Alternative to Pure Move DAB - Roberts Eco-1 maybe ?? - Advice needed plse

g4fne · 13-08-2009, 5:21 PM

My Pure Move DAB radio has died, so i need a replacement. I mainly listen to talkSPORT & 5live when fishing for 48hours or so & have no mains power back up
The Pure Move has given excellent service, but would of preferred it to last more than a couple of years. It also niggle a little that it has a built "special" battery that costs over £20 to replace.

So, the only DAB comparison i can find is the Roberts Eco-1 which has a built in charger for AA batteries. Problem is, i can find no-one who can tell me how long a set of these batteries last .... can anyone answer this for me ??
Can anyone recommend an alternative ??

My other option is to revert back to good ol' fashioned AM/MW type. The problem there is, the AM/MW signal in my area seems pretty ropey from what i can tell (car etc) .... Is there a radio on the market that can draw in a good AM reception ??

Whatever i buy it needs to be a small palm sized radio & run on AA batteries, a real bonus would be a sleep function

fozziebear39 · 13-08-2009, 7:51 PM

Sorry g4fne to build your hopes up with a reply

I am just reinforcing what you are asking for. I love DAB, mainly listen to 5live so AM was horrible. I am looking to buy a small DAB radio for my father in law. The Pure Move seems to be the one as the battery life seems to be poor on the rest of them. I have just found out that they draw a lot of power when off!!

The Pure Move still seems a tad big, I wanted to get him a 'pocket' one. I have the Bush one but it eats batteries, and the Pure 1500 is a bit old.

So anyone recommend a pocket DAB, the Roberts Eco-1 is promising.

fozziebear39 · 13-08-2009, 8:07 PM

The Pure Move is back to the top of the list. g4fne I understand the 2 years and replacement battery problems, is it just the battery that is dead? Did you have any other problems with it? You said it gave excellent service. sounds good to me. I need to get one at the weekend.
Cheers

g4fne · 13-08-2009, 8:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fozziebear39

The Pure Move is back to the top of the list. g4fne I understand the 2 years and replacement battery problems, is it just the battery that is dead? Did you have any other problems with it? You said it gave excellent service. sounds good to me. I need to get one at the weekend.
Cheers

In the 2years i had it, it was very good

ProfessorYaffle · 14-08-2009, 2:49 PM

Rechargeable AA batteries for high drain devices do typically have a tendency to drain, even when not in use. That's NiMh cells for you.

However, there are exceptions. I have a Bush PSDAB2004 personal DAB which has given me 5 years great service. It's a bit retro looking but simple to use with a good tuner. It's got a rubbery outer skin that may be useful should you have just handled a slippery fish too!

As the batteries last only 6-8 hours (alkaline), I invested in some Powerex rechargeable cells. These were OK, but suffered from the self-drain issue if I didn't use the radio for a week.

I then did some research and invested in some Sanyo Eneloop batteries. These things are very impressive - 85% charged even without charging them before first use.

So, I have 2 sets on the go (the radio takes 2) and this covers me for my daily commute (I listen about 8 hours a week, so a single set lasts a week or more).

The radio can be had for £39.99 or less. The batteries are around £8 for 4 but well worth it. Get a 1 hour/90 minute charger (£10-£20) and enough batteries to last a fishing trip and you're done. If you drive, many chargers come with a lead to power off your cigarette lighter should you need to.

It's at least another option...

g4fne · 14-08-2009, 2:52 PM

thanks for responses folks. I picked up a Roberts Eco-1 this morning & going to "test drive" over the weekend .... couldnt resist the fact that it takes 4 x AA batteries, has built in charger & should last about 25hours (apparantly) ... couple sets of rechargeable should be more than plenty ..... i hope

fozziebear39 · 14-08-2009, 8:25 PM

Looking forward to the review

ProfessorYaffle · 14-08-2009, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g4fne

thanks for responses folks. I picked up a Roberts Eco-1 this morning & going to "test drive" over the weekend .... couldnt resist the fact that it takes 4 x AA batteries, has built in charger & should last about 25hours (apparantly) ... couple sets of rechargeable should be more than plenty ..... i hope

This radio has evidently passed me by it seems (although I wasn't looking for one and am not a big fan of modern Roberts' radios in terms of quality) but I'm interested now should mine die, due to the 25 hours of battery life and positive reviews. Looks a great choice at a little over £50.

Here's a review from my favourite gadget site. It's a shame it takes 7 hours to charge the batteries - I'd be using my 90 minute one in that case.

Don't forget to try the Sanyo Eneloop batteries if you're ever in the need of some new cells.

g4fne · 14-08-2009, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfessorYaffle

This radio has evidently passed me by it seems (although I wasn't looking for one and am not a big fan of modern Roberts' radios in terms of quality) but I'm interested now should mine die, due to the 25 hours of battery life and positive reviews. Looks a great choice at a little over £50.

