Top 10 Pocket Radios Under $20 | 2020 Edition
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- My Top 10 Pocket Radios Under $20! 2020 Edition.
I go over each portable radio and provide information and a quick demonstration of what they are capable of. Links below to Full Reviews of each radio featured.
This guide should help you find that high performing, budget radio that will fit your needs.
(paid links below) As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase. There are no additional costs to you.
(paid links below) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you.
▶ The Tecsun R9012 Review: • Tecsun R9012 AM FM Sho...
▶ The Tecsun R9012 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2wVHNNH
▶ The Tecsun R9012 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2GHIJds
▶ The Tecsun R-9012 at Ebay: bit.ly/TecsunR9012
▶ The Sangean SR-35 Review: • Sangean SR-35 AM FM Po...
▶ The Sangean SR-35 at Ebay: bit.ly/SangeanSR35
▶ The Sangean SR-35 at Amazon: amzn.to/2CmjTbV
▶ The Vondior 300WB Review: • Vondior 300WB AM FM We...
▶ The Vondior 300WB Radio at Amazon: amzn.to/36QnZIL
▶ The Vondior 300WB at eBay: bit.ly/Vondior3...
▶ The Sony ICF-P26 Review: • Sweetness! Sony ICF-P2...
▶ The Sony ICF-P26 at Ebay: bit.ly/SonyP26
▶ The Sony ICF-P26 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2F5kbH3
▶ The Sony ICF-P26 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2RaJ0tE
▶ The Retekess TR605 Review: • Retekess TR605 AM FM S...
▶ The Retekess TR605 at eBay: bit.ly/Retekess...
▶ The Retekess TR605 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2M5CzEV
▶ The Retekess TR605 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2B0l56i
▶ The Daogoly PR-108 Review: • Daogoly PR-108 AM FM P...
▶ The Daology PR-108 at Ebay: bit.ly/Daogoly108
▶ The Daology PR-108 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2IO1fyv
▶ The Daology PR-108 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2BAdHPc
▶ The Tivdio V-111 Review: • Tivdio V-111 AM FM Ste...
▶ The Tivdio V-111 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/3coRho4
▶ The Tivdio V-111 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/3r2tspT
▶ The Tivdio V-111 at eBay: bit.ly/Retekess...
▶ The Tecsun R-233 Review: • Tecsun R-233 AM FM Por...
▶ The Tecsun R-233 at Ebay: bit.ly/TecsunR233
▶ The SC-1080BT Review: • SuperSonic SC-1080BT A...
▶ The SuperSonic SC-1080BT at Ebay: bit.ly/SC1080BT
▶ The SuperSonic SC-1080BT at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2OMrqIo
▶ The SuperSonic SC-1080BT at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2RctpKa
▶ The Retekess PR15 Review: • The Micro Retekess PR1...
▶ The Retekess PR15 at Ebay: bit.ly/Retekess...
▶ The Retekess PR15 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2S4ZrrE
▶ The Retekess PR15 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2MnJMi5
Honorable Mentions:
▶ The Tecsun R-909 Review: • Tecsun R-909 AM FM Sho...
▶ The Tecsun R-909 Radio at Ebay: bit.ly/TecsunR909
▶ The Tecsun R-909 Radio at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2GAxhyb
▶ The Tecsun R-909 Radio at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2RbRTD6
▶ The Kaito KA321 Review: • Kaito KA321 FM Stereo ...
▶ The Kaito KA321 at Ebay: bit.ly/KaitoKA321
▶ The Kaito KA321 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2G4XKCi
▶ The Kaito KA321 at Amazon CA: amzn.to/2RVyLcO
▶ The Retekess V115 Review: • Do It All! Tivdio V-11...
▶ The V115 at Ebay: bit.ly/Retekess...
▶ The V115 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2KE4MQx
▶ The V115 at Amazon CA:amzn.to/2LtI8uB
▶ Todd's Shop: www.amazon.com...
Now you are armed with the knowledge of the best portable radios on the market for a budget price. Go out and have fun!
Thank you for watching.
* Todderbert's Rockin' Radio Shop *
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I like that even the cheaper models have power inputs. That helps not eat batteries all day
Which ones have power inputs? I'm asking for a friend.
I started watching this channel when you had less then one hundred subscribers! It's a great channel! Keep up the good work. P.S. I like how you have always used the red table cloth as your background.
Holy **** look at the video description, the detail of it is flawless !
Many thanks for this list of your favorite radio buys, Todderbert!
I love how they just use the Tecsun PL-606 case and buttons for the Tivdio V111. They did make some changes to the switches, volume, ports, screen. Normally Tivdio is sold as Retekess on AliExpress, but this V-111 is also sold as VWestlife or Happy. Chinese budget electronics are always a little bit off and I love it.
