Customer Reviews

Sangean SG-622 FM 12 Band Shortwave World Band Radio

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

There are basically three rules for a shortwave radio to keep the interest of the beginning listener. It should be cheap, simple, and good. Cheap enough to purchase without feeling like it's a major commitment. Simple enough to operate intuitively. And good enough quality to satisfy the listener's ears. A listener with a good radio will want to repeat the listening experience again and again. But finding a radio that's inexpensive AND good has always been elusive for the beginner, and for radio makers.

This is that radio. The Sangean SG-622 is unquestionably the best value in a shortwave radio, not just for beginners, but for any listener of any experience level. It offers nice performance, and it's a totally painless introduction to shortwave listening. It's very easy to tune, and with a simple longwire attached to the antenna, it's easy to find listenable stations. It practically pays for itself with just the first few hours of listening pleasure, and it leaves virtually no excuse not to enjoy it for years to come. This is an ideal gift idea for children or just about anybody you want to share this fun hobby with.

Personally, I want to have mine when I travel overseas. It's very small and packable, and shouldn't attract scrutiny in customs (it doesn't look "dangerously" hi-tech). If it gets lost, stolen, or damaged, I won't fret about it because it can be replaced easily and cheaply. I couldn't think of a more carefree way to maintain my connection to the world at large.

When I began listening to SW many years ago, I couldn't find a halfway decent radio that wouldn't make a serious dent in my wallet. I never thought I'd see a major manufacturer sell a good shortwave radio for less than a third of what I might have paid back then. For the beginner and experienced listener both, this is simply too great a bargain to pass up. The Sangean SG-622 proves the age-old concept that cheap, simple, and good equals fun! It can't be anything but five stars.

If you're serious about shortwave, this isn't the radio you want, but this radio is great as a "do- I-want-to-pursue-this-shortwave-thing-further" radio, or as a lightweight travel rig. It'll will bring in the higher-power shortwave stations: BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio Japan etc. Sound quality is quite good. Like most analog radios, knowing what frequency you are on is impossible, but for casual tuning, or to get a taste of what shortwave has to offer, this radio is fine. It's also small and light enough to make a decent travel portable (and cheap enough that if you lose it, it's not the end of the world.) And, its a good radio to toss into your emergency preparedness kit.

It will perform better with an external antenna "boost" - just take a 10'-30' piece of wire, attach a couple of alligator clips, and save yourself $15 by not buying a "reel in" antenna.

It's hard to believe that you can purchase so much performance for less than $40. This little radio has the ability to fill a large room with undistorted sound from any of its 12 bands. Moreover, it is quite easy to use. Sensitivity and voice clarity are remarkable. The automatic gain control deals nicely with weak and strong signals. Selectivity is quite good, but one could use a larger tuning knob (or I suppose in my case, smaller fingers) to make those fine adjustments easier. The size of the radio makes it easy to pack.

Although you get a lot of radio for a few dollars, it would have been nice if Sangean had included an AC adaptor. I have used this radio a lot since I purchased it, and it does have a hardy appetite for batteries when played at high volume. Accordingly, I purchased an AC adaptor for it. I tried several adaptors before I settled on the Radio Shack 4.5 volt "International" model (cat. no. 273-1759). This device accepts almost any input voltage and frequency and produces a full amp of filtered, regulated DC. Unlike other adaptors I tried, this one is relatively "quiet." It does not induce hum or electrical noise. Best of all, it folds up in a very small travel package.

If you don't want to spend a lot of cash on a multi band radio, but want to be able to listen to stations wherever you may travel, the SG622 should work well for you.

The radio's positive reviews are to some degree accurate but there is a catch. Listening to the Sangean SG-622 for the past few weeks I have decided to letter grade-rate it. I considered its sensitivity, selectivity, sound and user friendliness.
Its sound on all bands is about "B" grade with the ability to project itself in a decent and somewhat dynamic way. It is also compact and easy to tune. Once you discover how off the frequency numbers on the dial are compared with the shortwave radio station you might be trying to locate it is not too difficult to find that station later on(provided the signal strength stays the same).
However, the sensitivity and especially selectivity of the radio on shortwave are less than good. The radio is sensitive to any excellent signal but has more difficulty with good or mediocre signals that other sets such as much Sony ICF-SW7600GR or older but good shortwave units can make audible for listening. Selectivity(the ability to to keep powerful neighboring stations, some 10 to 15 kilohertz from crowding out good to mediocre signals) is a big problem at times with this model. I have had problems with more powerful local shortwave signals interrupting other signals that can be heard on the other shortwaves I have. So, I therefore give the radio a "C" and "C-" to "D+" for its sensitivity and selectivity on the shortwave bands.
On AM or the Middlewave band the radio is decent for its sensitivity and selectivity. I rate it on this band as as a "B" and "B-" to "C+" respectively. Living in northern New Jersey, with powerful local broadcasters, I have still received from hundreds of miles away Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, Baltimore and Washington radio stations during an evening of exploring the dial.
FM band reception is a "B" to "B-" for sensitivity and selectivity. The radio is able to get some of the weaker and more distant local stations as well as the usual nearby ones. Sometimes one station may crowd into a weaker one but can usually be tuned away or the radio pointed in the right direction to cancel the interference.
Lastly, the radio has cross modulation problems on some shortwave bands and possibly on AM. Signals from other shortwave and even AM frequencies are tuned in sometimes on the wrong band or frequency (especially on the 60 meter band). This is often a problem with inexpensive shortwave radios.
This radio is overall a mediocre shortwave receiver. I would recommend staying with the old adage: " you get what you pay for" and pay the $... to $... for a Grundig Yacht Boy 400 PE or Sony ICF-SW7600GR and be guaranteed good shortwave, AM and FM reception. In the long run you will be much happier with these reliable relatively inexpensive radios. As some shortwave experts say: " buying a shortwave( worldband) receiver that is normally priced for less than $... is asking for disappointment". When considering the prices of computer software and internet services nowadays it is probably worth paying extra for quality.

