Retekess V115

retekess.com

The cheapest honest entry in this list, usually around 20 dollars. AM, FM and shortwave with digital tuning, a microSD slot for music, a recording function and a rechargeable BL-5C cell that any market stall still sells. The whole thing is the size of a paperback and weighs almost nothing, so it ends up in a toolbox, a caravan or a kitchen window.

Nobody should expect deep band work from it. There is no sideband, no fine tuning, and the filter lets a strong neighbour bleed through. What it does well is catch the big international broadcasters, hold a charge for days and survive being dropped off a bench. As a backup radio for a power cut it earns its money several times over.

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