Job site radios

[Teikas Dad]

Looking to buy a job site radio to put in the workshop. There's a bunch of them out there now..DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Rigid and I'm sure there are more. Do any of you have one or more of them and what do you think about them? I'm not concerned about it being used as a battery charger because it's going to be on a shelf in the workshop. I'm kind of partial to the Makita...because I like Makita tools and I like the size of this one, but don't know if the speakers on the side will be a problem. Rigid has a three year warranty, so that's a possibility too...just don't know how big it is.
Here's some of the ones I've found so far:

 

[skeletonizer]

Just an FYI I have one of the small Ridgid radios that only run off a battery pack. It is plenty loud and lasts a long time on one battery. It doesn't get the greatest reception though, sometimes not any. Not sure if this is a problem with the bigger models. The i-pod jack/strap works well which I used a few times until I got the stereo up and running in the shop. Now I just use the Ridgid for hockey games, when I can tune them in.

 

[Zrexxer]

I've got the Rockford Fosgate Milwaukee, the second one down in your pictures. I like it fine; doesn't charge batteries but it will run off a Milwaukee battery where power's not available. I like that the power cord plug is a pass through, so that you can plug something in on top of it and it doesn't use up an outlet.

And there's a little nylon "backpack" bag on it that I use to store an audio cable in so that I can plug my iPod into the auxiliary input.

 

[malibu101]

I have the Milwaukee radio same as Zrexxer and agree with what he said and I too often plug a portable into it.
I most often use it in the backyard. It has 3 "mode" (tone) settings. My opinion is it really does sound really good. I'm no audiophile nut, however, when you're close to it (10 feet or less) it can sound a little odd. At a distance it is a full, clear sound.

I'll confess, I accidentally left it out in the rain once.
Left it dry and it's like nothing ever happened.

 

[Dustoff 35]

My wife gave me the Bosch jobsite radio last year; I returned it because of poor radio reception and insufficient volume.

 

[35mastr]

I also had the Dewalt and sold it on ebay right out of the box due to real crappy reception.

Unless you need it to charge the batterys. Those radios are just that. Battery chargers because the radio parst is just garbage.

You are better off to get a name brand unit that is being discontinued at Frys or Best buy.

 

[zkslawn]

we have a Dewalt one that gets some pretty good reception and its pretty old.. but we do still have a piece of wire on the antenna lol

 

[BillK]

If you go to your local Salvation Army / Goodwill store they always have a good assortment of real nice used "boom box" type stereos which are probably better than any of the "job site" radios.

 

[walrus]

And there's a little nylon "backpack" bag on it that I use to store an audio cable in so that I can plug my iPod into the auxiliary input.

I plug my Sirius into mine, works great

 

[Ray-CA]

I have an am/fm unit with some speakers. Bought both of them at a garage sale for less than $20. I hung the speakers at the end of my cabinets and stuck the receiver in a cabinet.

Been working great since 1992.

Ray

 

[Teken]

I have the DeWalt radio . . . Charging feature is excellent as it will charge all voltages from the 7.2 - 18 volts.

The radio?? Its a POS !!! I wrote to DeWalt about the piss poor quality of the radio, and told them at 2009 where everything is made so well and integrated how on Gods green earth did you pick such a POS of electronics to go into that device???

They replied to me with a return to sender via UPS. I was surprised, and happy that someone actually read my e-mail and my beef.

But, after waiting 3 weeks for a new one, guess what?? The new one was the exact same!!!

I wrote back telling them I use it as its primary device which is a extra charger, but really not having a radio isnt going to kill me, but since its there the blasted thing should at least work just once !!!

*The sent me another one, with out asking for the replacement* Guess what, the radio doesnt work either . . .

Regards

EVIL Teken . . .

 

[Teikas Dad]

Hmmmmmm Sounds like I better see what boomboxes are available out there instead. I don't need the battery charger, so the only feature I'm looking for is a halfway decent AM/FM radio. Figured I'd stay with the "Tool Time" decor in the workshop by getting a tool company radio. Maybe Sony is a better choice.

 

[Teikas Dad]

Just checked Radio Shack's website, they've got some good choices. I like this one...it looks like it was designed by the same people who design the job site radios...
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[allapanoo]

I am on my second Bosch and the radio reception is terrible.I told one of my guys just this morning that if I had a shotgun it would be a goner.$180 and it cant pick up a station?

 

[scooby074]

I have the dewalt.

Like others say the reception is average to poor. Thankfully i use it mostly with Ipod. Im thinking about removing the ****** rubber antenna and replacing it with a extendable metal one.

ipod hookup is thru an aux jack that is at the rear bottom of the unit. Major PITA when you got to move the radio around, plus you have an extra patch cord to look after. And DEwalt doesnt even bother to include the cord ($12) cheap B******S

DW is also missing a 12v cigarette jack. I think Ridgid has it. This would be really handy for charging cellphones etc.

The clock is also super hard to read unless your on top of the radio. The backlight *****. A real improvement would be to use LED (like a clock radio) vs the LCD they use. Makes it hard to keep an eye on the clock when your countin down the minutes till its time to go home 2" red LED numbers would be great!

I bought it because i have lots of DW batts and can use an extra charger. Plus it will run all day on a 18v battery. Its pretty tough, drywall dust and water wont kill it. Volume is plenty too.

however if battery brand wasnt a priority, then id likely go with Ridgid because they offer Ipod control with a dust tight ipod compartment plus ipod charging. Much better for me considering i use Ipod 90% of the time. Ridgid is just a better design. Clock is easier to read plus they include the 1/8" patch cord, even though its not required for Ipod on the ridgid.