I just ordered this on E-bay. I paid total of $13.05 including tax and free shipping. There are a few used for the same price. Thanks!
Friends and I all had shortwave radios in the 80s. I made a poor purchase around 1998 that put me off them. I had used Solid State and Radioshack but the Radio Shack one I purchased in 98 was honestly too sophisticated for my knowledge and I just couldnt enjoy it. I was shocked to find decent quality ones under 20 bucks these days. I have really enjoyed your videos. I chose the tecsun r 9012. If I enjoy it I think I will get my 94 year old uncle one. Thanks! WRNO was my favorite station back in the 80s. They played a lot of deep album cuts of great 60s rock back then. I hope....it is still there.....and hope I can find something similar
Those are some good under $20.00 radios. I have 4 of the radios that you mentioned (Sony ICF-P26, Tivdio V-111, Supersonic SC-1080BT, Retekess V-115). Thank you for spotlighting them.
I have the supersonic, but due to the lack of headphones jack I can't recomend it for pocket radio use. Otherwise I love that little guy
Thanks for the reviews. It's rare that people give reviews of low-cost models.
You're Welcome Randy. The majority of viewers of my channel enjoy a good performing, low cost radio.
I had the Sony radio, it was great at first. About a year later for some reason Volume knob did not work properly volume would go from quiet to loud by moving it just a few milimeters and would interfere with radio signal too. Too bad. Now I have received the retekeas v115 radio for x mass and I love it. Tunes in sharp.
Nice rundown. I always like your annual reviews. Each has its advantages, such as a flashlight for the car, or a weather band for hiking/camping, or just being lightweight. A portable radio in my car is a must. If you go to football games you can pick up the play-by-play. That Sony always makes the list but for $10 more you could get it's bigger sister radio and for $15 more it's bigger brother. Thanks for your annual picks!!
What are the other sony radios you’re referring to here ?
I noticed you included the Tecsun 9012, but not the 920C -- guessing because the 920C hasn't come down in price yet? For a few extra dollars, the frequency counter and expanded band coverage seem worth it.
I have all of them too. My favorite is the Tecsun R-233 ♥️👍🏼
the 233 is a surprisingly good radio.
Wow - the Retekess TR605 sounds awsome. I am going to grab one
Hi Todd
Thanks for your all great videos from a new subscriber!
Just a little and you will have 20K.
I am impatiently waiting for the 2021 "Top 10 Pocket Radios Under $20"
Take care
My Sony ICF-P26 and Retekees PR-12 is still in... nice!
Great pocket options here. Also some great choices for an emergency get home bag or bug-out bag.
Fantastic review.
I use to work on radios when I went to garage sales and bought them,some in a low price even old ones.im sure you can find a radio that plays from one station and you can tune it to what you like a good quality type.
Thank you for all your hard work and for creating all the links to the products. I am such a sucker for radios... had to buy one. :)
Very nice video, I never knew you could buy a radio with all of the features that these have. I just came across this channel tonight, love it. There is one thing that you didn't do that I wish you would have done.That is listen to some of the shortwave, that is my favorite band.
I normally perform some Shortwave scans on the Radio's review :) Just search the model and my name.
I really wanted to buy this one but what kind of portable radio doesnt have a headphone jack-????
Which is very helpful, good radio ideas for the near future
Expect the 2021 video to be aired shortly.
Wow i didnt expect the very first radio would be the one i have lol
Its a amazing little radio. No doubt.
Can't find the Daology radio. Where's the link?
They stopped making it. Otherwise it would have been on my 2021 List: czcams.com/video/9Ul_pOxmw6I/video.html
I got lucky yesterday and got that little vondior for 9.99 and free shipping
For under 20$ ihave SONY ICF-P26, Retekess PR15 and Retekess TR605. Overall i like the TR605 for good and loud sound, 18650 battery, emergency flashlight, good reception AM FM and micro USB.👌
That 605 really impressed me.
A great review as well as being very complete. Thanks for the wonderful information !
Aww, the Prunus A-166 didn't make the cut. It's been my favorite small radio for a while now. Kinda disappointing to not even see it as a runner-up when the Retekess V115 was, too. My V115 cannot pull in some stations that even the worst of my other radios receive with no issue.
The Prunus A-166 was on my desk, just didn't make the cut. Though you are going to see new Prunus reviews in the future ;)
I would add the GESON RD-218 Pro to this Compilation..
