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My Insignia HD Radio died again!

N

nd2023

Banned
All of a sudden my portable HD radio isn't working anymore. The screen is constantly backlit with nothing displaying, it's not responding when I press any buttons. Even resetting it doesn't help. The battery was half charged when it died. I got this back in February, so it's out of warranty, but I still have the receipt.

Since I got my first one on Black Friday 2009, I had to replace it twice before, and now it looks like I have to replace it again. First time was when I dropped it and it lost all reception. Second time was when the screen cracked for an unknown reason. And now the software seems to have crashed. This failure isn't my fault so it should be covered by warranty, if only the warranty was long enough. I should have gotten the extended warranty knowing how flimsy this product is.

Just wish this radio was as durable as my Eton E100 which still works after 6 years, with 4 years of heavy use before I got the Insignia radio in 2009. The antenna's loose and the paint is worn out, but it works great otherwise. That radio has been dropped many times, gotten wet, and been in extreme heat and cold. But the Eton E100 is 4 times the size of the Insignia HD radio, less sensitive and selective, and no HD.

Guess that means I'll now be adding another HD radio sale and own 6 HD radios. I will get the extended warranty this time!
 
Sorry to hear that. I've not lost one yet but the first HD radio I bought was definitely defective internally and to this day is a PITA to use and doesn't pick up much in analog to do interference issues.

It would be nice if there was another, better manufacturer of radios making a portable HD unit. Insignia's cheap cut corners isn't doing the technology any favors.
 
Again: amazon.com has the Insignias starting at 11.99. I know some of these are used, but it could be that some are lightly or slightly used. Given that the tiny amount of existing HD Radio listenership is from the technophile or experimenter crowd, it would seem that this could be the way to go - as opposed to paying full boat for a new unit that, from the accounts I've read here and elsewhere, may not last much longer.

Then again you may find a NIB Insignia on the web at a substantial discount.

It's ironic that one of the generic early insults leveled at those opposing HD Radio was that we were DXers and hobbyists (or, as one fabled pro-HD nut repeatedly posted, "hobbyests".) Those descriptors appear to define something like 100% of the few HD listeners today.
 
My HD radios perform better for analog reception than my non HD radios. At least DSP radios were produced for the need to receive HD signals.
 
The early Digital TV Tuners ran hot and didn't last long. I've noticed all the HD radios I have seem to run hotter than they should.

I would be curious to know how the HD radios are stacking up against the Digital boxes in dependability.

Or if they are all "defective".

It would not surprise me if the failure rate of both is higher than we would expect.

Both have one thing in common - they seem to have been slapped together with no real world testing.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
badjef said:
The early Digital TV Tuners ran hot and didn't last long. I've noticed all the HD radios I have seem to run hotter than they should.

I would be curious to know how the HD radios are stacking up against the Digital boxes in dependability.

Or if they are all "defective".

It would not surprise me if the failure rate of both is higher than we would expect.

Both have one thing in common - they seem to have been slapped together with no real world testing.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
Click to expand...

I've had at least three of them go belly-up, plus the Insignia portable I bought at my local Best Buy didn't even work in their parking lot. It went back right away.

I don't know if it is the heat, poor craftsmanship, bad design, or a combination of all of the above. If some of these radios didn't make excellent analog tuners, I wouldn't be interested at all, especially after having to deal with the warranty issues on these things. I doubt that your average consumer would be positively impressed.
 
I let the backlight drain the battery completely all day. Just plugged it back in and it works again!

If this HD radio were a car, it would be classified as a lemon.
 
Chuck said:
I've had at least three of them go belly-up, plus the Insignia portable I bought at my local Best Buy didn't even work in their parking lot. It went back right away.
Click to expand...

This is why I'd be wary of buying used off Amazon; they probably don't have a return policy for used goods from third party vendors.

With something having as high a defect rate as these Insignia HD radios, I want to ability immediately go back to a store and swap out or get a refund.
 
To Best Buy's credit, it was no hassle to return it. They didn’t have another unit in stock, so I was happy to get accept a refund. I think I was having Buyer's Remorse by the time I got back in the store.
 
Re: .

Quality control is very uneven on the Insignia HD portables. I bought one when they first came out a few years ago. That one still works like brand new, with fairly frequent use.

A year or so later, I bought a second one, just to see if there was any improvement in processing of subchannels (especially HD3's), etc...

The functional difference between the first and second one was that if I turned them off when listening to a subchannel, the next time it was turned on the older one would start back up on the analog (HD1) of the station, while the second one would start on the HD subchannel of the station that I had been listening to. There was also a minor difference in the format of the display lighting.

However, the software frequently crashed in the newer one, requiring me to insert the end of a paperclip into the "reset" hole, and within a year, the on-off button became difficult to use and soon quit working entirely, rendering the unit dead.

Meanwhile, the first one still works like new today, and has never crashed.
 
