{"id":14878,"date":"2015-10-22T17:45:23","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T21:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=14878"},"modified":"2016-01-15T15:57:56","modified_gmt":"2016-01-15T19:57:56","slug":"pocket-dx-finding-the-sony-srf-59-and-srf-39fp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/pocket-dx-finding-the-sony-srf-59-and-srf-39fp\/","title":{"rendered":"Pocket DX: Finding the Sony SRF-59 and SRF-39FP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sony-SRF-59-and-Sony-SRF-39FP\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have two of the Sony SRF\u00a0series pocket AM\/FM radios: the grey SRF-59<\/strong> and the clear SRF-39FP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The venerable\u00a0SRF-59<\/strong> has long been one of the least expensive, quality analog AM\/FM receivers on the market. I originally purchased one new for $14.95\u00a0US including shipping. Here’s a short review I made of the ’59 several years ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sony_SRF-39FP-front\"<\/a>

The Sony SRF-39FP (click to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

The SRF-39FP<\/strong>–the model with the clear case–was specifically designed by\u00a0Sony radio for the prison market<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A couple years ago, someone on eBay had a lot of Sony SRF-39FP units on sale–I jumped at the opportunity to buy one new-in-box for $20 US. The\u00a0entire lot of SRF-39FPs sold in a matter of hours. Indeed, the ’39FPs were so popular, by the time I prepared a post for the SWLing Post<\/em>, the seller had already sold out. (I’m kicking myself for not buying at least one extra–!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

While most ultralight radio enthusiasts would give the SRF-39FP a performance\u00a0edge over the SRF-59, they’re essentially the same radio–especially if you tweak the SRF-59 like my buddy Dave Richards did<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>

The Sony SRF-59 (click to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

Several weeks ago, while Steve researched the reason he was hearing shortwave broadcasters on his SRF-59<\/a>, he\u00a0also\u00a0discovered that the SRF-59 had been discontinued and selling in many places for three<\/em> or four<\/em> times the original price.<\/p>\n

He\u00a0found\u00a0one vendor<\/a>\u00a0still selling the SRF-59 for $14.99 plus shipping.\u00a0I placed an order with this vendor over a month ago, but still haven’t received the product\u00a0because the\u00a0vendor hasn’t\u00a0taken delivery of the final batch of units\u00a0from Sony. I’m in contact with this vendor and when\/if the units are received in stock next week, I’ll post an update here on the SWLing Post<\/em>\u00a0(if interested, follow this tag<\/a>).<\/p>\n

If you’re in the market for a\u00a0Sony SRF-59,<\/strong>\u00a0here are a few places you may find one new or used:<\/p>\n