# Bosch PB360D vs Sangean FB-100 Fatbox JOBSITE RADIOS



## Mike- (Aug 20, 2011)

Yes. They have had this unit for a year now. It no linger carries the Rockford fosgate branding. The sq is terrific, and the unit has an iPod aux and sealed compartment. A very durable radio. For the price, it is hard to beat. My iPhone lives in it for 8 hours a day. And to boot- 

It also has a beer bottle opener and a mobile device charger port. 

I like it.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

I used to send audio to my Bosch with a Bluetooth adaptor so I kept phone on me and changed tracks or stations on the phone from about 30-40ft away at times. Ain't tried it with iPhone as I couldn't get it to connect. Saves going back to radio for calls also.


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## Mike- (Aug 20, 2011)

Do you have a link for which adapter might work with an iPhone?


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## redwood (Dec 5, 2007)

Can't you buy about 3 Makita radios for the cost of 1 bosch, and spread them around the job site?:whistling


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## Mike- (Aug 20, 2011)

redwood said:


> Can't you buy about 3 Makita radios for the cost of 1 bosch, and spread them around the job site?:whistling


Lol. I guess you could do that!!!


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

TBFGhost said:


> The bosch is around 250 WITHOUT batteries...


Under $200 around here, and 189 for a reconditioned model on CPOTOOLS.COM


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

I have had the Bosch for about 5 years now. It rocks! It is loud and sound great. There are multiple EQ settings that give you some great flexibility. Hands down it is far superior than the Makita or any other job site radio (that's for you BC!).

The only issue I had was with the antenna. It broke off about a year ago, but I cut some 12ga solid wire, took a tap and die set and threaded it to fit in the slot. Works better than the OEM antenna.

I am waiting for this thing to die to get the new one, but it just won't take a hint.


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## MTT (Dec 14, 2011)

To me this debate is amongst the new Milwaukee, NEW Bosch deluxe and Sangean Fatbox. Looking at the stats and having heard a Milwaukee, I think the subwoofer and stronger amp on the bosch puts it a step ahead but also at a higher pricepoint. I really need someone who has owned a Sangean Fatbox to chim in. I can't find what type of amp is in it. Only that it has 6.5 " speakers and I trust Sangean. The U3 was the best sounding radio I've owned. 

I first saw the fatbox after someone mentioned it on this forum as the #1 jobsite radio for sound, above the bosch. Someone with the Sangean - stand up!


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

TNTSERVICES said:


> I have had the Bosch for about 5 years now. It rocks! It is loud and sound great. There are multiple EQ settings that give you some great flexibility. Hands down it is far superior than the Makita or any other job site radio (that's for you BC!).
> 
> The only issue I had was with the antenna. It broke off about a year ago, but I cut some 12ga solid wire, took a tap and die set and threaded it to fit in the slot. Works better than the OEM antenna.
> 
> I am waiting for this thing to die to get the new one, but it just won't take a hint.



I got the Bosch radio :thumbsup: but I also kept the makita. The makita it's just nice to grab quickly if ya don't want to lug about the massive Bosch and the battery in the makita will last all day long. If I want to pump out some tunes i will grab the Bosch though. They both have their uses. the issue I have with the Bosch though is the way it kill radio stations as it charges the battery  there's just no need for this.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

BCConstruction said:


> I got the Bosch radio :thumbsup: but I also kept the makita. The makita it's just nice to grab quickly if ya don't want to lug about the massive Bosch and the battery in the makita will last all day long. If I want to pump out some tunes i will grab the Bosch though. They both have their uses. the issue I have with the Bosch though is the way it kill radio stations as it charges the battery  there's just no need for this.


I have the older model with the NiCad charger and don't even know there is a battery in there. I only find out when I unplug the radio and it is still playing.

The Makita is nice and compact, but I would have no real reason to go out and buy one of the other brands. The JobBox just takes a beating and keeps on going. Now if someone were to give me another brand to try out, maybe, but not with my own $.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

TNTSERVICES said:


> I have the older model with the NiCad charger and don't even know there is a battery in there. I only find out when I unplug the radio and it is still playing.
> 
> The Makita is nice and compact, but I would have no real reason to go out and buy one of the other brands. The JobBox just takes a beating and keeps on going. Now if someone were to give me another brand to try out, maybe, but not with my own $.


Sometimes I will set up both and have same station on and have the makita near the trailer and the Bosch near where I'm working. 