I wonder if when you file a warranty claim, whether Insignia follows a common practice in consumer electronics today: your replacement isn't a new unit, it's remanufactured.

My GF's Droid Global 2's real keyboard crapped the bed at age approximately 6 months. We had bought the enhanced warranty, so Verizon simply shipped what they called a "new" phone. Check that: it's a refurb. And it has issues with its touchscreen.

We had the identical situation happen with a network printer, for which we got the extended warranty at Staples. The reman/replacement printer came promptly but had its own issues. The second time around, we were told to take it to a local repair depot. They fiddled and fiddled but #2 was never right either. Finally we demanded our money back from the local store manager.

Here we go again.... ::)
 
"HD Radio"—the retail consumer electronics equivalent of EOE: "Let's just find one or two models for appearance sake"... Said specimens then make their way to the "back 40" of your local Best Buy where they are creatively-hidden and ultimately discounted. When [and ONLY WHEN] said appliances hit the magic $25 price point, "radio types" who didn't claim-the-unclaimed from the station prize closet rush out to finally "take the big plunge" and splurge on a re-branded product made in a Chinese factory of questionable repute. As if that radio hasn't failed in the performance sense before removal from its packaging, it likely WILL suffer electrical failure before tree leaves drop in the customer's yard... 'So much for the old paradigm—"It was only $25 and I got a *GREAT* DEAL!"

I'll now air my first PSA here in nearly two years [albeit in HTML] for any bargain shoppers out thar' in Ray-de-O-Land who can't resist the urge to part with $25 for the mere sake of the excitement derived from the smell of freshly unboxed plastic. Regardless of one's proclivity toward technical chic, EVERYONE could use a good inexpensive old-school analog-tuned portable radio. 'Just forgo Arbys and a movie, briefly enjoy the pungent toxicity of Chinese "capitalism", make sure it works, then stow it next to your collection of Craftsman socket wrenches, and wait... The need WILL arise, and you'll be happy that you gave-up a couple faux roast beef sandwiches, curly fries, and past-prime Brad Pitt! Please accept this roadmap to the radio equivalent of a Red Roof Inn – no frills, just the thrill of being a smart shopper:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICF38-Portable-Radio-Black/dp/B0016OEV7C/ref=dp_return_2?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics

As you can see from the overwhelming 4.5-star approval of satisfied customers, the $24-and change Sony ICF38 is an unchallengeable hit. I recently purchased one to replace an Eton product that decided to take a quick dip in the river during a canoe trip. This little guy sports unanticipated audio muscularity for its size [MUCH better than the deceased $50 Grundig], well-above-pedestrian reception [especially on AM], uncanny audio quality from its robust headphone op-amp that unleashes even better audio when plugged into something bigger, AM audio rendering that demands that CBS and CC remove the figurative testicular appliance that squeezes their audio down to the level of impotence, AND even has a BUILT-IN AC transformer [NO "wall wart"]! What's missing? OH – HD "capability"... Well, last time I checked, that modulation scheme is fast becoming a new-age form of FM STL—only with a reoccurring license fee... Imagine low coverage FM digital feeding even lower-coverage FM analog :D

HAPPY SHOPPING :)
 
rtc said:
Need a lift today?
Read the three star comment "Why the Shocking?" on the Sony ICF-38 Hipporadio just mentioned:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICF38-Po...ewpoints=0&filterBy=addThreeStar&pageNumber=2
Enjoy.
Click to expand...

First, let me get some important emotional "business" out of the way...

:D :D :eek: :D :D ::)

AHHHH... Now, I'm feeling much better! Don't you love *some* Amazon customer reviews—especially by the aunt of an electronically-inquisitive "genius" step nephew who survives a 120 VAC rendezvous with only third degree burns on his chest? I hope he remembered to call and cancel his waxing appointment!

For the record, my Sony ICF38 is no-longer "out gassing"... I merely plugged it in to AC house current—paying the closest possible attention NOT to remove the FIVE well concealed screws that secure the case, dutifully observed the prominent electric shock hazard warning, and restrained myself from placing a finger inside the unit. After sliding the "smoothe" power switch to ON, I carefully moved the "tender" BAND switch to AM, tuned it to one of our fine brokered religious stations on 1560, let it play all day, and by dinner time, it had passed all its gas – Truly—a Miracle!

I couldn't help notice that NONE of the eight people bothering to rate Chubby Mama's cogent and insightful review of the Sony ICF38 voted to find it "helpful". 'Must be all those "foul out-gasses" clouding their judgment :D

Savage said:
"Darwin in action" :D
Click to expand...

I think he's on our local Community Radio gem operated by The Real Stepchild Radio of Cincinnati, Inc.—88.3 WAIF – just before the electronic drum machine music hour later this evening. The last time their transmitter was on-frequency and working properly, they were cranking out a whopping 1.6kw, so I hope my little Sony can snag their signal. You know what three-star Amazon reviewer C. Turner said: "You gets what you pays for. This little radio is so-so, but so is its price."
 
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