05 Best Jobsite Radios Ever | Let enjoy music when working…

In case If you’re not familiar with them, a Jobsite radio is a radio that is used on a Jobsite or in a shop (or at the beach, or boating, camping, parties, etc.) to listen to music.

On this page, …we will share Best Jobsite Radio reviews… and we’ll share summaries of the Features.

Our editors/writers selected these items because we believe you will benefit and get good quality radio from them. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a referral fee… which helps us to cover the cost of operation of our blog. Thanks for your support.

Our Top Pick Jobsite Radios

1. BEST FOR OVERALL: Sangean LB-100 Ultra Rugged Compact AM/FM (Tested 2019)
2. GREAT SOUNDING & BLUETOOTH: Bosch PB360C AM/FM (Tested 2018)
3. BEST FOR RECEPTION: Milwaukee 2790-20 12-Volt to 28-Volt (Tested 2015)
4. BEST SATELLITE RECEIVER: Dewalt Radio DC012 Review – 7.2V-18V (Tested 2017)
5. BEST FOR RICH STEREO SOUND: Makita BMR100W 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion(Tested 2020)

The decision on which radio to buy usually coincides with the brand of battery-operated tools that one already owns.

1. BEST FOR OVERALL: Sangean LB-100 Ultra Rugged Compact AM/FM Radio

 The Sangean LB-100 radio tuner has a substantial backlit LCD screen for clear visibility and a portable design (11 x 9 x 7 inches) that makes it a number one choice for outdoor radioing. Weighing a little over 6 pounds, Sangean’s compact utility worksite radio, the LB-100 Lunchbox AM/FM Digital PLL Radio Tuner, is one of the most elegant portable utility Jobsite radios available. It includes an excellent AM/FM tuner and resists dust, rain, and impacts from above or below.

Just about every user was immensely satisfied with the distortion-free reception that the Sangean radio tuner offers.

There is memory space for a total of 12 preset AM and FM stations that can be set using simple controls. It will also keep track of five “favorite” stations.

The makers provide a heavy-duty power cord (that is extra-long) that can be plugged into any AC power source. It will also run on 4C batteries, but if you’re going to run the radio on batteries, it would be best to invest in some rechargeable Nimh cells or be prepared to spend a lot of money on alkalines.

Durable plastic construction. Another excellent reason for the Sangean radio tuner is a favorite is that it is highly resistant to heat, water, dust, crash, and chemicals are thanks to the excellent ABS plastic construction. The plastic used is not only stiff and durable but also lightweight, which makes the device comfortably portable and rugged enough for rough use.

The LB-100 has one five-inch, water-resistant speaker.

Excellent AM/FM sensitivity – The digital tuner sensitivity in the Sangean Radio is great, which makes for clear sound and excellent reception. However, one owner felt that a rotating FM antenna would make it possible to bring in weaker stations. He thought it wasn’t a big issue, though, as the FM sensitivity is so good that such adjusting is rarely necessary (all the Jobsite radios use this type of screw-in antenna).

Preset Equalizer Settings – The Sangean LB-100 has six equalizer settings: flat, pop, news, rock, indoor, outdoor, and all are available with available Dynamic Bass Boost (DBB). Some owners have complained of the radio gets boomy and distorted at higher volumes, but others say by turning down the bass and upping the treble, this is minimized.

I haven’t actually used the Sangean radio, and to be honest, I was surprised to see so many 4.5+ star reviews. It’s not the prettiest Jobsite radio out there, but just about everyone was impressed with its simple design, rugged functionality, and reasonable price.

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Read more buyer reviews and buying tips at Amazon

2. BEST FOR SOUNDING & BLUETOOTH: Bosch PB360C AM/FM Radio

 

The most significant thing you’ll notice about the Bosch radio PB360c will become apparent when you lift it out of the box. At 25 pounds, it’s a beast. Compared to some of the other Jobsite radios, the price is a bit of a beast too.

“Far and away, the best audio quality of any of the Jobsite radios”

Is it worth the extra? Beautiful Homebuilding magazine considers it to have, “far and away, the best audio quality of any of the Jobsite radios.” So assuming that you bought this Bosch radio because you wanted a durable, high-quality sound system that would stand up to the rigors of outdoor use, then yes, it is a good value.

