Awhile ago, I had posted seeking responses as to good choices for an EDC radio that was small, light, digital, and was capable of receiving AM/FM/TV/Weather.

At the time, the best option I could find was the newly released Sony SRF-M80V, whose main drawbacks were size (a bit too large), shape (designed for armband use, not packing), and price ($50). All of these features were also available in other Sony cassette models for an even cheaper price ($30 for the Sony WM-FX281, for instance), although at a even less desirable size. The other option at the time was the Sony SRF-M35, which offered the right size and price ($30-35), but only offered AM/FM capability.

Now, I already own a Sony ICF-7600G portable shortwave, but this model doesn't get weather and TV bands, and is quite a bit too large for EDC. Since I do have it, I elected at the time to wait and see if a new model would appear.

Recently, Sony released a new model to replace the SRF-M35. This new model is the SRF-M37V. The SRF-M37V is slightly smaller than a pack of cigarettes, offers AM/FM/TV/WB digital tuning, and sells for about $30. I runs on one AAA size battery. Although I would prefer a AA battery (since then I can use a lithium battery), I do carry AAA's for my EDC light (a Petzl Zipka), so this is not a major stumbling block. As it is, the SRF-M37V is rated by Sony to run for at least 31 hours on a standard alkaline AAA battery.

Sound quality of the SRF-M37V is good, albeit a bit noisy. The FM tuner seems to have a bit of problems with rejection of nearby stations, but it seemed to work OK with most of the stations in my area without interference. I would be worried about the reception quality of lower-powered stations that a closely spaced.

AM reception is impressive. Tonight, while sitting in my office on the third floor of my house in NJ, I was able to tune into WCBS (880, New York City, 50KW), KDKA (1020, Pittsburgh, 50KW), WBZ (1030, Boston, 50KW), and KYW (1060, Philadelphia, 50KW), among others. Granted, these are all Class A "clear channel" stations, but I was able to hear the dialogue coming from both KDKA and WBZ clearly, which speaks well for its AM discretion.

TV band is OK as well, but Weather band seems a bit funky. My Motorola T6250 radios have a weather radio built-in, and I can pick up the Philadelphia station on Channel 3 pretty well on these units. On the Sony, I picked up the Philadelphia station on every channel--I'm not quite sure what to make of this, but over the next couple of weeks I'll be travelling to Boston and DC, so I'll try it in those places as well and post an update.

There is also a built-in clock (which shows 12hr time only), but the LCD isn't backlit, although it does include a simple battery strength meter. The unit has a lock-out switch for the buttons, to prevent inadvertent changes/powering-off/on. There is a removable belt clip, and the back of the unit is slightly curved to sit comfortably on a hip. There is also a Local/DX sensitivity switch that works for FM/TV/WB. The AM antenna is an internal ferrite bar, and the headphone wire is used for the antenna for the other bands. There are 25 available station presets (10 for FM in two banks, and 5 each for the other bands). The volume control is an analog pot.

The included headphones are cheap and too bulky for EDC. I've replaced them with a set of Sony earbud-type 'phones with a roll-up hard case. The radio, by itself, weighs 3.3 oz (94g), including the battery and belt clip.

All in all, I think this unit is a good deal and I'm pleased with it. I got mine at Target for $28 and change, but I've also seen them at Best Buy and Circuit City; they can also be ordered directly from Sony. This new radio will live in my EDC kit. The ICF-7600G shortwave set will stay in the big kit.

Nice review, Thank you
Tom

Cool, I thought I was the only one who kept a minimalist AM/FM/TV/WX radio in my briefcase...

I picked up a nice unit from Radio Shack, cat. no. 12-797. It is the size of a pack of cigs, but has digital tuning and a decent external speaker. You can plug in stereo headphones for private listening. I like the external speaker; my coworkers have sat around this unit listening to severe weather alerts & such.

It lists for $70 but RadioShack has discontinued this model. That's why I was able to get it at a local RS store for $45.

here's a link

I've used a lot of small portable AM/FM radios, and this one is clearly the best I've tried. I bought this radio a few weeks ago, and walk to work with it everyday. This Sony's reception in New York City is great (for some reason, I often had trouble with AM with my other radios in Manhattan). The digital tuner is accurate. The NOAA Weather Band, and channel 2-13 TV station reception far better than I expected. Overall, a pretty nice little radio.

I have an analog Grundig Mini World 100 PE in my shoulder bag (kept in my nylon briefcase), with batteries and ear bud.