Roberts solarDAB Radio Comments

As a relatively keen fisherman and a diehard cricket fan, this radio intrigues me.

I currently have a windup DAB radio, and this does lead me to be very skeptical about the battery claims on this model. I appreciate the models are completely different, but 1 minute of winding will normally get me 10 minutes of DAB radio, or an hour of FM.

I cannot believe that this radio will both play and also charge at the same time, on the basis of that solar panel. Maybe on the equator, but not during an English summer.

Aside from those concerns it is interesting. However the cricket references surface once again - DAB only? Come on! FM and MW/LW should still be in there. Everyone knows that TMS is better on LW than DAB!

Good luck England btw. Hit Ponting and Katich hard early on, and good times will come. Stop Monty appealing every ball and we may even win.

I'm very sceptical too, that solar cell can't supply more than half a watt at 200mAh on full tilt. Still, if it came in black and White and was half the price then I buy a couple. But not at that price with no FM or LW. Gordon Brown might want to consider subsidising DAB radios like this if he gets the chance to follow through on his crazy-stupid plan to switch off analogue radio.

Something we tend to forget is that there is not a single European platform for DAB. This means that this radio will not work at all outside UK, so forget taking it to sunnier places on holiday. It's a shame DAB has become a dog's breakfast. Imagine if FM reception was country dependent.

I bought a white one of these from John Lewis for our bathroom (too many blasted pirate radio stations mess up radio 4 in my area)and it's pretty good. The battery lasts ages and every so often I just stick it on the window ledge before going to work and it's recharged by the time I get home (if it's sunny that is) I'm very satisfied with it.

Had it have had a winder for when there's not much light i'd have been tempted by this.

Shame.

I bought a white one a couple of weeks ago and its excellent. It comes in red and black too (look it up on amazon). Its a bathroom radio so is permanently set to Radio 4 and for this it is perfect. I've found the sound to be loud and clear. Personally I think it is very well made, and the aerial is no issue at all. From my experience standard telescopic aerials tend to get bent and broken over time.
The solar recharging only works when the radio is on - when you buy it there is an initial 24 hour charge for the battery and then it should last for about 3 months. The manual notes that the battery only charges under direct sunlight eg in a conservatory.

Ideal for Cricket & Radio 4 wow I 'm still very young at heart LOL

"ven ignoring the sticker that our photographer forgot to take off)" Your hand model really also need to sort his nails out!

I would love to buy one of these, to the condition it had no DAB, and FM, MW and LW instead!
:-)