Aside from the 30 preset AM and FM radio stations, you can input your tunes through the two Aux inputs from your phone, mp3 player, CD players, tape decks, or whatever else you can come up with.

One of these Aux inputs is also an output so that you can run a feed to additional speakers if so desired.

There is also a DC outlet enabling you to operate or charge any low amperage 12v stuff like cell phones and the like. All three of these inputs/outlets are on the outside of the radio and have to flip up covers to keep dust and moisture out when not in use.

On one side of the Bosch radio, there is a weather and dustproof media bay, which houses an SD card slot and a powered USB slot for flash drives and devices that charge via USB. There is also a cradle with an adjustable strap to hold a cell phone or mp3 device securely. There is also a third AUX input inside.

You can toggle through all of these input choices with the vast source button on the front of the radio for instant flexibility.

When using a flash drive or SD card as a music source, you can control them (play, pause, fast forward, stop, skip) from the front control panel as well.

One thing to note, though, if you are using an mp3 player, it can only be controlled from its interface.

At the opposite end of the media, the bay is the battery bay.

A single 14.4 – 18v battery can be plugged in here to run the radio or, if the radio is plugged into 110v and the battery is below full charge, the battery charger will kick in and bring the battery up to full charge.

The Bosch PB360c delivers its impressive 360 degrees sound through four speakers mounted on top and a 5” subwoofer on the bottom of the unit. As you can see from the video, they are shockproof and well protected by the roll bar.

The PB360c operates on 110v, three-prong AC power (6-foot cord), or any of the 14.4 – 18v Bosch lithium-ion batteries used to power their extensive line of cordless tools. There are no batteries included.

One of the most asked questions is how long the Bosch radio will run on a single fully charged 18v battery. This can vary from about 2 ½ hours with the volume set to near maximum to 6 or 7 hours indoors with the volume at about 1/3.

Overall the Bosch PB360c is a rugged, well-designed Jobsite radio with awesome sound quality.

How Tough is the Bosch Radio? The Bosch PowerBox PB360c has a rubber-coated aluminum roll bar for protection and is resistant to dust and rain.

So do the roll bars, and shock proofing give adequate protection? I would say yes, they do…

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Read more buyer reviews and buying tip at Amazon

3. BEST FOR RECEPTION: Milwaukee 2790-20 12-Volt to 28-Volt Jobsite Radio

 

The Best Bang For Your Buck? The Milwaukee Radio, model 2790-20, features great AM/FM reception and sound clarity, thanks to a fine digital processor. It delivers fine, rich bass, without any hint of distortion at normal volume levels.

It is built tough with shock-absorbing ABS polymer and steel wrap around bars to guard against impacts from objects landing on it and it landing on objects.

On top of the unit is a weather-sealed storage compartment that houses the batteries and mp3 player and is extremely handy for use with an iPod Touch, iPhone, or any portable MP3 player.

The six-foot AC power cord gets wrapped and secured on the bottom of the unit. There is also a 12V power outlet on the bottom for charging your iPod, cellphones, and the like.

It can be powered by all Milwaukee 12V – 28V tool batteries, including the M series, V series, and Ni-Cads. It boasts the most accurate reception and sound quality in this class of rough and tumbles Jobsite radio.

The Milwaukee 2790-20 achieves this great sound by using a well-thought-out collection of components that are matched to each other. Between the digital tuner (10 presets), the adjustable equalizer, and the 4 high-quality speakers is a 40 amp booster, which is a really great feature because it means you don’t have to crank the volume to the max fortunes to be heard over a large Jobsite or shop.

Like all of these job site radios (actually all sound devices), the goal of the Milwaukee engineers was to strike a balance between sound volume and sound quality. Ideally, the sound will be rich and bright up the volume scale and not give way to distortion until it gets to the maximum.

It’s a slightly tricky balancing act between the digital tuner/processor, the equalizer, the amplifier, and speakers because if you decide to change one component, it affects all the others. This usually results in either the size or weight and or the cost of the unit is going to increase.

