The simplest portable FM radio available in the market that’s so stylish! A slightly oversized matchbox-like device, the Philips RS045 has a neat brushed steel front and is very light. Running on two AAA batteries, this unit can belt out crystal clear music for quite a long time (depending on the brand of battery you chose!) Costing at Rs160/- this player is much superior to the many that are available by the railway stations of Mumbai. The player has just three controls and one headphone jack. Reception range is between 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz and has a decent holding capacity. Although I did face some loss in reception while moving between rooms but then most FM radios fall pray to this anomaly.
The unit scans stations using a digital tuning and does not have any ‘favorites’ button or manual tweaking facility. One Volume control knob (that also acts as On/Off button) and two others as ‘Reset’ and ‘Scan’ are the only available controls on this unit. Lack of an LED indicator is quite acceptable. The headphone jack is placed on the side of the unit while the back conceals the battery compartment and has a belt clip. The unit comes with a Philips earphone set but is quite poor in quality when compared with the finish of the radio.
Manufactured in Hong Kong and having no guarantee, the Philips scan radio is a very good buy for all who love FM on the move. It’s not so widely available in the market place for obvious reasons that unbranded players rule the roost. Get one for yourself if you are a FM fan.