UTC ) Beam Heading

EUROPE 1900 – 2030 UTC 10 degrees
INDIA 2030 – 2130 UTC 70 degrees
JAPAN 2130 – 2300 UTC 50 degrees
North America 2300 – 0030 UTC 310 degrees

Gary Walters, Station Manager of Radio St. Helena, has just confirmed the above information,and, as usual, Derek Richards will operate the RSD shortwave transmitting facility. There will be a special email-address exclusively for the evening of RSD 2010. As soon as Gary sets up this special email account, will be published.

The RSD 2010 QSL cards are being sponsored by the Danish ShortWave Club International. Reception reports for RSD 2010 should be sent with sufficient return postage to RSH using thespecial Airmail address via Ascension and the United Kingdom — exactly the same procedureas for the RSD 2009 reception reports. ALL mail to RSH should use this procedure. ALL 266 QSLs for RSD 2009 have been mailed and should now be arriving around the world.The sunspot minimum between sunspot cycles 23 and 24 is the longest in history — much to the dismay of shortwave listeners everywhere. This minimum has lasted since 2007 and is still ongoing. There are not very many sunspots to “help” propagation, and there is no real sign of significant change.

The UTC-times for broadcasting to the various target area have been very carefully selected to to have the very best chance of good reception in each area. Also, we need to have the RSD broadcasts one after the other.After RSD 2009, it was decided to change the times somewhat and to move RSD from November to October (as was the case back in the late 1990’s — Thanks, John). RSH hopes that everyone around the world has excellent reception conditions during RSD 2010 and is looking forward to your emails and also, if possible, to your telephone calls.

Gary Walters , Station Manager of Radio St. Helena via Robert Kipp

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