COBY CX-CB12 AM/FM/LW/SW 12-Band Radio

• 2-way power with AC/DC operation
• DX/local switch, built-in wide-range speaker
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Built-in 3v DC jack, telescopic antenna
• Uses 2 AA batteries

For most people, Coby isn't the first name that comes to mind when you think of bang-for-the-buck electronics, but if ever the company had the opportunity for a turning point, or at least a shining exception, the CX-CB12 could be it. Know ahead of time that this radio doesn't break any new ground in sensitivity or selectivity it picks up the same AM and FM stations at the same strength as any other under-$50 radio you've ever used. That being said, this radio has some big advantages.

A quick glance at the wider-than-tall analog display gives you an idea of it's expansive shortwave band coverage. There aren't any other radios in that under-$50 class that let you listen in on the 60 all the way to the 13 meter bands. Any and all of the major international SW broadcasts can potentially be received by this radio.

The control surfaces belong on a much more expensive unit the power and band selection switches on the front move with luxury car smoothness, and the large, open tuning and volume wheels on the right side have clearly been designed for comfortable long-term listening.

Add to this incredible battery life. With only the little "Tune" LED contributing to power drain aside from the actual radio circuit (the power and band selection indicators are all mechanical), you can enjoy several hours of listening a day for literally months without replacing batteries.

Should you purchase one of these gems, you should also pick up a $10 pocket reel antenna (available here on Amazon and anywhere else radios are taken seriously), which will exponentially improve your SW reception. I have picked up several numbers stations (Google "numbers stations" if you don't know what those are) using only this $10 radio and $10 antenna setup. You won't be able to use a bare wire or large antenna, as powerful and/or nearby AM stations will flood the dial at all bands and frequencies, rendering reception impossible (yes, you'll have to spend more than $20 to hardcore DX). Accessory-wise, the included earbuds are of course cheap, but this makes sense as the purchase price should go towards the actual radio itself, not earphones. A quality set of headphones will result in quality sound.

And all of this for *ten bucks*. It's an ideal first SW set if you or someone you know is interested in what the buzz is about shortwave, you can get your foot in the door here for the cost of lunch. At this price, losing it on vacation or having a curious youngster immolate one isn't such a big deal. It's quite possible that this is the low-cost mass-produced Model T of shortwave radios, and hopefully Coby will take note and build on this example in the future.

Buy COBY CX-CB12 AM/FM/LW/SW 12-Band Radio Now

The Coby CX-CB12 portable radio is an analog multi-band radio that can be had for under $10. At this price you can't expect much, but the question is...is it worth spending any money on this radio?

The radio itself comes in a nice box and it includes a set of ear buds. The radio would be considered a large coat pocket size radio. The overall feel is a bit better than what you would expect for such an inexpensive radio. Instead of thumbwheels you actually have side-mounted knobs to turn which (in my opinion) are easier to use. The front of the radio contains the speaker, the slide rule dial, a little tuning light and slide controls to turn the radio on (a nice feature) and to change the bands. The analog dial features a little indicator that tells you what band you are tuning. Unfortunately, the dial's contrast is low making it difficult to see the numbers.

The radio is powered by 2 AA batteries which should last a long time. It was a tight squeeze to get the batteries in. You also have a port for an adapter, but one is not provided.

The earphone jack allows mono output through both stereo ear buds. The speaker provides reasonable "pocket radio" sound at a reasonable volume. Sound is much better using headphones and actually is quite pleasant.

Performance:

LW: The US doesn't use long wave (except for some beacons) so I couldn't test this.

MW (AM) AM reception is OK. I was able to tune Chicago stations with ease. I was also able to tune strong out-of-state stations from many locations including 50 KW clear channel stations from Texas, Colorado, New York and Tennessee. Selectivity was a bit below norm but OK. Strangely, if the telescopic rod was extended, the radio would whine more and (toward 1600 KHz) it would actually pick up shortwave.

SW: The Coby provides a number of shortwave bands. With the built in whip antenna it did a reasonable job of receiving international broadcasts. Its simple single conversion design did results in images and some birdies and di-dah sounds, but they were not too objectionable. I tried the radio with a short 10 foot wire attached to the whip antenna. This overloaded the radio and I started to hear AM broadcasters on the shortwave. Selectivity is OK for this type of set. Shortwave would only be suitable for the big broadcasters like the BBC and Radio China but it did a reasonable job receiving those stations.

FM: At my office FM was fair. However, my home is only a few miles away from a local FM station. The station at 95.9 pretty much obliterated the lower portion of the FM dial. I could get our town's college station at 89.1 but not much else until WFMT at 98.7. Shortening the antenna had no effect. Based on this FM would only be acceptable if you were far away from any broadcasters.

If the FM section worked better, the Coby would be a nice little radio, especially at $10. No, it is not as good as a $50 dollar radio but at $10 it is in the disposable category and it could be used at the beach, camping or as a gift to a kid who has expressed an interest in radio. With that said, the FM performance was so disappointing that it would be hard to recommend it. A very good alternative is the jWin JX-M14 which can also be had for around for $10. It doesn't have quite the same frequency coverage but it does offer a digital readout, better FM and decent MW and SW performance. The jWin handles a short wire antenna well, giving it the ability to pick up weaker stations.

Read Best Reviews of COBY CX-CB12 AM/FM/LW/SW 12-Band Radio Here

This is an excellent radio for the price! A year ago I purchased a similar radio made by one of the most popular outdoor-gear manufacturer/retailers in the world for almost $50.00; I did so with the intent of using the radio for camping and backpacking. This little Coby radio unquestionably outperforms the more expensive radio.

The device runs on 2AA batteries which should power it for some time; there are no backlights or powered indicators which create power drain. Although the radio uses an analog readout and tuner, it tunes well if you take your time and exhibit some patience; any poor reviews about the tuning knob were likley drawn from lack of patience, the radio holds the desired station well and does not drift. The volume control works well and the speaker does not lack output.

I paired the device with a reel-type antenna based on the advice of another reviewer. Within 5 minutes of setting the radio and antenna up, I tuned in (from New Mexcio, partially cloudy with 10 knot winds) China International Radio, BBC London, and a station from Florida without issues.

This device is worth the money, specifically if you are a short wave novice and do not want to spend a lot of money. Pair it with a reel-type antenna for a total investment of less than $25 and you can listen to the world!

Want COBY CX-CB12 AM/FM/LW/SW 12-Band Radio Discount?

My experience with the Coby CX-CB-12 was one of unmitigated disappointment. I bought it as a Christmas gift for my 10-year-old nephew, and it's a good thing I decided to try it out before giving it. Reception on broadcast band AM is OK for a cheap little radio, but the tuning knob wobbles laterally, and when it does, the sound cuts out and the tuning shifts off station. In order to tune up or down the dial, you have to hold the knob in a very precise plane of rotation, or else the radio cuts out. This single defect is so annoying I cannot recommend this radio to anyone for any reason. But there are plenty of other reasons to avoid this radio, including lousy shortwave reception, awful audio quality and horrible selectivity on FM.

Perhaps the worst aspect of this radio is people will give these as gifts or buy one for themselves as an inexpensive radio to get them into the shortwave listening hobby. Then they'll become discouraged, thinking shortwave listening is no fun, when the real problem is they're using a truly crappy radio.

Scrape together a few more bucks and get a really good entry-level radio new or buy a decent used one. This Coby radio will do nothing but disappoint and frustrate you.

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Just what he wanted. Birthday gift after hearing you can't buy a transistor radio anymore from my brother in law. He was concerned after power outage. Best gift I could have given him.