timer recording radio
rckchp
playback.... need a small radio with a built in casette recorder with
a built in on/off timer function....any advice appreciated. Thanks.
labtech_one
But an easy way to do this would be use a $6.00 light timer ( turns lights
on and
off in your house at times you set ) and attach it to your radio & a
cassette recorder.
Put the tape in and press record, with the timer in the off position. When
the timer turns 'ON'
the radio ( already tuned to the frequency you want) will turn on and so
will the recorder,
and turn off in an hour or what ever you select.
If you want to get fancy, put the radio on a timer and attach to the sound
card of your
computer and use a VOX sound recorder program ( there are several
available )
from there you can listen directly from your system or make a CD of the
program
and listen to on any CD player or share it with anyone you want.
"rckchp" <rck...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1180320593.5...@u30g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
Michael Black
rare to find a good shortwave receiver with a built in cassette recorder
(in case that is your question). But now few are interested in cassettes,
so they are disappearing.
You get more luck if you don't need a single unit. You can always get
a cassette deck at a garage sale for a few dollars, and hook that up
(if some garage sale boombox doesn't suffice). Of course, the timer
complicates things.
You should maybe widen your search. People have had success using
VCRs to record audio (they obviously give hours and hours of recording
time, if set right). So long as the radio doesn't have to change
frequency, you can just leave it on, and with the audio feeding the
VCR's audio input jacks (some VCRs require a video signal, that
you'll have to do something about, in order to record audio), and
set the VCR's timer to go off at the right time.
Except that it doesn't have a line-in, lots of MP3 players now have
some sort of recording ability, off the built in microphone. Again,
that doesn't deal with the timer, but that sort of thing seems to
be taking over when recording is needed.
I suspect many at this point use their computers to record audio. Again,
if the radio is being left on a single frequency, just leave it on and
feed the audio into the computer's soundcard. Then get the computer
to start recording at the specified time. At least some operating
systems have that capability.
Michael
wavetrapper
I don't have it, but many people tell me that Total Recorder is a
wonderful piece of software for this. I think it costs under $20 for
the basic version which is more than most people will ever need.
For me, I keep the radio in on position tuned to frequency I want. My
digital timer turns the radio on/off when I want it to. Program is
recorded onto a Sharp mini-disc recorder which is sitting in stand-by
mode waiting for input from the radio. You need a radio with an old-
fashioned mechanical on/off switch to work for this. Radio timer can
also work, but I find many of them limited....only leaving the radio
on for 60 mins when you may want more time to record.
Duncan
Also have a look at the Degen DE1121. Ideal for this application.
Bob Miller
Check the offerings at the CCRadio website. They have a number of
radios, some with built-in recorders, also, a-la-carte recorders that
will hook up to radios.
bob
k5qwg
Doug Smith W9WI
> I don't have it, but many people tell me that Total Recorder is a
> wonderful piece of software for this. I think it costs under $20 for
> the basic version which is more than most people will ever need.
I use Total Recorder. It works very well; can be linked to a .mp3 or .ogg
encoder (to compress the files so you don't use all your hard disk space!
- also, you can copy the files to a MP3 player so you don't have to have a
computer to listen to them) and contains a scheduler built-in. I use it
to record across the top of the hour to (hopefully) catch station IDs on
distant AM BCB stations.
Don't remember the price offhand (I bought it a long time ago) but it's
indeed pretty inexpensive and would not at all doubt <$20.
homepc
cuh...@webtv.net
Mart store.
cuhulin
rckchp
radios....especially Duncan.....I didn't know about the Degen
1121....and I already like Degen products.....I have a Degen 1102 (see
my product review on eham.net) which is my "go to" sw portable of
choice....I like it so much that when I "lost" it awhile back I
immediately ordered another (later found the 1st so I now have a
spare.) I don't want the bother of separate recorders, timers,
connecting wires/cables, etc. The computer software methods mentioned
are interesting, but I want a small portable to accomplish recording
at and away from home....seems the Degen 1121 will do exactly what I
want....and I'm not really into music listening much but the built in
mp3 player will be a plus. Thanks again to everyone who
responded....all info is appreciated.
Rich A.
k2cpe
rck...@comcast.net
Duncan
Hi Rich
Info on the DE1121 is scarce on the web; here a comparison with the
DE1103 I wrote when I first received mine:
-
-
-review starts here
Here's my opinion after about 6 hours of use! E&OE.
==================
Foreword
Any review of the DE1121 is invariably going to dissolve into a list
of likes and (many) dislikes with a bunch of 'features we'd like to
see' thrown in. Although the firmware is updatable it is likely that
this option will be mainly reserved for bug fixes rather than
improvements to the UI. Instead I'm purely going to look at the DE1121
alongside the DE1103 (which is easily the jewel in Degen's crown). In
this vein I will largely overlook the MP3 player as the DE1103 hasn't
got one and will concentrate on the radio.
