proghead59
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- Helpfulness Votes14
- First ReviewJanuary 1, 2014
- Last ReviewJanuary 1, 2014
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- Average Rating5
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- Answer Count13
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- First AnswerJanuary 1, 2014
- Last AnswerJanuary 1, 2014
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proghead59's Reviews
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Good FM sensitivity/selectivity, stereo separation
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: proghead59
from Austin, TX
on January 1, 2014
Sound Quality
5.0
Durability
4.0
What's great about it: FM sensitivity, selectivity, stereo separation, battery life, sound quality
What's not so great: No FM MPX stereo indicator beacon (minor omission). Battery door is fragile.
I have owned and used this unit extensively for 6 months now, mostly in the FM Stereo mode. One alkaline AAA Battery lasts at least a week (usually more) despite extended everyday listening. (Could probably get a full month with AAA Lithium). When replacing the battery, the clock and presets remain saved.
I especially appreciate the Lock feature which prevents accidental turn-on/off and accidental station change while I am working.
When traveling between Houston and Austin I can always pick up numerous FM stations, and even going out west to New Mexico recently I was always able to pick up multiple stations for the entire round trip. I use it mostly in DX mode, but the Local mode is handy if you are near an antenna farm; I have not yet tested its strong-signal-overload tolerance, but knowing Sony's history with FM MPX portable reception quality, it is likely good. The unit maintains full stereo separation on all but the weakest of FM signals, which is a priority for me. I can tolerate a little noise in a weak signal area, but I can't stand mono. (I hate receivers with mono auto-blend.)
The belt clip is very functional and very durable, and it is removable if I were to decide to mount the unit to a bike bracket. The front and side panels have coincident clearances so as to allow for a horizontal mounting strap across the front. The headphone jack has kept its strong grip despite heavy outdoor use, never giving me an intermittent connection.
If I were to change anything, it would be to add an icon to the display to confirm when an FM station has its stereo multiplexer turned on. Also, I would move the weather band selector button to another location; sometimes I accidentally hit it, and then I have to re-select the band that I was intending. And a button-triggerable backlight for the display would be handy.
Keep up the good work Sony !
I especially appreciate the Lock feature which prevents accidental turn-on/off and accidental station change while I am working.
When traveling between Houston and Austin I can always pick up numerous FM stations, and even going out west to New Mexico recently I was always able to pick up multiple stations for the entire round trip. I use it mostly in DX mode, but the Local mode is handy if you are near an antenna farm; I have not yet tested its strong-signal-overload tolerance, but knowing Sony's history with FM MPX portable reception quality, it is likely good. The unit maintains full stereo separation on all but the weakest of FM signals, which is a priority for me. I can tolerate a little noise in a weak signal area, but I can't stand mono. (I hate receivers with mono auto-blend.)
The belt clip is very functional and very durable, and it is removable if I were to decide to mount the unit to a bike bracket. The front and side panels have coincident clearances so as to allow for a horizontal mounting strap across the front. The headphone jack has kept its strong grip despite heavy outdoor use, never giving me an intermittent connection.
If I were to change anything, it would be to add an icon to the display to confirm when an FM station has its stereo multiplexer turned on. Also, I would move the weather band selector button to another location; sometimes I accidentally hit it, and then I have to re-select the band that I was intending. And a button-triggerable backlight for the display would be handy.
Keep up the good work Sony !
I would recommend this to a friend!
+14points
14out of 14found this review helpful.
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Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Does this radio come with an armband?
Does this radio come with an arm band?
No armband was supplied, but the belt clip could grip an separate 1 1/4" armband if the armband is sufficiently thick at one point.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Does this radio operate only on batteries or can radio be connected to a standard electric wall outlet?
Batteries only.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
How far from a FM station can reception be expected, is the distance different for AM and Weather
Sony FM portables usually perform very well in this regard. With my SRF-M37W I get indoor reception of the 100kW FM stations for at least 50 miles away; outdoors can be around 70 miles; can vary greatly if the terrain is hilly. The length and placement of the headphone/earbud cable is also a factor in FM and WB reception. AM is about average; I have not tested it extensively. See my review of this product on this website. The Weather Band is pretty sensitive: At my suburban house I can pick up a different weather transmitter on all 5 WB presets.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
DOES IT HAVE A "HOLD" BUTTON?
A HOLD FUNCTION PREVENTS ACCIDENTAL CHANGING OF STATION.
Yes; the Hold function can be activated/deactivated by a physical recessed slide switch on the top panel
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Can I get a weather alert while listening to a radio station?
Will this radio allow one to set it for "alert" and then allow me to listen to a radio station.
Owners Manual gives no indication of Weather band alarm condition being able to interrupt AM or FM reception.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Power Output
What is the power output of the SRF-M37W?
Owners Manual states 2.8mW (per channel). I normally use ear buds but I tried my full-size Sony MDR V150 studio headphones and the SRF-M37W was able to drive them to a fairly high volume without distortion. Did not try extended listening with the full-size phones; not sure if battery drain is affected by size of transducers.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
can the radio bought in USA be used in China?
can the radio bought in USA be used in China?
Yes; China has 88-108 MHz FM broadcast freq range also, and the SRF-M37W can tune the even-numbered allocations if you encounter these, (example 94.4 MHz) as well as the standard US odd-numbered allocations (example 94.5 MHz).
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Does it have a speaker? Can you use it without headphones?
No speaker in the SRF-M37W.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Can you get a wide variety of radio stations that are now digital?
No, this unit operates strictly in the traditional analog domain.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX
Sony - Portable Digital AM/FM Radio with Weather Band - Black
Jam to your favorite AM/FM radio stations and get current weather updates with this portable digital AM/FM radio that features 20 AM/FM station presets and weather band reception.
Does it have TV sound?
I was told by Sony customer service that model SRF-M37W also has TV sound but I see no mention of it. Does it have TV sound?
No TV sound on my SRF-M37W.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
proghead59
from
Austin, TX