a system and method is disclosed for a personal radio recorder . the personal radio recorder allows for random access of communication signals by identifying a channel and time . the personal radio recorder is capable of concurrent reception , storage and playback of a complete spectrum of individual communication signals . a wide - band signal is received , and concurrently demodulated into a plurality of individual communication signals . these audio signals are identified by channel and time . individual signals may be simultaneously played , paused , or stored for later playback . compression may be used to make efficient use of storage . storage may be fixed , removable , or a combination of both . the system is also capable of storing signals that are digitally formatted , and is compatible with existing analog or digital playback devices . the personal radio recorder may playback multiple channels of communications data , either previously recorded or currently broadcast , to multiple output stages at the same time .