Customer Reviews

Sangean PT-10 AM/FM Stereo LW/SW Shortwave World Band Travel Radio

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a die-hard "small SW radio" fan and 'news junkie'. Will not buy the $1.- American newspaper when I can have the news free. Also, I will not acknowledge that ever since the Cold War is over, propaganda transmissions on SW (in English) are "over and out". HOWEVER, when you are in (Central) Europe, (North) Africa, Central and South America and you do not speak the local Arabic, Hungarian, Russian, Japanese, Hindi, and Urdu these little radios will keep you connected to the BBC or other English Language News.

PROS:
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Sound: very good for this size.

FM sensitivity very good. I compared to the Sangean ATS 909 -- Sangean's top of the line. However for weak stations, annoyingly dependent on antenna position.

AM sensitivity good (not outstanding).

SW "haphazard". Good on 49m and 31m bands. On 19m and 16m I could not pick up some stations which came in loud and clear with ATS 909.

LW: I could not test in the US. Past experience with other Sangean radios in France and 'Eastern Block' was only "mediocre".

The accuracy of the dial is exceptional! I could actually use the numbers on the dial to retrieve a SW, AM or FM station.

Cons:
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I did not like the design. The leather case is press-buttoned to the radio. Looks cheap, klutzy and ugly (with or without the case). The competition (e.g. the small Kaitos) looks and feels far more elegant.

Unfortunately, the mechanical built puts this radio in the "Chinese $25- to $35.- class".

There were problems with the on/off button from the beginning. After only one year it simply broke. I cannot recommend this product.

This is not bad as a travel radio, but it seems a bit pricey for what it is. I use this radio at the office, at it serves that purpose fairly well.

The sound quality is not bad, especially for its size. I also have a Sony ICF-38 at my office, which sounds better and has a "bigger" sound. However, the Sony is also a slightly bigger radio, not as good for travel, and only has AM and FM.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the tuning knob is more sensitive than I would have expected. It has a very tight feel, which makes it responsive to very subtle nudges in one direction or another to improve reception. The knob seems to have absolutely no backlash at all when changing directions on the dial, which also helps with fine tuning weak stations.

FM reception is excellent. Just as good as the Sony ICF-38, which is also excellent. It seems that, at least with FM, actual tuning may be slightly lower than the numbers on the dial indicate.

I cannot get any AM reception on the Sangean or the Sony ICF-38 in my office. It must be in an AM dead zone (an office tower in Midtown Manhattan).

Shortwave reception seems reasonably good. I do not notice a significant difference between the Sangean and my Etón S350DL, although the S350DL probably does pick up a little more. This radio does not have any shortwave tuning aids, such as RF gain or a wide/narrow bandwidth selector. Interference can therefore be an issue.

There are some rather inept design features on this radio which, although do not affect the performance, leave one wondering how they came about. One is the case. It is not so much a "case" as it is a three sectioned piece of stiff leather which covers the back, top, and front of the radio. It attaches to the back with four snaps, and to the front with two magnets. Given the fact that all the switches, knobs and plugs (i.e., all the sensitive parts) are on the sides of the radio, which are not covered by the case, one wonders what the purpose of the case is at all. I like to try to imagine the boardroom compromises and cost cuts which led to the inclusion of this utterly functionless accessory.

Another bizarre feature is the tuning light. It comes on to let you know that the station is properly tuned; however, it only comes on when you are listening in "stereo" mode. Which is to say, it only comes on when you are listening to FM, and only if you are using headphones. Since I do not use headphones with this radio, the light never comes on. Again, one wonders what function this really serves, and why they would bother to include it at all.

Overall, this is not a bad radio. If you are looking for a simple analog receiver with shortwave capability, then this seems like a good buy (although you can probably find cheaper options). If you do not care about shortwave, or if you are not specifically using this for travel, something like the Sony ICF-38 is a better buy because it's cheaper and sounds better.