I didn’t use them, but the radio does have a number of preset memories. I simply used the up-and-down tuning and didn’t bother with the memories.
The Need for a Cheap Receiver
I purchased it from Walmart because I needed it quickly and didn’t have time to order online. My pastor will be traveling to Africa to visit a remote congregation with which we partner. Our denomination also helps sponsor an FM radio station in the closest city. I do not know whether it is possible to receive the signal at “our” church in the remote village. Therefore, I wanted her to do a test to see if it’s possible. If she is able to receive even a weak signal, then it will be an easy matter to send some solar radios and perhaps an external antenna so that they can listen on a regular basis.
Therefore, I had to quickly find a suitable radio that I could send with her. And despite all of the radios I have lying around the house, I didn’t have exactly the right thing. It needed to meet the following criteria:
- It had to be small. I’m sure her suitcase will be packed to the brim, not only with her personal belongings, but with other gifts to leave.
- It had to have digital tuning. The person doing the experiment for me is not a radio expert. To do the experiment, the radio needs to be set to the exact frequency, and then moved around to see if any signal comes up out of the noise. This wouldn’t be possible with an analog dial.
- It had to be relatively cheap.
- It had to be sensitive. I’m unsure of the exact distance, but the station we want to receive is miles away, and only puts out 1 kW. Therefore, it had to be a good tuner. Selectivity probably isn’t important, since there will be few, if any, other FM signals.
I found the GPX R300S at WalMart for about $8. It met the first three criteria, and I hoped against hope that it would meet the fourth. It was in stock at the local WalMart store, so I ordered online and picked it up at the store about an hour later while doing some other shopping.
Surprisingly Good on Both AM and FM
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this is an extremely good tuner on both AM and FM. I only had time to play with it for a few minutes, but it did pull in all of the local FM stations, even weak ones, with no difficulty. If any commercial receiver is going to pull in the station we want to hear, then this one probably will. If it gets absolutely nothing, then I’m satisfied that a more expensive receiver won’t, at least without a high antenna.
It wasn’t necessary for this particular experiment, but I was also astonished at how good an AM receiver this set is. Unfortunately, in most cheap radios these days, the AM receiver is tossed in as an afterthought (if it’s included at all), and is only able to pick up the strongest local stations. I did the test at night, and was astonished to see that the radio was pulling in something on almost every 10 kHz channel. I was able to positively ID WSM Nashville and KFAB Omaha from my Minnesota location. Those stations are obviously powerhouses, but in my experience, most cheap AM receivers these days are not able to pull them in. The internal AM antenna was very directional, and I was able to easily null out signals by turning the radio.
Selectivity was also remarkably good for such an inexpensive set. Local 50 kilowatt blowtorch WCCO is on 830 kHz, and on many cheap radios spills over onto the adjacent channel. But I was able to hear another station faintly on 840, with no sign of interference from WCCO.
Has 100 kHz Tuning Steps on FM, But Only 10 kHz Steps on AM
The station we want to hear in Africa is on FM, so the AM performance wasn’t necessary for my test. But it was amazing how well it worked on that band. Unfortunately, the radio tunes only in 10 kHz steps, covering the AM band in the Americas, where all stations’ frequencies end in zero. Unfortunately, in the Eastern Hemisphere, stations are 9 kHz apart. Some frequencies are used in common, e.g., 540, 630, 720, etc. And some stations will be off by only 1 kHz, e.g., 549, 621, 639, etc. But some stations will be off by as much as 5 kHz, e.g., 585, 675, etc., and will be very difficult to tune. This is one case where an analog tuner would be better. I suspect it’s probably possible to modify this receiver to tune in 9 kHz steps. After all, they probably sell a similar version elsewhere in the world. But the instruction manual didn’t hint at any method of doing this.
The station we need to tune in happens to be on a frequency that is also used in the Americas. In other words, it’s on an “odd” frequency following the 200 kHz separation band plan, namely 96.7. Therefore, any North American receiver would have worked. This radio, however, does tune in 100 kHz steps and includes the “even” frequencies, such as 96.8, that are also used in the Eastern Hemisphere. Therefore, it will be able to tune in all local stations.
Usefulness in Rural Africa
I told my pastor to leave the radio as a gift with someone in Africa, since there’s no good reason for the set to make a round trip. If it’s not useful in the village where our partner congregation is located, it will certainly be useful in the city, where there are a number of FM stations, and she’ll have an opportunity to leave it there. The AM stations are more distant, and hopefully the radio will be able to pull at least some of them in at night. I noticed one of them in the nation’s capital was on a frequency ending in zero, so it least it will be able to pick up that one at night. The radio also contains an alarm clock, and I set it to the Eastern Africa time zone.
Unfortunately, it won’t be of much use after the batteries run out. It uses two AAA cells. It’s unlikely that those are available in the village. They almost certainly are available in the city, but I’m not sure at what price. I included two extra sets of batteries, which I assume will allow it to work for a few months of listening an hour or two a day. A solar radio would be much more suitable, and if we send any in the future, that’s what I will use.