General observations.
One improvement is the overall shape; the DE1121 is more compact than
the DE1103 and less likely to topple when standing upright. The aerial
can be raised vertically when the radio is propped. The finish, a
black rubberised coating, looks prone to marks and scrapes (so look
after it) but shoudn't be affected by dinks like the metal-fronted
DE1103. It takes three AA batteries lengthways (the DE1103 is 2 x 2)
and again the battery flap is retained. Ergonomically it is quite
good; the tuning knob is less subject to accidental movement - mainly
due to its Tecsun style notchy motion - and the multitude of buttons
are easy to select. 'Awake in bed' listing is going to be difficult as
the buttons are not illuminated and are hard to find by feel, there
are no braille dots. Timekeeping is better too but this might be
sample variation.
The speaker is a little poorer with less range and is noticeably
coloured. Audio at switch-on can also be an experience, after a few
pops and bangs the volume level begins at the level set for the radio
sans-MP3 until it the player starts up and adjusts the volume again.
Also MP3 playback is much louder than radio. Luckily the volume
control has dedicated buttons unlike the more awkward and ponderous
DE1103 so this is a minor niggle.
Listening through earphones, the DE1121 is a significant improvement
with a lower noise floor from its audio amp. It can also accomodate
two sets of earphones as the MP3 jack isn't disabled when docked. The
supplied earphones are cheap quality but the audio is very good.
Performance.
Not as good as the DE1103. The lack of the high IF suggests that the
internals may have evolved from the DE1102. However FM is very
sensitive and most stations can be cleanly received with the whip
stowed. I have not experienced the instances of ghost images raised by
another user but there are no really powerful transmitters near me
(obviously I can't easily test for overloading either). A dedicated
aerial jack allows the DE31 to plug straight in and reception, as you
would expect, becomes strong and clear. SSB is also there but, in my
tests, was noticeably quiet and the volume needed to be raised to
really pick out the voices. The DE1103 is still easily the best for
SSB, the tuning wheel is better suited for chasing around. Good DX
capability on MW although again a little weaker than the DE1103;
possibly a smaller ferrite. In short, it's not going to set the world
on fire, the DE1103 is more of an out-and-out receiver.
User Interface.
Here's where it gets grim. I got the jist of it in a few hours but it
is awkward, although not unusable by any means. If this is going to be
your main radio then you should pick it up easily enough but it will
be hard to switch from this to a more conventional receiver and back.
A menu system is used so three buttons really cover most of the
functions. Nevertheless there are a few bugs apparent, especially in
the alarm / timer record areas, but these might get shaken out later.
Still it is far from intuitive.
The radio has two basic modes of operation; preset mode and normal
'search' mode. The latter is the easiest to use, and all the presets
can be temporarily brought up with one button and browsed. Tuning by
direct entry, jog wheel, +/- steps and scans (about 6 increments a
second) are all there, and an analogue tuning scale display is nicely
implemented. The jog wheel is not as good though, the DE1103 is the
better radio for aimlessly browsing the bands. One excellent feature
is the FREQ.txt file which holds 100 named stations × 4 frequencies
per station and can be uploaded from a PC into the MP3 player and
imported into the radio. This makes memory management a breeze but
there is an even bigger bonus. Whenever you tune through a band and
land on a frequency that is already stored, the station name appears
RDS-style in the display. This is a great improvement over the
DE1103's hexadecimal system. The only headache is the lack of an
export option so any new stations that you may discover and add to the
memory pages will also need to be manually added to the PC file to
keep things in sync. Nevertheless this single feature makes up for the
poorer wheel.
Conclusion.
I've now sold the DE1103 because, at the end of the day, given the
choice I would grab the DE1121 instead. Despite being easily the
better receiver, the DE1103 is plain and dull. The newcomer is fiddly,
frustrating and slightly less capable but much more fun to use in a
masochistic way and the station names and unattended recordings make
all the difference. The final factor to consider is price. The Degen
is easily worth the money. However the Kaito KA1121 is significantly
more expensive (its price has just been raised again) and the T&K
version is extortionate. It does offer wider coverage, is ROHS
compliant and is actively supported by T&K (its firmware is up to v1.3
already). However the Degen will be ROHS compliant by April and has
menus in English instead of German. Also if you really wanted the
extra coverage you would probably also want a more capable receiver in
the first place, the DE1121 is perhaps not the first choice for the
serious listener.
As time passes it is becoming clear just how good the DE1103 really
is. If the DE1103 is the DXer's friend, the DE1121 is it's idiot
little brother that can't be relied upon but knows all the girls. Buy
one.