I see DW is introducing a newer version of the radio. Not much improvement as far as i can see except an open try for ipod which is no better than the current model. http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=22714

 

[Racer_X]

If you go to your local Salvation Army / Goodwill store they always have a good assortment of real nice used "boom box" type stereos which are probably better than any of the "job site" radios.

Last year I went to an estate sale and bought a Reader's Digest (really) AM/FM/cassette radio for one dollar. The reception is great, even inside my metal building, and it sounds great, too. I also like it because it's unique.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I got a black and decker for christmas from my wife last year. I just use it out in the yard or in the basement. It works well and is loud enough. It also has an imput for your ipod and a little door so it wont get all messed up. I dont know about holding up to an actual construction site though. The battery seems to hold on for some time. Beats working in silence. Just my.02

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd skip the jobsite radios and buy a regular boom box or book shelf radio.

 

[79firebird]

use to have a Rockford Fosgate Milwaukee one tell some one stole it from a site replaced it with a dewalt needless to say it sucked so i retuned it the next day and started using a 10 year old boombox tell last week when it died. need a new one now

 

[rickairmedic]

I have an Old Kenwood receiver on the shelf in my garage ( pawn shop find ) and a pair of 8" truck box speakers and it works great for me never had an issue with it . I even have a universal remote for it to tune it and set the volume .


Rick

 

[onemoretry]

I have the ridgid and like the IPOD feature, the only one at the time that had an actual connection that could charge the ipod. No idea about radio reception, as I don't use it...

 

[Cargo]

I have the Dewalt radio. It is ok for charging batteries but I am not impressed with the reception. A bookshelf system costs about the same new or a LOT less at goodwill or a yardsale. Teken, my Dewalt radio does not work without the two AA batteries in good shape. If yours is not working, try checking those again.

 

[W_KY]

My wife actually just gave me the dewalt for Christmas. I just have it out in the garage and in my opinion it picks up just fine. I can pick up the four radio stations I listen to the most. I haven't even tried hooking my mp3 player up to it yet. I like how it has a digital turner as well as ability to store presets. Compared to the $10 one I had from Wal-mart that this replaced, its much better. Guess I'm just lucky that radio signal is decent around here which really surprises me since I'm in western Kentucky.

 

[engineer2]

Also consider the Altec Lansing iMT800. I just got one and am liking it so far, but haven't had a chance to use it much because the wife and kids keep yelling to turn it down. It plays louder than typical boom boxes and job site radios, and it has overpowering bass. No CD player. Inputs are i-Pod or any MP3 player. It has an FM radio though.

My Bosch jobsite radio has almost no bass and isn't very powerful. If you are a treble freak, you'll love the Bosch.
A friend's DeWalt radio is literally held together with duct tape and wire, but still plays.
The iMt800, Bosch, and DeWalt all have a mini-plug input for an MP3 player.

 

[acs_guitars]

My wife actually just gave me the dewalt for Christmas. I just have it out in the garage and in my opinion it picks up just fine. I can pick up the four radio stations I listen to the most. I haven't even tried hooking my mp3 player up to it yet. I like how it has a digital turner as well as ability to store presets. Compared to the $10 one I had from Wal-mart that this replaced, its much better. Guess I'm just lucky that radio signal is decent around here which really surprises me since I'm in western Kentucky.

I share your exact story, aside from location... I use mostly Dewalt 18v tools, so the charger is nice to have without taking up additional bench space. I have no complaints at all.

 

[D.J.]

O, go ahead and tellus where you are located. Is it in the WKTG listening area? 93.9 REAL GOOD ROCK STATION in Madisonville KY. Are any of the jobsite radios true AM/FM/FM STEREO types or just AM / FM?
________
LovelyWendie

 

[W_KY]

I'm in the Murray, KY area so the local station is Froggy 103.7 (country music) but I also pick up the station out of Clarksville, TN as well as Nashville I think......I need to find the local sports talk station.

 

[Teken]

Teken, my Dewalt radio does not work without the two AA batteries in good shape. If yours is not working, try checking those again.

Yes, that was one of the first things I did when I received the unit. I wont lie to you guys I actually broke down and read the user manual that came with this device.

It stated that the AA battery behind the cover needed to be in place etc for it to operate correctly. I even went out of my way to measure each AA battery with my Fluke DMM and all the cells were 100%.

What I see from the first unit was the LCD display was completely blank, turning the dials in any direction produced no sound.

When the second unit arrived same thing with respect to the LCD, no display at all. Just for **** and giggles I turned all the dials left to right, right to left in any hap hazard way just to see if this thing would operate.

Even plugged in my iPod, no go . . . Like I said, the unit looks great, and its primary role of being a charger I have no complaints. As a radio?? It's a POS, and needs to be improved in the next versions.

I am a die hard DeWalt user with more than 25 years of loyalty. But, something as simple as a radio not operating in this day and age is just piss poor QA, and design.

Every since Black and Decker bought them out, piss poor items have appeared from them. So, the moral of the story is try it in the store to make sure it operates.

Regards

EVIL Teken . . .

 

[stewart]

I see a lot of the Dewalts and Rigids on the job. Always used by the trades that don't work too hard or fast.

 

[krooser]

My electric motor repair shop sells Makita tools... he has a Makita jobsite radio in his shop and I am very impressed with the reception it gets. He and I are both talk radio junkies and he listens to AM stations as far away as 130 miles and they come in better than the pretty good radio I have in my Dodge truck.

FM reception is even better than in my Dodge or my wifes Chevy.

 

[bazzateer]

Upgrade your home music system and put the old one in the garage.

 

[Holedgr]

I beat the **** out of my Milwaukee radio.....GREAT reception....aux input....durable as all get out.....gets rained on......snow.........cold........made by ROCKFORD FOSGATE!!!

My vote is for the Milwaukee.


-T