Retekess TR604 AM FM Radio Review

[@todderbert]

▶ The Retekess TR604 at Amazon USA: amzn.to/2ys23EP ▶ Todd's Shop: www.amazon.com/shop/todderbert (paid links) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you.

[@garyblackerby3226]

Todderbert, I always admire your efforts on reviewing radios of varying quality and it always keeps me here watching until the very end. You perform a great service in giving viewers your perceptions of each radio. Cost versus quality on so many variables help people to decide with limited information available on these selections. Great job!

[@AMFMDX]

Under "Protect Your Hearing", I enjoyed the first one: "Use the lowest volume necessary to do your job" - clearly talking to Chinese factory workers.

[@357bullfrog2]

Got mine in the mail this morning and I'm still playing with it but so far I'm impressed with it. It is a little bit rough as far as the dial and by that I mean it's hard to tune in a weak fm station from a strong one that's close by but it will do it. I'm in a bad location for reception too but this little radio seems like it's gonna do the job

[@tvradio1972]

It looks like a poor man's GE Superadio 3. Retekess dropped the ball on this one, but at least I got a great review out of it. Thanks for saving me some money.

[@todderbert]

I really like that dial, but save up for an original GE SR. You will love it! Found some new daytime logs on MW today with it. Walking around the block carrying that beast got some stares...but it was awesome :)

[@jeffking4176]

TVRadio1972 It does look like a Superadio lll. ( and I own one - a great radio , provided you get the G.E. version).

[@stevenemert837]

@@todderbert Yes - but as you said, get the ORIGINAL GE Superadio. I have a later version that uses the varistor tuning and it drifts all over the place (and I'm not convinced it's as sensitive as the original either). I know there are some potential mods to improve it, but haven't tried them yet. When I first saw thumbnail for the video I thought it may be a GE SR clone until you outlined the size.

[@NickelodeonTuber]

The Sony ICF-19 has no AC plug but is a good radio for AM broadcast dx. For that purpose, I would not use AC because of line noise and do not miss it. It could use a HANDLE! LOL Thanks for the review and the honest comments.

[@MrSparks54]

Thanks Todd, I've been wanting to see a review of this radio.

[@todderbert]

You're Welcome MrSparks. Always on the lookout for a decent, high performing, inexpensive DSP radio.

[@357bullfrog2]

The thing about radio is if it does what it's supposed to to do its ok. Reception is all depending on location. I have to use a outside antenna to receive stations on FM where I'm located.

[@todderbert]

The radio is nice, but the AM band suffers from internal issues.

[@ArndroidInc]

To bad it’s not so good. I like the form factor. The dial is kinda retro looking. Kinda reminds me of the Super Radio.

[@BarnokRetro]

Funny that the Brewers game came up, that's exactly what I'm looking for a new radio for. I want to listen to the games while I'm camping and so many radios aren't up to even listening to baseball on stations 50 miles away.

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

220V version are also available on Aliexpress, and Amazon UK.

[@passager01]

I have this radio . The FM reception is quite good but AM is rather poor with crackling issues . Retekess releases a newer similar model , the TR633 with some improvements : more attractive design , power LED and tune LED .

[@todderbert]

The TR633 has the crackling issue as well on AM. When the signal is strong this becomes apparent.

[@passager01]

@@todderbert That's annoying . I am a bit pissed off , should have bought the Prunus J-15 .

[@nasrullahbakumpaichannel]

Betwen TR604 and TR626, how high sensitivity in fm

[@channel-dw7ei]

There's just something about this radio i like!! Pretty cool

[@todderbert]

It has a decent look. The dial is actually one of the best I've seen in awhile.

[@ignaciojreyes6247]

Definitely I waste my money when I bought a Retekess TR604; the volume control is of poor quality! I ended up buying the Sony months ago and I have no complaints!

[@357bullfrog2]

I'm seriously considering this radio. Especially since two hands and a radio has demonstrated how easy a out door antenna is to set up. I like your and his reviews but it seems reception is subjective as to where your located

[@todderbert]

It is, and so are conditions. Some radios handle RFI better as well. So playing my Daytime MW bandscan videos will show you how well a particular radio compares to another. Same time of day, and same location with all RFI causing devices turned off.