Actually, I own the clone of Sangean SG-622, the Radioshack DX-397, and I love it. It is a simple inexpensive and Spartan short-wave radio, but it does a very good job in pulling out the main short-wave stations. It does not have bells and whistles like, digital tunning and display, it does not have an auto power shut off or an alarm clock either. It is fully analog, but for me the most important is sensitivity, selectivity and the sound quality. All these are much better than in a lot of more expensive radios that I have seen. Compared side by side with a Sony ICF-2010 that I own, it pulled out almost all the main stations that the Sony could get, with a tenth of its price. It is lightweight and the sound is very good for a 3inch size speaker.
It may be some interference from nearby strong stations, but it can be reduced with the orientation of the receiver.
I could never belive that you could get such a good quality short-wave radio with such a low price.
I give it a wholeheartedly 5 stars.

I was very skeptical about a $30 shortwave, so I bought the $10 wind up antenna for it which does make the reception better. I live "way out" in the country (which is probably why I get better reception than someone in a city) and I can listen to stations from around the world. BBC World Service, Voice of America, others from Australia, China, Russia, South America, Europe, Canada, Middle East (though not in English)...as well as all sorts of Christian Broadcasting (including EWTN/WEWN). Listening to news from someone else other than American media helps to get a more rounded view of situations, as well as what works in other governments and what doesn't, and a lot of other things we might not hear about without this radio. It's been great fun. It's not perfect (is squeeky with the weaker signals), but pretty darn good for $30, though I do highly recommend you get the extra antenna and an adapter so you can plug it in. The radio, antenna and adapter cost me around $50-$60 total. Still a good deal. Reception is better at night.

Its hard not to like this little radio. Its relatively small and light, very good sensitivity and fair selectivity. Excellent sound quality and long battery life. It can fit into a shirt pocket but is a bit heavy to carry there -- it will do better in a jacket pocket. Tuning can be a little difficult due to the small size of the unit but at Amazon's price its a great buy. The FM sounds particular good! Highly recommended. For someone who wants to listen to the more powerful shortwave or wants a small travel radio this is good choice. I use this radio more than any other that I own.

I have been listening to shortwave for over 40 years- since I was in elementary school. While I have had lots of radios with more "bells and whistles," I have never had a radio which gives so much value for the money. At the sale price it is a real steal. It is a great radio for the merely curious as well as the more experienced user who wants a convenient portable. It is very basic and very good. There are no sleep timers, alarm clocks or digital tuning; but there is a lot of radio in very small package at a fantastic price.

The first thing you notice about the radio is how small it is then you plug it in and notice how sensitive the receiver is which is exactly what a shortwave radio needs more than anything else. The advantage over a more expensive radio includes simplicity in operation and a more traditional old fashioned "turn the dial" tuning knob. I have had a couple other shortwave radios long ago but this thing blows them out of the water performance wise. Being a ham radio operator for 14 years I can tell you expensive radios do not always equate to having fun. Sometimes smaller economy radios like this one can be more fun than a complex, expensive radio. If you are interested in listening to the more popular shortwave radios and not the faint hard to find stations this radio would be ideal give it a try.

I wanted a small, unobtrusive radio for home listening. I started at Radio Shack, which, oddly, has a poor selection of radios. I found the Sangean SG-622 at Amazon for a great price -- lowest price I found for the SG-622 on the Internet. Plus, the short wave capability sounded fun, too (I've never listened to short wave).

I would have spent the same amount of money at Radio Shack, but gotten much less.

The SG-622 is battery-friendly. A cheap set of Walgreen's batteries were still going strong after 2 months.

The sound is great, more solid and full than I had expected out of a radio this size. I don't often tune to the short wave frequencies, but I know I could explore them some lazy weekend afternoon.

Great for the office, too. I've used clock radios at my office, but the reception has always been terrible. After finding the right spot and fully extending the antenna, the SG-622 picked up all local stations quite well. Plus, I can use headphones while working.