The Best Digital Radios

My first radio was a valve radio, so what would I know about radios, however, people are always asking me which digital radio to buy, as if I have nothing better to do than to evaluate and review digital radios. There are new models out every year, they usually have more megabytes, and gigahertz, and cost less, however their designs vary significantly. If the radio has at least some of the basic features listed here, then it might be useful, otherwise, chances are you will end up with a digital radio from Hell. Here are the seven basic features you should look out for, based on my extensive experience as a digital radio expert.

Power Switch

A physical locking switch generally costs more; therefore, manufacturers use an electronic software switch, which is cheaper. Whilst it saves the manufacturer money, around five cents per unit, it costs you exceedingly more as you have to keep the radio powered on standby! Therefore, get a radio that has a physical power switch, so that it does not have to remain in standby mode, or deplete the batteries.

Volume Knobs

Ask any UK based volume knob-head specialist which radio is the best and they will point you to a radio with electronic volume buttons. To save money manufacturers usually incorporate software based volume controls consisting of two buttons "volume plus" and "volume minus". This might seem fine; however, some radios do not retain their volume settings when you switch them OFF. This can be annoying because every time you switch ON the radio, you have to set the volume to the correct level again! Therefore, a radio with a physical volume control knob is better than electronic buttons.

Volume Normalisation

A radio with Automatic Gain Control (AGC) is vital, because some digital stations broadcast with loud volumes, whilst others with extremely low volumes. Therefore, a radio with a volume normaliser is vital.

When you change the station, the volume level should remain the same. I have come across digital radios where the volume level changes. This can be very annoying, because you find that some stations are deafening whilst others are muted.

Standard Batteries

Get a radio that uses standard size batteries, which can be recharged either whilst in the radio or through an external charger. Avoid anything, which uses a proprietary lithium-ion battery pack because they end up costing more after the discontinuation of the product.

Lithium-ion battery packs require replacement and if the product becomes obsolete, then the battery manufacturer soon follows and discontinues that battery as well. Rechargeable standard size cells are cheap and you can buy them from anywhere including your corner shop and thrift stores.

LCD Technology

Digital radios usually display a lot of textual information regarding the station, and service information. There is usually a line of scrolling text providing very useful information. However, all of this is useless if the display is tiny and you have to use a magnifying glass to see it. Therefore, a large clear LCD is much better.

Menu Buttons

Electronics manufacturers like to maximize their profits by using the least number of switches. Consequently, all the settings usually appear through long and convoluted menus. Therefore, avoid radios that have less than four buttons for menu options. A radio with dedicated function buttons and station presets are usually much better to use.

Station Preset Buttons

It is annoying when you switch ON the radio and all you see on the LCD display is "Scanning..." for a minute. On an FM radio, you switch it ON and you get music straight away, so how is this improvement? Many radios do not have station presets, or the memory that it requires. Instead, the radio performs a tuning cycle of all the stations every time you switch it ON. This can be very annoying.

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