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New DX'ing stereo??

L

Lawppy

I think my Realistic STA-530 may finally be biting the dust after five years of almost daily use. If the radio is on for a long period of time, the reception takes a big nose dive and can sometimes be corrected simply by turning the off/on switch. However on certain days (like today) absolutely nothing helps the reception and only the nearby 50kw station and the two local translators will come in. It will do this all day and then dependable reception will come back within a few hours. I know this isn't due to atmospheric conditions. A trip to my car finds several locals and semi-locals in with good quality.

My question is.. What would be a good choice for my next DX stereo? I'm looking in the $100 price range, but would be willing to go a little higher if necessary.
 
I read some very positive reviews online and settled with a Sherwood RX-4109 from Radio Shack. So far everything looks okay. I haven't been able to hook up the speakers yet, but i'll get to that later.

I'll post a follow-up when everything is set up.
 
Before doing anything: Google/read the reviews of the new Sony XDR F1HD. Bench test and real world observation show this AM/FM/HD TUNER to be a quantum leap forward in performance as a FM DX machine. Sensitivity/selectivity and noise reduction far surpass any consumer tuner/receiver according to the techies that checked it out. The HD section is just a bonus as the analog FM reception is better than the coveted top-line performers available, even when they are modified for peak performance, For $100, it's got to be an amazing deal for anyone looking for excellence in FM reception.
 
Don't know the radio, but 10-1 odds you've got a poor conection.
Any sliding switch like a bandswitch will do this. Work all switches back and forth fully 25 times to polish the sliding contacts.
Clean the battery terminals, look for corrosion or weak wires.
Does physically jarring the radio ever help?

I must recommend De-0xit D5 on all sliding switches and battery clips. Available in a little spray can at Radio Shack.
Makes tired old radios play like new. Sometimes. But enough to try on any problem that sounds like yours.
 
mofocat said:
Before doing anything: Google/read the reviews of the new Sony XDR F1HD. Bench test and real world observation show this AM/FM/HD TUNER to be a quantum leap forward in performance as a FM DX machine. Sensitivity/selectivity and noise reduction far surpass any consumer tuner/receiver according to the techies that checked it out. The HD section is just a bonus as the analog FM reception is better than the coveted top-line performers available, even when they are modified for peak performance, For $100, it's got to be an amazing deal for anyone looking for excellence in FM reception.
Click to expand...

That's not quite what I'm observing. The Sony is at the top, but so are some other tuners. AM selectivity is the best I've seen, but FM selectivity is more or less equal.

AM sensitivity is aided by a low noise floor. FM sensitivity is ever-so-slightly less on some stations, a little better on others. I don't know why it varies. Sometimes it will pull out a station better, sometimes it won't. It doesn't handle sideband hash any better than non-HD tuners, unfortunately.
 
I settled with the Sherwood RX-4109 model. I purchased it at our local Radio Shack for the decent price of $100. I was actually surprised that the salespeople (who were actually in my age group) understood what I was talking about. Guess that's why they work at Radio Shack and nowhere else.

So far i've found mostly good things about this new radio. My old Realistic STA-530 seemed to desensitize the upper FM band where the Sherwood doesn't. The sound quality is bar none for a $100 radio and it even comes with a remote and several spaces for presets. I'll definitely need these presets as it's a digital set-up with no analog dial.

The cons would have to be the digital tuning. I can't race up and down the dial like I could with analog. Guess i'll set my presets for my 'best' frequencies and go from there. Also, the selectivity doesn't seem to be as good as the Realistic. On that radio I could hear weak stations next to stronger locals. Can't do that too well with this one unless if I tune to an even frequency. For example, 107.9 can be heard on 108.0. The pros definitely outweigh the cons.

An extensive scan of my FM dial finds some pretty good stations. Here's a look at my farthest regular catches in each direction.

North: WCMU-89.5 (110 miles) WIAA-88.7 (165 miles)
South: WGNR-97.9 (135 miles) WFMS-95.5 (160 miles) WFIU-103.7 (210 miles)
East: WKQI-95.5 (100 miles) CIMX-88.7 (105 miles) CBCL-93.5 (200 miles)
West: WXRT-93.1 (135 miles) WNUA-95.5 (135 miles) WMBI-90.1 (155 miles)
 
As mofocat mentioned, check out the reviews on the new Sony XDR F1HD. I bought one recently myself. There is no better tuner available for $100 to perform as a DXing machine. I can sit on a channel adjacent to a 100kw station 3 miles away and barely can tell they are there. And there is no overload whatsoever anywhere on the FM band from them.
I cannot do this with the top of the line Denon TU1500RD even with the IF fillter mods. The Sony XDR F1HD is very compact too. It's smaller than a cigar box. It also comes with a remote so you can swing from your ceiling fan like a monkey and change channels on your radio at the same time.

There is only one setback with the XDR F1HD. And this is a big deal to me as I record all DX with my PC and need a constant level. The volume changes with signal strength so you might find yourself constantly adjusting your volume as you tune for DX.

So set aside all those portable radios and Ex-DX stereos, get one of these Sony's, hook it up to a good antenna and your computer and become a real DXpert.
Good luck.
 
KW4RZ said:
As mofocat mentioned, check out the reviews on the new Sony XDR F1HD. I bought one recently myself. There is no better tuner available for $100 to perform as a DXing machine. I can sit on a channel adjacent to a 100kw station 3 miles away and barely can tell they are there. And there is no overload whatsoever anywhere on the FM band from them.
I cannot do this with the top of the line Denon TU1500RD even with the IF fillter mods. The Sony XDR F1HD is very compact too. It's smaller than a cigar box. It also comes with a remote so you can swing from your ceiling fan like a monkey and change channels on your radio at the same time.

There is only one setback with the XDR F1HD. And this is a big deal to me as I record all DX with my PC and need a constant level. The volume changes with signal strength so you might find yourself constantly adjusting your volume as you tune for DX.

So set aside all those portable radios and Ex-DX stereos, get one of these Sony's, hook it up to a good antenna and your computer and become a real DXpert.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Hi Randy, Thanks for the input. As I tried to point out, spending more than $100 for anyting but this new Sony for an FM-DX rig is probably a waste of money. References to it's FM performance, by those qualified to know what they are talking about, have put this tuner in a class by itself.
I'm sold on that aspect, totally. I do wonder how it performs as an AM tuner. Can you give us some idea of your experience when tuning AM? I'll get one just for the superior FM, but to also get a top notch AM tuner would be the icing on the cake. How does it compare to your better AM receivers?
 
The Sony is among the best AM dxers I've used, including a SuperPro. It will overload on a long wire antenna, though, so you will need attenuation. it really doesn't require much signal for excellent reception.

FM reception, though, doesn't show up my Onkyo T-4711. They're roughly equal on both sensitivity and selectivity, but slightly different in how they sort out competing stations. Also, the Onkyo will follow a signal down to the mud and hold it when the Sony will give up. But that's at barely audible levels.
 
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