RCA RC142 Large Display Clock Radio with USB Charging

• Built-in USB port for device charging
• iPod/iPhone compatible
• AM/FM radio
• Dual wake, sleep and snooze functions
• Audio line-in for MP3 player connectivity

I needed a clock radio with an AUX input so came to Amazon to see what was available.

I bought a Westclox Tech AM/FM clock radio from Amazon. The Westclox radio was poorly made, would not pick up even the strongest of stations even the station with a radio tower 2 miles from me. The AUX input on the Westclox did not turn off via the sleep function. I am in the process of returning that unit to Amazon.

In the meantime, I still needed a clock radio with an AUX input. Went to Walmart and found the RCA RC142 radio.

I thought the Westclox was poorly made but the RCA RC142 was worse. The On/Off button was stuck down I had to move it from side to side to get it to pop up to the start position so that I could turn it on or off.

The time set button would not select the lock position so the display stayed on the time set for Alarm 1.

Reception was poor once again I could not pick up the local station whose tower was 2 miles away.

Tuning required a magnifying glass to see the frequencies printed on the tuning button. There is no vernier so you have little idea of what frequency you are tuning to.

The instruction sheet was written in about 10 different languages in very small print.

I hate it when I have to sift through multiple languages to find how to work something.

It seems that any RCA device I have purchased in the recent past has been poorly made and prone to premature failure. I took it back to Walmart and got my money back but I still needed a clock radio with an AUX input.

I went back to the electronics section of Walmart to look for another radio. I found an Emerson Smart Set Dual alarm radio with line-in Emerson Dual Alarm Clock Radio Amfm Smartset. I was skeptical since like RCA, Emerson had once been a very good brand of radio but my recent experience with Emerson had been less that spectacular.

I got home with the Emerson, opened the box and found a carefully packaged device.

On opening the Packaging and removing the radio, I found that it appeared to be well built. The finish was good, the buttons were solidly installed. For $20 and change it was more than I expected.

I plugged it in and the correct time appeared on the screen no messing around trying to find out how to set the time. (The correct time is programmed in for Eastern Time. You will need to adjust for other time zones)

The correct day and date were already programmed into the radio.

I do not think it is an atomic clock thing but rather a finely tuned clock circuit that produced such an accurate time on start up.

A button type battery comes installed to provide backup for when the power is out.

The instructions are written in English only.

The AUX input is controlled by the sleep function.

The tuning frequencies appear on the display as you turn the tuning knob and the thing picks up a station 30 miles from where I live.

I suggest that you pass on the RCA and look at the Emerson if you need a clock radio.

Buy RCA RC142 Large Display Clock Radio with USB Charging Now

I purposely bought this because it had a radio and a USB charging dock. The reception on the radio is terrible from the get go, but once you have a phone plugged in, it's unusable. It's total static and hardly any signal gets through. Also, the nap/sleep buttons are totally non-functional. This is a big paperweight that happens to have a clock on it.

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Ok, so. This is a medium-sized black clock with large glowy display, radio, and USB charger capability.

Size: Put three soda cans next to each other and that's about what you're dealing with. A bit on the big side.

Glowy Display: Not so glowy. Even in a pitch black room, it's dim. I suppose if you're easily annoyed by light when trying to sleep, this dimness would be a good thing. But even in a poorly lit room, its tough to read the time.

Radio: Nothing good to say here. The speaker is weak and tinny. The dial is stiff and it's tough to tell what you're tuned to: the glowy display is for the time only, not for the radio information.

USB Charger: It works! The jack is awkwardly located, but if you always charge the same device, just keep that cord plugged in and you're set.

To sum up: No, I wouldn't recommend this to a friend.

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This alarm clock looks better in the pictures on the website and on the box than it does when you get it out of the box. The impression of holding the product itself is that it is a pretty cheap piece of gear. It doesn't feel particularly substantial. Once you set the time and put it on the shelf though it looks pretty nice. I appreciate the slim form factor. The ability to plug in a phone or USB device is also a nice touch. You can also plug in an MP3 device and play music through the tinny low quality typical clock radio speakers if you desire. It has a compartment for a backup battery and needs a 9v battery for that. Overall a decent alarm clock. Extra points for slim form factor and USB plug.

I just purchased a RC142 and it simply is the poorest product I've seen. It is going back. The alarm-off feature did not work. The dimmer switch was barely functioning. The music-alarm-off buttons (1 or 2) did not sequence through the off mode. A few minutes of playing with it, and the music-alarm-off buttons BROKE. This is a piece of junk, and I would be very embarrassed if I worked for RCA.