[stymie miasma]

Hi Folks,

I'm trying to source a decent portable AM radio for my brother. Specifically, he wants to be able to listen to AM 1116 kHz (Australian Sports Radio - SEN).

He is easily pleased, and his short-list of features are good reception and solid tuning. His current radio (brand unknown), is analog, and the tuning tends to drift. For this reason he was thinking digital tuning might be the way to go.

All the portable, digital AM radios which I have seen, and which are available in the US, have an AM tuning step of 10 kHz (starting at 580 kHz from memory). Can anyone refer me to either a digital unit with a 1 kHz tuning step, or a decent analog unit that won't drift?

Thanks in advance!

 

[stymie miasma]

There must be some AM nerds here somewhere! Be proud, show yourselves!

 

[grenert]

Does he need a tiny Walkman-type radio? If a larger (but still small) radio with speaker is OK, then the Sony ICF-S10 MkII is a bargain ($10 in the USA) and has great reception and sound (for a tiny speaker). It'll run for a long time on two AA batteries.

 

[stymie miasma]

Thanks for your post grenert!

Sadly, he is looking for something smaller - iPod size or there abouts. I picked up the SRF-M97, but did not realise until I opened the box that the step size was 10 kHz. Arrghh!

I'll keep looking, but it seems I'll have to make do with analog tuning. Does anyone know the tuning step size on the Sony SRF-M32??

Cheers!

 

[stymie miasma]

Ooops! Just did the math....

Seems the Non-US version of the SRF-M97 has a 9kHz step beginning at 531 kHz. That should give me a hit right on 1116 kHz, of my calculations are correct.

Now, to get a non-US SRF-M97

 

[edstrelow]

Some of the "world radios" have settings for different AM/FM steps. The radio below doesn't say but may.

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=19833

J & R often has an assortment of electronics for overseas use.

 

[stymie miasma]

Thanks edstrelow,

I should have looked at J&R earlier. It reminded me that companies like Sangean make pretty decent portable radios. I've emailed them to see whether their units will tune to the frequency I want.

Cheers!