I have a Sangean HDR-14 which runs on 3 AA batteries. It has excellent AM and FM sensitivity, and both AM and FM HD.  5" x 3" x 1.3".   115 bucks on Amazon.ca.

I also love the Sangean brand, although I don't think they make any that specifically meet all your specifications. (A recharger and HD in a mini radio is a tough find.)

I often post here about how I was out walking the dog while listening to the radio. That radio is a Sangean DT-200X. I've had several of them over the years and while they're not indestructible, I tend to give them more use than most people would. 

What I love about the thing is:

-It's pocket size, but also comes with a belt clip.
-The AM reception is superb, bringing in lots of distant stations, surprising for a radio of its size (about a deck of cards.)
-The FM reception is OK, if you're listening to local or nearby stations. Not great for choices from far out of town. 
-The sound on the headphones is excellent and it comes with an option switch to turn on a tiny built-in speaker, but you'll probably never use it. 
-It offers 19 presets, which is terrific. And they can be a combo of AM or FM in any order you want. 
-There is also a light that comes on for a few seconds whenever you change the station, so it's easy to see in the dark.
-While there is no built-in rechargeable battery, two AAs last a pretty long time.  
-It shuts itself off after 90 minutes in case you forget (but this feature is easily turned off.)
-There is a lock switch so it can't accidentally tune something else in if you bend down or lean over. 

It's $66 at Amazon.ca and $65 at Radio World on Steeles near Keele. The latter bricks and mortar store also will ship it to you if that's too far away. It's worth looking at the link, because they have other models on display. 

Good luck finding what you're looking for. 


 

AspectRatio wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

I'm looking for a pocket radio, but the options on Amazon all seem too inexpensive to be all that good. I'm currently using an iPod Nano, which is actually an outstanding radio, but want to plan ahead for when it's gone.

What I'm looking for
-Flat-ish and literally fits in a pocket
-No speaker
-AM would be nice, but FM only is OK to keep it small
-HD would be ideal, but I know it's a long-shot
-Built in battery/USB charging.

Does such a thing exist?
 

I like this radio a lot and I believe it checks all your boxes above except AM radio:

https://canada.newark.com/audiovox-electronics/ihdp01a/portable-hd-radio/dp/94W8206

It is roughly the size of a deck of cards, maybe slightly thicker, but pocket-capable for sure. Here is the PDF datasheet:

https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2661271.pdf


I bought it for the HD radio capability when out on walks and any AM station I'd want in the area is on an additional HD station off of the FM analog so not a big deal to me.

You might check out this older Sowny thread where I first mentioned it: https://gta.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=6735

Someone's Youtube video of it:

Intrigued. Question: Can you turn the HD off? I'm interested in access to the sub-channels, but prefer analog FM to HD.

Thanks for your help everyone. I splurged and ordered both a Sangean  and the Audiovox above.

Last edited by RadioAaron (March 23, 2023 11:34 am)

RadioAaron wrote:

Hey AspectRatio - I'm very happy with this purchase. I now don't want to force analog as I've never heard HD sound this good. The RDS integration is a surprise bonus.

Fun to see this feedback, the unit arrived fast for you. This tough, well-designed little unit was my first (and so far only) experience with HD Radio and it definitely blew me away after years of reading about HD radio - the sound is crisp, clean and clear. Of course, many factors in the chain (compression, etc.) to excellent vs. just "okay" audio, whether analog or HD, but I do love the sound of this unit and it's great for walks - and lasts a long time on a (USB) charge. If you should want to de-headphone it, any decent powered speakers (or soundbar) with 1/8" jack would do.

I wasn't sure why you preferred and wanted analog and "HD off" in your original requirements; I thought maybe you preferred some of that drift or other analog sound properties and it was nostalgic for you like the reason some people prefer vinyl records' warmth. Analog sounds great on this unit for the regular stuff, but where there is an HD feed for a station, I've always found it sounding great.

Someone's experiences with this same model from the RadioWest.ca forum can be found here. They commented on a few aspects, including the brief analog signal heard before the HD engages being audibly inferior: "There is a noticeable difference as the FM signal has the usual lop-off of frequencies above 15 kHz and again, like 770's feed, a more wide-band like sound when the HD feed starts".

AspectRatio wrote:

I wasn't sure why you preferred and wanted analog and "HD off" in your original requirements; I thought maybe you preferred some of that drift or other analog sound properties and it was nostalgic for you like the reason some people prefer vinyl records' warmth. Analog sounds great on this unit for the regular stuff, but where there is an HD feed for a station, I've always found it sounding great.

My experience with HD until now has not been great. I can hear the digital artifacts in the main feed of all the stations that run multiple sub-channels, and the sub-channels themselves (when music) unlistenable. My hearing's more sensitive on the high-end so this really stood out. This effect is amplified when listening in mono, which my main table-top HD is.

This radio seems to be EQ'd specifically to emphasize the frequencies that are HD's strength and dampen those that aren't.