Rating: 
Summary: A good radio that could have better
Review: For the price I expected more. The digital tuning is nice, but the reception isn't any better than any other pocket radio I've had (and I've had many). The built-in speaker is around an inch in size. This makes the radio (if clipped to your belt or pants pocket) very hard to listen to, even with minimal background noise. They could have made the built-in speaker just a little bigger for better sound and volume capablility..... There's also no telescopic antenna. I live in a big city (San Diego), pretty darn close to radio staions and the reception is good. However when in a building, like most radios, the reception gets weaker. The option of an antennea would have been nice. Here's my suggestion for anyone thinking about this radio. Don't buy this radio for the built-in speaker, unless your going to use it in a pretty quite area..... Oh and one more thing, the headphones, that came in the box with radio, are pathetic. whoever assembled the headphones made the wire on one ear piece about 5 inches shorter than the other side. I got a good laugh at the "qualitly craftmanship".
Rating: 
Summary: Good in certain circumstances
Review: I have had two of these babies for a several years. I live in a small midwest town, and use the radio mostly at night, while lying down in bed. The AM reception is quite good at that time, and I can pick up stations from Denver to New Orleans. The 50,000 watt ones are the easiest.
It has 19 presets, which can be searched only sequentially, which is a little annoying. The method to program them is counter-intuitive, and I program about 7 stations in with repetetions so I don't have to flip through them so much to get to a desired station.
It has a nice auto-shutoff after one hour, so you don't wear out the batteries by accident. It also has a button to lock the current setting so you don't accidently change it by an inadvertant touch.
I use a small earphone, which is adequate for AM talk. The radio has been fairly durable, though one broke after about 5-6 years of use. It was regularly falling off my bed onto a wooden floor.
Daytime AM reception is like any other reasonable radio. FM reception requires an earphone inserted as an antenna. It is nice and compact.
I wouldn't get this radio for daytime reception - but get a less expensive one with approx the same reception ability. Also if you are moving around, the AM reception will vary with the direction you are facing.
TFH
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed In Reception
Review: I looked at this item for a long time. Read the reveiws, which were all over the place. Some people thought it was great, others said it didn't pick up many stations. I live in a rural area and I must say I had my doubts when I finally ordered it. My intention was to use it hiking on the trail, and beable to catch the local news and weather on the TV channels. Well the one TV station it picks up isn't local, and it will pick up a total of 4 radio stations (which I could pick up on my $9 radio). Now the sound is good on those 5 stations, but I expected more for the price.
Rating: 
Summary: not that happy
Review: I purchased this in April. It is now mid-June and already the FM & TV signals have failed. Can only pull in AM ...which I never listen to! Have tried twice to contact the company (e- and snail-mail), but they don't seem to be listening and/or responding. Hoping to be able to submit a more positive review of their customer service and this product soon ...
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed In Reception
Review: I was nostalgic for those little shirt pocket radios that everyone had in and around 1960. I was seized with a strong yearning to have one of those. Well, that may be a little strong. Anyway, this little radio is better than any of those ever were...only it doesn't come in all the pastel colors. It's digital phase locked loop tuning system, and it's excellent AM design are superior to many other AM/FM's you could buy. It really impresses me how well it tunes and plays the weaker stations in my area that I enjoy so much. All that is just about it's AM capability. It's FM side is excellent too. With any 1/8" plug earphones you get nice clear sound. Those old pocket radios didn't have FM. In fact all those older radios bragged about the fact that they had 6 transistors! Electronics have come a long way in forty years, and it really shows in an item like this.
Rating: 
Summary: Sangean DT-200V really pulls in stations
Review: I was nostalgic for those little shirt pocket radios that everyone had in and around 1960. I was seized with a strong yearning to have one of those. Well, that may be a little strong. Anyway, this little radio is better than any of those ever were...only it doesn't come in all the pastel colors. It's digital phase locked loop tuning system, and it's excellent AM design are superior to many other AM/FM's you could buy. It really impresses me how well it tunes and plays the weaker stations in my area that I enjoy so much. All that is just about it's AM capability. It's FM side is excellent too. With any 1/8" plug earphones you get nice clear sound. Those old pocket radios didn't have FM. In fact all those older radios bragged about the fact that they had 6 transistors! Electronics have come a long way in forty years, and it really shows in an item like this.
