-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
DX Radio
- Thread starter joei1892
- Start date
Pretty much everything I've heard/read about that radio has been positive. But not having firsthand experience with it myself, I defer to others on this board who are going to be more knowledgeable on the subject than me. What I can speak to....at least in general terms...is SW.
Most of what you'll hear in English is going to be religious broadcasting. Most government-operated international broadcasters have either abandoned English-language shortwave, or have abandoned SW entirely. But some of them are still out there, so it's still possible to hear news, talk, and commentary from multi-faceted points of view. In my opinion, that was one of the main appeals to shortwave listening. One thing not to look for is music. You'll hear a little, but by and large SW doesn't lend itself very well to music programming. The long distance reception is typically just too prone to fading and distortion. Exception being those international broadcasters who have (usually small) programming blocks designed to introduce their home country's music to the rest of the world.
Last edited:
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
I own a CCrane-EP. If - and this is possible - they are using a common base design for their radios, the heart of the radio will be a Sanyo LA1260. I have encountered the Sanyo line of IC's before in radios, particularly the LA1260 in Radio Shacks 12-603 radios. While I am generally impressed with the IC, it does not seem to lend itself to an external tuned RF stage. It either overloads the IC (CCrane EP) or forces a bad AGC setting (12-603). I haven't tried to fix the issue myself, but if CCrane's design holds true, you may have overload issues on the top of the AM band.
The other Sanyo I encouter a lot is the LA1824 - not sure what the differences are, but its DX ability even without a tuned RF stage is very good.
I fired up my Hammarlund SP-600JX the other day - my gosh shortwave has been gutted! Hardly anything left, compared to even a few years ago - with one of the most sensitive receivers ever made! I am going to just couple it to a huge AM loop and use it for DX'ing some of the few AM music stations left.
I've had the CC Skywave for about a year. It's my best ultralight on AM and I don't experience any overload on AM with it. It's a bit more sensitive than my Tecsun and Sony ultralights, doesn't suffer from "soft mute" issues, and has clearer audio in the narrowest (1 kHz) bandwidth setting.
On FM and SW it's not as good as the Tecsuns. However, on the Air band, it hears everything my Tecsun PL-660 does, and on the Weather band it hears everything my CC-2E can. In fact, it's easier to DX with the Skywave on the Weather band because its small size allows the radio and antenna to be repositioned much more easily. I've read that it uses the Si 4736 chip for the Weather band and the Si 4735 chip for everything else.
The CCrane-EP is a great radio and super-sensitive, but as Bruce mentioned, it can overload on the top of the AM band. I have a 5 kW local (1350) and a 10 kW local (1160) that are within five miles from me, and on the CC-EP they imaged all over the top of the AM band during the day. Just to hear local 50 kW powerhouse WOAI on 1200, I had to carefully null out the 1160 station.
On FM and SW it's not as good as the Tecsuns. However, on the Air band, it hears everything my Tecsun PL-660 does, and on the Weather band it hears everything my CC-2E can. In fact, it's easier to DX with the Skywave on the Weather band because its small size allows the radio and antenna to be repositioned much more easily. I've read that it uses the Si 4736 chip for the Weather band and the Si 4735 chip for everything else.
The CCrane-EP is a great radio and super-sensitive, but as Bruce mentioned, it can overload on the top of the AM band. I have a 5 kW local (1350) and a 10 kW local (1160) that are within five miles from me, and on the CC-EP they imaged all over the top of the AM band during the day. Just to hear local 50 kW powerhouse WOAI on 1200, I had to carefully null out the 1160 station.
I also have had the Skywave for over a year and it's the best small radio I ever owned. AM is excellent. Nice speaker for it's size and with earbuds the AM really shines. Distant signals have the same strength as locals. You won't have to turn up the volume to DX. FM is fine too. The ATS feature will store all the stations that are available. It's a handy feature on the shortwave band,but as other posters have mentioned there is not a whole lot to listen to in English on the band.
Two AA batteries last forever and there is signal strength for each frequency. Other great features are ten direct presets on ten different bands,more than anybody needs, direct tuning by punching in the frequency and you can tune by the wheel or the up and down buttons.
The Skywave is a superb radio.
Two AA batteries last forever and there is signal strength for each frequency. Other great features are ten direct presets on ten different bands,more than anybody needs, direct tuning by punching in the frequency and you can tune by the wheel or the up and down buttons.
The Skywave is a superb radio.
If you live near the West Coast, the BBC can be heard in English early mornings on a couple of the SW bands (41 meters and 49 meters). Radio Australia can be heard in English during the early morning as well (9580 is a good frequency). Radio New Zealand International can be heard during the evenings (and mornings, too, I think) on the 25 and 31 meter bands.
Near the East Coast there may be other English options. I've heard the BBC transmitting from Ascension Island to Africa before, and I live in the PNW, so if it's still on the air you may hear it OK.
Otherwise, learn to ID languages (you don't have to understand them) so you can ID what you hear on SW, because it's turned into a Third World only broadcast medium (US Relig b'casters aside).
PS, if it uses a SiLabs chip, no external antenna may be necessary. They're very sensitive off the whip (I've logged China Radio Int'l broadcasting to Europe from Kashgar on my Grundig G2, just off the whip). Some SiLabs radios can overload (my G2 does sometimes, I just lower the whip and it clears it up). Other Tecsuns and similar SiLabs equipped radios may not overload so much.
Near the East Coast there may be other English options. I've heard the BBC transmitting from Ascension Island to Africa before, and I live in the PNW, so if it's still on the air you may hear it OK.
Otherwise, learn to ID languages (you don't have to understand them) so you can ID what you hear on SW, because it's turned into a Third World only broadcast medium (US Relig b'casters aside).
PS, if it uses a SiLabs chip, no external antenna may be necessary. They're very sensitive off the whip (I've logged China Radio Int'l broadcasting to Europe from Kashgar on my Grundig G2, just off the whip). Some SiLabs radios can overload (my G2 does sometimes, I just lower the whip and it clears it up). Other Tecsuns and similar SiLabs equipped radios may not overload so much.
Last edited:
Don't forget to check out some of my absolute, very favorite domestic US and Canadian shortwave narrowcasters at
2½ MHz, almost 3⅓ MHz, 5 MHz, not quite 7⅞ MHz, 10 MHz, just over 14⅔ MHz, 15 MHz, and 20 MHz, close enough for government work.
Here is a sample of iHeart Radio's, "The Tick".
2½ MHz, almost 3⅓ MHz, 5 MHz, not quite 7⅞ MHz, 10 MHz, just over 14⅔ MHz, 15 MHz, and 20 MHz, close enough for government work.
Here is a sample of iHeart Radio's, "The Tick".
Last edited:
- Status