The Bosch is so dam heavy though. Just like that dam axial glide saw lol


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

BCConstruction said:


> Sometimes I will set up both and have same station on and have the makita near the trailer and the Bosch near where I'm working.
> 
> The Bosch is so dam heavy though. Just like that dam axial glide saw lol


Yeah, I set it up on site and don't even think about moving it. Only from level to level.


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## MTT (Dec 14, 2011)

I am updating this after trying both the Bosch and NEW Milwaukee. To start off, I'm going to give a big thumbs down to "BCConstruction". Before I posted here I was trying to read as many user opinions as possible on all radios in the discussion. His review of the Bosch 360 Deluxe stated clearly that it wasn't much louder/superior sounding over the Makita. You even stated it here. 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What exactly are you doing to make such a statement? Surely you aren't using the radios. Both the Bosch and newest Milwaukee absolutely destroy the Makita in sound quality and LOUDNESS. The Makita is barely audible in some environments with everything raised. In comparison the Bosch PB360D and Milwaukee 2790-20 become so loud it is uncomfortable to stand near. Especially when using the EQ properly to compensate for those last few volume notches. Both of these radios are LOUD. The Makita is NOT CLOSE. Those 3 inch junk speakers cannot stack up to what the others offer. 

I bought the Milwaukee. I don't need the other features, and it isn't as awkward to carry. Either way if you need to turn the volume up the Makita is not in the discussion period. I need to understand how you are making such claims BCConstruction. I think you need to return your Bosch and try a new one.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

MTT said:


> I am updating this after trying both the Bosch and NEW Milwaukee. To start off, I'm going to give a big thumbs down to "BCConstruction". Before I posted here I was trying to read as many user opinions as possible on all radios in the discussion. His review of the Bosch 360 Deluxe stated clearly that it wasn't much louder/superior sounding over the Makita. You even stated it here.
> 
> ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What exactly are you doing to make such a statement? Surely you aren't using the radios. Both the Bosch and newest Milwaukee absolutely destroy the Makita in sound quality and LOUDNESS. The Makita is barely audible in some environments with everything raised. In comparison the Bosch PB360D and Milwaukee 2790-20 become so loud it is uncomfortable to stand near. Especially when using the EQ properly to compensate for those last few volume notches. Both of these radios are LOUD. The Makita is NOT CLOSE. Those 3 inch junk speakers cannot stack up to what the others offer.
> 
> I bought the Milwaukee. I don't need the other features, and it isn't as awkward to carry. Either way if you need to turn the volume up the Makita is not in the discussion period. I need to understand how you are making such claims BCConstruction. I think you need to return your Bosch and try a new one.


 
if i remeber correctly i didnt say the makita was as loud i said it sounds better. higher power output does not mean better sound quality! the bosch is louder and again if i remeber correctly i said the deluxe bosch was no louder than the standard bosch. so that where your getting confussed. 

i will go back and read my posts because if i did say that then it was a mistake. but i still stand by the makita sounding better. i still own both radios and they both function just fine so i know theres nothing wrong with my bosch. Im not the kind of audio guy where bigger bass and louder sound means better quality audio.


as i thought i said no such thing. 



BCConstruction said:


> I have the makita and the Bosch. I also had the s model Bosch and to be honest the d model is hardly any louder at all. But yes the Bosch is louder than the makita. I would think you would be happy with it as I am and I'm anal with audio. The makita does sound better but the Bosch def covers a larger area wi sound because of the speakers on each corner. Theres almost zero dead spots. It also has a lot of connection options and can charge Bosch batteries and also of course run off them. There's a few things I'm not happy with on it but in the end it's a job site radio. if you really want I could grab you some DB readings from each radio to show you how much louder they are. But remember I think general rule of thumb is to gain 2db in loudness you need to double amp output. The makita may only be about 4-6th quitter than the Bosch but it's noticeable.





BCConstruction said:


> Remember sound quality and loudness are different things. The makita sounds much nicer than the Bosch but it not able to put out the sound levels the Bosch does. The Bosch would def be the one to go for. That other radio also need standard d cells to run which could be expensive.
> Try the Bosch out in lowes and see what you think. The deluxe model is not hardly any louder so it will give you a good idea at how good it sounds. They should let you take the demo one outside to testit out.


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## Stilts (Feb 18, 2008)

While we're on the subject of radios, does anyone use the little 12 volt milwaukee, if so what are your thoughts? Most of my work is in bathrooms, and the dewalt can be a little cramped in there. I would have to rewire it to work with my bosch batteries, so buying it just to try out, and returning it if I don't like it isn't really an option.


