Picture, if you can, a man of entirely average fitness on a bicycle, wheezing his way up a steep rural hillside in a pair of cycling shorts that are rather too small, carrying a ‘work’ rucksack containing Roberts’ new outdoor radio, the SolarDAB 99.
Besides the exciting tech in his bag, it isn’t a particularly charming scene, is it?
Well, let me tell you, it’s even less charming when you are that man. But, having committed to putting the radio manufacturer’s new outdoor-friendly offering to the test, I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
I arrived at the campsite just before sunset, and much to my delight, found it deserted. On my cycle over, I had worried that it might be too busy for me to test the radio’s volume controls in good conscience. But, without a soul in sight, the sonic landscape was ours for the evening.
So, after pitching my one man tent, I got down to business.
First impressions
Right off the bat, I liked the look of this radio. Like a sleeker, smaller version of a Makita job site radio, it has a rugged, no-frills appearance that is refreshingly out of step with some of Roberts’ more retro-styled lifestyle radios that we have tested. Around the radio’s edges, Roberts has included sturdy bumpers to protect the main body.
With its handy carry strap and various powering options (solar panel, hand crank, USB-C, and a rechargeable battery), the multi-tool approach taken to this design is hard to miss – but it’s well integrated and tasteful.
Pulling the SolarDAB 99 from my bag and setting it down in the dry, yellowing grass, I was also pleased by its weight. On my journey over, I hadn’t felt that I was carrying any excess, but in hand – and despite its plastic casing – the radio feels just bulky and solid enough to give a real impression of quality.
Once I switched the radio on and extended its lengthy telescopic antenna, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease with which I was able to set it up.
Despite being fairly well in the middle of nowhere, I encountered no trouble scanning for and tuning in to a broad selection of DAB, DAB+ and FM stations – more of them, indeed, than I was ever going to get time to listen to.
Connecting via Bluetooth was also a breeze, and the radio appeared in my iPhone 15’s Bluetooth settings almost immediately after I selected pairing mode.
Into the woods
By the time I had spent a while exploring the SolarDAB 99’s features, the sun was bowing out below the horizon. So I thought I had better go for a wander, lest my evening in the wild be wasted.
Clipping the radio to my bag via its robust carry strap, I set off into the woods to the soundtrack of BBC Radio 4.
As it got darker, I turned on the radio’s useful flashlight. This features options for a wide beam of white light, a more narrow, focused beam and a red light. Each setting is available in two brightnesses, and as a flashing SOS signal or a regular flashing mode.
Soon, having lost myself in the forest, I was relieved to find that the torch’s light was more than bright enough to hike by. Fumbling for the illumination mode button, I accidentally set off the radio’s emergency alarm, which, blessedly, starts off relatively quiet, increasing in volume with each beep.
For those of you planning to listen to the radio and hike with a torch simultaneously (you crazy cats, you), it’s worth noting that the flashing modes do sometimes add white-noise interference when listening to weak FM signals. With a strong signal, however, you shouldn’t have any issue.
The radio’s solar panel also seems to work a treat. While Roberts claims a 20-hour battery life from the SolarDAB 99’s rechargeable battery, with the help of earlier sunlight, I didn’t see the charge drop by more than a single bar (of which there are a total of four) during my trip, despite listening for the entire evening.
Roberts says the hand crank offers seven minutes of playback per minute of cranking, but given that I already had charge, I didn’t get to put that to a proper test. It does, however, have a very satisfying feel for a few spins.
Eventually, by a fusion of pure chance and nerve-soothing radio, I made it back to the tent.
But can Roberts sing?
Day to day at What Hi-Fi?, we are blessed with the work of listening to music on a wide variety of systems, some of which are well and truly top of the line products. As such, I was conscious of approaching the SolarDAB 99’s sound with an open mind.
But, as it happened, this radio had no need for my tolerance. Radio presenters’ voices are delivered with naturalness and low-end authority, especially for a small DAB/FM radio measuring just 11.4 x 20.3 x 8.9 cm (hwd). Music sometimes sways towards the richer side of things, but nonetheless comes across with power and a satisfying degree of clarity.
To get the most out of the radio’s high frequencies, I would suggest tilting the speaker towards your listening position. Conveniently, the rear dynamo crank can be pulled part way out to act as a lean support.
Dynamics – which are often all but lost to the compression processes necessary for radio transmission – are also distinct, making for an expressive and entertaining listen overall.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the radio’s maximum volume isn’t going to burst any eardrums, but it certainly goes loud enough that, had I been sharing the campsite with anybody else, I suspect I would have been somewhat unpopular. Turn it down low, and the SolarDAB 99 does a great job of holding on to its low end punch.
One of my favourite qualities of this radio, however, was one I discovered by accident.
Leaving the radio playing while I made my way to the campsite’s primitive latrines, I noticed that, although I had been playing music at an eminently hearable volume, mere metres from my pitch, I could hardly hear a thing.
Morning thoughts
Come morning, as I packed away my optimistically labelled ‘one-man’ cocoon, I found myself feeling rather impressed with the SolarDAB 99 radio.
While its roster of adventure-friendly features might seem overkill at first glance, they had each proven useful – occasionally, completely vital – during my trip. Indeed, finding that my smartphone’s battery was nearly depleted, I could even recharge it via the radio’s 5V USB-A output.
In the words of the architect Charles Eames: “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host, anticipating the needs of his guests.” In this case, I think Roberts has managed to do exactly that.
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