Once you listen to 2790-20, you will realize that they have done an impressive job of getting this balance just right.

As well as the 12V-28V batteries, it can be powered by a standard 110V AC current. It does not, unfortunately, charge your battery packs when plugged in. This I have learned is because the radio/charger combination patents are owned by the Black and Decker/Dewalt family of tools. So if you need battery charging ability, you have to buy the Dewalt radio or the Bosch radio. This, however, does you little good if you are set up with Milwaukee batteries.

Bosch has decided to pay Black and Decker the necessary royalties to include battery charging capabilities for its PowerBox 360, but that has helped drive the cost of the Bosch radio up to almost double that of the Milwaukee radio. Mind you, and the Bosch radio does have more bells and whistles to help justify the higher price tag.

Some of the other Jobsite radios have a 110V outlet on them, which is handy for plugging in a battery charger. This would be an acceptable solution to getting around the Dewalt radio’s patent issue except that many users have complained that plugging a charger in causes the radio to emit an irritating hum. This, I believe, is because of inadequate shielding.

what is Milwaukee’s best Jobsite radio for sounding? This Milwaukee 2790-20 is best as we tested With superior radio reception and its well laid out interface and sound quality certainly make this radio from Milwaukee a pleasure to use. With its ability to use any Milwaukee battery no matter how old and its rugged construction and the great sound, all delivered at a great price, and you will not be disappointed when you fire up the Milwaukee radio on your Jobsite.

4. BEST SATELLITE RECEIVER: Dewalt Radio DC012 Review – 7.2V-18V Radio

 
The Dewalt radio DC012 is a mid-size, dustproof, weather-resistant Jobsite radio and, judging has many happy users.

This radio is one of only two (the other being the Bosch Radio) Jobsite radios that have a battery charging feature built-in. In other words, when plugged into 110v household power, this radio will also charge any of the Dewalt cordless tool battery packs (NiCad or Lithium-ion), from the early 7.2V to the present day 18V offerings.

It does so with a three-stage charging system that provides maximum run time and extends the overall life of the battery. The charging system was developed and patented by the Black & Decker / Dewalt family of tools.

Of course, the DC012 also runs on any of the batteries mentioned above packs from Dewalt. When not in use, the power cord winds up and is stored underneath the radio.

It is roughly the same size as the Milwaukee radio (2790-12) and the Ridgid radio at about 21” by 12” by 10” and weighs 15 pounds. It also has three 110V plugins built in to extend its usefulness further. These outlets make an excellent place to power up additional battery chargers.

The AM/FM digital radio tuner has 15 presets to lock in your favorite stations; it has a built-in clock, all displayed on a bright LCD display. The high-efficiency weather resistant speakers with dual bass ports deliver excellent bass and range.

A few users have complained about the lackluster sound quality and volume. Others mention how great the sound is. I guess it depends on what you are comparing it to.

I have attached a couple of videos at the bottom of the page showing what one chap did to upgrade the speakers. He replaced the stock speakers with a pair of Polk Audio DXI-400 speakers and felt it was well worth the effort. Watch part 2 first.

An auxiliary port allows connection to CD Players, MP3 Players, and portable satellite receivers with an audio cable, although the cable is not included.

Unfortunately, there is no dust-free storage area for these auxiliary devices.

This Dewalt radio is the 3rd generation in the DC line of Dewalt radios, and they continue to add improvements (based on customer feedback) with each upgrade.

It’s nice to see a company listening to its customers.

So if you’re already set up with the Dewalt line of tools and batteries, this would be a natural selection for you. If you haven’t bought into any range of cordless tools yet, this Dewalt radio would be an excellent reason to start.

Read more buyer reviews and buying tip at Amazon

5.  BEST FOR RICH STEREO SOUND: Makita BMR100W 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless FM/AM

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The first thing you will notice and like about the Makita BMR100W is its compact size and weight. Coming in at just 9 pounds it’s an easy one-handed carry from the truck to the worksite with its significantly comfortable, grippy flip-up handle.

The Makita radio has wrap-around bumpers for durability and is weather-resistant to keep dust and light precipitation out.

