12-BAND ULTRA-COMPACT WORLD BAND AM/FM SHORT-WAVE RECEIVERLARGE EASY-TO-READ TUNING LEDHEADPHONE JACKUPC : 729288016229Shipping Dimensions : 9.25in X 5.50in X 2.25inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.8813

10 frequency ranges

2.5-inch speaker

Rotary tuning dial

Compact and portable

Uses 3 AA batteries

Average Customer Review: ( 90 customer reviews )
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This is that radio. The Sangean SG-622 is unquestionably the best value in a shortwave radio, not just for beginners, but for any listener of any experience level. It offers nice performance, and it's a totally painless introduction to shortwave listening. It's very easy to tune, and with a simple longwire attached to the antenna, it's easy to find listenable stations. It practically pays for itself with just the first few hours of listening pleasure, and it leaves virtually no excuse not to enjoy it for years to come. This is an ideal gift idea for children or just about anybody you want to share this fun hobby with.

Personally, I want to have mine when I travel overseas. It's very small and packable, and shouldn't attract scrutiny in customs (it doesn't look "dangerously" hi-tech). If it gets lost, stolen, or damaged, I won't fret about it because it can be replaced easily and cheaply. I couldn't think of a more carefree way to maintain my connection to the world at large.

When I began listening to SW many years ago, I couldn't find a halfway decent radio that wouldn't make a serious dent in my wallet. I never thought I'd see a major manufacturer sell a good shortwave radio for less than a third of what I might have paid back then. For the beginner and experienced listener both, this is simply too great a bargain to pass up. The Sangean SG-622 proves the age-old concept that cheap, simple, and good equals fun! It can't be anything but five stars.

70 of 71 found the following review helpful:

Good second/portable/emergency radioMay 13, 2000
By James Tedford
If you're serious about shortwave, this isn't the radio you want, but this radio is great as a "do- I-want-to-pursue-this-shortwave-thing-further" radio, or as a lightweight travel rig. It'll will bring in the higher-power shortwave stations: BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio Japan etc. Sound quality is quite good. Like most analog radios, knowing what frequency you are on is impossible, but for casual tuning, or to get a taste of what shortwave has to offer, this radio is fine. It's also small and light enough to make a decent travel portable (and cheap enough that if you lose it, it's not the end of the world.) And, its a good radio to toss into your emergency preparedness kit.

It will perform better with an external antenna "boost" - just take a 10'-30' piece of wire, attach a couple of alligator clips, and save yourself $15 by not buying a "reel in" antenna.

63 of 65 found the following review helpful:

Best BuySep 28, 2001
By Embry Mayes Kendrick "MazeMann"
It's hard to believe that you can purchase so much performance for less than $40. This little radio has the ability to fill a large room with undistorted sound from any of its 12 bands. Moreover, it is quite easy to use. Sensitivity and voice clarity are remarkable. The automatic gain control deals nicely with weak and strong signals. Selectivity is quite good, but one could use a larger tuning knob (or I suppose in my case, smaller fingers) to make those fine adjustments easier. The size of the radio makes it easy to pack.

Although you get a lot of radio for a few dollars, it would have been nice if Sangean had included an AC adaptor. I have used this radio a lot since I purchased it, and it does have a hardy appetite for batteries when played at high volume. Accordingly, I purchased an AC adaptor for it. I tried several adaptors before I settled on the Radio Shack 4.5 volt "International" model (cat. no. 273-1759). This device accepts almost any input voltage and frequency and produces a full amp of filtered, regulated DC. Unlike other adaptors I tried, this one is relatively "quiet." It does not induce hum or electrical noise. Best of all, it folds up in a very small travel package.

If you don't want to spend a lot of cash on a multi band radio, but want to be able to listen to stations wherever you may travel, the SG622 should work well for you.

37 of 39 found the following review helpful:

You Get A Little More Than What You Pay ForAug 21, 2003
By Shortwave Hobbyist
The radio's positive reviews are to some degree accurate but there is a catch. Listening to the Sangean SG-622 for the past few weeks I have decided to letter grade-rate it. I considered its sensitivity, selectivity, sound and user friendliness.
Its sound on all bands is about "B" grade with the ability to project itself in a decent and somewhat dynamic way. It is also compact and easy to tune. Once you discover how off the frequency numbers on the dial are compared with the shortwave radio station you might be trying to locate it is not too difficult to find that station later on(provided the signal strength stays the same).
However, the sensitivity and especially selectivity of the radio on shortwave are less than good. The radio is sensitive to any excellent signal but has more difficulty with good or mediocre signals that other sets such as much Sony ICF-SW7600GR or older but good shortwave units can make audible for listening. Selectivity(the ability to to keep powerful neighboring stations, some 10 to 15 kilohertz from crowding out good to mediocre signals) is a big problem at times with this model. I have had problems with more powerful local shortwave signals interrupting other signals that can be heard on the other shortwaves I have. So, I therefore give the radio a "C" and "C-" to "D+" for its sensitivity and selectivity on the shortwave bands.
On AM or the Middlewave band the radio is decent for its sensitivity and selectivity. I rate it on this band as as a "B" and "B-" to "C+" respectively. Living in northern New Jersey, with powerful local broadcasters, I have still received from hundreds of miles away Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, Baltimore and Washington radio stations during an evening of exploring the dial.
FM band reception is a "B" to "B-" for sensitivity and selectivity. The radio is able to get some of the weaker and more distant local stations as well as the usual nearby ones. Sometimes one station may crowd into a weaker one but can usually be tuned away or the radio pointed in the right direction to cancel the interference.
Lastly, the radio has cross modulation problems on some shortwave bands and possibly on AM. Signals from other shortwave and even AM frequencies are tuned in sometimes on the wrong band or frequency (especially on the 60 meter band). This is often a problem with inexpensive shortwave radios.
This radio is overall a mediocre shortwave receiver. I would recommend staying with the old adage: " you get what you pay for" and pay the $... to $... for a Grundig Yacht Boy 400 PE or Sony ICF-SW7600GR and be guaranteed good shortwave, AM and FM reception. In the long run you will be much happier with these reliable relatively inexpensive radios. As some shortwave experts say: " buying a shortwave( worldband) receiver that is normally priced for less than $... is asking for disappointment". When considering the prices of computer software and internet services nowadays it is probably worth paying extra for quality.

35 of 37 found the following review helpful:

A Nice, Simple and High Performance Short-wave RadioNov 19, 2001
By Fatos Adami "Science Reader"
Actually, I own the clone of Sangean SG-622, the Radioshack DX-397, and I love it. It is a simple inexpensive and Spartan short-wave radio, but it does a very good job in pulling out the main short-wave stations. It does not have bells and whistles like, digital tunning and display, it does not have an auto power shut off or an alarm clock either. It is fully analog, but for me the most important is sensitivity, selectivity and the sound quality. All these are much better than in a lot of more expensive radios that I have seen. Compared side by side with a Sony ICF-2010 that I own, it pulled out almost all the main stations that the Sony could get, with a tenth of its price. It is lightweight and the sound is very good for a 3inch size speaker.
It may be some interference from nearby strong stations, but it can be reduced with the orientation of the receiver.
I could never belive that you could get such a good quality short-wave radio with such a low price.
I give it a wholeheartedly 5 stars.

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