Bosch PB10-CD Advanced Power Job Site Radio with CD Player and Remote Control

Amazon Customer Reviews

(3 out of 5)

Proven bad reception (FIXED!)

New-----
I Read the reveiw about the new antenna and ordered the unit. It's well worth the price. And now reception is as good as any other radio out there. It's playing CD's and MP-3's as I type. and I get all the stations I need on the radio. Kudo's to Bosch for the quick fix. I wish I could increase the actual rating, 5 Stars, no question.
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I saw the radio in the store and had it in my cart. I thought I should read the reviews prior to purchase and put it back. After reading the reviews I went back to home depot and with the Dewalt on one side and the Milwaukee on the other I performed the reception test. Don't buy the Bosch. I'm a great fan of their tools but the Bosch would not pick up ANY FM stations while the others would tune clearly to 8-10 local and not so local stations.

The Good- The MP3 function puts 11 hours of music on a disk, and with 12vdc and 4 outlets of GFCI It's still a good tool. I may need to take it apart to put an external antenna on it tho'

(3 out of 5)

Eye-catching, but doesn't live up to Bosch's standards

I saw this device on job-site not too long after it was released. I had to search around to find it, now it's for sale everywhere.
Pros:
-cage allows it to be chained down with ladders and job box.
-cord wrap keeps cable tidy when not in use.
-light weight.
-square shape lets you stack it on a two wheeler (unlike the DW & Mil).
-snap-down CD tray keeps discs from jamming if you tip it or crash into it with a skyjack.
-EQ was designed to be LOUD and fill a room with sound (see cons).
-on-board GFCI cleans up cable clutter.
-12v output and mini-jack input lets me tie in an i-pod or other gear.
-battery charger cabinet holds 8-9 CD jewel cases for safe transport!

CONS:
-EQ was not designed for the audiophile carpenter. If you want booming lows and tight high-end, buy a Bose Wave Radio and hope you don't trash it.
-no line out jack for sending to a transmitter or other device.
-FM reception is garbage, I use CDs and MP3s unless we are listening to AM.
-backlit display is not designed for viewing above horizontal. If you have the box setting on the ground, you must tip it back (or lay on the floor) to read the display. From above you see all possible icons.
-volume control doesn't give you much room for subtle music. I normally keep it on 1 or 2. Volume is electronic with a momentary up-down control via a shuttle knob (on the left)
-GFCI doors flip up, so you have to tip the unit to the side to see the plugs for mating. I just tore the doors off after a while. I figured, why have rain lids? I work indoors well after the job has been dry.
-all of the nooks and crannies on the molded case collect a LOT of dust and debris.

HINT!
The antenna is discretely hidden in the round top handle. I disassembled the unit, cut the antenna lead to the handle and soldered it to a retractable antenna (from my local RadioShack) that I attached easily to the top of the main shell. I do not reccomend this procedure, but I can tell you, it SIGNIFICANTLY increased my FM reception.

(3 out of 5)

Updated: After much use, I'm not satisfied...

****FINAL UPDATE

I finally quit trying to believe there was anything redeeming about this radio. The FM tuner reception, even with the new antenna fix, is quite simply so bad that it ruins the radio. I was lucky if I could tune in one station clearly at any given site.

ONLY BUY THIS UNIT IF YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT FM RECEPTION.

After letting my Powerbox sit unused for several months, I called Bosch and asked for a refund. It took some doing, but they agreed to take the radio back and refund my money. They acknowledged its problems; they know it is a piece of junk. To Bosch's credit, they did take it back. Maybe they'll come out with a new design some day and get it right.

****UPDATE

This is the second time I've updated my review. I've had my power box for months, and I've had the improved unit with the added wire antenna (see below) for over a month.

The FM radio reception on this unit is simply horrible. In my opinion, the wire antenna Bosch has added does nothing to improve reception, and even seems to make it worse in some cases. Adding the wire antenna was simply slapping a band-aid on a serious problem. It didn't work, and I'd like my money back. Do not buy this unit if you want to listen to FM radio with it.

****UPDATE (original review below):

Bosch finally acknowledged the FM reception problem with these Power Boxes and is willing to replace them. They added an external antenna at the rear of the cicular, silver Bosch handle on the top of the unit.

