The Maha/Powerex MM-C9000 is without a doubt, the best NiMH battery charger in the world. I’ve got AA cells that are three years old, and would charge with with my Swallow charger. The C9000 brought them back from the dead. If you’re a battery geek, then you’ll love this.
I live in an area with a very weak TV signal – and instead of getting the antenna man to come and install an expensive new antenna on the house, I decided to try a few internal TV antennas instead. The first one I got was terrible, it was unpowered, and could barely pull in any signal. The next one I tried was a mains powered antenna, which immediately pulled in all TV stations, including the HD signals! I don’t even need to extend the rabbit ears on it. It cost me about $30, which is inexpensive enough for me to get another one to use with the TV card in my computer.
My dad just gave me a pair of his old Cerwin-Vega speakers that he bought in the 1980s. I remember when I was kid and he had them delivered. It was a big day, he’d just dropped $3000 (1980s dollars mind you!) on a pair of speakers! The delivery men couldn’t work out what the fuss was all about, so they stayed while he plugged them in and tested them out. The first song he played was the Rolling Stones “Start Me Up”. Everyone’s jaw dropped – and I immediately understood. These wonderful old speakers aren’t as efficient as the latest audiophile speakers, they’re not even close – but put on The Stones’ ‘Tattoo You’ or Neil Young’s ‘Harvest’, crank it up, and they’re the best speakers in the world.
The Kchibo KK 216 is a fantastic little shortwave radio that is well designed and constructed, and really pulls in the stations. The KK-216 receives ninety percent of the stations that my more expensive shortwave radios can pick up, and the sound quality is surprisingly good. You’d swear that you were listening to a much larger, more expensive radio. I don’t know how they can manufacturer these radios at such a low price, I’m trying to stop myself from buying another one!
It’s nearly time for me to update my trusty old Tecsun/Grundig handheld shortwave radio, and get something a little more snazzy. I’ve been looking seriously at the Sony ICF-SW07, and although it’s not exactly cheap, it’s had excellent reviews. And of course, it looks nice too!