Here's a review from my favourite gadget site. It's a shame it takes 7 hours to charge the batteries - I'd be using my 90 minute one in that case.

Don't forget to try the Sanyo Eneloop batteries if you're ever in the need of some new cells.

Are the Sanyo Eneloop batteries better than a 2500mah Energizer or Famehart equivalant ??

ProfessorYaffle · 15-08-2009, 8:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g4fne

Are the Sanyo Eneloop batteries better than a 2500mah Energizer or Famehart equivalant ??

Not tried Famehart, but the Eneloops certainly are better than the Energizer, Uniross and Powerex cells I've tried at holding on to their charge when not in continual use. Haven't tried a continual test but over 2 week's use when commuting, I get at least 8 hours out of them when others discharged after a week's use - this is down to self drain. I'm intrigued now, so may try a side-by-side test some day when used continuously.

Incidentally, the Roberts looks like many a previous Roberts personal radio, so didn't leap out at me as a pocket radio - is it small enough to fit in a trouser pocket? I'd primarily use such a radio with earphones, so has anyone got any experiences with regards to reception in this mode - i.e. when telescopic aerial not in use but earphones attached?

g4fne · 15-08-2009, 8:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfessorYaffle

Not tried Famehart, but the Eneloops certainly are better than the Energizer, Uniross and Powerex cells I've tried at holding on to their charge when not in continual use. Haven't tried a continual test but over 2 week's use when commuting, I get at least 8 hours out of them when others discharged after a week's use - this is down to self drain. I'm intrigued now, so may try a side-by-side test some day when used continuously.

Incidentally, the Roberts looks like many a previous Roberts personal radio, so didn't leap out at me as a pocket radio - is it small enough to fit in a trouser pocket? I'd primarily use such a radio with earphones, so has anyone got any experiences with regards to reception in this mode - i.e. when telescopic aerial not in use but earphones attached?

The Roberts Eco-1 I have is too big to fit into a pocket unfortunately & they do look smaller from pictures on the web than in the flesh.

Be really interested to hear how you get on comparing the batteries on continous use, as this is how i use my radio. 48-72hours solid, couple times of month so i tend to keep my batteries fully charged in between times anyway.

The Roberts will have to perform really well to compare favourably with my previous Pure Move. I realise it cant compete with 40hours battery life of the Pure Move, but if it surpasses that wih 2sets of batteries i will be happy.

My intitial concerns are .... It does not have a sleep function (neither did the Pure Move ... very frustrating) & it doesnt have a flip out leg/stand to give stability.

g4fne · 19-08-2009, 6:08 PM

Had the Roberts Eco-1 for nearly week & i am a little dissapointed with battery life. Roberts quoted up to 25hours using 4hours a day.
I've tried Famehart 2500mah & Energizer 2500mah batteries & i'm getting between 15 & 18hours so far.
I've ordered a set of Sanyo Eneloop batteries in the hope i can improve on this

fozziebear39 · 19-08-2009, 7:10 PM

Thanks for your reviews. I got the Pure Move in the end from John Lewis, they give it 2 years warranty. Just giving it it's first full charge before wrapping it up for a present.

ProfessorYaffle · 31-10-2009, 8:35 PM

An update on the Sanyo Eneloop batteries - had to use my Bush PSDAB2004 for an extended period and got 11 hours out of it (typically 6-8 hours on alkaline).

The batteries are 2000mAh (presumably an optimal figure at the moment for the technology/chemistry they've used to greatly reduce self-drain). I'm more than happy with their performance (typically used daily) and will be getting more for my other daily use devices. They really come into their own when used in devices you may not use for a day or two as they keep around 80% of their charge when not in use for a period of time. Highly recommended.

I'd be interested to hear what other peoples experiences compare.

g4fne · 31-10-2009, 9:56 PM

I get between 15 & 18 hours using Sanyo Eneloops in my Roberts Eco-1 DAB radio. They get recharged after use & put in the drawer for at least 2or3 weeks before using again.

goldeneye243 · 26-05-2010, 8:11 AM

As there is experience of both the Pure Move and Roberts Ecologic 1, I was wondering which would be considered the best unit for fishing as in the original post?

If you had the choice or either again, which one would you buy?

g4fne · 26-05-2010, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldeneye243

As there is experience of both the Pure Move and Roberts Ecologic 1, I was wondering which would be considered the best unit for fishing as in the original post?

If you had the choice or either again, which one would you buy?

Roberts Eco-1 would be my choice if i had to buy again ... for the following reasons .....

1) - The fact it runs on AA's makes it far more versatile when away on longer trips

2) - Too many refurbished/reconditioned models of the Pure Move about, which leads me to believe the reliability seems to be an issue (was with mine)

3) - The Roberts is generally a better sounding & superior quality unit imo ..... so far