Sangean DT-800 AM FM Stereo Weather Alert Pocket Portable Radio Review

The Sangean DT-800 AM FM WX Alert Portable Radio is one of the most anticipated radios of 2018. Does it perform to expectations? Watch to find out.

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* Todderbert's Rockin' Radio Shop *

Features I like about this radio:
FM Reception is very good using the speaker and wire combo.
Weather Alert Mode.
Clear LCD display.
Tuning Steps are highly configurable.
Dual Filter Bandwidth options on FM and AM.
Adjustable LCD Side Light.
Limited but useful RDS.
NiMH battery support, with a smart charger built in.
AC adapter included.
AM reception is decent, though it may be very sensitive with local RFI.
Color Combo :)
Clock.
Alarm.
Sleep function.
Deep Bass Boost, always welcome.

Features that could be added or improved on:
My example is firmware 1.0 and has a few issues as noted in the video.
Fix FM reception using headphones. (could be a problem with a small batch of radios) ** Fixed: April 23rd, 2019. **
Improve AM filtering of spurious, and harmonic tones that seem apparent more on this radio vs the CCPocket and DT400.

Overall, I was very excited about this radio, but feel like I may have jumped the gun and bought it too soon. I would recommend a wait and watch before purchasing the radio, unless you have no trouble returning things if they don't meet your expectations :) At this moment I would recommend the CCPocket or DT-400W. Those are proven winners, and the CCPocket does have a one year warranty.

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[todderbert]

(paid link) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you.

[anthonyaquila]

Love this radio. It’s my go to now. It’s got everything loaded with features

[hueyvandiver]

My Sangean dt400w stop playing last month which would've made 15yrs this June. Today I found your channel to look for a replacement and decided on this model. Thanks

[ConcernedHorse]

I bought two of these bad boys a couple of months ago and both works great on FM with headphones. Im in a remote mountain in a Caribbean island right now and the reception for local stations is awesome.

[neiljonielunas]

A great review. I have this radio, and it is flawless. It goes camping with me, and I find the range and reception superior to other pocket radios. At home I keep it by the bed, and listen to classical music with the ear buds. I have no complaints.

[D-Raff]

Excellent review. The DT-800 is a great radio IMO with an easy learning curve, I have zero issues. I main-lined transistor radios in the 50’s/60’s and this harks back to those days of course with FM and weather. I had a SONY pocket AM/FM in the 80’s with a 3-position equalizer about the size of a couple of Bic lighters. I forgot how much fun that radio was so I really am enjoying the DT-800. It is pretty good on MW DX at night. Glad I got this. Thanks.

[anthonyaquila]

Love this radio . Great at night in bed . Radios that have the button volume like the dt800 are great . The volume can’t rub against something and startle you at night. That feature alone makes it my favorite radio.

[Dan-sqcv]

Just got my DT5800 in the mail today. Mine is a refurbish and shipped directly from Sangean America. Tested the earphones on FM no problem, so far I am amazed at the features of this littel radio. If I have one con and it's not a deal-breaker the volume on skr maxed out to 25 is not exactly room-filling LOL, However, it is OK. I love the thing so far.

[Megabyte]

The Sangean DT-400W is a really good radio, I have owned one for several years and it still works great.

[nradio]

Thanks for your review, Todderbert! I just bought, and will be reluctantly returning, my DT-800BK (black model). A great number of FM stations are found during searches with both the wire antenna and headphones plugged in, HOWEVER...there is no *stereo* FM reception at all through headphones! This is a deal breaker for day-to-day use, and it's not a problem with only the supplied earbuds...other headphones output only stereo with this radio too (the slide switch is in the ST position of course). When the FM wire antenna is plugged in I can see the "ST" icon lighting on nearly all of the many FM stations, but as soon as I replace the wire antenna with headphones, there's no stereo with ANY strong FM station, just a mono signal. The enjoyment of music is greatly reduced because of this.

I find no distortion at all with strong signals adjusted to the radio's maximum "25" volume level. Although I wouldn't listen at that high volume it's nice to know the audio is clean.

I love the combo of the dual bandwidths for AM ultralight DXing, along with the 1 kHz step tuning option. The radio is quite sensitive alone for its size; my 10-inch FSL antenna boosts takes reception to another level for "hot rodded" DXing. If the price of the radio was half the current cost, I'd keep it for ultralight DXing alone, but at $70 I can't justify it with a MONO ONLY FM band output.

BTW, this radio retains the version 1.0 firmware.

[mademepickaname]

Thanks for all of these reviews. You sold me on this one. The DC power/charging was the clincher. I just wish these and CC Pocket, etc. would come with telescoping antennas.

[mickeybrumfield]

Looks like another high quality radio from the folks at Sangean, good to have options for those people in the market for a top notch pocket radio. Really like all the presets that are incorporated in a pocket radio like this and it is of course fortunate for you that the radio comes in yellow. Great review keep up the good work.

[XMguy]

I ordered a refurbished one. The headphone jack was shorting out. I soldered it. I also added a telescoping FM Antenna. I found inside they have an internal FM antenna that also runs to the headphone ground lead. I used 3M tape, electrical tape, and made it work better. I used it with headphones and the added telescoping antenna over the weekend when I walked. I did notice both antennas were effecting the signal. But attaching wire to the headphones doesn’t nullify the signal. I have the very same you do. Same SW version too.

[Madmax-TV]

got my DT-800C without weather alert awhile ago.. No issues at all sir... I love it! Got the black, next the yellow for back up!

[jjcoolaus]

I wish they could release a pocket model with a built in telescopic fm antenna

[cyclops]

This is so cool I have the older DT-300VW Radio And have been looking to upgrade To a New Model. I am totally going to pick this radio up.

[phonemaniatico]

How lucky you are to have the DT-800 in yellow available, also with meteorological alert functions that are not present in the European version. The one I have is BLACK, more specifically the black and gray version, which I'm not complaining about but a little more attention to the public and their tastes would be nice. I love that yellow version!
On the other hand, here there is no DT-400W and we have to be content with the DT-250 which is like the DT-200 but SILVER GRAY, with what looks like one of those Chinese radios that are in any bazar, it does not seem correct to me either. That it has a rotary volume control that is out of tune on a digital device, although I wanted the DT-200X for other reasons (the black one, yes). Plus, it uses the same kind of hideous blister that the North American DT-120 comes in.
As for the DT-120, it is identical to the one sold here, except that it is served here in a box similar to the DT-800. We got rid of the infamous blister that the USA carries, from what I see. Seeing the "superior" DT-160 model that is backlit, but much larger I prefer the DT-120.
And I have a 320 SR-32 that does not carry anything digital, but that does not lose the stations easily and that from here I can recommend if you do not want to depend on a more technified radio, and to have an efficient handheld receiver (much more than a very expensive Sony that has less sensitivity than a brick) I have a horizontal format SR-36, with good sound for its size and very good reception, good finishes and that I see it ideal for an elderly person because of its good operation without complications ( from my short point of view, that's why I'm short-sighted).

[FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

522-1710 kHz in 9 kHz are both used in the Philippines and Australia.

[lolbruh]

The bass on the FM on the DT-800 is so good, much more bass then CC.Pocket.

[marcosmza]

If Sangean takes note and fix some details, it could be a nice pocket radio and serious contender of CC Pocket. Thanks Pete!