The humble radio, the wireless, boombox, ghetto blaster, tape deck, speaker…however you want to call it, radios have come a long way since Marconi sent his first transmission in Wales in 1895.
Today, there are thousands of radio stations all suited to a plethora of personal choices and tastes. Whether its pop, drum n bass, classical, movie soundtracks, news or podcasts, the choices are as wide-ranging as they are plentiful. And its no secret that having a radio on, playing something in the background, does increase productivity. If you have a team working in complete silence, it can be uncomfortable.
Here, we’re going to explore the top 5 Makita worksite radios for you enjoy on site, at home…even when your camping. Radios are becoming an essential part of ensuring the mental health and productivity of your work force.
Our Top Of The (Radio) Pops
Makita DMR055 18V LXT Olive Radio Lantern
Power Source: 18V LXT Battery
Audio Options: AM/FM
IP Rating: N/A
Bluetooth: N/A
AUX Input: N/A
USB Charging: N/A
Whether for work of for leisure, this offers both illumination and your choice of AM/FM Radio stations.
The lantern has a slow lighting up sequence to protect your eyes and ensure that you are able to cope with the additional light.
Run from a single 18V LXT Battery which will also act as a base for the lantern, this delivers true 360° coverage with up to 260 lumens.
Makita DMR203 Jobsite Bluetooth Speaker
Power Source: 12V CXT Battery, 18V LXT Battery or Mains
Audio Options: Speaker only
IP Rating: IP65
Bluetooth: Yes
AUX Input: Yes
USB Charging: N/A
This portable speaker offers a choice of 6 different sound modes to suit your choice of music along with a sound equaliser to make finer and personalised adjustments so that you hear your music the way you want to.
With a range of up to 10 metres, you can connect a mobile device such as your phone or tablet thanks to Bluetooth 5.0 Class 2. You can even connect up to 10 DMR203 speakers together, thanks to True Wireless Stereo (TWS) technology to give you a truly epic audio experience.
Makita MR001GZ XGT AM/FM Jobsite Radio
Power Source: 12V CXT, 18V LXT, 40V XGT Batteries or Mains
Audio Options: AM/FM, Bluetooth Speaker
IP Rating: IP65
Bluetooth: Yes
AUX Input: Yes
USB Charging: N/A
Break the silence, and lift the spirits of your team with this battery driven, and versatile radio. Whether it’s the latest charts, a bit of classical, talk news, or something that you’ve been listening to on your phone, this will blast out the tunes for you.
This awesome boom box is compatible with XGT, LXT and CXT batteries – this means that if you have any power tools of the same range on site, the batteries from that are interchangeable.
Makita MR003GZ XGT FM/DAB/DAB+ Radio
Power Source: 12V CXT, 18V LXT, 40V XGT Batteries or Mains
Audio Options: AM/FM, DAB, DAB+
IP Rating: IP65
Bluetooth: N/A
AUX Input: Yes
USB Charging: Yes
Regardless to your choice of music, podcast or audio book, if you want something to delivers quality sound, then this is the one
With DAB+, you can choose over 200+ UK radio stations, and if you need to upgrade the firmware, there is a Micro USB socket to ensure your radio is up to date to get a full range of entertainment options.
Makita DMR301 AM/FM/DAB/DAB+ Radio/Charger with Bluetooth
Power Source: 12V CXT, 18V LXT Batteries or Mains
Audio Options: AM/FM, DAB, DAB+, Bluetooth Speaker
IP Rating: IP64
Bluetooth: Yes
AUX Input: Yes
USB Charging: Yes
Not only does it give you the option of creating a welcoming and comfortable work environment with up to 200+ radio stations thanks to the DAB+ connectivity, but this unit will also charge any LXT or CXT battery when it is plugged in to the mains.
The fast digital tuner lets you tune in to anything you want to listen to, from charts, news, sports, podcast, audio book – whatever you can pick up. If you can’t find what you want, the Bluetooth Class 2 will let you connect your mobile to play your own tunes up to a range of 10 metres.
And it doesn’t stop there… the radio includes two USB output ports to let you charge up devices at the same time.
Oh….built in bottle opener…that’s all we’re saying.
Tech Explained – What to look for when buying a jobsite radio?
For ease of use, most Makita radios work with the same batteries as their respective voltage power tool range. This means you could simply take the battery out of the radio and add it to the bottom of your drill
Some radios even charge power tool batteries giving you added flexibility on site. When you plug the radio in, not only do you have a radio, but you now have a battery charger.
What Power Source Should you go with?
Charge Devices with built in USB Outlets
This will allow you to connect your smart devices such as a phone or tablet to the speaker to charge it.
Usually offering a 1.0A charging flow, this will maintain your devices battery level while streaming audio to your radio or speaker.
What is AM/FM?
AM/FM radio frequencies are the basics for most home and work radios. They will give you the chance to listen to a huge range of national and local radio stations.
You can tune in to selection of local and national stations offering a wide choice of talk radio, sport, news and music. Not all radios will receive AM stations.
But if you really want to know more, then (just because I enjoy being a bit geeky)…
AM, or amplitude modulation, was one of the first methods used for radio transmissions. It can cover, short-, medium and longwave frequencies. Until the mid-1940s, it was the main method of broadcasting.
FM, or frequency modulation, was developed in the US in the 1930s. It didn’t suffer common forms of interference and quickly became the dominant method of broadcasting for radio stations that were music based.
What is DAB/DAB+?
Digital Audio Broadcasting – a higher quality of bandwidth to deliver better sound quality with minimal interference. With a wider choice of stations available than AM/FM, DAB/DAB+ stations offer local and national stations as well as more genre specific stations.
DAB+ is an improvement on DAB to offer a higher quality of sound. DAB Radios are not forward compatible to receive DAB+ stations. You will know that your radio receives a DAB signal as it will have a dedicated logo.
Bluetooth
Some speakers and radios will include Bluetooth connectivity, letting you stream audio directly to the respective device.
This is ideal if you have a personalised playlist stored on your smart device and you can’t find the right kind of music or podcast to suit your mood.
Typically, the Bluetooth range can vary between 10m to 50m in most cases. However, if your device and radio includes Bluetooth 5.0, this range can be extended up to 400m
AUX IN (Audio Cable in)
The way to connect an audio device to a speaker/radio before Bluetooth.
Many of the jobsite radios and speakers will have a socket where you can physically connect your device from the headphone socket to the radio to play your choice of audio.
Especially great if you have an old school iPod packed with albums and playlists that you just cant give up!
What is the IP Rating (protection rating)?
To ensure that it can be used outside, many radios will include an IP rating detailing what protection is built into a radio, including robustness for accidental dropping to waterproofing in case of rain.
One of our team has done a detailed explanation of what IP ratings mean and how they effect your gear.
Are Makita Radios just for jobsites?
No…they’re not just for worksites. Although designed to work on site, these speakers and radios are just as useful in homes, offices, halls, for a much wider variety of reasons – I’ve even seen a many Makita radios being used for background music at a blood donation centre, being used to entertain a bunch of toddlers at a kids birthday party, or simply on the beach with family. We even have the DMR203 Bluetooth speaker in the offices here at ITS.
What about you? What do you look for? Everyone has their own personal choice of what music they like, and it really does increase productivity on any site. Just humming, singing or whistling to a tune; or engaging in a radio quiz, or even getting your team a ‘shout-out’ on your station can make all the difference.
We have a detailed selection of worksite radios, and not just from Makita. To see our selection, click here
What station do you listen to? What is the preferred music range when on site?
Are you a silent fan of hard house or does your team work better listening to country and western?
Let us know in the comments.