{"id":35038,"date":"2018-12-02T09:14:30","date_gmt":"2018-12-02T13:14:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=35038"},"modified":"2020-09-13T08:50:52","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T12:50:52","slug":"best-of-the-best-reviews-of-some-of-my-favorite-portable-shortwave-radios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/best-of-the-best-reviews-of-some-of-my-favorite-portable-shortwave-radios\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of the best: Reviews of some of my favorite portable shortwave radios"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The following article originally appeared\u00a0in the\u00a0November 2018 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine<\/a>:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Shortwave Portables: Some of my favorites<\/h1>\n

Being a radio writer and blogger, I\u2019m often asked, \u201cIsn\u2019t radio dying?\u201d<\/i> or \u201cHow long are you going to keep listening to radio when there are so many other options out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

My answer? It\u2019s simple:<\/p>\n

Radio is about the journey. \u00a0And radios are the vehicles with which I explore our planet, albeit sonically. \u00a0I\u2019ll stop listening to radio when it stops transporting me to far-flung, fascinating places across our planet. <\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll stop listening to radio <\/i>when when it can no longer provide the kind of direct information and understated entertainment that is, for me (and a few others like me), a welcome relief from the overwhelming demands and distractions of the Internet.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m perhaps a bit anachronistic in that I prefer radio\u2019s subtler theatre of the mind over the mindless image consumption that television demands; thus, I\u2019ll stop listening to radio when it too, tells me what I must think, what I must imagine, and what I must feel.<\/i><\/p>\n

In short, radio is my tool for exploration, and I continue to enjoy tuning, listening, logging and learning from it. \u00a0Very fortunately, I have the great pleasure of being in the middle of the world of radio technology in my reviews, evaluations, and alpha\/beta testing.<\/p>\n

This is why, over the years, I\u2019ve made an effort to share some of my picks of the litter with others. \u00a0So when TSM editor Ken Rietz asked if I would be interested in writing a feature about this, how could I resist?<\/p>\n

What follows is a series of mini-reviews which focus primarily on the portable radio market.<\/b> This is, by definition, a curated list, but I\u2019ve done my best to include a variety of receivers I regularly recommend. The radios are listed roughly from least expensive ($25) to most expensive ($270), and I\u2019ve only included models that are in production at the time of this publication.<\/p>\n

Ever-popular portables<\/h1>\n

Portables are truly the most popular category of radio among shortwave radio enthusiasts, and it\u2019s no wonder why! Among their other virtues, modern portables can pack a lot of performance into an affordable package, they\u2019re great for travelling, and their all-in-one nature makes shortwave listening accessible to virtually everyone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Since I\u2019m in the constant stream of correspondence and comments from radio enthusiasts, I know another reason some listeners consider portables simply invaluable: portables give us refuge from noise<\/i>. Since many of us live in, and\/or travel to, busy urban areas filled with radio interference, portables give us a means to head to the park, beach, or the countryside to escape the noise and increase our odds of working DX.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for us, modern portables pack features of which, in former radio-listening days, we could have only dreamed.<\/p>\n

What follows is a list of my favorite portables, listed by price in US dollars, with the least expensive first. Please note that retailer links include Amazon and eBay affiliate links that support the SWLing Post with your purchase.<\/p>\n

Best Portable Shortwave Radios<\/h1>\n

$25 – $50 Range<\/span><\/h1>\n

Tivdio V-115 \/ Retekess V115 \/ Audiomax SRW-710S<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Listening to the BBC Midwinter Broadcast on June 21, 2017 in Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p><\/div>\n

Pros:<\/b> Affordability, sensitivity, built-in recording and audio playback features, compact size, impressive audio from internal speaker<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/b> Mutes between frequencies, front panel buttons feel rather cheap, no SSB mode, sluggish response from controls, small telescoping whip<\/p>\n

Summary: <\/b>For about $25, it\u2019s hard to complain about the V-115. Its performance and list of features exceeds expectations for radios in this price range, which are generally a disappointment. As for myself, I mainly use the V-115 as receiver to make off-air recordings and as an occasional backup radio. Unless your budget is very tight, don\u2019t buy the V-115 as your main receiver; rather, buy it to keep in the glove compartment of your car or in your go-bag. Note that this radio carries a number of brand names and has been rebadged many times. Click here to read more reviews of the V-115 on the SWLing Post<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

Retailers:<\/em><\/h3>\n