Rating:
Summary: Good little radio.
Review: I was unfamiliar with Sangean's products until I started searching Amazon for a compact radio last spring. None of the handful of models made the cut, simply because I didn't desire the expense or additional shortwave bands of the Sangean models under consideration. Instead, I chose the very cheap but surprisingly good GE 7-2664 AM/FM portable (Amazon sells it,) a very rugged, very basic radio. I've used it constantly for months without any complaints save one, which is that it is not a pocket model and therefore is less convenient for someone who is moving around a lot. This little Sangean is the answer, combining a very good digital tuner with up to 20 total presets in three bands, AM, FM, and TV channels 2-13. Presets are handy, but Sangean made a big mistake when they decided to do them with only a single button that forces you to flip through all the presets in order to reach the previous one in the sequence--a better way would be to use a rocker switch that goes backward or forward (hope the manufacturer will read this and take note.) Reception is outstanding for a pocket radio. Sound from the included earbuds is decent, especially for talk shows, though they are obviously something of an afterthought from the manufacturer's standpoint. I tossed them in favor of my better-sounding old Panasonics, which don't hurt to use and reveal the fine sound this radio produces. There is a 1" speaker that serves well-enough for AM talk radio, and just barely for FM music programs if it's held near the ear--think of it as a backup to the headphones. That's it for the electronics.
And that's where the trouble begins, as I see it, that being the case construction, which is pretty shoddy and ill-fitting. There are gaps that should not exist on a $50 pocket radio, which is why it is imperative that the unit is kept out of the elements; one errant raindrop could ruin it--totally inexcusable. A gasket should be between the two halves of the plastic case, both as weatherization and as a shock absorber. Those buttons should be rubberized, or at least somewhat less permeable to dust and liquids. I can see one of the batteries behind the poorly-fitting compartment lid. I can also see the day when the lid breaks and I will need to secure it with rubber bands. And the detachable belt clip doesn't look that durable, either.
Nevertheless, it is the electronic component, namely the excellent digital tuner, that make this a worthwhile acquisition. This radio has been manufactured basically unchanged, according to one source, since 1996, which means Sangean considers it a proven design. For an update, I hope they tighten up the case in order to make it a classic. For now, it is merely "very good."
Rating:
Summary: Best one yet
Review: I've been hunting for a long time---looking for a pocket-sized radio to take along on long walks, and which would allow me to receive our local PBS FM station, KPBS, which has a notoriously weak signal where we live. The Sangean has the best reception of any I've tried. True, there are isolated 'drop-out' spots due to buildings, topography, etc, but in general I get good, strong, listenable reception. I'm very impressed with the features and apparent quality.
Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Walking Companion
Review: I've owned 4 of these amazing pocket radios over the past eight years. They are solidly built, take a beating when dropped, battery life with the newer metal-hydride batteries is superb, and the sound quality with nicer headphones is excellent. All members of my family have one (so there is no argument over who was the last one with the radio), and I keep one at my cabin. It fits perfectly on a belt on shirt pocket, and with nicer earbuds (Etymotic) and a strong FM channel, one feels like they are really at a concert. The size of the radio and its abilities to pull in TV channels never leaves one too far away from the latest news or radiowaves. The presets are easy to use, though when you remove batteries you must replace within 30 seconds or the memory of the presets disappears. I could go on, but the hearing, portability and durability is quite amazing for such a small unit with a great price. You won't be sorry on this purchase.
Rating:
Summary: A Super Performer!
Review: I've sampled a lot of portable radios over the years; this one really takes the cake. It is most excellent for sensitivity and selectivity, not only on FM, but also on the AM and TV bands. Battery life is great, sound quality is good and the unit has all the features I could want, including many presets and a stereo-mono switch for FM. It's clear that a lot of thought went into the design of this little radio and it's good to see that at least one manufacturer still produces a quality pocket radio.
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