ICF38 Portable AM/FM Radio (Black)

Recently the little radio we have used for years at our remote Alaskan camp gave up the ghost. No big surprise I suppose as it was a very cheap unit in every respect. It had gizmos 'til it didn't end but it was the AM radio we kept it for. And it ran forever on the 3 C cells it required. Generally we changed them once a year. I liked that aspect a lot: batteries which lasted and lasted. So, finding another AM radio to replace it was a tall order. I have used the smaller "transister sized" Sonys for many years and have used them not only in camp, but also dropped them from airplanes, when needed, to weather-stranded travelers. I know the name has meant a decent product when it comes to radios. But I wanted a somewhat better radio for our cabin base camp, so I decided to give the Sony ICF38 Portable AM/FM Radio a try. I couldn't be happier. This radio is better in quality- significantly- than the old unit we had. The reception is excellent and clear. The tuner is very accommodating, something I appreciate since the three stations we can get here are 40-125 miles away. Each station comes in loud and clear and the position of the radio, unlike the old one, is not critical (although you can make some fine, if unnecessary, tuning adjustments by turning the radio if you like.) We use a small electric generator, but the battery power is what we depend on for the radio since our electrical uses vary quite a bit. Additionally, we also like to "secure" our fish rack (from the bears) by installing a bucket-protected radio when we are away for a time to resupply. So the battery source feature is important to us. One of the first things I wanted to know was whether the AA battery life in this radio would match the battery life we were accustomed to with the C-cell radio. To test this, I left the radio on when we left camp for a week. I tuned the radio just so the red LED tuning indicator went off. (The reception was still nearly the same.) When we returned 6 1/2 days later, I wasn't even thinking about the radio until I approached the cabin and was greeted by voices inside. What a pleasant welcome. The original set of batteries now have approximately 10 24-hour days of use on them with this radio. Obviously, I don't yet know if they'll go a year with intermittent use, but that's not critical. I am satisfied that the radio works as well as it does, and does so without eating batteries. KNOM, KICY, and KNSA can be assured that they have ready ears thanks to a good radio at a reasonable price.

I want to start by saying I'm not really a radio person but I'll throw in my "2 cents" anyway. As a matter of fact the only reason I purchased the radio was so I could listen to it at night, 102.7 Fresh FM (I'm in New York City), has some rather relaxing songs and is my current favorite radio station. I bought this radio to replace an extremely cheap clock radio which I bought a couple of years back just to have something to listen to at a security post. The clock radio had very poor sound and a not so great tuner to say the least. I wanted to replace it and at first I looked into buying another clock/radio,but the "clock part" really didn't interest me because I just want to listen to the radio and having that bright red light in my face from the "clock part" wasn't exactly what I wanted. Any way so I came across this little radio,it was affordable and it's nothing fancy,it's simply a nice little radio,I mean more can you ask for right? I think it functions above average in my opinion,first of all it's made by Sony and Sony has a well known and very good reputation when it comes to making good radios,stereos etc. The sound is really what will blow you away,you may be thinking to yourself how could such a big sound come out of something so small. I was totally AMAZED at just how LOUD this thing can get. I mean you just have to hear it for yourself. Now for me sound is not too much of an issue but it may be for you,but unless you're very far away from the radio,you won't have a problem in the sound department. The sound on this radio is very good to say the least,at least in my opinion. The tuner is very good as well it actually says "Tune" in the upper right hand corner and it has a red light that goes on when you have the station tuned pretty much just right,likewise the light will get dull or just go out all together when you have static,so you really have to just turn the knob until you get it just right. I get 102.7 Fresh FM just fine now and I didn't even have to raise the antenna. Like I said I'm not really a radio person so I don't know how well the other stations will come in,but I'm sure they should be just fine. Also it's FM/AM so if Am is your thing then you have that as well. The radio comes with a power cord and it can used as a portable radio as well,it takes 4 double A batteries. I really don't have any complaints,I mean I just got it and opened it up barely 2 hours ago so if something goes wrong maybe I'll update this review if that's possible. I was going to give it 4 1/2 stars because the numbers that represent the radio stations that are printed on the radio seem to be maybe slightly off,again I'm not a radio person so I'm not exacty sure how this is supposed to work. As I said, I have it tuned to 102.7 fresh FM but the dial is pointing to about 104. I actually had to check on the internet and find the station there first and then tune the radio to it,just an idea I had which worked very well. I mean that's kind of nitpicking to me,but it may become an issue if you listen to multiple stations,you may have a hard time going back and forth because the numbers are a bit misleading,or so it seems. Overall though I'm very pleased so far,I just want to say one more thing and that is, this is just a simple radio. There is nothing fancy here,you won't find any tape or CD or anything like that,no way to program any stations into the radio or any other "extras". The only thing you're getting here is a radio with a band to change from FM to AM and 2 dials,one for the tuner and one for the volume and that's pretty much it. I'm saying all of this because I want people to know what they are getting before they make the purchase. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day.

