Pocket FM/AM Portable Radio with Digital Tuner, Large Dial, Easy to See Fluorescent Pointer, Clear Sound, AM FM Radio Portable for Off-the Grid Trips, Blackouts, Battery Powered- RF-P50D

Nice FM/AM radio - sound quality is good, easy to read tuner, compact size. I use it to listen to sports radio in the a.m. as I'm getting dressed for work.

Enjoyable radio,

If you're looking for excellent sound and reception this little radio is definitely the one!

I recently purchased the Panasonic RF-P50 because I was in need of a portable radio that has a built in speaker. I have discovered that this is hard to come by in a brick and mortar store. So I did a little search on Amazon.com and came across this product. I also own its direct competitor - the Sony ICF-S10MK2. The Panasonic radio is great because I can carry it around anywhere and always have music with me where ever I go. I especially like to use it in hotel rooms when I go on trips, but it's also nice to have in order to listen to music in all of the rooms of my apartment. The Panasonic RF-P50 has a telescoping antenna which can be swiveled back and forth, and on/off/volume switch, band selector, and tuning dial. The speaker measures at 2 and a half inches. I live in a basement apartment, so it is not always easy to get a fantastic signal. I have discovered that this radio pulls in all the major FM stations quite easily - although sometimes I have to fiddle with the tuning and antenna to get a good reception. The few local AM stations can be pulled in as well. The appearance of this radio is quite nice. It appears that Panasonic has taken some time into building a radio that is pleasing to the eye. It's a pocket radio with a nice contemporary look. The radio frequencies are listed on the unit quite clearly - much bigger than what I've seen on similar units from other companies. Also the tuning light, which lets you know when you've locked on to a strong station just right, is bright and easy to see. This Panasonic pocket radio comes with a wrist strap. This is one of my only gripes. I wish it came with both a wrist strap and a belt clip. Another nice feature that would make this radio better is if one could remove both the wrist strap and belt clip. How does it sound? Keep in mind, it's a pocket radio, you're not going to get huge sound as you would with a stereo system. However, for its tiny size, the speaker sounds surprisingly good. The sound quality sounds clear, but not too tinny. I've ehard models with much harsher sound. Also don't expect glass shattering bass, you won't find it here. But as I said, for its size, it has a pleasant sound. In comparing this model to the Sony competitor, I notice a few things. 1. I like the appearance of the Panasonic model over the Sony model. I just feel that the Panasonic model looks nicer. 2. In terms of when I'm holding both radios in my hands, the Sony model seems to have a better build quality (harder plastic, less flimsy feel to the radio). However, I've had the Panasonic model for a while and have had no issues with its build quality. Of course, I'm very careful with my electronics, I don't abuse them. 3. Both models seem about equal in terms of receiving FM signal. Both models pull in the local stations quite easily. The Sony model seems to have a slight advantage in pulling in the slightly weaker stations but this could be due in part to the fact that its antenna is longer. 4. AM reception on the Sony is much better than the Panasonic. It seems to be able to pull in the stations with more clarity. But again, the Panasonic radio can pull in the strong local AM stations just fine. 5. To my ears, both of these models sound exactly the same. Sound quality of music/talk shows sound the same with both units. NOTE: People should note that the headphone jack on both of these models are in mono only. This means that when you plug stereo headphones in either model, you'll only get sound in one side of the headphones. Please bear in mind that this does not mean the radio is broken. These units were designed this way. The Bottom Line: I definitely consider the Panasonic RF-P50 a steal at ten bucks. It's a small sized radio that you can carry with you anywhere to listen to music, or get the latest news. Both the Sony and Panasonic models are what I consider to be excellent deals. I prefer the Panasonic over the Sony model though. For most cases I'd recommend the Panasonic model. But if you're looking for slightly better build quality and better AM reception, then I'd recommend the Sony model. Of course get the Sony model if you prefer its appearance over the Panasonic model.

After looking for a small, affordable, quality radio to carry on my person, I found the Panasonic RF-P50 exactly what I was looking for, on Amazon.com. Just to have a backup radio in case this radio was not the quality I was looking for, I also ordered a Sony ICF-S10MK2. Turns out both are Five-Star quality. The AM-FM bands work equally well. These radios have a great quality mono sound. If you wish to use the earphone plug for private listening, you will have to search for a mono head or ear phone. This may be hard to find as stereo phones are all I could see in stores. I am sure mono phones are available on line for very low cost. I modified one of the old airline headphones with the two mono plug types. All you need to do is remove one of the prongs, in order to insert the one plug. It works fine. I love this radio because it also has a extremely long battery life, using only two AA size batteries. When I work around the house, I just pop my little radio in my shirt pocket an listen. If I had only one thing I would change, even if it would cost a few dollars more, would be a digital tuner so the station would not change by moving the thumb wheel in my pocket. Regardless, I recommend this radio highly.

UPDATE: 05/24/12 Okay so after trying several other radios (Kaito K200, C.Crane Solar Observer) I feel like Panasonic did not really step up with this product as much as it could have: 1) The reception on this product is not as good as it could have been. If you want something with a better reception get a portable Sony. 2) The red ban on the dial is tilted sideways. I don't know if it is only my product but it gets pretty annoying after while. Otherwise if you care about a decent FM radio and okay AM radio then this a product for you. However given that SONY ICF-S10 has much better reception and is cheaper, then there is no reason to go with Panasonic. Unless of course you like the looks, in that case Panasonic might be the winner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So my first impression was - this radio looks quite nice! I like the size to sound quality compromise. The speaker is entire width of the radio. The size of the radio is large enough to give good sound and small enough to fit into back pocket and use it outside. The FM reception is good enough for the radio to be used with antenna retracted. The antenna is also screwed in so if you do break it, you can simply attack a copper wire for replacement. And you won't be shipping the radio under warranty because shipping is more expansive than the radio itself. As for AM reception it is also very good, I pick up tons of stations in NYC and most of them clearly. There is a little red diode that indicates when you have maximum signal strength, it's quite useful. The battery life, is like most small radios amazing. Quality control seems good. There is no loose parts, no dents and no scratches. The only downside is the red station indicator. It's not mounter perpendicular to the analog dial. This is quite annoying because whenever I change stations it flops to the right a little bit. Im not sure if this is quality control issue or by design there is only one string pulling it left or right.

Es exacta a la de la fotografía. No pesa y es muy fácil de manejar.

Good to keep for an emergency when power is out.

not covering properly

Pequeño, compacto buena recepción. Excelente producto

Good tiny radio. Sound is loud and clear