> The radioShark records the broadcasts to computer for later
> listening. It's about 50-70 most places online, what are
> your opinions on it?
>
I personally own a radioShark (for PC--a Mac version is also available), as I received it as a gift from some friends at college.
I find it to be a really fun device. At the most basic level, it provides an AM/FM tuner for your computer. This makes it neat for when you have a laptop you're using somewhere and just want to listen to radio.
As already mentioned, radioShark also records radio. You can do instant recording or schedule the software to record later and minimize the software to your tray. The PC version has 4 default recording formats, 128k WMA, 96k WMA, 64k WMA, and Wav (not sure about that one). But, you can also create your own recording format based on bitrate, audio frequency, and other things (ie 128k, 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo). I've not ventured into that though, because the WMAs seem to suffice with me.
The hardware (PC version) is USB interface and comes with a 3 ft. USB extender on top of its built in 3 ft USB cable. The unit also has a 1/8" headphone jack for use of an external antenna. I've used a basic 6 ft. headphone extension cord that sort of improved reception.
Speaking of reception: FM is pretty good. All city-grade signals will come in clearly, but if they aren't city grade, then they will not be too audible (granted this can change with a good external antenna I suppose). AM reception for me has been pretty dreadful, especially above 1000 kHz. The unit also doesn't perform too well inside of thick concrete block walls (such as a college dorm room).
As mentioned earlier, if you have audio out on your stereo and a line in on your computer, it is no different, except that you have to have your stereo on. The radioShark eliminates the need for a radio with audio out.
For more on this product, you can go to the maker's website:
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/radioshark/
Hope this helps.
