RCA Clock Radio SETS ITSELF!

I was recently given this clock radio as a gift because my husband knew the frustrations I was having with my old one (the buttons had been working only erratically out and changing the time or alarm time had been getting exceedingly difficult). I have to say that I am really liking this clock and all it’s neat features.

Automatic set time: This has to be one of the best features of this clock. All you have to do is plug the clock into the wall socket, and IT SETS ITSELF!!! I love this feature!!! It works this way after a power outage as well. No more ever having to reset your clock’s time.

The numbers: This clock features large numbers. The box claims that they are 1.4” and that seems accurate to me. The numbers are blue and they are easy to read, even when I take my glasses off at night. There is also a switch that can make the numbers dimmer or brighter so that you can suit your own needs. Personally, I like them bright because it makes them easier to see but if you are very sensitive to extra lights, you may want them dimmer because the bright setting is pretty bright!

Dual Alarm: The clock has the ability to set 2 alarms. This is great for people who don’t want to have to set or re-set their clocks for different wake up times. For instance, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have to get up an hour earlier than Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays so I have one alarm set for each time so that all I have to do is make sure that the right alarm will go off on the right days. I don’t have to worry about re-setting the numbers. It is also great for couples who only have one clock and different wake up times as you can set both to go off on the same day if you choose to

Sleep: This is a common function on many alarm clocks. You can set the sleep timer to play music for a set amount of time and then turn itself off. This is nice if you like to fall asleep to music. You can set it for however long you think it will take you to fall asleep and it will turn off while you are sleeping.

Nap: The nap function was new to me. My old clock did not have thie feature. You can set the nap timer just like the sleep timer but instead of playing music to fall asleep to, you get quiet until the time is up and then the music plays to wake you from your nap. This is great if you want to take a short nap but don’t want to sleep too long. You don’t have to worry about re-setting the alarm clock and messing those numbers up but can simply use this feature instead.

Radio tuning: Tuning the radio is much easier than my old clock. Although this clock has a dial to tune the radio, the digital numbers corresponding to the radio stations pop up on the clock as you turn it so you know exactly which station you are on. No more guessing if you have the right station number only to wake up to some talk show or the wrong kind of music the next morning. It also eliminates the static heard if you don’t get the station properly tuned such as with an analogue tuner. The radio plays a decent sound though definitely not the quality of a good stereo. It is more than adequate for my listening needs.

Battery back up: This clock takes two AA batteries. Personally, this is so much easier for me than the 9 Volt battery that most clocks take since I always have AA batteries around for the many toys in this house. It is great to have the battery back up because when a power outage occurs, you do not have to reset your alarm times so if it happens in the middle of the night and comes back on, your alarm clock will still be able to wake you at the right time in the morning.

MP3 audio input: This clock radio has an input for your MP3 player to connect to. I have to say that I have not tried this feature as I do not own an MP3 player so I cannot comment on it other than to say that it might be quite handy for those who do have an MP3 player and want to listen to their own chosen music.

Color and Size; This clock is a silver/metallic frame and the numbers on the clock are blue on a black background. The size of this clock is a great asset of it’s design as well. It is small and takes up minimal space on my already crowded night table. My other clock radio was huge and I can’t believe how much space I now have on my night table. It is tall instead of wide and the buttons are placed in such a way as to minimize the space it takes up. The clock is only a few inches thick as compared to my previous clock which was about 8 inches wide.

Recommendations
I would recommend this clock radio. The numbers are large enough to see and the features are very useful and convenient. All are easy to use even though the directions are really terrible. A little bit of experimenting with this clock was all I needed to figure out all of the features and be able to use them. It works well and looks nice on my night table too!