My birthday was earlier this month. Geogal had great sense in getting her gift-giving inspiration from looking at what I'd saved in our Amazon shopping cart.
Clearly the inverter generator (3000-watt version) wasn't feasible given camping season is all but over around here. Besides, hauling that thing around in the Suburban while the camper is hitched would be problematic as that truck's rear door doesn't clear the camper's electric jack. (Camper generators and the accompanying gas can are much better suited for a pickup truck bed.)
Nor was the Shop-Vac foam filter (great for vacuuming up anything wet) bound to be a present resulting in the "oh, wow!" exclamation.
She did, however, locate another item I've been wanting for some time. It's a Sangean PR-D5 radio.
For a few years I've known I needed a replacement for the venerable Radio Shack DX-375. I've had that device since Christmas of 1995 and used it to listen to AM, FM and short wave in many locations around North America. While it's been reliable and given me hundreds of hours of joy in pulling in distant stations it is clearly showing its age. The power cuts out periodically which then requires a shake to bring it back to life (obviously a problem with the internal circuitry) plus the headphone jack, while designed for stereo capability, has only been functional in one channel for at least 10 years. Time for something new.
I learned there isn't quite the selection of quality AM/FM/short wave units as in the past. The Grundig Yacht Boy is no longer being made and some of today's offerings scream cheap. Looking around the 'Net yielded a few options for under $100. I found the Sangean had good reviews and some noted they were impressed with its ability to pull in the distant AM stations. Even in today's streaming and on-demand world I still often prefer the old-fashioned Ancient Modulation as an entertainment choice.
So, the big day arrives and Geogal surprises me a day early with a 49-inch smart TV. The "day early" bit was due to it arriving at the house on that date and Geogal having no place to hide it. Then on the real anniversary of my birth I was treated to the radio.
So far I'm liking it. I was surprised to learn it was somewhat larger than the old Radio Shack tuner. However the larger size likely explains why it does well in receiving distant AM stations as the compartment has room for a longer-than-usual internal ferrite antenna. The Sangean also feels just downright solid. When you hold it it doesn't give the impression of cheaply made. I also like using a rotary knob to tune the frequencies although sometimes I did miss the ability to go to a keypad and punch in a specific station. However the preset buttons should make going to a particular kilohertz or megahertz frequency easy enough.
Since we're now well into autumn I've enjoyed the nighttime AM offerings that are more plentiful due to the decreased solar interference. Favorite stations from Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, Louisville and Detroit are easy catches. I've also heard north of the border broadcasts from Manitoba and Ontario and to make sure our other neighbor doesn't feel left out, tried and grabbed both XEW from Mexico City and XEROK from Juarez.
Last Saturday morning I even got one that was a true surprise. Clicking around the dial I landed on 750 AM and heard a very clear garden show. I thought, no, couldn't be. Went online and sure enough, it was Atlanta's WSB. Confirmed it a bit later with local weather and traffic reports. While WSB is one of the blowtorch AM stations in the southern U.S. I've never been able to receive them until now.
Daytime reception is also indeed a bright spot. Last Saturday (I really bonded with that gadget that day, didn't I?) while spending time cleaning up the garage I enjoyed listening to the play-by-play of the Nebraska Cornhuskers game. KXSP from Omaha came in almost sounding like a local. Even Geogal was impressed.
So farewell, my DX-375. You served me well for lo these many years. Time to make way for the new blood.
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