Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio

by Sangean

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 1 x 4.5 inches ; 3.5 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0012YHQVE
• Item model number: DT-400W
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (171 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,299 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #11 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Radios > Shortwave Radios
  • #27 in Electronics > Portable Audio & Video > Radios

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The pocket sized Sangean DT-400W has about everything you could want from a portable radio. In addition to AM/FM bands, it also includes an NOAA Weather Alert Emergency Channel that sounds a very loud audible tone when an extreme weather condition is imminent and/or a police emergency or child abduction has occurred or any type of public awareness becomes critical. Even with your radio off or you are listening to another station the weather alert monitor continues to monitor the NOAA channels should an emergency arise.

See larger image).

See larger image).

To conserve battery life the DT-400W provides an option to select the time you would like the NOAA alert to be active and a small LED alert flashes to remind you that the alert is on. In addition to emergencies, the 7 NOAA channels provide up to date general weather information useful if you're planning a trip or just a picnic for the weekend.

The large backlit LCD display clearly displays the time, station, battery life indication, alert indication and all other pertinent information. Deep Bass Boost adds to your stereo musical listening pleasure and 19 random preset selections lets you mix AM/FM stations with immediate access through the "My Favorites" button. Other features include Lock Switch to prevent accidental set-up changes, optional 90 minute auto shutoff, built-in speaker, auto station seek and a removable belt clip.

Specifications

• My Favorite Station button
• Clock
• Built-in mono speaker
• Headphone jack
• Optional 90-minute auto shut off
• Removable belt clip
• Powered by 2 AA batteries (not included)

Product Description

The Sangean Model DT-400W is the last pocket radio you will ever need to buy. It has about everything you could want, and then some, in a small, pocket sized portable radio. As an example the new NOAA Weather Alert Emergency Channel sounds a very loud audible tone when an extreme weather condition is imminent and/or a police emergency or a child abduction has occurred or any type of public awareness becomes critical. Even with your radio off or you are listening to another station the weather alert monitor continues to monitor the NOAA channels should an emergency arise. To conserve battery life the DT-400W provides an option to select the time you would like the NOAA alert to be active and a small LED alert flashes to remind you that the alert is on. In addition to emergencies the 7 NOAA channels provide up to date general weather information useful if you're planning a trip or just a picnic for the weekend. The large backlit LCD display clearly displays the time, station, battery life indication, alert indication and all other pertinent information. Advanced PLL Synthesized Digital Receiver provides drift free AM/FM reception. Deep Bass Boost adds to your stereo musical listening pleasure and 19 random preset selections lets you mix AM/FM stations with immediate access through the "My Favorites" button. Other features include Lock Switch to prevent accidental set-up changes, optional 90 minute auto shutoff, built-in speaker, auto station seek and a removable belt clip.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

167 of 172 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nicely improved version of the Sangean DT-200VX, July 27, 2008

By 

Ann E. Revelle (Los Alamos, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio (Electronics)

This is a fine radio with very nice improvements starting from its predecessor, the Sangean DT-200VX. It is a very light and small portable radio with very good battery life that can be taken almost everywhere for full as well as easy listening capabilities.

PROS:

1) It has quite good reception on all bands (AM/FM and Weatherband). Now it also has excellent and almost completely static-free reception on all 7 US frequency channels of the standard NOAA weather-band. In addition, this radio also has the official NOAA weather alert detection capability to signal the user of impending weather disasters as well as other problematic situations such as child abductions, flash floods, earthquakes, etc. However, this NOAA alert capability is NOT the latest S.A.M.E. technology (Specific Area Message Encoding) that is available on some other table top units that can give a county by county area warning to individual users. Like its predecessor, this radio also has a monaural/stereo switch (bandwidth control) for FM listening improvement, but there is no RF (radio frequency) DX gain switch on the DT-400W as there is on the new Sony SRF-37W for example, but see Con below.

2) It has a very big and easy to read display with a battery level indicator, a lock display indicator, a 90 minute shutoff capability (that can be disabled during each listening session if needed) with an on-screen indicator, etc. It also has a clock and a backlit display, but see Con below.