Hi.. I wait..Top ten radio good AM & SW sensitivity and selectivity
I am quite new to explore the radio landscape and thank you very much for the very informative channel. I got a probably quite dummy-question: between DSP radio & analogue, is it more about the tuner-type, or what are the differences? Does it actually affect the sound? Or the sound performance is more dependent on the amplifying system & speaker component?
Look forward to watching more of your videos and will definitely learn more online as well! :) Thanks again for your absolutely great videos!
Quality DSP radios generally have more selectivity, making them ideal for sensitivity. Though the way they tune is trickier. You have to listen to the distinct stepping sound as you tune. A full analog radio has a nice swoosh between stations, are really good at handling fading stations that you may miss on a DSP because at a certain point the DSP goes silent because it doesn't have enough signal to pass through it's processor.
I would say pick up a nice analog like a Sony P26 or similar, and work your way into other radios.
@@todderbert + the analog will usually have way longer battery life
I really enjoy your videos. Thanks todderbert.
You're Welcome! Thanks for the nice comment.
Too bad it dosen't have a bfo. I use a external bfo
And the 9012 does well vs the bfo and radio to give a real good rendition. Of the signal.
Which one is better in terms of overall functionality : Tecsun Dr-920c or R-909? Please answer thanks!
I love watching this channel. Are the voyagers still the best emergency radios? What's the best pocket radio for now, as well?
Depends on a lot of factors. I recommend the CC Solar Observer for the Family Emergency Radio. For Pocket, I like the Sangean DT-200X.
I Sony icf-P26 good!👌👍
Great info thanks and love your videos keep making them
Great review. I just subscribed the channel. I have one question. I am about to buy one or two pocket radios for AM listening. Which ones do you recommend?
If you want to stay under $20, I would pick the Sony ICF-P26, or the Tecsun R-9012 if you would like to tune in Shortwave as well. Those two radios are all analog, and have a smooth tuning to them. If you want a newer DSP style radio, I enjoy the Retekess TR605.
@@todderbert Thank you for the suggestion. I just ordered Sony ICF-P26 from Amzon. A few weeks ago I bought Sony ICF-19 from Amazon I I watched your review. That radio is really fantastic in AM reception. I will compare these 2 Sony radio once I receive Sony ICF-P26.
To add to that do you have a wrist radios that were on the 1970s that an AM radio you put on your wrist.i like to see a video on it.
Those are cool, one day I will try to feature one :)
To ad to this I know you will feature this someday but on the back of teen mags,sell boxes to get to pick a prize I did see a wrist radio from one of them is tiger beat and a few others I did try to find them but hard to get.it would be nice to see one.i hope you show one soon.
That second Sony radio is like $30 at Walmart, crazy prices for a nice transistor radio
So these shortwave radios, do they end up picking up HAM operators too?
some can, depending if they are using the full AM bandwidth and not Single Side Band.
Lovely Radios
Great video and two questions. 1st Which one is best for prepping and 2nd do you recommend any crank powered radios. Thanks
Some would say the Tecsun R-9012 is a good prepper radio, but I would venture and say the Sony P26 because of it's 100+ Hour Run times. For a crank radio they Voyager 2 by Kaito is good amzn.to/36QjE8g , but if you need cheap, the Duronic EcoHand is hard to pass up at $7.99 amzn.to/2Oe0e6y .
todderbert Thank you. Sorry for the late reply.
iam liking the TR605 combine it with a solar charger looks like a good off grid radio
when filming this video I realized the audio was probably the best out of the bunch.
Hi!
I am looking for a best digital, FM (posibly stereo) pocket radio, under $25, with memories.
In your videos I saw the V-111, the HRD-1032, the V-115 and the HDR-104 .
All this are still available on ebay.
Because the MP3 player-recorder, I was been more orientated for V-115,
but in this your test you mentioned the shifted quality after time. So sorry for that.
Which is your best choice for FM with the parameters mentioned above?
Maybe some other models?
Many Thanks for your help.
BR from Europe
I like the HanRongDa's 1032 FM Stereo.
@@todderbert I like very much your presentation which is very detail and clear. In terms of built quality and features, do you think the Hongrongda K-603 (more features than HRD-1032) is better than the Retekess V-115?
Hello! When I go fishing in the mountains, the only way to listen radio is on long wave. Can you tell me please if you know a poket radio with long wave reception? Thanks!
The cheapest I know of is the HanRongDa HRD-1032, Links are in My Review: czcams.com/video/4onY5TqoZyM/video.html
Another Longwave Radio on the Cheap: czcams.com/video/7LrB0gmp4SM/video.html
@@todderbert thanks!
@@thetraindriver2880 Hopefully these are what you need. They are basic, but cheap can be good.
