Will an American Radio work in NZ?

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mattwnz

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Topic # 151119 14-Aug-2014 14:23

I was thinking about purchasing one of these tivoli radios off amazon, but wondering if it will work in NZ, as they appear quite a bit cheaper http://amzn.com/B00006I5WK

Apparently they are AC and DC, so on AC it is probably 110V and not usable in NZ. However I pressume I could just buy a DC powerblock for it and the power should work on DC. But I am not sure about the radio frequencies. Are they the same in NZ. Has anyone purchased one of these from Amazon US before?

Fred99

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Reply # 1108434 14-Aug-2014 14:48

I'd be a little bit concerned that the US model may have FM band frequency scanning set at 200MHz "odd" skip intervals (ie 91.1, 91.3 etc) not 100MHz skip intervals as needed here (ie for "92.6") and even though the tuner dial looks like an old fashioned analogue device, it won't be. I suggest you try to find out more. Perhaps a little "white lie" request to the manufacturer, saying that you're moving from the US to NZ - and asking if it will work (with voltage adapter) or not.

nathan

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Reply # 1108440 14-Aug-2014 14:56

i have the Model Two and it works fine here in NZ in my experience, no problems with FM stations I listen to and for the power I just bought a new DC power from Jaycar for about $20

edit: I haven't tried any .6 freqs as the previous poster mentioned so maybe that's an issue, but works sweet as with the FM signals I listen to in AKL

Coil

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Reply # 1108443 14-Aug-2014 14:58

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mattwnz

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Reply # 1108450 14-Aug-2014 15:12

Fred99: I'd be a little bit concerned that the US model may have FM band frequency scanning set at 200MHz "odd" skip intervals (ie 91.1, 91.3 etc) not 100MHz skip intervals as needed here (ie for "92.6") and even though the tuner dial looks like an old fashioned analogue device, it won't be. I suggest you try to find out more. Perhaps a little "white lie" request to the manufacturer, saying that you're moving from the US to NZ - and asking if it will work (with voltage adapter) or not.

Thanks. A friend has a similar one I purchased years ago from the UK, and it is a manual dial, and is highly geared for accuracy, so it it should be able to pick up the inbetween stations fine. I may ask them a few questions, it does actually ship to NZ directly from amazon without using youpost, so saying I am a NZ buyer should be ok.

mattwnz

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Reply # 1108454 14-Aug-2014 15:16

nathan: i have the Model Two and it works fine here in NZ in my experience, no problems with FM stations I listen to and for the power I just bought a new DC power from Jaycar for about $20

edit: I haven't tried any .6 freqs as the previous poster mentioned so maybe that's an issue, but works sweet as with the FM signals I listen to in AKL

Thanks. I think the tuning is all manual, so doesn't move in steps like new electronic tuners. I will have to try my friends one which came from the UK.

richms

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Reply # 1110045 17-Aug-2014 19:18

The pre emphasis is different in the us to everywhere else too. That will affect the treble response. Also rds is different but usually works well enough. Doubt that prehistoric thing would care tho.

Richard rich.ms