JVC KT-HDP1 Portable HD Radio

• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 5 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 6 stars

  HD Radio does work

  by CKFisher1 on June 9, 2008

  Pros: Signal, greater distance, local news and ads

  Cons: Much more expensive radios not all are HD

  Summary: The signal is clearer and at a greater distance from the source than standard radio. You can get "local" stations with digital clarity. I live in Olympia and listen to ...

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  Summary: The signal is clearer and at a greater distance from the source than standard radio. You can get "local" stations with digital clarity. I live in Olympia and listen to two Seattle stations that are digital and one really local station that is not. The Seattle stations though 70 miles away are clear through the HD radio but not on standard radios. The Seattle HD stations have a greater clarity than the local station. I like local news, weather and traffic. Those are three out of four reasons I listen to the radio. Satelite doesn't work for me no matter how great the sound might be, which is iffy. HD would work for me perfect if there were more stations.

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  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  A great product at a great price.

  by n0mnt on July 11, 2010

  Pros: First of all, it was inexpensive--got it for about 30 bucks. The performance of the unit is nothing short of excellent. Sound quality is superb. Sensitivity is good using an old style upright rod antenna. Includes handy remote control.

  Cons: There is no way to conceal the cables that have to be plugged into the side of the unit. In addition, this unit is not easy to install. If you're an amateur, allow four hours or more.

  Summary: It took me four hours to install this product, but it was time well spent, as was the thirty dollars I spent on it. HD radio has material on it ...

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  Summary: It took me four hours to install this product, but it was time well spent, as was the thirty dollars I spent on it. HD radio has material on it that cannot be heard on the regular analog signals of broadcast stations. Case in point is the absence of a classical music station here. There is, however, one on HD.
  
  The sound produced by my radio/CD player when the JVC converter is the source is excellent.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 7 stars

  Works well when there's a strong signal

  by rjlewis1 on July 23, 2009

  Pros: Good design, multiple installation options, reasonable feature set

  Cons: external wired antenna's are rather large and placement can be a distraction when placed on windshield. Had to buy optional "professional Installation kit" because the "do it yourself" wireless FM transmitter reception was staticky and inconsistent.

  Summary: The unit is small and well designed. It's gray scale LCD screen is bright and clear and offers multiple display options including artist and song information where available as ...

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  Summary: The unit is small and well designed. It's gray scale LCD screen is bright and clear and offers multiple display options including artist and song information where available as well as a graphic EQ and signal strength. Its tuning button is large and offers 2 seek options. Press up or down to seek HD stations only, or left or right to seek all stations. There are 3 banks of 6 presets for locking in your favorite stations. The menu offers options to adjust the display brightness, and there are multiple EQ presets as well as a user defined option.
  There are a number of installation options available including a Professional installation kit that requires the vehicle stereo to be removed and the antenna connected through a FM transmitter installed under the dash. This offers the best quality reception but as it may require a "Pro" to complete. The "do it yourself"installation kit consists of 2 antennas, an input and an output, that must be attached to the cars front or rear windscreen depending on where your car's antenna is. This requires sticking 2 black plastic strips approximately 18 inches long by one inch wide to the glass and running wires to the unit. After initially purchasing the unit with the do it yourself installation kit, I found the signal to my stereo was not strong and sounded staticky, plus there were wires running all over the place, so I ordered the Pro installation kit and was able to do it myself in about a half an hour. Once the installation was complete the signal was srong and clear and sounded great. Regardless of how you install it, you still need to use a car charger for power. In my case, I had to purchase a dual adapter for my power outlet because I also have an external GPS navigation unit that plugs into the power outlet. The Do it yourself kit comes with a windshield mount that is sturdy and easily adjustable. The Pro kit comes with a dash mount that uses a strong adhesive to attach to the dash and also is adjustable. There is also a Home installation kit that allows you to use this unit with your home audio system.
  As far as the units performance, once it locks on to a signal it sounds much better than standard FM Radio. The AM HD stations are nearly as good as regular FM stations and the streaming text is great for identifying artists and song names where the DJ never reveals this info. The unit comes with a small remote that has all the functions of the unit and is much easier to deal with when driving. Overall, for price and performance I feel comfortable recommending this unit to anyone interested in adding HD radio to their vehicle or home.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 5 stars

  HD Radio just doesn't work!

  by gosmith7590 on December 5, 2007

  Pros: Looks like Satellite Radio

  Cons: Poor coverage, interference, and drop-outs

  Summary: “Is HD Radio Toast?”
  
  “There are serious issues of coverage. Early adopters who bought HD radios report serious drop-outs, poor coverage, and interference. The engineers of Ibiquity may argue otherwise
  
  ...

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  Summary: “Is HD Radio Toast?”
  
  “There are serious issues of coverage. Early adopters who bought HD radios report serious drop-outs, poor coverage, and interference. The engineers of Ibiquity may argue otherwise and defend the system, but the industry has a serious PR problem with the very people we need to get the word out on HD... In other words, everything you can find on the regular FM dial... The word has already gotten out about HD Radio. People who have already bought an HD Radio are telling others of their experience (mostly bad) and no amount of marketing will reverse this.”
  
  http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=487772

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  4 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 5 stars

  Great with strong signals. Lousy otherwise.

  by rickl1 on July 12, 2009

  Pros: Easy to connect and use.

  Cons: Poor sensitivity using the supplied antenna. Difficult to tune manually. Very strange ALC with damping and blasting on weak AM signals.

  Summary: A good product when used for HD in metropolitan areas. Good sound, easy to install and use with station presets. Don't take it out in the country without some ...

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  Summary: A good product when used for HD in metropolitan areas. Good sound, easy to install and use with station presets. Don't take it out in the country without some backup music source!

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