The D-Link DSB-R100 USB PC Radio is a stereo FM band (no AM) radio receiver with a USB interface. The PC Radio will easily install on any system with Windows 95 Release 2, 98, or 2000 with a USB port. It comes with an antenna and connecting cables that plug into a USB port and the line-in on the PC's sound card.
The DSB-R100 provides the user with the ability to listen to favorite radio programs or music right from the PC. The radio is powered off the USB bus, so no external power supply is needed. The radio works just as easily as does a car stereo, and up to 200 stations can be preset. The software can record music or programs from the radio and save them in the MP3 format. The software also has an available sleep and wake function that allows the user to record radio programs while away from the PC.
1 It worked - then it broke
I had this thing for 2 weeks - and it actually did what it was advertised to do - receive and play FM radio through your pc. However, the way the Antenna connects to it's base absolutely stinks!!! They use an RCA plug connected to the extendable antenna via a very, very thin piece of steel. I move the antenna around a few times and that steel snapped, and there's no way to fix it.
If you buy this - it will work, but don't move it too much.
2 awesome product
This is a great product, if you wanna listen to FM @ work.
The software worked fine on both XP and 2000.The software is bit confusing, but if you are a tech junkie you shouldn't have any problem.A bit advice for future buyers, make sure that you always select "line in" under volume control settings of options menu.
3 It works, but is disappointing
I wanted an FM tuner that I could use to schedule and record shows on my local Jazz stations and NPR. Car Talk, This American Life, etc. You know, time shift the radio like a VCR does for the TV. This product _should_ have done the trick. But no, the software is minimal and has no capabilities to record more than one timed show. This product can be replaced with a simple FM receiver from Radio Shack.
I sent email to D-Link offering to code this up for them. How hard can it be? If I had the protocol spec I could certainly do it in no time. No response. This thing is sitting on the shelf along with all the other failed products that _should_ have worked.
4 poor software
Okay, so I only listen to KCRW in santa monica, and I can usually just turn off the software interface once the radio is on -- but does the interface have to be so hideous?
Hardware wise, the radio can pick up signals semi-competently. I've found plugging in my own antenna array helps. Your mileage may vary.
5 great product, great price
I can't say I understand the negative reviews. At thirty bucks this prouduct has exceeded my expectations and performed as advertised. The reception is as good as any other small fm radio in my house (clean stereo reception, decent ability to pull in stations). The software installed flawlessly on a Win 98 machine and is very intuitive to use. The timer feature works great. The only weakness is the mp3 software. I prefer more options but this is easily solved by using another program to convert to mp3. In my case I use the free version of MusicMatch. Bottom line is that this product has been an inexpensive, high quality solution for recording fm broadcasts.
6 Bad Quality
The reception on this radio is terrable, the software is slow, and the product itself ties up a lot of system resources. You're better off buying a cheap radio to set next to your computer.
7 Great concept, poor quality
I initially thought this was a great product. The software looked like it had been developed for Windows 3.1, but looks aside, things were ok.
After about 1 week of use, the presets went away... then the volume control and recording functionality. I uninstalled the software and drivers and re-installed from scratch only to get the same results. I downloaded the latest software from d-link and installed... only to get the same results.
Contacting tech support didn't help either. Their suggestion: reinstall the software and drivers. Gee, thanks. If someone else were to write functional software for this product, it might be useful.
8 D-link USB radio
For those of us who grew up with FM receivers the size of a PC, this is a revelation. The radio looks more like an antenna than an FM Stereo tuner. A good deal of the compact size comes from the fact that all of the amplification is located in your PC or your powered speakers. The cables need to be hooked up to a USB port, as well as either a Line-In or Mic-In connector on your sound card. I can't find fault with the hardware, but the software has been a nightmare.
I've installed the radio on two Windows 98 machines and a Windows 2000 Professional machine with miserable results. I was never able to get on-screen volume controls to work under Windows 98, and after several weeks all of the software quit working entirely. Under windows 2000 Pro, everything worked O.K. for a couple of months, then I started getting an error message on start up that said that a number must be between 1 and (about 2 billion). All of the station names disappeared, and the volume controls in the D-Link software stopped working. Upgrading to new drivers resulted in the software being unable to locate the radio, even though Windows said that it was there and working correctly. Uninstalling the software still resulted in Windows trying to start it on boot up. Reinstalling the software was unsuccessful, as I kept receiving the 'unable to locate radio' message.
So, now I'm left with a [dollar amount] paperweight. Perhaps this is the reason that you don't see a lot of USB radios on the market. While it is a great concept, the software is definitely "not ready for prime time". If you really need to integrate a radio into your PC, you should probably look elsewhere.
9 USB Radio
This is a great idea even though I wish I did not have to have another wire hanging from the back of my computer. The product works allowing you to listen in FM station in stereo.
However note THERE IS NO AM with this radio. The software is not pretty but it works. The radio can be plugged staight into any speakers or thru a sound card.
Also the antenna on my product broke but a trip to Radio Shack found an easy replacement an audio plug with two wires. I do not know if the poor weld was specific only to my part. It broke after a year. The last time a checked Dlink has a rebate making the radio even more affordable.
