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PRODUCT SHOWCASE Reviewed by Ross Tester Two new portable radios – including a DAB+ that works! Some months ago, I bought a tiny portable “DAB+” radio on ebay. (Yeah, yeah, I should have known better!) It should have worked at my house . . . but it didn’t. It should have worked at the SILICON CHIP office. . . but it was only marginally better, dropping out perhaps 80% of the time. I rationalised the purchase by telling myself the earbuds worked well (after I threw the radio in the bin). So you can imagine the trepidation I felt shortly after, when a new, small “Corus” DAB+ receiver arrived on my desk; one of two new models which Tecsun Radios Australia recently added to their range. Boy, was I in for a (pleasant!) surprise! Straight out of the box, it worked brilliantly at SILICON CHIP (an area not renowned for reception!). It even worked more than acceptably at home (an area renowned for NO reception!). And, being forced to take a bus from home to work recently, I can report that there were only one or two spots on the 8km journey where it even had a momentary hiccup – this in an area where a normal AM radio also dropped out completely! Now a bit about the radio: It weighs only 290g and measures just 113 x 69 x 25mm (you’d describe it as “big pocket size”). Unlike my binned receiver, it has an inbuilt speaker (it’s also supplied with very comfortable earbuds). It also sports a colour LCD panel to tell you a variety of information about the station you’re listening to including the station ID, program type, broadcaster, frequency, channel number, signal strength, volume setting and more. It has both a DAB+ and FM tuner and you can store up to 30 stations from each band. You might ask why no AM tuner – easily answered by the fact that (I believe) all AM stations in capital cities are also on DAB+. Of course, DAB+ reception is only applicable to capital cities so far; larger regional centres are next on the planning board. Within the DAB+ band, there is also a host of “extra” special interest stations which you won’t find on either the AM or FM bands. It has a whip antenna (for both DAB+ and FM); when headphones are plugged in their leads also act as an antenna. An inbuilt rechargeable battery will give up to 18 hours play time and is recharged from any “USB” socket – computer, phone supply, plugpack, etc. One negative I found with this arrangement is that instead of a micro-USB charging socket on the radio, it has a mini DC socket. Admittedly a charging lead is supplied but if you misplace that . . . The CORUS DTR-762 Portable DAB+/FM Radio is priced at $100 . . . and worth every cent! Second new model: The other new model, the Tecsun ICR-110, is a somewhat more conventional AM/FM model. However, its claim to fame is that it not only allows you to record programs off-air to a micro SD (TF) card but it also doubles as a digital audio player, handling MP3, WMA or WAV formats. At 180 x 110 x 35mm, it’s a little larger than the DAB+ model – think more along the lines of a bedside or desktop unit. It sports a rechargeable 18650 battery (a real one, not a fake!) and it too can be charged from a “USB” source. And joy of joys, it has a mini-USB socket on board. With the exception of the power switch, all controls are push-button. We’ve seen this radio on ebay for about $US65.00 (~$AU90.00) – Tecsun Radios Australia’s price is better than this at $AU80.00. If you don’t need/can’t receive DAB+ in your area, this would be a great choice. And with the jolly fat fella due in just a few Contact: weeks, it would Tecsun Radios Australia of course make an Unit 24, 9 Powells Road, Brookvale NSW 2100 ideal Christmas Tel: (02) 9939 4377 present. Web: www.tecsunradios.com.au Ultra-waterproof and highly customisable IX-series pushbutton switches Control Devices is the official APEM distributor for Australia and NZ and is pleased to promote the new IX Series push button, the new addition to the I series. The IX series features a flexible elastomer membrane actuator, with no space between the actuator and 12mm compact bushing, guaranteeing an IP69K panel sealing. It is highly customisable, with a choice from nine different actuator colours, illumi86 Silicon Chip Australia’s electronics magazine nated markings with five different LED colours and many different symbols. Illumination can also be limited to just the symbol, or the entire membrane actuator. Contact: Control Devices Unit 17, 69 O’Riordan St Alexandria NSW 2015 Tel: (02) 9330 1700 Web: www.controldevices.com.au siliconchip.com.au