It is designed to run on a plethora of Makita clusters and slide batteries from 9.6 – 18 volts. See the chart below for the accepted battery model numbers. The runtime should be 6 hours using the smallest 9.6v batteries up to 16 hours on the LXT lithium-ion (although like all the other cordless Jobsite radios, no batteries are included).

Two AA is also required (included) in order to save the presets (5 AM and 5 FM stations and time). It will also run on the included 110v power cord.

The suitable battery packs for the Makita Radio BMR100W

Cluster Battery:

• 9.6V: 9135 | 9134 | 9122 | PA09 | 9120
• 12V: 1235 | 1234 | 1222 | PA12 | 1220
• 14.4V: 1435 | 1434 | 1422 | PA14 | 1420
• 18V: 1835 | 1834 | 1822 | PA18

Slide Battery:

• 9.6V: BH9033 | BH9033A | BH9020 | BH9020A
• 12V: BH1233 | BH1233C | BH1220C
• 14.4V: BH1433 | BH1420 | BL1430
• 18V: BL1830
• 24V: BH2433 | BH2420

After work, you can bring it indoors and use the wakeup alarm and auto-timed shut-off features.
The vast majority of reviewers were very pleased with the sound quality from the 3.25-inch speakers that were delivered in either stereo or mono. There is no tone control, so the bass/treble is a factory set.

“I still can’t believe how great the sound is on such a small Jobsite radio.”
“…the Makita radio lasts many hours on battery power, perfect bass sound.”

The radio is MP3 compatible, although a few complained about the lack of volume when using the unit with an iPod or similar device.

The power cord was the only other common complaint in the reviews. Being detachable, it is easy to lose and would probably be better received if it was firmly attached and stored on the unit.

Overall the Makita radio is a rugged, lightweight, well-designed Jobsite radio with excellent sound quality.

“I’ve used the Bosch, Milwaukee, and seen the new Ridgid Jobsite radio‘s. They are all large, bulky, heavy, loaded with unnecessary features and parts break off of them. I am enjoying this Makita radio very much and highly recommend it.”

The video below shows you how to protect your iPod (or another mp3 player) from dust and weather when playing tunes on your Makita radio.

Pros:

Cons:

Read more buyer reviews and buying tips at Amazon

Buyer’s Guide of the Best Jobsite Radios

• A Jobsite Radio must be Shockproof and Weather Resistant

Before this new brand of entertainment center came along, there was no effort at all put into making radios that would survive for long in a shop or construction environment. It took tool manufacturers to see the need and respond with radios designed to be tough enough to stand this kind of abuse.

• Battery

The other component that has made this new brand of Jobsite radio so much better is the fantastic advancements in battery technology. All of the units in these reviews can be operated with the same batteries that power the respective company’s cordless tools. Some units, when plugged into 110v, will charge their batteries automatically.

• Resistant to Dust

The number one enemy of the Jobsite radio is dust infiltration. To combat dust, these units are sealed up much more effectively now with rubber gaskets, tighter-fitting access doors, and rubber covers and plugs over ports and receptacles. Those dust-fighting safeguards also give these radios the ability to withstand moisture, which is also a big plus, especially for those of you who live and work in wetter climates.

While I wouldn’t leave my Jobsite radio out in a torrential downpour, it won’t take much of a cover (a piece of plywood with a brick set on top) to protect your radio and avoid shortening its life span adequately.

The most essential element that these construction radios have is rubber/plastic coated roll bars. It would be pointless to have weather and dust-resistant radio if it had no protection from impacts from landing on hard surfaces or having building materials land on it.

A Final Words:

Some Common Features of these Best Jobsite Radios

Here is a list of features shared by just about every Jobsite radio on the market

They are generally made by cordless tool companies and use the same batteries that the tools use. It can handle inclement weather and dirt, sand, sawdust, etc. far better than a radio that is made for indoor use.

The source of that music can be AM or FM radio, your smartphone, an mp3 player, or a flash drive.

There’s nothing new about listening to the radio while on the job, it’s been done for decades. What is new is the capabilities of the latest job site radios. Before this new brand of entertainment center came along, there was no effort at all put into making radios that would survive for long in a shop or construction environment.

