SEMIERPortable AM FM SW Bluetooth Radio with 1200mah Rechargeable Battery, Small Shortwave Radio Digital Tuning, LCD Display, Support USB and Micro SD Card, Build-in Bass Speaker and Earphone Jack

This Semier SM-817 sets a standard for what a radio can be for such a small cost. I collect radios and a major weakness is a need to possess interesting radios. Semier is a company that has never let me down. Every Semier has been solid, well constructed and fully functional. Decent solid radios that give just a little more fun. This one, the SM-817 provides both AM, Shortwave and FM radio bands. And they all work. I get my desired local stations without problem that other radios encounter. (I live in an apartment in a mountain surrounded canyon).Bluetooth links to phone and computer without a problem. BAM!! I get the sound I want, when I want it. It sounds great for the size. Very nice sound through headphone too. No hiss and sounds just fine with no loud clicks to hurt ears when switching band or function. This means good, well designed circuitry IMHO. Further evidence of good design and hardware is the battery life. It lasts and lasts. It comes with the large 18650 1200mAh battery already installed that can easily be swapped out for another fresh or more powerful one if ever the need arises. Or, it also can take the often reviled BL-5C slim phone battery (not included) which I don't think is even mentioned by the seller. I really love having alternate power options and this one works. I might, NO, I am in the minority appreciating that my Semier radios use the Mini USB for charging and power. The mini is far more durable and easier to use than the micro almost universally used by cell phones. Many radio manufactures opt for the micro even though, unlike phones, there is plenty of room for the slightly larger Mini port for radio. The only reason to justify a micro port on a device is space, and almost every radio has space for a decent connector. I have NEVER had an mini cord fail or Mini input jack fail. This is what you want or should want till USB-C becomes the universal standard in a future more perfect world. But of now I am so happy with the choices and quality Semier provides. That said, I do recognize in this heated and divided society we find ourselves, we do not need another issue to divide us. But, even so, I will tolerate political division, respect religious beliefs, racial diversity...but I will discriminate against those who demand Micro USB when a Mini USB is a viable option. There, I said it. But if my divisive opinions ignite social disorder....so be it. I have my radio to keep in touch, mp3 audiobooks and music on TF micro sd card and USB flash drive plugged into this radio. I am ready for anything.This radio is larger than a pocket portable. But it is portable. Comes with a neat faux leather carry strap. The LCD screen is easily readable with large easy for old people like me to read. There is however, just too little info in my opinion. It does show AM and FM frequency alright, but does not show anything but a time count for mp3 play. Says playing mp3...but big deal....Is it playing from USB flash drive or SD card? Who knows? I want to know. It would be nice to have other info too...like what is on the mp3 track now playing. But that is not a deal breaker. It works and sounds good. Picks up all my local radio stations. And it is a radio. One of the good ones. It just does more and does it pretty well. So it is a good value and at any price below $25 delivered, a really really good deal and no reason not to buy. This would be a welcome surprise for any child on Christmas day. Put something fun on the mp3 chip like the audio from Simpson's or other favorite TV show or cartoon. Old time radio audio. There are so many free options just a Google search away. Lone Ranger or Orphan Annie....Suspense Theater...will turn this radio into a really neat gift. So buy two...you will want to keep one of these for yourself.

Receives well, but the power switch isn't the most durable. Good for the money.

Good value multifeatured radio. AM. and FM reception is quite sensitive.The speakers are tuned to voice reception like talk shows!USB and TF playback is ok.One gripe I have is the lettering is a bit hard to read under low lighting conditions.I would have liked an option for a brighten color.A Recommendation for the next model is to put the switch in a better location so you don’t have to fumble turning it on.

Good product

It is larger than I thought it would be. The backlight causes the radio to make loud noise when it is on. I haven't figured out how to disable it. When tuned to fm it displays the frequency buy on am the display turns off as the radio plays. On the plus side both am and fm reception are quite good. I like the ability to use a 18650 or bl5c battery is a nice option. Would I buy this again? I initially said no, however I did buy a second one. I like the use of a 18650 battery, however I also want better sound quality, and better navigation for songs on card memory. Two other interesting low priced radios I like are the Retekess v115, and the Boespatr B003. I like theV115 since it has good folder navigation of songs on the card, and it displays plenty of information when playing songs in the card. Imo sound quality is better than on the sm-817, but still not so great. The Boespatr B003 navigates card memory just by song number, however imo it's sound quality is better than the v115. Both the b003 and v115 use a bl-5c battery.

Rechargeable battery is good - great for talk radio For music find a unit with a larger speaker, this unit has great reception. and is easy to carry around and seems rugged

There should be better instructions about how to use the Short Wave function. When I try to change SW frequencies, nothing changes so whether it is a malfunction or something else, I cannot say. This is where some detailed instructions about how to use the SW would have been essential. Another drawback is that at the lowest volume(1) it seems fairly loud so you cannot use it at your bedside at night. It also goes to loudness 6-7 when you turn it on so you have to quickly turn it down. It's unfortunate that the volume starts that loud and gets louder. I would say the quality is good but the radio functionality, ease of tuning suffer due to the issues with volume and SW tuning.

This radio arrived within 36 hours---flown from Sacramento to my Kentucky door overnight. I immediately liked the size of the radio: larger than ultra portable and small enough to carry anywhere. The sound is surprisingly amplified and listenable. You might not want to listen to Mozart"s horn concertos on this baby, but music sounds pretty good and the human voice quite appealing. I initially scanned about 70 FM stations. Had to delete a few. Enjoyed listening to the FM so much, it took me a while to try the AM. Daytime AM reception is local and limited, but it lights up at night. I think I picked up WHO Des Moines, WRVA Richmond, Most Chicago stations. Could use AM active or passive antennae to pick up more stations. Daytime Shortwave is a struggle--as usual. But--luckily--the sun set once again and Shortwave was fairly productive. The unit scans and sets received stations on all bands. You will have to delete the spurious stations it will receive. Which is easily done. The Bluetooth worked so well, I used it all night. Easy as pie to connect. USB works fine. MicroSD on board as well. Uses one 18650 battery or BL5C. I think it is 1250 mAh, but I put a more powerful battery in the unit. The unit has no auxillary in and will not record. Overall--at this price point--it is an irresistible buy and I recommend the radio. (One other note: use a longwire antenna with shortwave you will receive more stations with more clarity and intensity.) Thanks!!