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 Printed on the back of the radio is the web address for "Digital DJ" but the web site is no longer valid - it takes you one of those "This Domain is For Sale" pages.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.