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Sony ICF-M410V Portable AM/FM/TV/Weather Radio

Sony ICF-M410V Portable AM/FM/TV/Weather Radio

List Price: $59.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great brand, great product & great price
Review: This little guy came in handy big time during the blackout of 2005. Doesnt eat through batteries, has great range and really good sound. Not sure what the other reviewer was griping about.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Form and function
Review: This radio is perfect! The sleek shape looks and feels almost like an elegant evening purse. It looks good and fits anywhere and is truly portable, so as I work around the house I can carry it from room to room.

The button settings are easy to use and I can set the stations I listen to regularly and instantly choose between them.

I had purchased a slightly less expensive Sony with tv reception and found it unusable because it was so difficult to locate the desired channel. No such problem here. I can listen to Oprah while washing dishes or the Today Show while making pancakes, and the audio alone carries about 90% of the information you'd get by sitting in front of the tube.

The sound is fine, though perhaps not audiophile quality, but for most purposes, it is completely adequate.

I am delighted with this product.

(There is no cord to plug it in, so if you want to use an adapter, you'll need your own, but it runs for days on 3 AA batteries, so I'm not bothering with a cord.)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Handy for more than emergencies & good sound quality
Review: When I was a kid growing up in New Jersey my parents had this radio in the kitchen (that they bought through their Gulf credit card) that seemed to get every band in the world. We used to love to listen to the short wave at night. But the radio really came in handy for its weather channels when the power went out during thunderstorms. We also boated a lot, and the NOAA weather radio broadcasts became as important a step in planning for an outing as packing the sailbags and filling the cooler with ice.

Now that I live in the midwest, I live through wicked seasonal thunderstorms that often knock out the power. I also find that our tv stations' weather reports are useless for two reasons -- they cover too large a broadcast area, and they tend to hype the weather for everyone, even if only one part of the state is being affected. After this most recent round of thunderstorms and flooding I decided to get a battery powered radio that gets weather radio channels so I can cut through the tv hype and get specific local information.

I had an Amazon coupon, and decided to buy this radio for two reasons. First, unlike other radios on Amazon, this one shipped for free, which made it equivalent in price to other radios with fewer features. Second, even though the tv weather coverage around here drives me crazy it is nice to know that I can tune into the tv channels if I want to when if the power goes out.

Now that I have the radio I have found (like other reviewers) that I use it for much more than emergencies. The radio is so small and handy that I keep it near my desk and use it to get a quick weather update in the morning. I also listen to NPR throughout the day, which I wouldn't otherwise do unless I'm in my car. (Is it me, or did we learn in the big hair generation that a tricked out stereo is the only radio worth having in the house?)

I have two minor complaints about the radio. There is a lot of interference with other electronics on the weatherband channels. I also have to crank up the volume on those stations to hear anything. As a result as I have to carry the radio around the room to get a good weather reception spot. And as I do so, I have to endure these really loud waves of interference until I find the right spot (ow). But this is only a minor annoyance. If it weren't for that I'd give it 5 stars. My second complaint is that while the radio is on, it displays the frequency and not the clock. You have to turn off the radio or look at a different source to get a time check. These are only minor annoyances, worth living with for the price.

There are also two features I didn't really think much about when I bought the radio that I now use all the time. First, I use the standby feature (which on most other radios would be called an alarm), to turn the radio on every day right as the afternoon NPR broadcast begins. If left to my own devices I never remember to turn on the radio at the right time. Second, I also use the sleep feature a lot -- if I walk away from the radio, I know that the radio will turn itself off and not wear down the battery.

I like the sound quality -- even the AM stations are pleasant to listen to.


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