Another HD Radio question (of the portable kind)

[sox fan matt]

I love my tabletop HD Radio, but was thinking of getting either the NS HD 01 or the newer model (NSIGNIA HD Radio Portable Player with 2.4" Touch-Screen Display NS-HD02)..just for when I'm walking and exercising around town. Any one have any pros or cons about these two models?

 

[spunker88]

I have the HD01. Personally I prefer something with physical buttons vs a touch screen since it can be operated without looking at the device once you become accustomed to the button layout.

 

[nd2023]

The one with the touchscreen is less sensitive than the NSHD01

 

[brian.marchand]

I have but do not use the NS-HD02. Battery life for it is very short. The touchscreen is hard to use and the reception is worse.

I have the NS-HD01A and the NSHD-01 and they are much better radios. But I hate that every time you turn them on they resort back to the HD01.

 

[AlNYRadio]

I have both of them, one got from Best Buy a long time ago, and one from eBay recently a few months ago priced less than before (NS-HD01 originally 49.99 and the NS-HD02 69.99 but got it for less), and have to say I like the NS-HD01 slightly better. It feels normal to press buttons on the NS-HD01, and with the touchscreen with the NS-HD02, at times it doesn't do as I want, plus if you press too many times in a short amount of time, it freezes, and turns itself off a long time after (10+ minutes). Reception wise, they are the same, both very well in my opinion!

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Maybe somebody from the HD alliance could persuade CCrane to make and sell HD portables. If anybody could pack the sensitivity and decent antenna required into a portable required for HD - they could.

 

[AlNYRadio]

Forgot to mention, the selectivity is pretty good for both, as I can (at times) get the main station in NYC and the next channel be without any spilling a very distant station (i.e. 105.9 WQXR and 106.1 WBLI), but I have to give the most credit to the NS-HD01 again, plus the NS-HD01 costs less and the NS-HD02 is out of stock (unless Amazon, eBay, etc for different prices).

 

[RadioDoogie]

I have the NS HD01 and NS HD01A. Both are great. Reception is about as good as a car stereo. Most portable analog radios I've had in the past take on lots of interference. The NSHD01A does not do this. I know that Best Buy does not carry the NSHD02 anymore. Make sure you try and get the 01A because it is the new style and you can be sure that the latest firmware has been installed. The latest is 4.00.16.

 

[iyiyi]

The Insignia NS HD01 is an excellent little radio. It has reasonable sensitivity and selectivity. It has RDS. The radio easily fits into a shirt pocket, even with your cell phone, with little hassle. It has a neat little armband that keeps the radio out of the way but doesn't hurt reception. I get 10-12 hours of continuous play per charge. Excellent companion for a tool caddy or laptop bag. If it starts bugging, there is a handy reset switch that quickly fixes things. Sound with the included earbuds is reasonable quality for such a device.

Gently pressing the buttons and holding them down briefly gets much better response than mashing them like I was trying to do for the longest time. Took me an embarrassingly long time to figure it out!

-

 

[kevtronics]

The RDS is almost worthless on my NS-HD01. The text comes out so choppy and garbled that you can hardly read it, even on a very strong signal. My Coby HDR-650 does a MUCH better job of decoding RDS.

 

[KB1OKL]

I'm a ham and a DXer and I thought I was part of a minority until I came to this forum. There are about 700,000 hams and about 6 HD radio listeners.

 

[RadioDoogie]

Looks like the portable Insignia NS-HD01a is discontinuing after a six year run. Noticed it was on close out today at Best Buy for $25. Bought the last one they had. I noticed online over the past few months that the availability was shrinking at all of the stores and that the price online had gone down to $29.99. Don't see a future replacement online.