Roberts R9962 12-Band World Radio-Ideal for BBC World Service

I'm surprised by the negative reviews on Amazon, which say this radio is 'flimsy' and 'not robust'. I bought this to replace the same model I have had for well over 10 years. The old one finally gave up on me after I dropped it off a high ladder; even then it worked on Radio 4. The new model feels every bit as robust as the old one and I am looking forward to it giving me many years of service. Photo shows my sad looking old radio against the new one, which has a more contemporary look and feel. Highly recommended

I was looking for a world radio that I could take with me on my long-term backpacking journey! After much research and aiming to buy a radio that would be reasonably lightweight and within budget, I decided to opt for the Roberts R 9962. The selling point for me was the ability to listen to Radio 4 - BBC World Service.I am only 30 years of age, but clearly remember my great grandmother having this exact model in her kitchen - for as long as I can remember!To date, I have listened to a selection of FM stations, and the BBC World Service is as clear as a bell, it is however to be seen as to how effective this radio will be when picking up the World Service abroad.The design is simple, and looks a little dated, but surely as with any product - it is how it performs and up to now I am very pleased with this nifty product.I am awarding it only 4-stars, as it is yet to be put through it's complete paces abroad!

This is the third R9962 my wife has had and all three have fallen apart within weeks. I should have kept the other two and cannibalized parts but it is always the same parts that go, the on-off switch and the tuning mechanism. It's hardly a hi-tech problem, making these parts a bit more robust and we can't be the only people wingeing. For the moment I have screwed a small self-tapping screw into the remains of the on-off switch so at least my wife doesn't have to take a battery out to turn it off. It's a ridiculous carry-on. She persists because it is still the best reception for a radio of its size, especially when out in the countryside.

I bought this to replace an older model that looked the same but the back had caused issues. The new model has a real issue in that the on/off switch comes off. I have had to replace it three times now. First time replaced free, next paid for. bad design. Why did they change it I wonder?

This is a great little radio, the reason I bought this was a little bit of nostalgia really... many years ago I went on a Radio & TV Servicing Course, before going on to better things and Roberts radio's were the standard for fault diagnosis and repair as there design and construction was just the job for training young service engineers! This radio come in a nice little wallet and the radio itself is well constructed and sound very good, especially for the such a small speaker, to be recommended!Stewart D. Stanil