Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 Panasonic RF-SW50S September 28, 2008
This radio was purchased as a replacement. The reception is excellent in our area - the only one we've found so far that works, and we've tried quite a few different makes and models.
Excellent pocket radio with great reception and sound quality April 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Having purchased the Sangean DT-110, 120, 180 and the 200VX as well as the Sony SRF-37V and SRF-M97 (as well as several Kaito radios, including the KA11, KA1102, etc.), I can readily say that the Panasonic RF-SW50S is the best radio to use for listening in the close proximity of computing and related RF (Radio frequency) noise generating equipment. Please see my many other very detailed reviews on these other radios. The Panasonic is very ruggedly made and has a very nice display (no clock or automatic turnoff however) with battery status (even if it is turned off by simply pressing preset button #3 and of course while it is turned on) and a lock switch status indicated when it is on or off too as well as 20 individual presets (10 total on am and 10 total on fm chosen in two user selectable operating modes, i,e, mode1 and mode2), etc. The RF-SW50S is only a little larger than the Sangean and Sony units too so that it still just fits the nice, inexpensive hard shell, HS-5, Digital Tech concepts case that I bought from Sears (this product can also be viewed at Sakar International). In addition, I really like the very high quality of the sound of the Panasonic shock wave radio (it also comes with a deep bass boost switch) and the useful DX/local FM sensing switch (with standard city interference or normal DX settings).
I also think the am reception is excellent and strong (I hear Denver from here easily at night). This is equally true of the fm stations, both inside and outside of buildings contrary to some other reviews. The Sangean DT-110 is the next best radio to use near computing machinery, but its fm reception is better than its am/mw reception probably because of its very small size. The presets on the RF-SW50S are very easy to set and chosen with a single key press just like on the SRF-37V.
You should definitely plan on using or purchasing a different set of earphones as the supplied unit is not very useful as well as uncomfortable and inflexible. I also strongly prefer open air headphones and not earbud style earphones for personal safety if listening while walking in a crowded area.
Tuning on the Panasonic is a little clunky compared especially to the Sangean DT-110 with its manual or automatic scan and seek capabilities, but it is nevertheless still very usable with a single switch type button to either be pressed and held to choose the operating mode or also using a separate rotating motion (either clockwise or counterclockwise) for am/fm station tuning (see also below for more details). The one drawback I can see with this arrangement is the constant beeping noise during the tuning of the radio. Tuning can only be accomplished by either directly rotating the mode/tuning button and holding it toward a clockwise or ccw direction (and indicated in the directions as +/-) to advance frequencies semi-automatically or by using a single button rotation at a time in order to advance or retreat by one small step in frequency. By the way, just for the record this tuning operation is far harder to explain than it actually is to perform! Also, from other reviews it seems advisable to purchase an extended warranty too, since it only has a one year warranty (Please read other Amazon reviews on this issue so that you won't be disappointed prematurely if its just stops working). Also, my unit did not come with the 4 Panasonic AAA batteries as advertised by Amazon and others and clearly stated in the enclosed manual for the RF-SW50 radio, so maybe Panasonic just stopped including batteries with the newer RF-SW50S?. My supplier on Amazon, Ace Photodigital in NYC, just to make things even however, very quickly mailed out a package of 4 energizer AAA batteries to me through the US Post office. Panasonic claims 25-26 hours of listening time on a single AAA battery, which I have yet to verify, but based on other similar radios that I have tested it seems quit reasonable, with a little longer operating time expected on am compared with fm for example. It is now very ironic to me after much time and effort that the least expensive priced unit of all the pocket radios available on Amazon also gets the best reception close to computers, monitors, electric lighting and motors, etc. Now, who would have thought of that in advance?
 Pansonic RF SW505 February 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Has been very good. I use it during exercise and it picks up the stations very clearly. I will be replacing the headphones to a more comfortable pair.
I like this Radio October 6, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Over the last 10 years or so I've purchased 2 or 3 of these. My wife and I like to run with them. They're light, get decent AM and FM reception, and last a long time on 1 battery. One died in the rain and another after 5 or 6 years of use but that's to be expected in my opinion. The preset buttons are large so they're easy to find when running and the bass boost button is nice to give weak headphones a little extra bottom kick on those windy days.
Panasonic RF-SW50 Shockwave Portable Radio September 4, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the third radio I've had. It gets good reception and is easy to use. I tend to be rough on the radios I've had and they last well. The previous two eventially begin to turn themselves off. I tried a similar Sony radio and the static and hiss were unbearable.
I would recommend this radio.
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