▶ The Retekess TR103 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2IXVZcV (paid link) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you. ▶ The Retekess TR103 at eBay: bit.ly/RetekessTR103 (paid link) As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase. There are no additional costs to you.
The TR103 does have FM stereo, although there is no FM stereo indicator. It's OK on SW with an external antenna, but it does overload easily on SW. If you use it at night, you'll find the backlight is blinding and there's no way to dim it. Sound quality is surprisingly good for such a small speaker.
My radio is defective. I tested for FM Stereo exclusively. Using my FM transmitter all of my other radios received an FM Stereo signal while this radio did not. Also tested with a strong local station, again same result. With that said I still love this radio, it rocks! I don't plan headphone use, and the MW blows my mind :)
Perhaps headphones with inline volume control so it not blast one ears and very handy if you don't want to wake anyone while on holiday or in hospital.
Hello Todd, I watched your video on the Tr103 and got the bug for this little radio too. I love the Pr12 so I have just ordered the Tr103 from Amazon for $30 delivered to my area that is a little remote. Looking forward to the short wave.. Thanks again for your time going through the radios it certainly takes the guess work out and I know what to expect before purchasing. All the best, Chuck.
Ys, I have TR103... and really like the sound and AM reception! Impressive! I will like to add the ability to manually program the memory... Any suggestion for a pocket/digital / low cost / good AM reception radio? Appreciate your comments!
Great review. I’m looking forward to your band scans. I have a TR103 and I enjoy it very much despite the quirks. My TR103 does receive FM stereo. You might have a defective sample. To get around the volume stepping issue, I use headphones that have a built-in volume control.
I notice this radio and the PR12 are the exact same dimensions and weight...all else being equal this has SW and a slightly higher capacity battery and prices is the same, so this seems like a better deal for sure. I used the link on your website to purchase this radio.
I found out how to change the folder (in mp3 mode). When listening to a file (mp3) pause playback and, with pause mode active, press and hold the playback button for a few seconds and it will change to the next folder on the sdcard. It will appear: F 02, F 03, etc... (F corresponds to folder)
Thank you for this excellent video which I was very much awaiting. I would request you to make a comparative video of HRD-737 and this radio. A bit wary of the HRD radio because of very poor performance on MW of the HRD-104. Thanks again for this video. Regards.
How's the battery life of this radio? The amazon page says 4 hours, which seems really short. Does listening to the radio with headphones (which you advised against) result in a longer battery life?
Hello, may I ask: playing mp3, can you load up folders with several mp3 inside the folder, so when you scan the mp3, it will stop at the folder and play the individual mp3's inside and when you scan next it will go to the next folder? Very good review, thanks
I have seen you review several Retekess radios over the past year. They all seem to be very nice radios, but they all seem to have one thing in common that is a deal breaker for me: they have no option for alkaline batteries and use a non-standard battery size. I have a few radios that are Li-ion only like the Kaito KA900, Tecsun PL-880, and Midland ER-210; but they all use CR 18650 batteries which are cheap and easy to come by and should remain so for the forseeable future. My fear in purchasing a radio like this Retekess is that it will be little more than a fancy paperweight in a few years time. The fact that the battery is inaccessible without serious deconstruction seems to reinforce my fear here!
I think you'd surprised. A common battery retekess uses is the BL-5C. This is an extremely cheap, and common rechargeable battery. They can found at Walmart for example. They have been around almost 2 decades, and aren't going anywhere soon. Have no fear
I’m looking for an all around good radio that does good in every category, like single side band, am/fm short wave medium wave etc... any recommendations
Depending on your tuning style and planned use here are a few good recommendations: Digitech AR-1780 ruclips.net/video/j3T_cheffC8/видео.html , The XHDATA D-808 ruclips.net/video/qAlLvsgpl9w/видео.html , The CountyComm GP-5 ruclips.net/video/GXWoCcxdkrw/видео.html , The Tecsun PL-880 ruclips.net/video/NV1Z2FgOgXE/видео.html . Yes there are others, but this would be my preferred short list.
I'm pleased with the performance and quality of the Digitech AR-1780. Watch Todd's video ruclips.net/video/j3T_cheffC8/видео.html . Add a wire to the antenna or get the Kaito with phone plug, fits perfectly, pull in the shortwave and FM. I use rechargable AA with external charger as I'm not a fan of using any electronics' internal charging circuit. AM reception is very good as are FM and shortwave. Size is easy to carry. Sleep timer, good speaker, several bandwidth options down to a very narrow 500hz. The sideband mode takes a few quick seconds to activate once depressed. Tuning is GREAT with independent fine-tune. Fun rig for around $80US.
Hey todderbert, i have one of these before view your video, and i can say that i suspected the same about fm stereo, but mine can play fm stereo, but only in the local statios with more strong signal, thats a very weird issue
hi could you recommend a pocket radio that dosn't sound tinny i got the retekess pr15 but because it has that horrible plastic speaker it's very tinny i'm looking for old school speaker that has a warmer sound thanks.
