Shop Radio Suggestions

Iplayfarmer · Dec 27, 2009

I work better when I have something to listen to. I like Cartalk on Saturday mornings, Prairie Home Companion on Saturday afternoons, jazz on Friday and Saturday nights, and country when I work out in the shop on weeknights (mostly because I can't get jazz on weeknights).

My radio that I keep out in the garage is dying a slow death. My wife got me a new radio/CD player for christmas, but it's nice enough that I may want to keep it inside. I'm wondering if anyone else has done the homework to find out what are some good options for a fairly rugged radio that works good for a shop or garage.

Scooby074 · Dec 27, 2009

Do you have any cordless tools?

If so , get the radio made by your brand of tools/

I have mostly Dewalt, so i have the Dewalt radio. Its waterproof and doubles as a charger for DW batts . It will run all day (8hr+) on a 18V battery. Sound quality is adequate, plus it accepts my ipod.

Only problem is the reception isnt as good for the weaker distant stations, but it picks up the locals fine.

Its a pretty tough unit and i recommend it.

I understand the other brands (bosch, makita, milwalkee) are all pretty good too,

If i was just buying a radio, unconcerned about matching what i have, id likely go with milwalkee or ridgid. Milwalkee's had a few nice features like a 12v cig outlet for charging cells or ipods, and a beer opener

.

Ridgid's model has a dust tight dedicated slot with an actual plugin for ipod charging and control, which is way better than dewalts or milwalkes phono jack setup. Ridgid also has a 12V jack.

Sound wise, ive heard the bosch, and IMHO it has the cleanest sound. I believe the bosch also comes with a remote control.

So i guess it depends what your after, theres different benefits to each
Of course a new clock radio is cheaper

czechsonofagun · Dec 27, 2009

I got mine from Trash to Treasure at the landfill, nice big stereo tuner. People give them away too when they upgrade their house centers to Iwhatever. I would look on craigslist and such.

kidr · Dec 27, 2009

RCA super radio. Portable but heavy. Superior sound and reception. A better radio would cost lots more. You'll be surprised at the price.

Thomas · Dec 27, 2009

If you live near by college check b-boards,students purchase real nice sound systems than want to unload for next to nothing.

MikeD74T · Dec 27, 2009

I have a small Radio Shack portable radio that runs on AC or batteries. Like you I listen to public radio. Looked for the model on their website but didn't find it. Not carried in all stores either. Black, about 9" long 6" high, 2-1/2" thick, very rounded edges. Was less than $30 but don't remember exactly. Good enough sound & AC-DC is a plus. Only minus is the retractable antenna, which is why I'm on my second radio. Broke the antenna on the first one & couldn't find a replacement. MikeD74t

Just found out my radio is a GE 7-2664, may not be available anymore.

Egon · Dec 27, 2009

With insert plugs and the muffs on alongside the whining equipment I wouldn't hear much of anything. Peace and quiet is usually appreciated after the noise abuse.

caver · Dec 27, 2009

I just hit the yard sales and find a boom box for low money. A contractor had one of those fancy tool brand boxes at work. They opened it up to repair a broken speaker wire. The guts of that thing was no more sophisticated than any cheap boom box.

scgargoyle · Dec 27, 2009

Something I don't understand: It seems like the better the radio, the worse the reception. I have a cheap little GE portable that I've had for years, and it gets everything, including NPR for the aforementioned shows. When I hook up a regular receiver, like from a home stereo, I lose about half the stations. It's not just this rig; I've seen the problem before. We have the same problem with the radio at work- it's a stereo receiver, and it's terrible. Hooking up an antenna does little good. Portables do just fine in the same room. Another odd thing I've noticed is that my little portable behaves differently depending upon where I plug it in. If I plug it in near the door opening, reception is terrible, and greatly affected by people walking by. If I plug it in in the back of the garage, it works fine. The weird part is- I can place the radio near the door and run an extension cord to the back outlet, and it works fine! So it's not the physical location of the radio, it's something about the outlet itself. How's the reception with those jobsite radios? My old GE is gettin' pretty long i the tooth, but I'm afraid to buy something that won't work as well.