It took tool manufacturers to see the need and respond with radios designed to be tough enough to stand this kind of abuse.

The other component that has made this new brand of Jobsite radio so much better is the fantastic advancements in battery technology.

All of the units in these reviews can be operated with the same batteries that power the respective company’s cordless tools. Some units, when plugged into 110v, can also be used as a battery charger.

The number one enemy of the Jobsite radio (or any electronic device) is dust infiltration. To combat dust, these units are sealed up much more effectively now with rubber gaskets, tighter-fitting access doors, and rubber covers and plugs over ports and receptacles.

Those dust-fighting safeguards also give these radios the ability to withstand moisture, which is also a big plus, especially for those of you who live and work in wetter climates.

While I wouldn’t leave my Jobsite radio out in a torrential downpour, it won’t take much of a cover (a piece of plywood with a brick set on top) to protect your radio and avoid shortening its life span adequately.

The third essential element that these construction radios have is rubber/plastic coated aluminum roll bars.

It would be pointless to have weather and dust-resistant radio if it had no protection from impacts from landing on hard surfaces or having building materials land on it.

FAQs

Bosch PB360D Vs PB360S

Both models of the Bosch PowerBox 360 have an identical rubber-coated aluminum rollbar for protection, and both models are resistant to dust and rain.

So do the roll bars, and shockproofing give adequate protection? I would say yes, they do….

Aside from the 30 preset AM and FM radio stations, you can input your tunes through the two Aux inputs from your phone, mp3 player, satellite radio (deluxe version only), CD players, tape decks, or whatever else you can come up with. One of these Aux inputs is also an output so that you can run a feed to additional speakers if so desired. There is also a DC outlet enabling you to operate or charge any low amperage 12v stuff like cell phones and the like. All three of these inputs/outlets are on the outside of the radio and have to flip up covers to keep dust and moisture out when not in use.

On one side of the Bosch radio, there is weather and dustproof media bay, which houses an SD card slot and a powered USB slot for flash drives and devices that charge via USB. There is also a cradle with an adjustable strap to hold a cell phone or mp3 device securely. There is also a third AUX input inside.

You can toggle through all of these input choices with the abundant source button on the front of the radio for instant flexibility. When using a flash drive or SD card as a music source, you can control them (play, pause, fast forward, stop, skip) from the front control panel as well. One thing to note, though, if you are using an mp3 player, it can only be controlled from its interface.

At the opposite end of the media, the bay is the battery bay. A single 14.4 – 18v battery can be plugged in here to run the radio or, if the radio is plugged into 110v and the battery is below full charge, the battery charger will kick in and bring the battery up to full charge.

Both the Bosch PB360D and PB360S deliver their impressive 360 degrees sound through four speakers mounted on top and a 5” subwoofer on the bottom of the unit. As you can see from the video, they are shockproof and well protected by the roll bar.

The PB360S puts out 26 watts of power, which is enough for a large worksite or beach area, or deck. The PB360D has almost twice the power output (50 watts) of the base model. The 50 watt PB360D certainly puts the “BOOM” in this box. If you need a radio for a large outdoor area, it might be worth the extra $50. for the deluxe model and not have to have the volume cranked to the max all the time.

The extra money also gets you two GFIC receptacles instead of the standard plugins on the base model radio. The four AC outlets on both units give you a total combined amp rating of 10 amps.

The other notable differences between the two radios are the remote control, the backlit control panel, and the SIRIUS satellite doc/play sport on the deluxe model.

Both models operate on 110v, three-prong AC power (6-foot cord), or any of the 14.4 – 18v Bosch lithium-ion batteries used to power their extensive line of cordless tools. There are no batteries included with either unit.

One of the most asked questions is how long the Bosch radio will run on a single fully charged 18v battery. For the base model (PB360S ), this can vary from about 2 ½ hours with the volume set to near maximum to 6 or 7 hours indoors with the volume at about 1/3. Of course, it stands to reason that if you are using the Bosch PB360D outdoors at full volume, you can expect less run time as it is putting out nearly double the volume.

Overall the Bosch PB360D (Deluxe) and Bosch PB360S (Standard) are rugged, well-designed Jobsite radios with awesome sound quality.

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