Portable DAB radio for Dads shed

Klug

Hi
I am looking to buy my Dad a small portable DAB radio that he can have in his garden shed when he's pottering around out there.
Can anyone recommend a good one? Obviously needs to take batteries and not be too complicated. Looking to spend around £40.
Many thanks

aerostar

Dab radios are heavy on batteries, If he only uses it to listen to BBC and standard commercial stations, (not the xtras) then a VHF/FM may suit him, and be light on battery usage.

Perhaps ask him what stations he would listen to, it could save you money and him battery costs by having a VHF/FM radio.

John_Gray

+1 for aerostar!

hareng

From past experience having used nothing else in the last 9 years, avoid the radios with a low sensitivity.
There are many cheapies but strongly recommend you dont buy, you will be disappointed. Not only with the lack of useable stations due to lack of sensitivity but the speakers are really naff to put it mildly.

Off top of my head had 3 decent Roberts, 5 Pure and a Cowan D2 portable.
Out of that lot only the first Roberts and the Cowan using ear phones as an aerial perform each with 48 stations even in the middle of no where. The ones junked all Pure i couldnt receive a single station.

DAB(digital) signal will drop out rather than VHF (fm) sounding scratchy, one reason i never had one in the car.

Klug

Thanks for your input. Not sure I fully understand your comments hareng re sensitivity but I get the idea I think that Pure are not recommended and to go for VHF rather than DAB?

barak

Klug wrote: »

..... I get the idea I think that Pure are not recommended and to go for VHF rather than DAB?

Not all would agree with that! I had one Roberts which I rejected as it kept retuning itself on DAB and now have three small Pure DAB & VHF/FM portables which all work perfectly using mains power.

As aerostar says, don't buy any DAB radio for use with batteries.