Retekess TR629 Portable Shortwave Radios, Digital Radio AM FM Plug in with DSP, Support Backlight LCD Display, Digital Tuning and Preset, USB, Micro SD, Clock, Recorder

I had spare change to buy something for my belated birthday, so I bought this. This radio came the next day thanks to 1 day shipping, shipping was fast. I took it out of the box, and it came with a cord, and also took the D cell batteries out of an SW boombox that I hardly use. I powered it up for the first time using the cord, and set up was very easy.The AM Band (MW Band) is permanently set by default to tune from 522 kHz to 1620 kHz at 9 kHz increments. The AM reception is very clear, and I bet it will be very good too at night. To pick up distant stations you will need to use a tunable loop antenna and couple to the receiver or use a ferrite rod coupler for your active and passive antennas that is for the AM bands. Since it only tunes 9 kHz stations, you will have to enter the local / distant AM stations you want to hear and enjoy or take your time to slowly tune the tuning know at 1 kHz increments. It's a very good AM receiver to use on the bedside or anywhere day and night.The SW bands are great, and this receiver give you, the listener the ability to tune from 2.3 MHz (120 meters) to 21.195 MHz (15 meters) to hear the world such and international news, music and events, and sports. You will need to use the telescoping rod antenna for moderate the strong signals on the short wave bands, and a wire antenna indoors or outdoors for weak to moderate signals during the day and night. This radio is very easy to use, even for a beginner, and since it's digital tuning it should be much easier than using a analog dial. It does give you the ability to preset the memories as many as you need to through the ATS tuning or memory feature. I would recommend that you purchase also a reeled up wire antenna to use indoors and outdoors since there is no external antenna input jack.FM Band is great since it's able to tune from 76 MHz to 108 MHz which is likely you will hear TV NTSC channels 5 which is 81.75 MHz, and channel 6 for NTSC audio on 87.75 MHz, and also the entire FM broadcast band. If you happen to be around Japan when travelling, this radio is able to tune the local Japanese FM broadcast band from 76 MHz to 90 MHz, and the rest of the world from 88.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz. For best reception use the telescoping rod antenna and move away from noisy sources. Also you can still use a dipole antenna by clippng one lead to the telescoping rod antenna. It does have th ability to receive local and distant FM stations without the receiver overloading. The best time to listen to distant / remote FM stations is mostly during the late spring to early fall season.The Recording / Playback feature is a great addition which has the ability to use a up to a 32 GB micro card (not included, but required) to collect your local and distant radio programs and talk shows, and international short wave radio broadcasts and share your recordings with your friends and family. There is no settings required to change the bit rate or anything, so everything is set and ready to go already. It can playback MP3 and WAV files even from a USB WAV recorder that I used to plug in and tested the playback feature which most of the files on it were MP3 and WAV formatted.This radio is a very easy to use radio, and it will give someone started in short wave radio listening and eventually get prepared for bigger complex receivers with single side band and other modes, and eventually help prepare that short wave radio listener for to get on the air with a amateur radio license to talk and help support the world in need.

Most excellent Radio. I am most pleased with it, a very good price also. Thank you, and great sound as , worth every penny for it.

Excellent indoor reception on both the AM and FM bands. Very clear sound and no distortion. Easy to tune and does not fade. Lighweight and can be used via included wall plug or with 3 D cell batteries. Under 1 pound in weight without the batteries. The carry handle is sturdy. The SW function is worthless, but I am awaiting delivery of an external SW auxillary antenna to see if there is any improvement. I especially like the SD card function but be aware it will not work if capacity exceeds 16g. NOTE: The listing made no mention that this radio should not be used in a hot, humid environment but this limitation is stated clearly in the user manual. I note this because I purchased it to use on the veranda of my house on an island in Greece with the intent to also take it to the beach. Since my veranda is covered and I sit under a cabana at the beach, I am hoping this will not be a problem.

I don't know why this Radio gets so many bad Reviews! But for me, it is excellent in every way!

Radio arrived in perfect condition and on time

I bought this radio because of the Retekess brand nameI have other Retekess equipment and they are top shelf quality. I wish I could say the same for this radio. Advertised as having best reception and excellent sound quality. Neither is true. I live in a metro area with stations ever few Khz on the dial. This radio picks up at best 10 FM stations, and the sound is distorted with constant popping noises. My OEM car radio is better. I tried to return it, but spent the entire day going from one DHL store to another. Each one said that they didn't accept prepaid shipping invoices and sent me to another store. Got the same story at 6 DHL stores. Finally gave up in disgust. JUNK !!!

A classic! Easy to change the station and adjust the volume, large knobs. The sound is great, and it makes listening to the radio in the kitchen easy and convenient.

I've been using the TR604 for a while and am still impressed with the performance and build quality. This model however had some issues right out of the gate. Tuner felt kind of off and the volume control knob quit working after a couple of months. Overall build quality seems poor in comparison to the 604. It hasn't put me off from Retekess as a brand overall but I will be more judicious in my purchases henceforth. (Update: Retekess reached out to rectify the situation. They helped me identify the problem and even offered a replacement radio. Though "this particular unit" was found wanting I am very impressed with the company attempting to make amends. I'll add a star for good customer service and taking responsibility for their misstep.)