SangeanDT-800YL NOAA Weather Alert Pocket Radio, AM/FM, Yellow

I bought this because I wanted a low-profile portable radio to listen to at the office and while doing housework that keeps me on my feet, since my local NPR station's mobile app is too buggy for the internet live-stream to be reliable. I chose Sangean because I've already got a shower radio of theirs that I'm pretty happy with, and I wasn't impressed with the options Sony and Panasonic currently have available (which sounds wild to say given those companies' histories in consumer tech, but I guess they've got other priorities than radios these days).This thing didn't just satisfy my expectations, it absolutely blew me away. From the moment I took it out of the box, I immediately noticed the build quality--It feels GREAT in the hand, even more so with the extra weight once you've installed the batteries.That brings me to the next feature that I love so much, namely the battery charging system. I always prefer using rechargeable batteries for my battery-powered devices, but it can be annoying to have to constantly move the batteries from device to charging dock to storage to device, on and on and on. Then there are devices with their own built-in rechargeable lithium power cell, which eliminates the constant battery shuffle, but with the trade-off being that product longevity takes a serious hit: Any rechargeable cell can only go through so many charge-discharge cycles before its capacity starts to wane, and eventually the device can't hold a charge at all. This radio's charging system fixes both of those problems! You can charge the batteries without ever having to take them out of the radio, and once those cells start reaching the end of their life, replacing them is as easy as changing out the batteries in any other device. Plus, you get all the benefits of rechargeable device while still having the ability to pop normal AA batteries in there in an emergency (like a power outage, or if all your rechargeable batteries are dead and you need the radio ASAP).Next I want to talk about the switches. Firstly, the control lock switch is CRUCIAL! When I've got this thing on a belt clip, I love not having to worry about any little bump changing the station or spiking the volume. I also love that there's a switch specifically for changing between speaker mode and headphone mode rather than automatically switching when you plug/unplug your headphones. If my headphone cord gets caught in passing on a doorknob and gets yanked out of the headphone jack, I don't have to worry about the radio suddenly switching to speaker mode in my crowded office and drawing all my coworkers' attention to my clumsiness.The last thing I want to praise is the fact that the UI was clearly designed with love and attention, and it really shows in the little details. One example is in how the presets behave: I first used the auto-scan to populate the presets with the highest-clarity local stations, and then I found that my personal favorite station was placed in preset 2. I figured I'd just manually override in two steps, first saving my favorite station to preset 1, and then saving what was automatically saved in preset 1 into preset 2. But it turned out I only had to do the first step: When I saved to preset 1, the radio automatically swapped the two presets!The only regretful thing about this radio is that the auto time set doesn't seem to work-- On those few stations that send RDS-CT data, it never seems to be accurate. But I don't know enough about RDS data to know whether that's an issue with the radio itself or with the radio stations, and I have no problem with manually setting the time, so I won't take off any stars for that. And frankly, even if I were provided evidence that this issue did in fact come down to a malfunction within the radio itself, I probably STILL wouldn't take off a star given how great everything else is.Anyway, after owning this thing for less than a day, I was already adding it to my cart again so I could give it as a gift. The quality can't be overstated, it's been quite a while since I've been so profoundly delighted by a purchase.

I would recommend this radio to anyone looking to buy a digital-tuned pocket radio or replace a CC Pocket Radio. I have bought two CC Pocket Radios. Both of them lasted about a year before the volume control started malfunctioning. I was not hard on them, but both developed a problem where the volume level would jump around when turning the thumbwheel. Rather than buy a third CC, I thought I’d give the DT-800 a try. They are about the same price. Here are the differences I see:For me, the CC has a very slight edge over the DT-800 in reception if you listen to distant FM stations. The CC has a nicer sleep feature where you can hold the power button down and cycle through 120-90-60-30-15 minute auto shut-off. The volume control on the CC is a wheel on top which is easy to turn, but a weak link in overall durability for me. Being on top, it may be susceptible to dirt or moisture getting in. Besides volume going bad, my second CC radio finally stopped working completely when it fell off my night stand onto vinyl floor. Not that far and my fault, but I would have expected it to survive a short fall. I never quite memorized how to set the clock and other features on the CC. Not intuitive for me, though a quick reference guide is printed inside the battery cover. Speaking of which, the CC does go through lots of AA batteries, more than I would have expected.The DT-800 has the volume control on the left side and it is a seamless membrane with + or - touch points. It is a little hard to push, but you get the hang of it after a while. At least it will not let moisture in. The DT-800 does have auto shut-off, but you have to program it in program mode.Not hard to do, but it can’t be adjusted “on the fly.” Once you program it, the radio shuts off automatically at the programmed time (120-90-60-30-15-off) every time you turn it on. You can override auto shut-off by holding power button for 2 seconds when you turn it on. Once you learn how to enter program mode, the DT-800 has nice features like backlighting duration and 12/24 hr clock. One great thing about the DT is that it can be used with two regular AA batteries OR two rechargeable AA NiMH batteries. There is a switch inside the battery compartment to select which type. Rechargeable batteries are not included, but the USB charger is included, and it is a substantial charger with built-in 110VAC transformer. After 8-10 hours of use, it is still showing full charge. Another nice thing about the DT is the 20 preset station capability (5 x 4 channels) vs only 5 presets on the CC. The DT has the ability to scan and preset up to 20 stations for you.Overall, both come with decent headphones, optional antenna for listening on the speaker, belt clip, alarm ability, lock switch, and both are about the same size with FM, AM, and weather bands. Hopefully the DT-800 holds up longer than the CC. Very happy with it so far.

I own several Sangean radios and have been using their products for 30 years. This radio is better than my other Sangean pocket radios and even some of my bigger radios. AM reception is beyond my expectations. Most of my other radios struggle with a couple of our local AM stations in my kitchen or dining room. This one pulled them in loudly. Also, I thought we only had a handful of FM stations around here. My other pocket and portable sets (except the Eton) pull in only about a dozen FM stations. With this, I felt like I was FM DXing! With the included earbuds plugged in, this radio pulled in FM stations that I didn’t even know were on the dial here!The most capable radio I have is an Eton Elite Executive, but it’s also $100 more than this radio (at the time of this writing), and vastly outperforms this pocket radio. However, the sensitivity of this pocket radio has rivaled my Sony radios, my other Sangean radios, and my Panasonic radio. The downside is the weather alert feature (-1 star). You cannot listen to the radio if this feature is enabled. That said, your smartphone sends you weather alerts. If you’re expecting troubling weather, you’ll be checking the weather frequently anyway. Your TV, your local News/Talk station on AM, your smartphone or computer will all warn you of hazardous weather near you. So the weather alert functions was not a deal breaker for me. I’ve only used it with the earbuds and haven’t used the speaker ; however, the speaker is very tiny, about an inch. On the earbuds, I’ve been listening to this for 8 hours straight on a pair of alkaline batteries. I would have liked a case for the earbuds and a carrying case or protective bag for the radio, but those aren’t deal breakers.So far, I’m happy with it.