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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who writes:
I have seen some very good radio cases for carrying your radio with you with a price tag.
I needed one for my DX-440 but did not want to shell out a hundred bux for it, so I made a home brew version out of packing foam, bubble wrap, Velcro patches, hot melt glue and lots of imagination. this is what I came up with:
Thanks for sharing, Ed! I’m sure your upcycled case will serve the DX-440 quite well. Bubble and foam wrap are durable materials and it’s always get to give them a second life!
Post readers: Have you made your own radio protective cases? Please comment!
I spotted a £3 semi-rigid pencil case that looked like it might fit my new PL-680, and when I got it home, found that it was a great fit.
I cut out the internal flap that holds the pens with scissors, and the result speaks for itself.
Wow! That’s a brilliant case for for the PL-680, Mark! That exterior color will also ensure you never lose it in the wild. Thanks for sharing this tip. What a fabulous bargain at £3! Post readers in the UK, take note!
I was mistaken in my belief that Otterbox no longer make dry boxes.
It seems like a year ago they decided to “return to their roots” and started making the Otterbox 3250.
While the model number might make you think it’s the old 3000 case but deeper, it is in fact a little shorter.
As you can see, the XHDATA still fits but the lid leaves about 1.5cm of clearance for the radio to rattle around in. The 3000 fits it perfectly in this regard, though 1.5 cm is enough to fit my Otterbox Defender iPhone 6.
Very cool! Thank you for the follow-up, Mark! I suspect the extra 1.5 cm clearance in the 3250 might even accommodate a thin logging notepad.
As you well know, Mark, I’m a certified pack and case geek. Seeing how well it fits your D-808, I know the Digitech AR-1780 should fit too.
How enabling of you, Mark! I think I’ll have to grab one of these. I have a couple of Otterboxes, but all larger (deeper) than this one. Purchasing a used case would be safe as Otterbox products are incredibly durable and nearly indestructible. Thanks for the tip, Mark!
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 passenger’s 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.
JC’s shoulder pack
The price is about $13.60 w/ free shipping. It’s a great bag for my portable kit, and it’s built pretty sturdy. Any extra protection is better than none for a radio used out in the field.
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.
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!
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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel (the 