Hello Todd. I'm looking for an AM/FM MP3, radio, recorder. It needs to have good AM performance and not have any serious birdies and noises, when recording on the SD card. I would like it to be pocket size and accept at least a 16 gig SD card. It would also be nice if it had fast forward and rewind feature, so that I could step through a file. The only product I know of, is the CC witness plus. It only accepts an 8 gig SD card and has some problems with the AM. I do like it's size and the fact that it has 20 timers. Cost is not an object. I have the original PoGo radio your way and I love that unit. It is a low bit rate however and only uses a 256 SD card. I love to record talk radio shows for portable and later listening. I know this is a tall order. Got any ideas? Thanks for your wonderful work. Darwin :)
Hi again Todd, May I suggest four radios that you might want to check out for review. all of them have AM/FM and MP3 record capability. They are Degen de1131, Degen de28, Degen de29 (Kaito ka 29) and the cc witness plus. All of these have shortwave except the cc witness plus. These radios have been on the market for quite some time and have been reviewed elsewhere however, you do the best job of showing there AM or MW performance. Thanks for your consideration. Darwin
Just got this radio. Great FM/AM….SW worthless. Highly recommend for a novel micro radio. Stereo FM through earbuds is good as is sound from mono speaker.
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▶ The Retekess TR103 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2IXVZcV
(paid link) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you.
▶ The Retekess TR103 at eBay: bit.ly/RetekessTR103
(paid link) As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase. There are no additional costs to you.
The TR103 does have FM stereo, although there is no FM stereo indicator. It's OK on SW with an external antenna, but it does overload easily on SW. If you use it at night, you'll find the backlight is blinding and there's no way to dim it. Sound quality is surprisingly good for such a small speaker.
My radio is defective. I tested for FM Stereo exclusively. Using my FM transmitter all of my other radios received an FM Stereo signal while this radio did not. Also tested with a strong local station, again same result. With that said I still love this radio, it rocks! I don't plan headphone use, and the MW blows my mind :)
Perhaps headphones with inline volume control so it not blast one ears and very handy if you don't want to wake anyone while on holiday or in hospital.
Hello Todd, I watched your video on the Tr103 and got the bug for this little radio too. I love the Pr12 so I have just ordered the Tr103 from Amazon for $30 delivered to my area that is a little remote. Looking forward to the short wave.. Thanks again for your time going through the radios it certainly takes the guess work out and I know what to expect before purchasing. All the best, Chuck.
That radio isn`t much bigger than your thumb! Cute little thing. It`s cool that it has shortwave. Sounds good too from what I can tell.
Ys, I have TR103... and really like the sound and AM reception! Impressive! I will like to add the ability to manually program the memory... Any suggestion for a pocket/digital / low cost / good AM reception radio? Appreciate your comments!
Great review. I’m looking forward to your band scans. I have a TR103 and I enjoy it very much despite the quirks. My TR103 does receive FM stereo. You might have a defective sample. To get around the volume stepping issue, I use headphones that have a built-in volume control.
Sounds like I have a defective sample...dangit...there goes quality control again.
I notice this radio and the PR12 are the exact same dimensions and weight...all else being equal this has SW and a slightly higher capacity battery and prices is the same, so this seems like a better deal for sure. I used the link on your website to purchase this radio.
Thank you!
Thanks T, now I have a new pocket radio obsession. 🙄 😂😂😂
That makes two of us :)
I have bought Retekess PR12 and TR103. But Retekess pr12 is better than Retekess tr103. I love Retekess pr12. Because its quality is outstanding.
My TR103 has much better reception than the PR12 I also own. Having Shortwave that is usable is a feature as well.
I found out how to change the folder (in mp3 mode).
When listening to a file (mp3) pause playback and, with pause mode active, press and hold the playback button for a few seconds and it will change to the next folder on the sdcard. It will appear: F 02, F 03, etc... (F corresponds to folder)
Thank you, Sir.
If you want a small shortwave you probably are going to want to go with the Tecsun PL-360 or PL-365 if you care about single side band
Thank you for this excellent video which I was very much awaiting. I would request you to make a comparative video of HRD-737 and this radio. A bit wary of the HRD radio because of very poor performance on MW of the HRD-104. Thanks again for this video. Regards.
the TR103 is better on MW. The HRD is better on SW, and has VHF-Lo, VHF-Hi, AIR and is much easier to tune.
Which is better or newer model PR12 or TR103
Tr03 much better than pr12...
How's the battery life of this radio? The amazon page says 4 hours, which seems really short. Does listening to the radio with headphones (which you advised against) result in a longer battery life?
Hello, may I ask: playing mp3, can you load up folders with several mp3 inside the folder, so when you scan the mp3, it will stop at the folder and play the individual mp3's inside and when you scan next it will go to the next folder?
Very good review, thanks
I'll have to look into that.
How does the sound (speaker) compare to the Docooler HanRongDa HRD-737?
