Retekess V117 Portable Radios AM FM, Shortwave Radio with Clear Dial, Transistor Radio with Best Reception for Seniors (Black)

This is a great little portable radio. Great for camping, working in the yard, house, garage or office. The construction is solid from top to bottom. Yes, the case is plastic, but durable and meant to last just like an old school Walkman, I'm not scared that I'll drop it from a few feet and it will break right away. At low volume you can keep this on your desk at work and not disturb coworkers. At full volume you can (annoy your coworkers or) be across the yard or large room and still hear it just fine. Don't expect much bass - because that is not what this unit was designed for. This unit has one speaker, but it performs well. The tuning dial is exactly what you would expect from an analog station dial, it even has a slightest of give to it when you go one way or the other, and it allows a more precise fix on that hard to find signal. I have purchased several portable, antenna-less, digital signal radios, and if the signal is hard to lock onto they just give up and skip it. This radio lets me decide while I adjust the antenna. The headphone jack is well anchored, unlike some of the other portable radios and MP3 players I've purchased online. The sound is also good through headphones. Again, don't expect huge bass through headphones. This isn't designed for that, just enjoy your music. Antenna reception is awesome - THE ANTENNA IS OVER 18 INCHES LONG! Pros: 1. Well made, easy to use, pocket size, great reception, large antenna, reliable. The battery door is even hinged and attached to the unit so you won't lose it. 2. No useless battery draining features like an LED flashlight, poor quality Bluetooth connection, or hard to use buttons or confusing interface. Cons: 0. NONE so far and I don't think I'll find any. I wish more consumer electronics were built this well.

The Retekess V117 is quite a surprising little radio. I bought it to use as a bedside radio as I need music to help me sleep. I wanted something decent that would give good battery life. Digital displays are nice and convenient, but they drain the batteries faster. I expect good runtimes between battery changes because when this radio is turned off, it is completely off. It receives all of the FM stations that I would expect. AM is surprisingly sensitive and selective, pulling in signals from hundreds of miles away and separating stations that are 10 kHz apart. SW on this is sort of odd in that the range is 8 - 18 mHz. Too bad it is not 5 - 15 or 6 - 16 as it would be more practical. But I knew this going in. It's really a non-issue though as I have other receivers that cover full shortwave, some with single sideband. Sound quality is very good. This radio can fill a room with sound. The sound, sensitivity and selectivity are worth noting because this is a small radio that will fit in a coat pocket easily.

After living with this radio for a month or two, I'm rewriting my original review. This Retekess V117 is about the same size as my Sangean SR-35 and trusty Sony ICF-S10MK2 (now discontinued). It's about as sensitive as the Sangean and picks up more stations than the Sony. It also includes shortwave, though I have dedicated SW radios (including a C.Crane Skywave) I would use before this one. Here's what I like about the Retekess: -The side-mounted tuning dial is far better than Sony and Sangean's submerged wheel. -The sound is pretty powerful for such a small set. It's a little brighter than the Sangean, which is better for some kinds of music than others. It's excellent for talk, however. I'm a huge fan of the Sangean, but this Retekess is a worthy rival. -The antenna is long and relatively sturdy. -It stands up nicely, partly due to the horizontal form factor (unlike the Sony and Sangean, which are taller than they are wide). There's also a little kickstand in the back, so it can lay back at an angle. What I don't like: -The sound through headphones or earbuds is terrible. You do get sound in both ears, unlike the Sony, although it's not FM stereo, so far as I can tell. The Sangean isn't that great through headphones, either, but it's better than this. If you're going to do a lot of headphone listening, I'd go for the C.Crane Pocket - it's three times the price but sounds fantastic. To sum up, the Retekess V117 is worth $20. I have a soft spot for the Sangean SR-35, which costs about the same, but if the Retekess appeals, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

***EVEN MORE UPDATED REVIEW As you read below - the 2nd radio didn't pick up any channels, like the 1st one, and I finally found a radio at Target that works great. BUT, the seller still wanted to make sure I received a radio that worked well and kindly asked me if they could send another - a 3rd radio - and I told them fine, but I'm not paying for it. It arrived 2 days later (WOW!). It is a different radio, which I can't find the link to, so I can't review it on that page, so I'll review it here. The radio WORKS!!! It's clear and loud and NO STATIC whatsoever! I'm so pleased with this company's customer service, if I could give them 10 stars, I would. Never did I ask for a 2nd, or 3rd, radio. They went above and beyond several times and they actually fixed the problem! This is how a business should run. Sure, it's just a ten dollar radio, they didn't need to care about me, ONE person...but they did and it says a lot for these people. Way to go, Retevis Direct! GOOD JOB! ***UPDATED REVIEW After my terrible review on this radio the seller reached out to me and sent another radio - without me asking them to. Very nice service! Unfortunately the new radio also didn't pick up ANY channels, so it didn't work. When I told them it didn't work, they automatically issued a refund and told me they have told the manufacturer of the radio in hopes that they could fix whatever the problem is. So, the radio is still unusable, but I can tell you the service is superb. Changing my one star to 3, just based on service. I really wish the radio had worked though. I've come to the realization that buying a simple radio is not an easy task anymore. Ended up finding a Jensen at Target that works for me. **ORIGINAL REVIEW** I bought this radio because of the reviews about the great reception. The one I received doesn't pick up ONE station - not one! (on FM - I didn't try AM or SW) It's cute, real small, like it can fit in your back pocket. But who cares if you can't get any channels, right?