This is a solid, basic "old school" radio, which is exactly what I was looking for. The reception is great, sound quality is good, and the materials/construction seems to be good (it doesn't look/feel "cheap"). I do have one complaint, however, which may be an issue for some people (and it actually is a big deal for me). I use the radio in an office environment, so need to keep the volume very low (and I need to change it up/down regularly). This is SUPER touchy on this radio. In fact, I often have trouble actually dialing the volume down to a very low level. The volume knob goes from zero to barely audible to medium loud with, I would say, much less than a millimeter of travel. I have to be *very* careful, taking significant effort and care to only barely budge the volume up or down by a fraction of a millimeter. However, once I've gotten it to the volume I want, often literally just lifting my finger off the button will unintentionally move the volume to a level that I don't want...just from the friction of lifting my finger straight off the knob as carefully as I can. It really is that touchy. I don't recall ever trying to use the radio at a normal/higher volume, so do not know if the whole volume range is this sensitive. If you are not trying to play the volume low, then I suspect that you will be happy with this radio...everything else is great for me. 4/2016 update: I continue to like this radio's look and feel, reception, etc...but am continually frustrated by how much effort it takes to adjust the volume a small amount. Sometimes it literally takes me 10-15 seconds to actually successfully adjust the volume up or down. I literally touch the dial as LIGHTLY as I can with my finger, and then don't even move my finger, instead simply exerting the smallest pressure I can up or down. It *still* overshoots, even doing that. So, then I do the same thing, trying to exert pressure back in the other direction, and now it overshoots what I want again. Then, sometimes, when I get it the way I want it, just lifting my finger off the dial changes the volume. I've never had this kind of trouble with any other device, lest you think that I'm uncoordinated for some reason! We're talking about FRACTIONS OF MILLIMETERS of movement here.

This radio sits atop the bookshelf in my office and plays ETV radio while I work. It's a great little radio, and here are a few fine points to consider before buying: ◘ Reception is great once you have a station finely-tuned. Luckily, the dials don't roll around haphazardly...they are solidly connected and allow for tweaking to a very small degree. One caveat to this...in my office, I had to place the radio up high to pick up a clear signal, and I also had to angle the antenna away from the wall (EM interference from electrical/data cabling behind the drywall). Note: I've only utilized this radio for FM stations, as there aren't many worthwhile AM stations in my area...AM listeners take note, and check others' reviews for AM performance commentary. ◘ The sound is solid, so far as mid-level tones go. I do appreciate the Tone switch, as it allows me to take the sharp edge (High setting) off of musical broadcasts with a louder sound (Rock, Jazz) and restore it for talk radio. I can't comment on using this radio in a loud or open area...I'm sure it would work fine in a garage if only for background noise, but for clarity over a larger square footage and good bass-level tones, I'd recommend the Sangean LB-100 Compact AM/FM Ultra Rugged Radio Receiver instead...it's a bit more pricey, but rugged and able to produce a consistently full sound. ◘ The option to use wall power, as well as batteries, make this a very versatile radio. The power cord only stretches to about 6 feet, so keep that in mind if you wish to run continuous power in a larger space. Bottom Line: If you wish to have a radio with solid mid-level tones that can be sharpened or dulled, and this radio must be a no-frills AM/FM radio with the ability to fine-tune and use two power methods, this radio will certainly fit the bill...and at this price point, it's a steal. **Update 9/24/2013**: I had to move this down to a corner of my desk in the center of the room in order to cut down on interference to the signal, which means I had to begin using four AA batteries instead of the provided power cord. I have since begun using Eneloop rechargeable AA batteries, and love the portability of this little marvel! Sound quality and reception are still excellent! **Update 1/30/2015**: I'm not sure if other owners have had this issue, but the speaker cone seems to be damaged in some way. I've never played the radio at top volume or stored it in extreme conditions. It's been relegated to the radio pile for now in my third bedroom (pile of radios with no batteries in them...so sue me, I'm a collector!) and am using a Sony ICF-304 for my desk at work.

This Sony ICF38 Portable AM/FM Radio (Black) is about as good as a small portable radio gets! Very good sound, excellent tuning and reception, and knobs/controls that feel above average in durability/build quality. I've owned a lot of small radios over the years, but none that have reception quite this good, nor as crisp (not "tinny" or raspy) as the sound that comes out of this one. Even without raising the antenna, it gets better reception in my garage than other radios I've owned. No, the sound quality isn't going to compete with a more fully featured, multi-speaker sound system, but it's really quite good and maintains its crispness even at a relatively high volume (so I can hear it over my 24" garage fan, air compressor, etc. when I'm working on a project in my garage). It also seems to run a long time on four AA batteries, and can be plugged in to an AC outlet if you prefer that option as well. [UPDATE 12-9-16: Just a quick update to say that, three months later, and this radio is still running strong on the original set of batteries. I haven't used it every day, or even every week, over the past three months, but I have used it a lot. I would estimate I've listened to at least 12-15 hours of music in that time span while working on various projects, and it's on the original batteries.] In short, if you're looking for a high quality, reasonably priced portable AM/FM radio that is well built, gets great reception, and sounds good, BUY THIS ONE! Highly recommended.