The antenna consists of a thin wire that is about one foot long. At one end of the wire there is a threaded connector that screws onto a small connector that Bosch has added at the back of the connector. At the other end there is a velcro strap that you can use to attact that end of the wire to something to keep the wire extended.

Of course, there usually isn't anything to attach that wire to, and I find it only modestly improves the Power Box's reception. I would have much rather seen a "rubber whip" style antenna.

If you have the old Power Box, you can call Bosch and they will send you a new one with the antenna. You then send yours back to them in the box the new one was sent in. They take your credit card number for security (in case you don't send them the old Power Box). Bosch pays for all shipping, and they even sent me a free gift separately for my trouble (a case of drill driver bits).****


I've owned my Power Box for a couple of months now. I read the other reviews and my comments relate to them.

I don't think this radio is too heavy or too big. I would have never thought of that as a possible compaint.

I have been wondering about the FM reception. I get many stations fine, but the PBS station, which is usually the easiest to get, is hard to get on the Power Box. But AM reception seems surprisingly good.

The one thing I really wish this thing had is a headphone jack. I have a small radio transmitter that I use at sites to transmit to my Peltor Alert hearing protection AM/FM headphones (I put them on when I'm using power equipment). I'd really like to be able to transmit whatever I'm listening to or playing to my headphones, but I can't with no jack. But, I'm sure I'm about the only person out there with this complaint.

One thing I have noticed is that once I charge a battery pack, it goes dead within a day or two even if the radio is not on. I really don't understand why this is, but it has happened several times with a fairly new battery pack.

I think the sound is good. But I wouldn't expect amazing sound from a jobsite radio, and I listen mainly to talk programming.

So, in the end, I guess I don't know if I like my Power Box. I wouldn't return it tomorrow for what I paid for it. But I'd sure like to keep that option open.

(2 out of 5)

POWER BOX? Not really.

I got my Bosch Power Box the other day after ordering from amazon.com. I had read the reviews about the radio reception being poor & I figured they were exaggerating, but it's terrible! I can only get 2 FM stations in clearly & everything else is either all static or not much more than that! Its CD player works well & the sound quality is ok but not great. You have to have the power box plugged in even to charge your cell phone. Bought a bosch 24v platinum battery for it ( over $130.00! ) & it only works for about 8 hours before going stone dead. Lastly, the darn thing is heavier than a box of tools! With all that weight behind it & a price tag way bigger than Milwaulkee & Dewalt ( actually, you can buy both of them for the price of the Bosch!!!) you'd think they could make a better performing unit! Why did I keep it? It's the only one with a CD player...THAT'S IT!!!! Don't buy it unless you want a jobsite radio witha built in CD player!!!

(4 out of 5)

Overall, pretty cool - a bit large, but then it does alot

I've been waiting for this to be released, and finally I found one at my local Lowes store. It's larger than I thought, but I guess you have to be big to be all the things this thing is.

A few thoughts:

1>Bosch sound - actually kind of amplified trebly, as opposed to a bass boost - which is what you expect from a sound boost option. EQ settings also amplify the sound to different degrees.
2>Power cord is a bit short for the unit to truly act as a remote power strip, which, with the gfci outlets - you get the idea that's what Bosch had in mind.
3>I was hoping I could use the 12volt outlet to charge my phone with the 18volt bosch pack - but it only works when plugged in...
4>Some had said that the internal antenna is a little weak - I guess I'd agree, sometimes you have to turn off the stereo option to lose some of the static.
5>I was hoping for a bit more bass overall, but then I'm coming from a JVC Kaboom box - which rocks, But the Powerbox is not too bad, it puts out a nice loud sound - loud enough for all my uses as a boombox.
6>The manual doesn't specify how long it should take to charge the battery - it seems to take a lot longer than my standard charger.

I'd definitely buy it again, but then I'm committed to the Bosch 18Volt platform. I look forward to being able to put an MP3 CD in it with 100 or so songs - nice feature. I also use it with my iPod directly hooked up to it. I do wish it was a bit smaller/lighter, but it does seem to be built like a tank, so I'll quit whining. I'm looking forward to the future 18Volt products Bosch will release, as the basic 4 piece kit plus the planer and now the Powerbox are all very well designed and made.