Charlotte Apple Computer Club
Since 1978
Griffin radioSHARK
Overall rating:
A Quick review by Bill Hilton
Submitted: 2/25/2005
OSs Supported - OS X, Win XP
Additional information and technical specs at Griffin Technology
Retail approx. $69 but street price is approximately $49
A few weeks back I posted a note asking if anyone had experience with the Griffin radioSHARK, which is an AM/FM tuner that allows one to listen to and record real-time radio through your Mac's USB port. (Apparently there's also a Windoze version, but I know nothing about such things.)
Having gotten a radioSHARK as a Valentine's Day/Anniversary present (my wife understands and helps supports my Mac addiction), I can report after tens days of use that the hardware and software that come with it are top-notch.
In addition to providing a digital tuner that allows you to select the station of your choice, the proprietary software--just updated yesterday to Version 1.0.5--allows you to record directly off the air. Furthermore, it allows you to set radioSHARK to record future programs at a certain time and date AND on a repeated basis. (I use it to make sure I record Prairie Home Companion every Saturday at 6 pm whether I'm at home or not--even if the computer is in sleep mode!). Interestingly, due to a "Time Shift" mode, you can buffer what you're listening to in real time and then "go back in time" and record what you just heard. This is helpful, for example, if you're listening to a song or NPR program and you wish you'd caught it from the beginning. Just move the Time Shift slider and the software will record what you heard minutes--even hours--ago, depending on how big a buffer you pre-set. In other words, radioSHARK is sort of like TIVO for your radio.
The tuner itself works reasonably well, especially when I plugged some earbuds into the external headphone jack and spread them out like a T-antenna. (I'm in York SC, and WFAE-FM comes in fine at all hours; I even picked up KDKA 1020 AM in Pittsburgh the other day, so on good nights I should be able to tape my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates games when baseball season starts.) That said, it would be nice if Griffin made a complementary external antenna to allow better pickup of weaker, more distant stations.
Radio is recorded as AAC or AIFF and plays back nicely via QuickTime Player. The two-hour Prairie Home Companion last week took up 1.2 GB, so I should be able to get three and maybe even four programs on a standard DVD-ROM. Henceforth, that will give me much better access to my PHC archives, which I previously recorded on two-hour audio tapes. :-)
Bottom line: For $69 list ($49 street) you won't find a better solution to inputting and recording radio on your Mac.
The radioSHARK is available at the Charlotte Apple Store, so you can run out and get one today so you can record Car Talk on Saturday while you're outside enjoying the lovely weekend weather.
Happy Listening!
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