Sangean PR-D7 AM/FM Digital Portable Radio with Built-in Battery Charger (Black)

Quite an impressive little radio. My old cheap GE "work radios" (radios I use while painting, sanding, fixing stuff, etc.) were both having issues, and I was spending way too much time just trying to tune them in, positioning them, and trying to keep them tuned in -- instead of working on whatever projects were at hand. I was not using battery power, so I always had to use an extension cord. This required some planning ahead (long extension cords) if I wanted to listen to the radio in a place far from the house. These radios were about 25+ years old, and had cost about $10 each. I could not find any good little radios in that price range today. I considered the Sony ICF38 for about $25 on Amazon. (This model is similar in style to my old GE radios.) But, some (not a lot) of the reviews complained of poor reception. The Sangean PR-D7 was twice as expensive, but had digital tuning and was capable of recharging rechargeable batteries -- and had great reviews. So, I decided to give the go-ahead to it, so that I could have more freedom of movement when working in different locations (battery-power w/ recharger built in), and reportedly excellent reception. I got the Panasonic Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries, as they had great reviews. (All batteries are not the same, apparently, to my surprise.) The FM reception on this radio is excellent. Haven't used the AM too much, but it seems good. Tuning and operation are simple. Sound quality is excellent -- way better than I expected. No hiss or background noise, super-clear, crisp audio. Digital scan tuning is very fast, and you can tune automatically (letting the tuner pick up the next strong signal), or you can tune manually (setting the frequency on a station that does not come in too clearly.) It has a digital clock display that is always on, and orange back-lighting for 10 seconds when any of the buttons are pressed. The 5 pre-sets for FM are very handy. (There are also 5 for AM.) The ability to re-charge the rechargeable batteries within the unit itself is a big selling point. I don't know yet how long the batteries will last on a single charge, but my experience with battery-operated radios is that the don't last long. So, rechargables is definitely the way to go. This radio permits you to recharge the batteries easily without removing them from the unit, simply by plugging the radio in to an electric outlet while the radio is turned off. There is a blinking red LED light that indicates batteries are being charged, and the light goes off when fully charged (or, it may stay steady on when fully charged -- I can't recall.) This is the Rolls-Royce of "work radios", and is a bit expensive for this purpose. But, it will save me a huge amount of time by not having to fiddle with sub-par radio reception, and not having to worry about extension cords. For a "work radio" I highly recommend this one, even though it is definitely expensive. However, because it is so good, I will be extending its use beyond my workshop/ work/ yard projects -- into everyday use on the patio, living room, etc. I was totally unfamiliar with the Sangean name until I began searching for AM/FM portables on Amazon. I would not rule out the Sony ICF38 -- since I could have purchased two of these for the price of one Sangean PR-D7. But, the Sangean exceeds my expectations in all areas and will serve double-duty as a work radio and as an everyday radio.

I needed a digital radio that was simple to turn on , volume dial easy to use, push buttons to pre program favorite stations in front of radio. The radio dial is a button up or down that automatically tunes to the stations with good signals & the station number can be seen on a small digital screen as well as the time. Lights up initially but is not back lit (a little con). No old dial trying to find, guess & tune to your station with lots of static & screechy noise. This radio does NOT have multiple knobs & buttons which would easily confuse & frustrate a person in the early & possible middle stages of dementia/Alzheimer’s. This radio can be used as a plug-in or portable with rechargeable batteries. Best part the batteries are recharged within the radio itself when the radio is off & plugged in. Batteries do not charge if radio is being played even when plugged in. Anyway, conceivably, my mom should never have a “dead” radio & does not need to take batteries in & out just to charge them. My mom has early stages of dementia & her short term memory is terrible & is usually afraid to touch buttons on the TV remote in fear of messing things up. After showing her the simple operation of this radio with quite a few return demonstrations of what I asked her to do, (remember her short term memory issues) mom is able to use this radio by herself & is not afraid to use it. There’s so few things for her to touch she ends up pretty much where she wants to be on the radio. Mom also likes the size of the radio, not too small, not too big, so it doesn’t take up much space on the bedside table or wherever you choose to put it. Mom says it’s the perfect size to carry from room to room or her balcony. The sound quality is quite good for this single speaker & smaller radio size. There is some depth to the sound, not tinny sounding. The only con I have is it would be nice to have a fold down handle so it’s easier to carry.

Update. I just reduced my rating from 5 stars to 4 stars. The FM reception is superb. FM tuning is superb. However, I just don't get a static free signal on AM. At least not indoors. Static on all stations. Yet FM is superb. Don't know enough to explain why. Live within 8 miles of Dayton Ohio, a mid sized city, with many stations. Even the Cincinnati superstation, WLW 700 has static. Wanted a radio for the house and yard that was easy to carry, had good sound, easy to use, and used inexpensive AA rechargeable batteries. This radio includes an AC plug/charger. Fits the bill. This is a very attractive radio. I use Sanyo Eneloop batteries, and have used these batteries for several years. The radio will actually recharge these batteries without removing them from the radio. I did purchase a clear acrylic radio stand from Amazon for $ 7.99. Highly recommend this. The manufacturer recommends a stand. Keeps it off grass in the yard, and from tipping over. This radio will replace two larger radios with poorer sound. It will also replace a large Sony Boombox. The Sony is nice, but too big to carry around, and even for placement in most rooms. Finally. I was planning to buy a logitech internet capable squeezebox radio. 25% of reviewers rated the logitech 3 stars or less. Considering the ratings,and the fact that the logitech wouldn't let me listen to my AM ball game station, and the cost difference, this radio seemed by far the more sensible buy.

Muy buena radio, compré una para la casa del pueblo y ahora otra para mí domicilio habitual, la recomiendo 100 por 100muy

Excelente aparato. Lo utilizo con pilas recargables y cuando están bajas no es necesario quitarlas pues se conecta a la corriente eléctrica y se cargan nuevamente.

I like it's sound ,reception and and built qwality. Thanks Amazon.

Radio wouldn't tune in to Hobart 936. Appears to be based on American stations only tuning in AM steps of 10. Returned radio to Australian Amazon.

Really great little radio. Bought for bathroom so chose Fm rather than DAB because it uses so much less battery power. The radio can use non- rechargeable or rechargeable batteries switch selectable and can recharge its own batteries when plugged in. It displays its battery level. Based on other reviews we use Eneloop rechargeable batteries and when the battery level is low we take it outside the bathroom and plug it in to charge. We love Eneloop batteries and although the radio charges its own batteries we read that it is a good idea to take out the batteries and charge them in a specific battery charger so this is what we do. This is because the radio charges its batteries in series and over time the individual cells can become unevenly charged. In a battery charger the cells are charged in parallel and all cells will have the same charge. The batteries last several weeks between charges and only get charged externally every few cycles. Can't fault the radio. The size is compact but not too small for a decent speaker. The sound quality is very good, as good as our Pure DAB radios. Tuning is automatic and very easy and stations are crisp and clear. We only listen to FM. It has 5 presets and a large clear display. We couldn't be more pleased with this quality purchase even though we had to buy a European 2 pin to UK 13A adapter because the power supply is not so equipped. Shame.