Much better, this thing is incredible.. the HRD-737's speaker, not so much.
I have seen you review several Retekess radios over the past year. They all seem to be very nice radios, but they all seem to have one thing in common that is a deal breaker for me: they have no option for alkaline batteries and use a non-standard battery size. I have a few radios that are Li-ion only like the Kaito KA900, Tecsun PL-880, and Midland ER-210; but they all use CR 18650 batteries which are cheap and easy to come by and should remain so for the forseeable future. My fear in purchasing a radio like this Retekess is that it will be little more than a fancy paperweight in a few years time. The fact that the battery is inaccessible without serious deconstruction seems to reinforce my fear here!
I think you'd surprised. A common battery retekess uses is the BL-5C. This is an extremely cheap, and common rechargeable battery. They can found at Walmart for example. They have been around almost 2 decades, and aren't going anywhere soon. Have no fear
totalmente verdade e tenho este medo também
Nice.
I’m looking for an all around good radio that does good in every category, like single side band, am/fm short wave medium wave etc... any recommendations
Depending on your tuning style and planned use here are a few good recommendations: Digitech AR-1780 ruclips.net/video/j3T_cheffC8/видео.html , The XHDATA D-808 ruclips.net/video/qAlLvsgpl9w/видео.html , The CountyComm GP-5 ruclips.net/video/GXWoCcxdkrw/видео.html , The Tecsun PL-880 ruclips.net/video/NV1Z2FgOgXE/видео.html . Yes there are others, but this would be my preferred short list.
todderbert I would say Pl-310et for a budget :) it tunes well on all bands
I'm pleased with the performance and quality of the Digitech AR-1780. Watch Todd's video ruclips.net/video/j3T_cheffC8/видео.html . Add a wire to the antenna or get the Kaito with phone plug, fits perfectly, pull in the shortwave and FM. I use rechargable AA with external charger as I'm not a fan of using any electronics' internal charging circuit. AM reception is very good as are FM and shortwave. Size is easy to carry. Sleep timer, good speaker, several bandwidth options down to a very narrow 500hz. The sideband mode takes a few quick seconds to activate once depressed. Tuning is GREAT with independent fine-tune. Fun rig for around $80US.
Ok thanks for the help I have and old Sony shortwave wave and I’m just looking for something better.
todderbert does the 880 have an air band
Hey todderbert, i have one of these before view your video, and i can say that i suspected the same about fm stereo, but mine can play fm stereo, but only in the local statios with more strong signal, thats a very weird issue
hi could you recommend a pocket radio that dosn't sound tinny i got the retekess pr15 but because it has that horrible plastic speaker it's very tinny i'm looking for old school speaker that has a warmer sound thanks.
How many stations can it hold in memory? FM
How long does the battery last while playing only fm radio?
Hello Todd. I'm looking for an AM/FM MP3, radio, recorder. It needs to have good AM performance and not have any serious birdies and noises, when recording on the SD card. I would like it to be pocket size and accept at least a 16 gig SD card. It would also be nice if it had fast forward and rewind feature, so that I could step through a file. The only product I know of, is the CC witness plus. It only accepts an 8 gig SD card and has some problems with the AM. I do like it's size and the fact that it has 20 timers. Cost is not an object. I have the original PoGo radio your way and I love that unit. It is a low bit rate however and only uses a 256 SD card. I love to record talk radio shows for portable and later listening. I know this is a tall order. Got any ideas?
Thanks for your wonderful work.
Darwin :)
No Ideas. If you find one let me know :)
Hi again Todd, May I suggest four radios that you might want to check out for review. all of them have AM/FM and MP3 record capability. They are Degen de1131, Degen de28, Degen de29 (Kaito ka 29) and the cc witness plus. All of these have shortwave except the cc witness plus. These radios have been on the market for quite some time and have been reviewed elsewhere however, you do the best job of showing there AM or MW performance. Thanks for your consideration.
Darwin
How long is the battery life? 5 hours? 8 hours?
about six hours, a bit longer on headphones.
Which pocket radio did you review where the headphones acted as the antenna ??
Sangean DT-180, Sangean DT-160, Sangean DT-200X, Sangean DT-400W, Sangean DT-800, & CC Pocket to name a few. Hard to remember them all.
Does it always stay silent during auto scan?
Yes, until it lands on a station.
Qual o modelo da bateria ?
DSP based LW/MW/SW/FM radio.
How much time do the full battery?
I get around 10-15 Hours.
Made in China is a deal breaker for me! Hope see some reviews on radio's made in uther countries
Hopefully made in usa wood b best for me
Is this DSP radio?
yes.
Wow
lo appena comprata....insieme alla v115.....ciao.
Just got this radio. Great FM/AM….SW worthless. Highly recommend for a novel micro radio. Stereo FM through earbuds is good as is sound from mono speaker.
The AM reception was better than expected. I agree, SW is a big let down.
@@todderbert BYW, your reviews are ALWAYS awesome 👍
BTW😉