George2615 · Dec 27, 2009

I use Prokop's method. I got mine for free. A friend got a new stereo for his garage and gave me his old one. Mine is an old SoundDesign AM/FM stereo with dual cassette player/ recorder. It works quite well playing tunes. Once in a while I watch the free TV I won in a raffle at work. They bought a new TV with built in DVD / VHS player and raffled off the old TV.

Scooby074 · Dec 27, 2009

scgargoyle said:
Something I don't understand: It seems like the better the radio, the worse the reception. I have a cheap little GE portable that I've had for years, and it gets everything, including NPR for the aforementioned shows. When I hook up a regular receiver, like from a home stereo, I lose about half the stations. It's not just this rig; I've seen the problem before. We have the same problem with the radio at work- it's a stereo receiver, and it's terrible. Hooking up an antenna does little good. Portables do just fine in the same room. Another odd thing I've noticed is that my little portable behaves differently depending upon where I plug it in. If I plug it in near the door opening, reception is terrible, and greatly affected by people walking by. If I plug it in in the back of the garage, it works fine. The weird part is- I can place the radio near the door and run an extension cord to the back outlet, and it works fine! So it's not the physical location of the radio, it's something about the outlet itself. How's the reception with those jobsite radios? My old GE is gettin' pretty long i the tooth, but I'm afraid to buy something that won't work as well.

my dewalt has decent reception. Id say middle of the road. The best feature is digital tuning no more hunting for stations.

The antenna is a flexible rubber one for durability. This is part of the reason reception is only average. Rubber antennas arent quite as good as the metal extendable ones IMHO

jayste · Dec 28, 2009

Mine was left when we bought the farm from my inlaws. It's from around 197? complete with AM/FM "stereo" and EIGHT TRACK! Yes, 8 track and still worked last time we tried it.

It works for what we need. I usually just use it to pick up Red Stegall's Cowboy Corner when I'm working in the shop.

Jay

Cat_Driver · Dec 28, 2009

You can try those satellite the desk model radios and get jazz 24/7

Iplayfarmer · Dec 28, 2009

It sounds like for a shop there are two options... Go expensive (Milwaukee/Dewalt, etc. job site radio) or go cheap (thrift store, second hand, cheap little radio,etc.).

ragkar · Dec 29, 2009

I use to have a radio with an analog tuner in the garage. I had lots of trouble with the tuning drifting due to temperature variations. I replaced it with a digital (crystal reference) radio and that problem was eliminated.
The analog tuner has a turn knob tuning and a thermometer style frequency display. The digitals have a digital frequency display and push button tuning.

Scooby074 · Dec 29, 2009

ragkar said:
. I had lots of trouble with the tuning drifting due to temperature variations. I replaced it with a digital (crystal reference) radio and that problem was eliminated.

That right there is worth the price of admission

Nothing more annoying the your radio "going out of tune" as soon as you walk away from it.

MossRoad · Dec 29, 2009

In our garage I have an old am/fm portable radio with the metal antenna and dial tuning/volume. It runs on AC or battery. I think I got it from one of my sisters about 30 years ago. Cheap and simple. Works during power outages. I see them around at junk stores, salvage shops, etc... for a couple bucks. I have it hanging on a nail up high on the wall for better reception. I guess it depends on the sound quality you want.

jayste · Dec 29, 2009

Scooby074 said:
That right there is worth the price of admission Nothing more annoying the your radio "going out of tune" as soon as you walk away from it.

You've got that right, pardner! Usually fades at the worst time!

Jay

Iplayfarmer · Dec 31, 2009

I went ahead and hung the new radio I got for Christmas in the garage/shop.

The deciding factor for me was that the clock display was small enough it wouldn't do me much good as a clock-radio in my bedroom. Now that I have it hung, I really like it. The fact that it's wall mountable freed up some shelf space. The sound is pretty good, and the reception is better than what I had.

I'm still deciding whether I like the remote control idea or not. By the time I dig the remote out of my pocket, take my gloves off so I can navigate the little buttons, and make whatever change I want; it would have been faster to just walk over to the radio to make the changes.

zzvyb6 · Dec 31, 2009

I suggest you still keep an option out for a garage sale/Salvation Army/Goodwill/Craigslist boomBox. The dirt, flys, mud wasps, welder slag, and neighbor kids tend to have a bad effect on shop radidios. If this is not a problem, why not go for the Bose Wave system? Are you a cheapskate when it comes to good tunes?

Put the wife's deal in the basement...