Southeast Texas DXer

The Exciting Adventures of a Radio DX'er from Southeast Texas

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Sharp DRW-V2 "Digital DJ"


Found this very unusual-looking radio on eBay.

For less than $20 (including shipping), I figured, what could I lose? The "Digital DJ" was designed to be a "data Radio" (sorry, not HD or DRM ...) that would receive stock quotes, news feeds, etc. using DRIS technology (similar to SCA transmissions). Well, there are no such stations here in Houston, but I like the radio, anyway. It has a unique design, operates using 2 AAA batteries, and has 30 station presets (15 on AM, 15 on FM). Interestingly, the headphones don't kill the speaker unless you slide the "Hold" switch on the back of the radio. Once that is done, you get very good sounding FM stereo through the headphones, but you can't go to a different band (AM or FM) or a different station -- the "Hold" switch is on. I wonder why Sharp designed it that way.

It has a fairly large LCD screen (3 x 1.25 inches)with indigo-blue backlighting. It has 5 buttons labeled A through E that serve different functions depending on the mode selected. The speaker, although small, has a good sound, clear enough to be usable at one's desk or computer.

The back of the radio has a flip-out stand, but I seldom use it. Printed on the back of the radio is the web address for "Digital DJ" but the web site is no longer valid - it takes you one of those "This Domain is For Sale" pages. Ugh!

Anyway, the radio has a calendar, an alarm, and is manually tuned by using up/down buttons. It's not a DX machine, but it's a pretty neat shirt-pocket radio. For me, it's a keeper.

11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does the Sharp DRW-V2 radio have a "Sleep Timer"? Thanks. dhunt2@yahoo.com

Sun Feb 18, 08:37:00 PM CST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just got one on Overstock.com for about $25. It doesn't have a sleep timer, but through headphones it's a good performer -- AM fidelity is pretty good considering how AM seems so much an afterthought in most receivers. I discovered the hold switch has 3 positions: Hold with speaker off, and unlocked with speaker off or on, so you can tune it with headphones plugged in. I think the speaker stays on when you plug in phones because the phone wire is also the FM antenna.

Sat Oct 06, 11:24:00 AM CDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How can I get the manual insnruction in English for DRW-V2 ?

Fri Dec 05, 01:23:00 PM CST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How can I get the manual insnruction in English for DRW-V2 ?

Fri Dec 05, 01:31:00 PM CST  
Blogger SETXDXER said...

I don't remember receiving a manual with mine when I purchased it. I've looked online using the Google search engine, but cannot find one.

Wed Dec 10, 03:12:00 PM CST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just bought the DRW-V2 at Tuesday Morning $12.99, new in the box with english instructions. Impressive quality. Claimed original price was $41.99.

Fri Dec 19, 05:52:00 PM CST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I guess the radio would have used RDS or a forerunner to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Data_System

Mon Feb 02, 06:21:00 PM CST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another blogger has a good explanation for what it was here: http://dx-nexus.blogspot.com/ . The short version would be "a failed '90's attempt at realtime stock price broadcasting." Incidentally, original price was $199, with $49/mo realtime stock reception, according to a press release he found.

Mon Mar 16, 01:14:00 AM CDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just purchased this radio (DRW-V2) at Tuesday Morning in Chapel Hill,NC for $11. it has a good sound and the am band picks up my 2 favorite stations! it came in a box with stereo headphones and operation manual. I'm happy with it.

Thu Oct 15, 06:21:00 PM CDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Like the previous commenter, I too purchased the radio at a Tuesday Morning store, this one is in Erie, Pennsylvania. I like the radio because it does receive my two favorite AM stations and does a great job with all local FM stations. I am looking for the recommended AC adaptor DEP-2U. Does anyone know where I could find one?

Wed Feb 24, 02:51:00 PM CST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I bought this radio today 25aprelya 2014. on sale for $ 4. he loved its design and quality of work. my email - sem1505@bezeqint.net

Fri Apr 25, 10:29:00 AM CDT  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home