There's no bass frequency response to speak of but the radio sounds pretty good otherwise. Talk radio sounds pretty clear and FM music sounds mediocre but underwhelming. I haven't had trouble tuning in stations and they isolate well with no bleed over. I will say that AM reception is disappointing. In my kitchen, I pick up the 2 AM powerhouses in my area with lots of static; however, just moving the radio 6 feet to the dinner table remedies the problem. I think that even considering the size and materials of this radio, it's only fair that I mention that this cannot get very loud. You can turn it up approximately half way then it distorts. The strange thing is that when you crank it up past half way, it doesn't seem to get any louder but it simply distorts into a lot of crackling fuzziness. Compared to my Sangean radios, this sounds thin and distorts easily. What I do like is that it's AC/DC and the cord is attached and can be stored inside the battery compartment with batteries in it. I bought it 6 years ago on Amazon for about $25 when that was all I could afford. Six years later, today, these things are nearly $100 but the design and materials have not changed. **UPDATE 2019: The price today is about $190!! What?! No!**I don't understand that. Seems like a bit of price gouging by Sony who is taking advantage of the great reviews. No one has any business buying this radio for $200–period! No one has any business buying this radio for over $100! Panasonic has a competing model available for approx $32 at the time if this writing (RF-2400D, which I've tried and I'm unimpressed with). In my experience, Sangean makes better radios than Sony and Panasonic in recent years. Radios are like electric guitars in that each brand has its own kind of “signature sound” due to the proprietary circuit design each employs. Sangean radios are known to be a bit warmer, deeper, and fuller than some others. Listeners who aren't expecting that sometimes complain that they are “too bass heavy”. I like the sound of my Sangean and would recommend that brand over Sony or Panasonic in many cases. That said, this Sony does have a High/Low tone switch to give you some control over the sound. This radio is not trash. It’s durable and has a better tuner than the Panasonic RF-2400D (DSP tuning) or the RF-2400 (analog tuning). It was worth every penny of the $25 I paid for it, but it’s not worth $200. You can still find them for $20 to $30 on the used market.

This radio is truly a great value! It has exactly what I was looking for -- AM/FM, portability, very good reception, and low price. Unfortunately, low tech radios like the Sony ICF-38 are getting harder and harder to find these days. A lot of radios now have digital tuners and multiple preset buttons. Unfortunately, those "modern" features drive up the cost and reduce the overall reliability of the radio. I was looking for a simple radio that I could use if the power went out for an extended period of time. I also wanted a radio that was VERY easy to use. This Sony met all of my requirements. It has very good AM and FM reception. It is very reliable. And it has surprisingly good build quality. All of the buttons and knobs have a quality feel to them, and it even has a very convenient carry handle. In addition, the radio's tuner is surprisingly accurate. (It you manually set the tuner to, say 680AM, it will pick up the AM station that actually broadcasts at 680AM. Not all tuners will do that!) It is important to keep in mind that this little Sony radio sells for less than $25. I know that there are fancier radios sold on Amazon, but they are going to cost a lot more and they may not be as reliable (or as durable) as this little Sony. Hence, I strongly recommend this radio. I do not think you will be disappointed.

This is a good radio, even at the current $35 price. **Here are the really good qualities of this radio: Lightweight and portable Has AC power cord built-in Really good battery life (2 weeks at 8 hours a day on alkalines or NiMH) Good reception on both AM & FM (selectivity is about average for a radio in this price range) Very good tonal quality and low distortion from the speaker Sturdy and properly sized antenna for FM Very high volume for a radio this size **Here are the not so good properties of this radio: The earphone jack is not stereo. It only plays through one channel of your stereo earphones. The tuning is very sensitive to temperature. You might set the radio outside perfectly tuned to a station when it is 70 degrees, and 30 minutes later when the radio has been in the sun, or the air has warmed, the radio will have completely lost the station. [this is a normal thing with this type of tuning, but this radio seems particularly prone to detuning from temperature swings(much of my use has been outdoors)]. OVERALL, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RADIO. What this radio is really good for: The elderly. there are no confusing buttons or knobs. There is on - off, am - fm, tone hi -lo, tuning, and volume. A general radio to have around the house. A radio to take camping or to a jobsite. A radio to have in an emergency due to it's excellent battery life and good AM reception Update: I have had this radio for over 7.5 years now; it is as good as the day it arrived! I raised my rating to 5 stars because it has survived as long as it has. It still has the above mentioned drawbacks, but it has survived on my covered, and unscreened porch for 4 years. It has been rained on, frozen, heated in the sunlight, and subjected to fog many, many times. The tuning is still clear, the volume control still not scratchy, and the audio (speaker) still like new. When it is really damp outside, the on/off switch does not completely shut the power off to the radio, but what can you expect from a basically wet radio? Probably the best, most robust portable radio ever made. I would not hesitate buying a used one.