The Collins R 390 A was the choice military radio from the early 1960s till the last one was made in something like 1884. they are very good and collectable. They are not a starter radio, for the original poster I would look up Sangean, Sony or Grundig portables they are good quality. But they cost more then you may want to spend.


Sangean 803A is good and can be found for $40.00 on the used market.


Grundig YB 400 may work for you, it’s small and can be special ordered through Radio Shack
A Grundig Satellite 500 is also good as is the 700

Sony 2010 is also an older radio that is very good, but it still commands a higher price.

Radio Shack made a desktop radio (the last one they made) it was a DX 394, it works ok (as long as you don’t put a big antenna on it) is priced good on the used market and also doesn’t consume a lot of power when hooked to an external power source.