SangeanDT-200X AM/FM Synthesized Pocket Radio

This device is: easy-to-manage, easy-to-tune, incredibly tuning-sensitive, delivers 5-star sound with earbuds, is aesthetically pleasing, very light (about 5 ounces w/ batteries) and is especially well-designed for pocket & on-the-go usage.As example, the volume wheel is recessed, so it won't easily be accidently turned. (And there is a 'lock' switch so that you can prevent any changes once you have things set where you want them.)Plus they kept the features & functions & buttons and such to a very bare minimum. So you can figure out the whole device in under five minutes, likely without even consulting the manual.I first purchased (the legendary) Sony ICF-P26 AM/FM Pocket Radio … I liked the styling and I liked the $20 price. And that Sony was touted by many as the best AM/FM (only) pocket radio (at that price). But the tuning-sensitivity and sound THIS Sangean radio delivers has got to be 10-20 times better than the Sony. I live in a city of 2 million people, large enough to have loads of local stations … and the Sony just could NOT do the entire job. The Sony is now relegated to the storage box in the trunk of my car … in case I get caught without a portable radio on a picnic or whatever.(And note that both the analog-tuning Sony ICF-P26 and its digital-tuning successor ICF-P27 have exited the US market entirely, the latter just months after its introduction.)I only see three (sort-of) downsides in this Sangean product:ONE: The bottom is not entirely flat, meaning you cannot 'stand it up' on its own. I admit that, aesthetically, the slightly rounded bottom looks nice … and it probably snugs-up into a pocket much better the way it is. But not being able to stand it up vertically is a bit of a loss (for my planned use, at least). Maybe when they refresh it, they could tack-on four little tiny 'nub legs' for the rest of us.TWO: There's no fixed external FM antenna. So you may have to plug in the external dangly antenna wire to get enough FM sensitivity to suit you. If you plug in earbuds then THEY will serve as an external antenna. So if your planned use is, as example, during your morning run with the earbuds, then it won't even be an issue for you. And, again, they designed this unit for pocket & on-the-go use and, in that case, a fixed external FM antenna would, more often, be more of a burden than an asset. And the dangly un-fragile external wire will suit you better. Actually I am really OK with the lack of fixed antenna, but I mention it since you might not be.THREE: The default mode is for the radio to power itself down after 90 minutes. I do know how to turn it off all by my big-boy self. And the worst that could happen if I forget to do so is that I have to replace a couple of AA batteries. You can defeat the function by LONG-pressing the Power button when you power-up. But you have to do so every time you power-up the device.I believe I saw a couple of reviewers say they could not locate a PDF User's Manual for this item. I did. Just Google up the URL for the model number listing at the Sangean website, follow it, then click on the "Support" tab. There you will find an English version of the Manual … as well as an English version of the Product Specification Sheet … available for download.But, really, you won't even need it.Happy motoring !!

I just received the radio and unboxed it. I always try do an initial test on everything that I purchase, to make sure it is working, even if I don't have immediate plans for it.I bought this to replace a Radio Shack Optimus, which is pictured. Even with cardboard isolating the terminals the Energizers still leaked. A gentle swab of vinegar on Q-tips didn't help as some of the electrical connectors had battery corrosion on them, and the radio won't turn on. Oh well, this was my go to radio that I would always carry when traveling.I was surprised to see that the Sangean is pretty much the same radio. Although, the build quality of the Radio Shack Optimus seems to be better.I hadn't gone through the manual so this was a simple test of the Sangean.This radio on fast scan in FM picked up all of the local broadcasters, even those from NYC, about 60-90 miles away. Manual tuning picked up stations on just about every frequency.On AM band, without a select antenna it picked up all the NYC clear channels. Slow tuning picked up all of the local low power frequencies, without any interference.I don't know how it was able to as there is not much room for a decent size ferrite bar.The sound was clear through both the external speaker and the headphones.Many have complained about the price but this out performed my XHdata 8O8, 328, 108, Quodosen 286, and the Reketris v115. It even did better than my Super Radio 3 with a select antenna loop.I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a portable AM/FM radio. It is well worth the price.

This is a fine radio, but certainly not at all worth the extra money compared to the Sony SRF-37v in my opinion, unless you require a very small speaker and not simply earphone listening capabilities.PROS:1) It has generally quite good reception on all bands, but no NOAA weatherband reception is available. This latter deficiency is now being corrected by the new Sangean DT-400W (available in June 2008) with both weatherband reception as well as official NOAA weather alert detection capability for slightly more money than the DT-200VX. Both Sangean units have a monaural/stereo switch (bandwidth control) for FM listening improvement, but there is no RF (radio frequency) DX gain switch on the 200-VX as there is on the Sony SRF-37V, but see Con below.2) It has a very big easy to read display with a battery level indicator, a lock display indicator, a 90 minute shutoff capability and on-screen indicator for late night listening, etc. It also has a backlit display, but see Con below.3) There is a very nice arrangement (called My Favorites) for as many as 19 presets for any band in any order with simple retrieval of all presets, but only in order from the first one to the 19th one in a logical progression (it won't go backwards to find the previous preset for example).4) Its deep bass boost is a very nice feature.5) Automatic scanning capability and seeking capability, but see Con below.CONS:1) Backlight cannot be turned off even in daytime and even in bright sunshine conditions. It is apparently an LED with very low power drain, but it seems very illogical to me that it can't be overridden when it isn't needed at all. Apparently, it is actually only on while tuning the radio (I don't own this unit any longer, so I can't readily check this explicitly) and then it shuts itself off after a time, but to not be able to disable it entirely when not needed seems absolutely counterintuitive to me.2) It is certainly well built with a fully attached battery compartment door (requiring two AA batteries), but it is not as rugged as the Sony SRF-37V (only requiring 1 AAA battery). Several reviews have discussed its demise after it was inadvertently dropped.3) During automatic scanning/seeking, the audio is muted so you can't hear any stations as they are detected. Only the strongest stations are picked up during the scanning/seeking process. Of course during manual scanning the individual stations are easily heard so that you can pick the station you want to listen to.4) When changing from the DT-200V to the DT-200VX, Sangean chose to put the speaker controls on the same slide switch along with the Stereo/Mono (bandwidth) changing capability. In my opinion the arrangement was better on the DT-200V with a simple and direct push button Stereo/Mono switch on the front of the radio and not on the side with one other commonly used function.5) The supplied earbuds are very uncomfortable and could also be quite dangerous given the volume output that this unit is capable of with 2 AA batteries.