Built jobsite tough, the Ridgid R8408 jobsite radio comes out with an industry first, built-in iPod docking station and a separate Aux input jack all located inside a protective compartment. Standard with a steel roll cage handle that encompasses all but the base which is made of impact resistant plastic, this radio is ready for you to crank out the work like a machine as you listen to your music. For you racing fans, there is a scanner that picks up the common race scanner frequencies of 450.0375 MHz – 469.9625 MHz and even a squelch control to reduce interference when dialing in the correct channels.
Editor’s Note: Read our Ridgid Jobsite Radio review and our portable jobsite radios roundup where we take 11 of the hottest jobsite radios and compare them.
Ridgid R8408 Jobsite Radio Features
TheRidgid R8408 radio features a backlit LCD display, digital clock, 10 station preset settings, and keypad-direct station tuning. All the buttons and controls are weather resistant. To keep the clock visible when the unit does not have regular power, the clock and station presets are kept in memory via AAA batteries (a small Philips screwdriver is needed to replace these). The iPod and Aux 1/8″ mini jack are located inside a front loading compartment. With an elastic band and padding, your MP3 player is held securely in place and protected from jobsite bumps. The radio not charges as well as docks the iPod for playback through the use of an Aux1 iPod adapter (as opposed to only including a simple 1/8″ mini jack for audio). Of course, if you don’t have an iPod but have some other MP3 player, don’t worry – the Ridgid radio comes with that generic 1/8″ mini input as well (Aux2). It’s located just behind the fold-down front door. Strangely enough, there’s even a headphone output in the event you want to transfer all of that output capability to a pair of headphones.
The Ridgid R8408 jobsite radio comes with a 12VDC cigarette lighter style jack on the left side of the radio which can come in handy for charging your mobile phone or other piece of small equipment. It also comes equipped with a protective cover to keep out the elements when not in use. The battery compartment is located on the back of the radio and will accept any 12VDC to 24VDC Ridgid Ni-Cad battery or Li-ion battery. The radio does not feature a battery charging function so prospective users need to take this into consideration. No batteries are included with the radio, but this is not a problem since the radio does work on regular 120VAC power. It even has a handy cord wrap built into the top “roll bar” structure of the unit. The Ridgid R8408 jobsite radio features two main 13 watt speaker and two tweeters. There is a 4 level bass control setting but no other tone adjustments.
Conclusion
Given the unique specs of the Ridgid R8408 Jobsite Radio, this radio will be a good choice for folks that depend on their music coming from an iPod or are die hard racing fans. Even for those that don’t need these capabilities this radio is still a pretty good deal.
