Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio, Silver
by Sony
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio, Silver
Customer Review: Radio Technician Review
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm reviewing this little Sony radio as a guy who spent the last 28 years repairing, tuning, aligning, maintaining radio channels and generally playing with Commercial 2-way & Amateur radios. The review is pretty simple and I'm only reviewing the AM Band part of the radio.
1. The radio is remarkably sensitive in the AM band for a little $10 radio. Sitting on my front porch in Central California I could easily pick up Las Vegas (720 AM) and KFI in Los Angeles both of which were very stable signal receptions - Full Quieting even.
2. The Radio has nice clear tone.
3. The tuning scale is a little tight so it takes a little patience to locate weaker signals - but they are there.
4. The radio has a little red tuning light that shows when you pass an AM signal. You can use the light to set the tuning dial to maximum signal. It can also be used to orient the radio to obtain maximize antenna coupling/orientation to the station you're trying to listen to for maximum signal strength.
5. The radio has a VERY directional antenna located inside of the case. This means if you're trying to tune a weak station, you may not hear it until you rotate the radio a bit on it's "long axis" to get the antenna pointed in the correct direction. You have to work with it a bit - It ain't FM. The external whip antenna has nothing to do with receiving AM Signals.
Conclusion: Concerning the AM Section of this unit, this is the best little $10 radio I've had since I broke my wonderful little 1970's RCA pocket transistor. This Sony would actually make a pretty good DX radio (DX = Long Distance Reception) for a radio enthusiast determined to pick up weak, distance signals on the confines of a little pocket radio. It a very nice looking little radio.
Customer Review: A little marvel !
Summary: 5 Stars
I received three of these radios from J&R Music today for $30, including shipping (just ordered two more). The radios were very well protected and were received undamaged through UPS. I own some larger and more expensive digital PLL-tuned radios, but this radio is truly unbelievable - too bad, I wasted time and money on the other radios. This is an analog-tuned radio, which evidentually, has a tuned loop input and may contain the same receiver chip and ferrite-bar, as the much more expensive Sony PLL radios. There is an excellent review of this radio on RadioIntel and look under the "reviews" tab; this radio has almost the same AM DXing capabilities, as a $700 receiver ! The radio is simply handsome and about the size of a 3x5 card and 1 1/4" inches deep, so it definately has some bulk (this is not the typical 1960's-style transistor radio, that I grew up with). This radio has the feel of a quality piece of electronics for only $10 ! The fit-and-finish is very good, the tuner is very tight, the battery compartment cover and antenna fit tightly, handling the radio does not affect reception, and the 2 1/4" speaker much better, than one would expect. I compared its AM nighttime reception to my more expensive digital PLL radios and it could pick up exactly the same stations (West to WHO 1040 Des Moines, South to 870 WWL New Orleans, and North to Canada, all from Maryland), but without the typical static of cheap boom-boxes, or the typical PLL synthesizer noise. This radio also has an LED tuning indicator, so you will know when the station is right on; also, I have not noticed the typical drifting one gets with analog-tuned radios. I hope Sony doesn't make the mistake of discontinuing this excellent radio.
Customer Review: Found a pocket radio my dad finally likes!
Summary: 5 Stars
My dad never asks for anything. "All I want is to see my kids", which is easily accomplished and often done, but hard to wrap and give as a gift. So when he turned 90 last year I was shocked when he said to me, "you know... I can use a good transistor radio for walking around the house with", I was ready to spend hundreds to find him the best one I could. I researched Grundigs and any other high end radio I could find on the internet and somehow stumbled across this $10 wonder. The greatest thing about amazon I believe, is the reviews. Even if I'm not buying something on amazon, I'll go to the site and check the reviews on it (and of course the prices), and this puppy got wonderful reviews from most everyone who bought one. What solidified my decision to purchase it though was that one day I noticed a Grundig in his house. So I asked him if he still needed that radio he asked for if he had such a high end one already. He told me that he didn't use it, wasn't easy to use, didn't like the reception...etc. Dad is legally blind, so he wanted a very simple, easily tunable radio that got his favorite stations. That got me thinking that expensive doesn't always mean better, so I sprung for the $10 and bought this radio. A couple of months pass and one day I get a call from dad, who just wanted to let me know that he LOVES his new radio. Says he uses it every day with no problems at all, thanks me effusively for getting it for him. Nuff said. Best $10 present I ever bought. Thank you Sony, and thank you Amazon customers for the reviews that got me to buy it...oh and yeah... thank you dad for being the greatest!
Customer Review: One great radio!
Summary: 5 Stars
This radio is fantastic! I had been looking for a small radio to carry in my day pack. After reading many reviews and talking to my wife she bought me this one for my birthday back in February. I wanted to test this radio out before I gave my comments.
Let me give you some of my background. I am a ham radio operator, KC0LFW, so I know a little bit about radios. By trade, I have been employed at a large chemical plant for 20 years as an, Electronics and Instrumentation Technician, so I know a little about electronics.
This radio was packaged in a blister pack. It is light and small. The antenna telescopes down then folds down to the left side of the unit. There are two thumb-driven controls. Left side is the on/ off and volume control. The right side is the tuning. There is a earphone jack but the radio came with none. I have yet to buy one. This radio is powered by two AA batteries.
I am still using the first set of batteries I installed back in Feb. I mainly use this on the weekends around the house while doing odd jobs. I rate the battery life a 10 out of 10.
The reception is great. I can pull stations out with the antenna down that my other, more expensive radio cannot touch. I own a number of radios and I keep returning to this one. It is a real workhorse.
At ~$10 you can not go wrong. Keep one in the garage, or for when the power goes out. Keep one in your coat for the fall football games. Take one when you travel. I recommend this radio highly. I would give one as a gift and I would another one. Thanks Amazon and Sony.
Dave
Customer Review: The 20th Century Glow Eye Tube Meets 21st Century LED !
Summary: 5 Stars
Cheap....and GOOD! The volume control holds up over time....how many pocket radios have you owned where the volume on/off goes Kaput! But THIS ONE is MADE TO LAST!
Selective/Sensitive balance just right for a small radio. (If too selective, you get a radio that is not sensitive enough... and vice versa. I won't bore you with too much radio engineering...) Lets put it this way: I am 20 miles from 610 WTVN's Transmitter site in Columbus, Ohio. RIGHT NOW, I am listening to 610...but I am listening to KCSP in Kansas City on the SAME frequency, by merely turning the radio for best reception. (to "null" out WTVN) And by KCSP's listed night antenna pattern...KCSP should not even be heard in ST. Louis, let alone Ohio! "Your Mileage Will Vary" based on season, time of day, static, fade, propagation, etc.
The LED is really cool for tuning. It reminds me of the "Magic Eye" Vacuum tube we had years ago (kiddies here is what one looked like [...])
You can even use this radio to DETERMINE DIRECTION by turning it and watching watching the led light up (HINT: when you see it go out, and you CANT hear the station that you are tuned to--you are pointed right at the radio station's antenna!
AND the FM is sharp, as I listen to the BBC overnight feed via our local PBS station. the FM doesn't annoy you with one of those stupid "FM STEREO" detection fades....and why should it anyway, this is a monoaural radio!