World Radio

The other day, I was in an electronics store, the next town over, just looking at stuff so that I had a reason to get out of the house. I walked into an aisle that had clock radios, alarm clocks, and things of that sort, when I saw some radios that were advertised as "world radios", or something along those lines. Each of the different sorts had a dial with the names of cities on it (i.e., New York, Berlin, Rio, and so on) and of course, the tuning dial.

I had never seen something like this before. I was wondering if these radios, from any point in the world, can somehow receive the signal from stations around the world (which seems impossible to me) or if they work all over the world (or something along those lines). Does anyone here on ATS have an idea of how this works? (I apologize if this question seems silly and the answer obvious. I'm just curious!)

reply to post by octotom


Nothing would surprise me in the least when it comes to technology.

It could be done through G.P.S. like XM-Radio and Sirius Radio.

Is this similar to what you're speaking about?

Grundig M300 World Radio, Black

Amazon Review :

From the Manufacturer

When you are crisscrossing the globe, you do not want to haul extra weight or worry about power adapters.

That is why the lightweight, battery-powered Grundig M300 is the ideal choice for the world traveler.

Though this radio is small, its sound is mighty.

You get AM and FM reception, plus access to seven shortwave bands, so you can keep up-to-date wherever your travels take you.

The LCD display, clock, and built-in alarm help keep you on time, no matter what time zone you are in.

Lightweight Long-Range Flexibility.

The Grundig M300 brings you coverage of medium-wave and shortwave frequencies, as well as FM bands.

Specifically, it covers three frequency ranges.

The 520kHz to 1710kHz frequency range grants access to the entire AM band.

Seven shortwave bands (49, 41, 31, 25, 22, 19 and 16 meters) provide coverage to almost all North American shortwave broadcasts.

This far-reaching frequency range puts you in touch with news and entertainment from across the world.

The 88MHz to 108MHz band covers traditional FM radio, and the M300 passes its stereo signal through to the headphone jack.

A high-quality internal ferrite bar antenna provides AM coverage, while the telescoping antenna pulls in FM and shortwave signals.

Convenient Controls and Features.

The Grundig M300 combines its sensitive analog tuner with a classic dial knob and a digital display.

This display shows frequency, time, sleep time and symbols for the sleep timer and alarm activation.

Two AA batteries provide long-lasting power to the unit.

Weighing in at only 4.5 ounces, the Grundig M300 is the perfect travel companion for travelers who want to keep in touch.

What's in the Box?

The Grundig M300 comes with a protective carrying pouch, earphones for private listening, and a belt clip.

My father has a World Radio for like 25 years now. So it's nothing new really

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


Yeah, it was kinda like that, but more akin to this one.

I didn't think about it using satellites or something like that. That would certainly do the trick!

[edit on 1/30/2010 by octotom]

You might want to read this. Radio waves, in certain frequencies, can easily bounce around the world.

World Radio is just another name for short wave. I keep short wave, crank radios in my survival caches simply because they can pick up the news and pirate stations from many places around the world (sometimes old tricks are the best tricks). World radio has been around for many, many decades. It does not use satellites.