My first antique radio - 1952 Zenith H723Z1 AM/FM

[compucat]

I think in many ways radios were built better years ago. I marvel at the simplicity of my five tube Bakelite radios and how well built they are. They require very little maintenance from year to year and I just know I can depend on them. I do have some modern radios but if you want quality you have to buy high end. For portable sets I usually go for the higher quality shortwave portables because they provide good AM performance and are generally solidly built. It is very difficult to find an ordinary AM/FM radio of good quality these days. The best built modern stuff seems to be computers and related equipment. IPods, cellphones, laptops and that sort of thing seem to be the best built modern consumer electronics today. Radios just don't get the same love from an industrial design standpoint. That said, I do think the new Sangean ATS-909X portable shortwave radio is going to prove to be a high quality modern radio.