Pocket sized, fairly rugged, simple to operate. Tuning could be MUCH more precise, easier, as that knob deals with tuning by acting as a windlass of the cord tuning the set. and use a long horizontal scale instead of it's short vertical one, rotating the cylinder from one end and the band-switch at the same time. Drop 16 meter band, but add the 49 meter band, it's a busy place. ALL covered sw is on one scale, which is a huge nuisance. 2 AA cells make it work, which are claimed to run MANY hours. All in all a nice inexpensive pocket radio to bring you am and fm well, and sw maybe, if signals are strong and you tune VERY carefully.

This is one heck of a radio, for its shirt-pocket size. The FM selectivity and sensitivity are really good, as well as the general feel and quality of the radio. Before I ordered it, I read dozens of reviews, and almost all of them were very positive. I've only had it for a couple hours, and I haven't really tried the AM and SW bands. But I bought it mostly for the couple of FM stations that I like. I am pretty much in a fringe area for most broadcasting stations, but I can orient the swivel antenna to provide "next door" level reception. Despite the amazing sound quality for such a small radio, the only negative comment I have is that the effective volume level could be a bit higher at the top end. The sound really does fill up a small room, but additional advancing of the control doesn't result in a big perceptible change. This doesn't affect my overall rating, which is a solid "5", even before I check reception on AM and SW. I am an old "analog" guy and I really like this radio. 50 years ago, a radio of this quality would have cost over $30, even without adjusting for today's dollars.

I'm pleased with this. I bought it because I like to have a small radio in the bathroom, and lost it with digital devices that claimed to do a lot but were fiddly, sometimes impossible, to tune; ran out of juice suddenly; and sometimes lost all their presets for no obvious reason. I thought, I wonder if anyone still sells simple radios that just work? They do. This radio has FM, AM and shortwave bands, and a simple analog tuning mechanism. The aerial (which is more than adequate) is retractable and the radio itself very compact, so you can slip it into a jacket pocket when you are out and about. The sound quality and the volume available are surprising for the price. There is even a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can listen to it on good speakers if you want to (though be aware, it's mono). It takes two AA batteries and these last really well; when they do go, you get some warning because the radio doesn't hold its tune so well. There are a couple of odd things. The aerial doesn't swivel so you can't easily use the radio lying on its back, which is a nuisance because it has a narrow base and could easily be pushed over. The on-off/volume control is easy and pleasant to use, but it works the wrong way rund - you rotate it downwards to switch on. Also I am not sure the shortwave band works that well (but it may be I have no stations to receive where I am; in remote areas it might be OK). Still, it works well, the sound is great and it doesn't drive me up the wall when I want to change station. And it was only $13.99 (i see now it's a little more, but not much). For a bathroom, garage or workshop radio, it's great.

Update: I bought two of these a few weeks apart. They were fine for a few months. After a few months, however, all I get is screeching noises out of both of them. At first it was voice/music mixed with screeching and finally, I just wasn't able to tune in any stations at all and just got screeching noise where a station was supposed to be. Guessing that these radios are not built with stable, quality components so after a time the component values change and the radio stops working properly. Great radios while they worked, but they have a very short life span. I have radios that are 30-40 years old and still work great, so these Retekess V117 radios are cheap crap. Not recommended. Unlike other negative reviewers, I was never contacted by the sellers. Original review. I keep this in my basement to listen to a hard to receive NPR FM station which is about 50 miles away. I always get clear reception. The sound is very good, though I only use it for an NPR talk radio station. Simple controls, easy to operate one handed. Seems to be easy on batteries. Picked up a second on for $10.90 in a "Lightning Deal" to keep in another room with a radio which has trouble pulling in my NPR station. If another good deal like that comes up, I will buy a third radio to keep in my car for emergencies.

Le son est très bon, il est facile à transporter vu sa petite taille. Avec ou sans écouteurs, fonctionne très bien. Bon achat.

This radio is exceptional quality despite its size. I needed a non digital radio that uses batteries as I may not be able to recharge via usb if power is out. And well done Amazon who delivered early so I now have it during a cyclone 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Excelente! Superou a expectativa!

Muy buen producto. Facil de usar para adultos mayores. Recomiendo 100%