Bottom Line
Most of the online reviews are favorable, but a few are not. So it’s possible that quality control is not the greatest, and that some units do not perform as well as mine. But for the low price, it’s certainly worth the risk. For the price, the GPX model R300S Portable Armband Radio is a very solid performer. If you need a cheap radio that still pulls in both AM and FM stations well, this radio is what you need.
Note: Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.
The battery cover is designed in such a way that it barely closes. Sometimes it pops open by itself while the radio is in use. It is hinged on to the radio so that the cover doesn’t get lost when it is open. The cover then has to be shut again with the batteries in their proper place. My battery cover broke on me recently so that one of the hinges is no longer anchored into the radio. Without the battery cover in its proper place, (incase of loosing the battery cover), the batteries will not be able to be held in their proper place inside the radio. There will be no connection to the batteries. Next the radio might be almost impossible to use without battery power connected inside the radio. To avoid problems, I want to get a replacement battery cover. Any company that stands behind their products should be able to provide a replacement part such as the battery cover. I still have the cover for the time being but it is no longer anchored in. The chance of loosing the battery cover has greatly increased and the ability to continue using my radio after such a loss have greatly decreased.
I want the GPX company or brand to stand behind their brand and make sure that they will replace the battery covers through the stores or by mail. Replacing an entire radio for lack of making the effort to replace the little part that is needed is NOT ACCEPTABLE! I will not want a working radio to be chucked in the dumpster by mindless idiots and wasteful pigs. A wasteful pig is worse than a litter bug! Now stand behind your brand. Order spare battery covers from the factory in China. If this hasn’t been done yet then it means it is time to start asking the factory representatives in China to start making and sending a few extra battery covers and selling them to the brand distributors of GPX products. Don’t feed me a line of crap that it is somehow impossible to contact the factory representatives simply because it has never been done before. I will not stand for any lame-brained excuses from the GPX brand nor any brand. If you want to tell me a lie, tell me a good lie that makes sense. Don’t be like Donald Trump!! I’m not some easily-fooled chump who will believe anything from some big rump!!
Contact me : (701)-220-0820.
One further question : What is the telephone number for the GPX brand? Send it to me. I didn’t notice the telephone number for GPX listed on their website. Are they afraid of contact from their customers? If they are afraid then perhaps they aren’t a good company and perhaps they will not stand behind their brand.
UPDATE : It turns out that GPX does indeed list their telephone number on their website. It is : (888)-999-4215. This is a good sign. I will call them and see what I can find out. The website reads that GPX takes calls at this toll-free tel. # seven days per week from 8:30 in the morning until 8 in the evening Central Time. That’s 08:30 – 20:00. 20:00 is the 20th hour of a 24 hour day.
Please let us know what you learn.
Come to think of it, the battery cover did look a little flimsy. My radio is now in Africa, so I’m not able to examine it. But the two batteries slip inside, with the power connections at the bottom. The door itself forms part of the circuit, since the two batteries are hooked in series at the door. So you’re right, the radio won’t work without the door in place.
On the other hand, it is an $8 radio. If the plastic on the battery door gets broken so that it won’t stay closed, then it can be repaired with simple expedient of duct tape.
And if the door gets lost entirely, you can always put a wad of aluminum foil in there and hold that down with duct tape. It won’t be pretty, but it is an $8 radio, and it will still work just fine! Of course, you can also just solder in a couple of wires and run them to any convenient 3 volt power source. That won’t be pretty either, but we’re hams, so we’re happy if it pulls in the stations, and this radio pulls in the stations very well!
Thanks again for your comments, and please let us know whether the good folks at GPX come through with a new battery door!
By the way, I looked at the owner’s manual. I believe a copy came with the radio, but a PDF is also linked above. In addition to the phone number, it includes two e-mail addresses, one for the parts department! “Customer Service: 1-888-999-4215 | Email Support: prodinfo@dpiinc.com | Email Parts: partsinfo@dpiinc.com“
The location where we wanted to use the radio was Masimike, Tanzania, a place name that doesn’t seem to appear on maps. The radio station we wanted to receive was Radio Furaha, located in the City of Iringa. The station puts out 2000 watts to a vertical antenna on 96.7 MHz. Unfortunately, nobody can really tell me the distance, since I can’t find Masimike on a map. All that anyone knows is that it takes a few hours to get there by Land Rover. My best guess is that it’s about 50 miles, and as you can see from some of the pictures, the terrain is somewhat mountainous.
Despite the distance, relatively low power, and challenging terrain, the little radio did pull in the station, although it only worked outdoors in just the right location. This proves the concept, and a solar radio with even a modest external antenna should provide very good reception.
My pastor said that she left the radio with the pastor in Masimike, and told him that if he didn’t need it to pass it along to someone who would like it. She reported that she never saw it again, so I suspect it’s now in the hands of one of the young people shown in some of these pictures. I hope they enjoy a taste of the magic of radio!
If you click on the Facebook logo below, you can see more pictures of the challenging radio environment where this little set is pulling in the weak signal.