3) There is a very nice arrangement (called My Favorites) for as many as 19 presets for any band in any order with simple retrieval of all presets, but only in order from the first one designated to the 19th one in a logical progression (it won't go backwards to find the previous preset for example).

4) Its deep bass boost is a very nice feature.

5) Automatic scanning capability and seeking capability, but see Con below.

6) It also has a nice and easily removable belt clip for wearing the unit for jogging or walking.


CONS:

1) Backlight cannot be turned off even in daytime and even in bright sunshine conditions. It is apparently an LED (light emitting diode) with an extremely low power drain, but it seems very illogical to me that it can't be overridden when it isn't needed at all. Apparently, it is actually only on briefly while tuning the radio and then it shuts itself off after a short time, but to not be able to disable it entirely when it is not needed seems absolutely counterintuitive to me.

2) It is certainly well built with a fully attached battery compartment door (requiring two AA batteries), but it is not as rugged as the Sony SRF-37W for example (and the latter only requires 1 AAA battery). Of course the reception and acoustics are better overall on the DT-400W so get a good case (like the Sakar International HS-10, a small hard shell case which it fits like a glove).

3) A 90 day limited warranty from Sangean America is way too short given that even the Sony SRF-M37W has a 1 year limited warranty (see my review of the SRF-M37W and also its product manual for details).

4) During automatic scanning/seeking, the audio is muted so you can't hear any stations as they are detected. Only the strongest stations are picked up during the scanning/seeking process. Of course during manual scanning the individual stations are easily heard so that you can readily pick the station you want to listen to.

5) Sangean chose to put the speaker controls on the same slide switch along with the Stereo/Mono (bandwidth) changing capability. In my opinion the arrangement was better on the DT-200V with a simple and direct push button Stereo/Mono switch on the front of the radio and not on the side with one other commonly used function.

6) As also discussed by others, you must connect the short trailing wire (that is supplied by Sangean) or else connect a set of supplied earbuds (or a more comfortable set of headphones- see below) in order to receive any FM or Weather-band transmissions at all- including the weather alert transmissions.

7) The supplied earbuds are very uncomfortable and could also be quite dangerous given the volume output that this unit is capable of with 2 AA batteries.

180 of 191 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A handy radio with two significant exceptions, July 13, 2008

By 

Fred C. Mcclanahan "Agent-19" (Shreveport, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio (Electronics)

This is a decent AM/FM (stereo) weather alert radio with two significant exceptions you should be aware of.

You will NOT be able to receive FM or Weather Radio without first attaching the supplied external antenna (a piece of wire that plugs into the earphone jack) or having the earphones plugged in. If you are counting on the radio as a weather alert radio and don't have the antenna with you or forget to plug it in, you won't get the warning. If you have the earphones plugged in, you'll have an antenna but the speaker is disconnected and you won't hear the warning unless you are wearing the headphones.

Also, don't pack this radio away in your emergency kit with batteries installed. The radio has a clock feature which continuously uses battery power - so just when you need it, it may be DOA.

82 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best AM and FM Reception of Any Pocket Radio I've Tested, June 14, 2008

By 

M. JEFFREY MCMAHON "herculodge" (Torrance, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio (Electronics)

I wasn't happy with the FM on my tiny Sangean DT-180 and my Sony SFR-M37V provided similarly disappointing FM. But both were good on AM.

Wanting an upgrade, I bought the DT-400 on Amazon for $61 free shipping. You can choose the built-in speaker or go through the earbuds, which serve as the FM antenna. Without the earbuds or provided wire you will get zero FM reception. I replaced the stock buds with my V-MODAs and the FM was just as good.

The AM and FM of the DT0400 beat the reception of my aforementioned radios. The weather band is a plus as is the Deep Bass button. Also, with TV band obsolete in 2009, the DT-400, which replaces TV with weather, is an important update.

The sound is far better through the provided buds or my upgraded V-MODAs and I recommend using them over the built-in speaker.

Final verdict: Highly recommended.