Radio Shark 2

[searay345]

Hello all!

Well I just bought a RadioShark2. In my first half hour messing around with it, I have all my presets set, preferences set, etc. I am really enjoying it. People on Amazon are not giving good reviews. They say that it is staticy on FM. Well it picks up FM stations better than my tiny FM home radio. They also say the AM is a joke. I disagree. AM has always been hard to pick up clearly. I can pick up AM stations just fine. So, if anyone has wanted to pick this up, go for it. It's working great for me!

Cheerio
Searay

 

[Cory Cooper]

Excellent! Thanks for the mini review. I have had the RadioShark 2 in my Amazon Cart for a while now. Guess I will press the Checkout button tomorrow!

C

 

[searay345]

No problem!

Those reviews made me mad. They said FM is a joke and it only gets strong FM stations. Well of course it will. The further you are from an FM (Frequency Modulation) station, the worse it is. FM is a VHF set of waves (It is a flat wave line) meaning the radio needs a direct line of sight to a FM transmitter in order for it to be strong. If you don't have line of sight, you won't have a good signal.

They also said AM is a joke. AM waves are amplitude (AM = Amplitude Modulation), meaning they form a full spectrum of a wave (wave moves up and down like ripples on water). Theoretically, you should be able to pick up more AM stations than FM, but AM tends to be picky with electronic interference. and with all the electronics people have now a days, it doesn't surprise me that they can't pick up AM stations better. AM is past it's time anyway. AM was useful back in the 50s - 70s because there wasn't all the electronic **** that we have today back then. So of course AM is not going to be good.

I know this because I am a semi Ham Radio operator. You have to know some things about Electrical physics.

It looks like it's cheaper on Amazon than on Griffin's site.

I should also mention that griffin does try to help you place the antenna out of a interference area surrounding your computer. The antenna only has a 3-foot USB cable, but they include a 3-food USB extension cable so you can get the antenna out of way from electronics. They also include an antenna extension. The antenna is the shark fin, but just above where the USB cable goes into the antenna, there is a headphone looking jack. You can plug in a antenna extension to get better reception (Griffin includes that extension). My point is at least griffin tires to help you remove unwanted interference!

I hope this helps

Cheerio
Searay

 

[Cory Cooper]

Got my radioSHARK 2 today. Been listening to it for an hour or so. I love it!

My room has A LOT of computer/audio equipment in it and I am still getting all but one of my favorite stations.

Thanks again for the words,

C

 

[searay345]

No problem!

Glad to hear you like it!

Cheerio
Searay

 

[Cory Cooper]

One problem though...

I can get the blue status indicator to be on, off, but not pulse. It does turn red when recording.

Yours the same?

 

[searay345]

Hey Cory

Yes, I have that problem too. I can set it to on and off...pulse doesn't work and mine turns red as well when recording. I meant to tell you that earlier. Do you have your RS2 plugged into your computer directly or into a hub?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Yes, plugged into built-in USB port. Tried three different Macs...same thing. Wrote Griffin a tech email...response was that the pulse functionality isn't enabled yet. So, I replied asking them why it's in the preferences then???!!!

 

[searay345]

WOW!!!

Thanks for sending that email...that doesn't make any sense why they would have something listed in preferences and yet not activated via the software/hardware!!!

Well, it looks like we are playing the waiting game!

Cheerio
Searay

 

[crazee]

Hey guys. I'm glad this thread was started, because I just got my RS2 and have a few questions myself.

I have been using it for AM/FM so far, but I'd like to jump right into internet radio. Unless I am missing something, it seems that the radioshark software only does AM/FM, and not internet radio. I thought it was supposed to handle internet radio as well.

I did, however, load up iFill and am wondering if that is the only interface for internet radio with radioshark? I was under the impression when I bought it that the radioshark software would cover that. This iFill program is only useful if you have an iPod and it is limited to MPEG streams.

Am I missing something here, guys?

 

[searay345]

Hello Crazee and Welcome!!

That is very interesting you say that. I have tired to figure out how to use RS2 with internet radio and I cannot figure it out either. I'll mess around with it and see what I come up with. Cory, do you know?

Cheerio
Searay

 

[Cory Cooper]

The radioSHARK application only does AM/FM. iFill is the sw for Internet radio streams.

 

[searay345]

WOW!!!!

Ok, either I am misreading the Griffin's description or they are being misleading:

radio SHARK 2 adds Internet Radio to your old stand-by AM & FM.
radio SHARk's on-screen radio "tuner" looks, feels, and works just the way you expect a radio dial to work. Your dear Grandma & Grandpa would feel right at home with it. There's nothing to learn, no dues to pay, no paradigm to shift. But, let's face it — it's the 21st Century. Along with the usual fare of AM/FM talk shows, call-ins, top-forty, and easy (and sometimes no-so-easy) listening, you get to browse the ever-expanding world of Internet Radio. You get to sample broadcasts that couldn't squeeze their way between the curve of the earth and the ionosphere. You, or your listening, at any rate, get to go global, You get to try, before you buy, great music and sounds from all over the world, via Cyberspace. And how hard is it to master? It's just like listening to Radio.

I am probably misreading this because of the grammar. This is poor grammar IMHO.

 

[Cory Cooper]

I agree...it's written poorly.

iFill is the Internet Radio with the radio SHARK 2.

Of course, iTunes already has Internet Radio built-in...I believe iFill allows an easy way to record it.

C

 

[searay345]

Yeah that makes sense.

I don't really care if it does/doesn't play internet radio because I use iTunes for that. Oh well, I like the product; now we need to sit back and wait for Griffin to make the pulsing feature work.

Cheerio
Searay

 

[BEAVR]

What is the difference between the original white radio shark and the new black radio shark 2?

 

[searay345]

Hello BEAVR and Welcome!!

To be honest, I am not sure. There has to be differences, but I am not sure of the tech specs for the white one. But Here are the links for you to check out if you wish.

RadioShark 1 (White)

RadioShark 2 (Black)

The white one is no longer made though.

Cheerio
Searay

PS, Cory did you hear anything back from Griffin yet?