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## Winchester (Jun 29, 2008)

MTT said:


> I am around very loud equipment. Enough to drown my Makita out from 10 feet away.


If you are around equipment that loud and also want music, plus the bonus of being able to hear in the future, you should get some of these


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

Stilts said:


> While we're on the subject of radios, does anyone use the little 12 volt milwaukee, if so what are your thoughts? Most of my work is in bathrooms, and the dewalt can be a little cramped in there. I would have to rewire it to work with my bosch batteries, so buying it just to try out, and returning it if I don't like it isn't really an option.


It's kind of a joke for a radio, but it would probably work well for bathrooms. It comes with a brick of a power supply or you can run it off the batteries.


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

Mike- said:


> The Bosch radio deluxe is hands down the best sounding radio on the market. Makita's Bmr100 is mediocre at best. Milwaukee has a great sounding radio as I own it and have been very pleased with it for 99 bucks. Bosch has clearly set themselves apart in this category with their offering. It is outstanding and has been the benchmark in radios for job sites for years now.


I used to use regular radios, but job conditions would wreck them and they were just too flimsy, getting tossed around, getting full of dust, etc... so a $100. radio would be dead in a few months (so would a $40. radio, so would a $20. radio). 

The $200. I spend on my Bosch has cost me $40. a year and it's still going strong. 

My PB10 is going on 5 years old now and everything on it still works. 
-Yes, it's fallen. 
-Yes, I've left it in the rain. 
-Yes, I've used it as a seat. 
-Yes, it's been knocked over. 
-Yes, I've used it as a "step" sometimes.
-Yes, I've used it as a saw horse as well. 
-Yes, I've kicked it to move it out of the way. 
-Yes, I've had a circular saw, compressor and 
blower plugged into it all going at the same time. 
-No, I do not work for Bosch or am affiliated with them. 

It works. It sounds good enough for me and I've finally gotten an iPod hooked up to it so it blasts my Lynyrd Skynyrd-Free bird that puts me in such a good mood. 

It does what it looks like (while other job site radios pretend to be hardcore). I've had it in rooms full of dust and demo debris. I've had it in damp cellars. I've had it on blazing hot roof at well over 100 degrees. 

I have to be honest...I want the PB360 Deluxe "just because" it's newer and has a woofer and is an improved version of my PB10. But if I never got another radio ever again, I'd be totally content with my PB10. 

The only issue I've had with it was a faulty remote control out the box. I contacted Bosch and they had a new one to me in at my door in 2 days no questions asked. Also, reception was weak, but you can take out the mast and jerry-rig something to function as an antenna (coat hanger, metal wire, etc...or as I often come across on roofs, old TV Antennas that I cannibalize). But I use either the CD player (or "used to" use the CD player) or the iPod 99% of the time. I can't remember the last time I used the radio. 

If you can detect the nuances of musical quality on a work site, I salute you. 99% of the time, noise is being made on my work sites, so as long as it sounds good (and my PB10 does sound good, clean and doesn't distort) and as long as it stands up to work site accidents and works, that's good enough for me. 

I highly recommend the Bosch over anything. It's the best period (and Fine Homebuilding just put it #1 over everything out there now in a comparison test). 














TNTSERVICES said:


> I have had the Bosch for about 5 years now. It rocks! It is loud and sound great. There are multiple EQ settings that give you some great flexibility. Hands down it is far superior than the Makita or any other job site radio (that's for you BC!).
> 
> The only issue I had was with the antenna. It broke off about a year ago, but I cut some 12ga solid wire, took a tap and die set and threaded it to fit in the slot. Works better than the OEM antenna.
> 
> I am waiting for this thing to die to get the new one, but it just won't take a hint.


:laughing: I wrote my review before reading yours. I swear...no plagiarism!



BCConstruction said:


> Sometimes I will set up both and have same station on and have the makita near the trailer and the Bosch near where I'm working.
> 
> The Bosch is so dam heavy though. Just like that dam axial glide saw lol


Heavy is good. It's "quality". All that protection is weighty. 
I mean really, how many times a day does one have to move a radio?


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## MTT (Dec 14, 2011)

Loving the new Milwaukee.

I move my radio around 30+ times a day around the job. The Milwaukee weighs about as much as the Bosch (maybe a few lbs less). You are blue collar workers. 30 lbs is not heavy compared to what I'm moving! Lightest thing all day! Jokes aside you can't go wrong with either.


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## crustyelk (May 12, 2013)

I am having problems with the harsh salt air and driving rain here in Dutch Harbor Alaska.
Solution An all stainless or aluminum sound system


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