[Electronics-talk] First User Review of Narrator HD Radio

[Gerald Levy]

Following is a brief review of the highly-anticipated Narrator HD Radio that was posted by someone named Steve on another blind-techrelated mailing list.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly his:

> "For all the hoopla, and touting about its accessibility, I guess I was 
> expecting more than a piece of below-average junk.  Here are my quick 
> findings:
>
> 1.  As with most Am sections, the radio is completely deaf without 
> connecting its loop antenna.  I've only had the radio for a couple hours, 
> and haven't figured out a way to attach the loop to the radio.  It has 
> enough wire that it could be placed on a wall.
>
> 2.  Similarly the Fm dipole is a must.  Interestingly, instead of the F 
> connectors that most tuners use these days, this has a cable type screw-on 
> connector.  Sensitivity is good, selectivity and immunity to overload on 
> mine is only fair.
>
> 3.  Menu Accessibility:  It doesn't say this in the main radio manual so 
> unless you look at the Quick-Start Guide for the Blind, you won't know 
> that the Menu Mode is disabled when you are in accessibility mode.  You 
> enable accessibility mode by pressing the power button, the lefthand 
> button on the top with the Select Button which is the lower-left button on 
> the front of the radio.
>
> It appears that in this mode, you can set the time by holding the display 
> button in for two seconds.  You can also set the alarm time for Alarm 1 
> and Alarm 2.  You can press either alarm to be informed that it is on or 
> off. What sighties can do is determine whether the alarm wakes you with 
> radio or a tone, this doesn't seem to work in accessibility mode.  Sighted 
> people can also access the menu and make all sorts of other adjustments 
> such as 12 or 24-hour time, tuning modes like U.S. or International Am/Fm 
> band limits and channel spacing,Lcd color and brightness, etc.  These are 
> only available in the menu when the accessibility mode is turned off.
>
> There is an option in the menu under the regular non-accessible mode to 
> see what the hardware/software version of this radio is.  However, there 
> isn't a Usb or some other port to update the software, so even if a new 
> version came out, I don't know if there is a way to update it.  The manual 
> doesn't state that this is possible.
>
> Also, there is no way to control the radio's verbosity.  The buttons 
> typically give you way too much feedback.  For example, if you press the 
> volume up button, it says something like Volume Up.  That type of feedback 
> is nice when you are familiarizing yourself with the radio, but I think 
> after a day or so it would be too verbose.  It would be nice to be able to 
> set it to advanced mode, where it wouldn't continue to be so verbose.
>
> Sound quality is better than a $29 off-the-shelf clock radio, but that 
> isn't saying a whole lot for it.  Those of you who have had the Sony Dream 
> Machine, this doesn't compare to it as far as sound quality.  I think the 
> manual is written incorrectly.  It claims it has 4 two-inch speakers, but 
> without ripping off the front grill or voiding my right to return the 
> radio, it looks more like it has two four-inch speakers.
>
> I am not sure if I will keep this radio or not.  Since I don't need a 
> clock radio with all sorts of other alarm options, it is one of those 
> things that might be nice, but not sure it is worth the cost.  It can 
> receive Hd stations, but not the radio reading service subcarriers.  In 
> accessibility mode, you can't bookmark songs, read the Hd display for 
> data, or other things that I would have thought would have been made 
> available if the IAAIS was as involved with the design as they were."