@@todderbert I search for quality. But not always cheap mens low quality. Those looks good.
which radio would you recommend me buying to take to the drive in movie theater? i want it to be loud and run off batteries. it doesn’t have to be pocketable necessarily. I’d like to keep it under $20.
I would say go for the Sangean SR-35 since most Drive-Ins operate on FM and the Sangean has great FM reception and an awesome speaker. Also the Retekess TR-605 is an amazing radio as well, operating on a powerful 18650 battery with great audio.
todderbert Thanks I appreciate the help! Is there any used/vintage radios you recommend?
Can you tell me why you pick Sony P26 rather then P36? I decide to buy one of those soon.
Sorry for my bad english btw.
The P26 has the expanded AM band, goes up to 1710kHz.
Hello. Would you happen to know which ones have power input for AC adapters? My wife wants to purchase one that she can listen to at home without spending lots of money on batteries. Thank you for these reviews.
I would look for a used Sony ICF-36 or ICF-38. Those are great radios for cheap. czcams.com/video/QIkarpuAxak/video.html czcams.com/video/o3rtpO-nHtg/video.html
Sounds like you are in the Chicago area. :)
old ones (used for $20 are the best)
Suggest me compact Analog one with all bands like sw mw fm for my Grandpa.
Tecsun R-909
Do you have a radio that picks up on one channel that uses a varactor tunning or tune only one station.back in the 1980s a Philadelphia station had a fm radio station only tuned to 101.1 fm and played good on one station.but don't have it.i did but did not keep it but I'm sure of other radios that can be tuned or is of that type.if you have one show a video of it.
that would be neat, thanks for the ideas!
Overall which radios do you think have the best reception and sound?
Myself, I would pick the Retekess TR605. Amazing Audio and decent reception on all the bands. Bonus Flashlight and runs on a rechargeable 18650 battery.
tivdio v-111 = CS-106 ??
Thanks for the video! I would like to buy a pure analog with sw band and I cannot decide from Retekess TR605, Tecsun R909 and Tecsun R9012. Whitch one do you recommend?
The R9012 will serve you well on SW and MW.
@@todderbert Thank you!
Which compact under $35 radio would you suggest that has the best FM/AM reception and has a sleep timer? Looking for a present for my teenage daughter who has been using my DAOGOLY but needs a sleep timer function. Thanks!!!
Check out the Tecsun DR-920C, it is similar in performance to the Tecsun R9012: czcams.com/video/NEyA3osprOI/video.html
@@todderbert Under $30, sleep function, 3.5" ferrite bar, headphone jack, digital display with light, SW and a tuning wheel? I call that a PERFECT suggestion!!! Hope there isn't too much hiss in the headphone out. I just ordered one using the amazon link on your vid. Many thanks!!
@@terrywho22 There might be some hiss. Depends on the headphones and how well they handle it.
@@todderbert Ok, we'll see how it goes. Thanks again!
@@todderbert I just received the radio. The feature set is perfect! One issue though: low FM band reception is much worse than higher frequencies. For example, 89.5MHz in my area broadcasts from 16 miles away at 26kW, but the 920C struggles to receive it. OTOH, 105.3 broadcasts from the same hilltop at the same power, but is clear. Does yours have this discrepancy? Both stations are clear through my PRD4W (my favorite radio!) and the DAOGOLY. Thanks!!
Most Excellent
📻🙂
What is that station that plays nothing but the same song over and over?
Ganda ng mga radyo
My new favourite channel
Love your videos. Rush Limbaugh made me a radio fanatic. Please try to feature vintage AM radios
I have featured a few vintage handhelds from Panasonic and a Wards Airline that I think is amazing.
Which should I get I don’t have lots of money I’m 14 I want to get as many MLB games as I can so only care about AM and headphone jack. Thank you I just subscribed a day it two ago.
My first choice would be the Daogoly PR-108, but it seems to be out of stock. Next would be the Sony P26 at Amazon: amzn.to/35BpIm5 , it has 100+ hour run times on two AAs and is a solid tuner. If you want compact go with the Retekess PR15 at Amazon: amzn.to/2xtOYOh , bonus on that one is it comes with the NOAA weather bands.
todderbert Thank you I would like to get some other ball games besides my local , that is when they play again.
520 to 1710 AM
I recognized wbbm news radio right away
that is an easy one :) They say their call letters ever other word ;)
@@todderbert yea i also recognized “traffic and weather together on the 8’s”
Nice little speaker
Tecsun
Is there the worst list ever
no, es la mejor lista de un usuario experimentado y se deja de lado el marketing. La PR15 posiblemente sea la mejor pocket radio en relacion precio/valor
mejor radio AM ?
C Crane EP Pro
lol @ out of the box.