[@texaspatriots6035]

Just ordered one of these for 20.00. If it lasts a couple of months on my shop work table it was worth it....all I listen to is am radio anyway

[@jeffreyduff4269]

I own one of these and it has become my 'go-to' AM radio. Great reception and good sound quality. Either I got an unusually good TR604 or you got an unusually poor example.of this radio! I simply have no problems like you have had with your TR604. Perhaps you should exercise your warranty and see if the replacement Retekess has the same problems as your current example? (It would also be an interesting way to see if the Retekess warranty is any good?)

[@highdesert50]

Does appear to be defective. Unfortunate when a company fails to do a simple quality control check before packaging. I have a Retekess PR15, based on a todderbert review, that is a very acceptable radio. Luck or has quality control slipped?

[@todderbert]

@@highdesert50 I would say quality control is down. I was unimpressed with the TR-102 also.

[@todderbert]

Hard to say, mine could have been a one off bad example, and I may revisit another in the future.

[@blueee100]

@@todderbert I got a TR-604 and the same thing happened with the AM. Crackling and breaking up on certain stations. Seems to be the amount of modulation the station uses that this radio can't handle as it happens on certain stations only. I mentioned this to the company through Amazon.

[@todderbert]

@@blueee100 They fixed it on the TR-604W: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqTSd42Lrdhrp5Y

[@seka1986]

I really like the dial.

[@tmthanhable]

Hi all! Is the TR-604 an analog tuner ?

[@todderbert]

DSP, Analog Scale.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Does that radio use the Silicon Labs Radio chips.

[@sathyasuvisesham6705]

Can you say which radio has the best MW reception? You tested so many radios . So you know. Thank you

[@todderbert]

CC Radio 2E/3 Daytime kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqfGYmiKaK6ikLs , Original CC Radio during the Evening kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWeYdJewepqfbrc .

[@johnyoung4039]

I had a nice little am, fm, sw radio and it had a similar problem. Talk about dissapointment. The sad thing is, it looked great.

[@sixshootinparker3823]

Amazon reviews on this radio are among the best for portable radios, 4.3 out of 5 stars/82 ratings. Excerpt from buyer RLG's review: "Took [Retekess TR604] to the park during the afternoon along with my Sony ICF-36 and Tecsun PL-680. [TR604] equaled or surpassed those radios on AM for distant station reception. Last night I was having trouble getting 650 AM Nashville so tried about eight radios and the TR604 was the best." Sounds like a winner, and a good buy.

[@todderbert]

Glad you got a good example. A friend and myself both have issues with the AM band.

[@sixshootinparker3823]

@@todderbert Well I haven't bought one yet, just reading/watching reviews. Some really like theirs and a few not as much. It's like anything mass produced; hopefully Retekess worked out any bugs. I like the other features, like good, full sound and strong FM performance, along with D-battery capacity. I may give the TR604 a try.

[@todderbert]

@@sixshootinparker3823 Worth a shot, buy it from a vendor with a good return policy. BTW, I love their new TR103...what a cool micro radio.

[@upendrashanbhag600]

Very nice piece.

[@johnyoung4039]

It has a lot of treble. I hear what you mean.

[@dancarlton7973]

The tuning sounds too noisy even for casual non-DX listening.

[@marcosmza1962]

Another lemon of this brand like overrated V-115 almost deaf in SW. Thanks for save our money again!

[@orgelkraft]

I took my V-115 out in the woods after everyone said It was the noise in my house causing all my problems. Mine is not only deaf on SW it has internal noise on FM... SO basically it's the worse radio I own. Retekess is right up there with QFX in my book...

[@marcosmza1962]

@@orgelkraft Thanks for the feedback. I tought I was the only one 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@orgelkraft]

@@marcosmza1962 Having seen the proof that some of them DO work, I guess the quality control must be all over the place. How could you make a single chip radio with that much variation in quality? It must take a special skill!! On the positive side it seems well built. It is a radio I would love to love.

[@todderbert]

In defense of the V-115, if you got a working one(big IF), then you would be happy with it's local MW and FM performance. The MP3 player sounds good on it, and the record feature works in most cases. I carried one for a month and was happy with it's basic performance and versatility. But now, you have no idea what your going to get with this company. They keep emailing me to review more of their radios...at this point in time I am not going to.

[@jeffking4176]

📻🙂

[@tvradio1972]

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come from Retekess. First, the TR102 from Two Hands and a Radio and now this radio from Todderbert. The quality of this brand is starting to slip.

[@jeffking4176]

TVRadio1972 Yeah, seems to be a trend with these companies. Break into the market with some awesome products, get everyone excited, then start pumping out cheap low quality junk. 📻🙂