radios

I've been a radio buff for many years have a large collection and love to do compares . This unit is an Alarm Clock , not truley a "radio" . And the alarm does NOT interact with the radio, its analog ,therefore it cannot turn the radio on as an alarm . Buzzer only! It does not have a DC adaptor jack . It must run on batteries only. It has an earphone jack .No FM Stereo. If you plug headphones in you will only hear it out of one side . Sony could have easily put a mono adaptor inline so you would hear it through both and should have for the price . The tuner like many Sony products has very good sensativity . But , the controls are so small you need the hands of a brain surgeon to fine tune it . If I was travelling and intended on DXing I would NOT depend on this alarm clock . If you want to listen to SW or DX the broadcast band , buy a real radio . If you want a travel alarm clock , buy one that interacts with the radio . At this price this unit is certainly NOT WORTH IT ! I give two stars instead of one because the tuner is pretty decent , however , pass it by !

This short wave radio also comes with a built in alarm clock. The problem is that it stopped working all of a sudden after just a year. The warranty only lasts for 90 days and Sony will repair it, but the repairs cost more than the radio!

This radio has been a steady companion in my travels to remote areas of Africa and SE Asia during the past 3-4 years. The top portion of the antenna snapped off after 2 years of frequent usage, but this hasn't affected reception significantly. My only wish would be to have a volume control on the alarm, and stereo reception in earphones - to block out bush/jungle noises!