In some long ago and far away post, I threatened to buy a Sangean HDT-1 on my next trip to Dallas. The deed is done. The place of purchase was Fry’s on Northwest Highway. My seemingly simple task turned out to be quite an experience.
The last time I was there, they had three HD radios on display. That had been reduced to just two this time, but they had moved them to a slightly more visible location. On display were the Sangean table radio, and the BA Receptor. The BA was still deaf as a post, receiving only a couple of stations inside the building. The Sangean table radio worked, but the whip antenna was not extended. After messing with the antenna for a minute, it came to life, and actually worked reasonably well.
Unfortunately, neither of these radios was what I’d come in to purchase. With the help of a clueless but friendly clerk, we went on a search for the tuner version. It was eventually discovered on the bottom shelf in the home satellite radio receiver section. Unfortunately there were none in a box, just the incomplete display version. The clerk consulted their computer, which said they had 6 in stock. She spent the next 15 minutes finding the elusive radios. Total elapsed time, not counting actually paying for the radio was about 30-40 minutes. I nearly gave up.
I now have the radio at our studios, where I put it in the control room temporarily in place of our Inovonics modulation monitor. This allowed me to feed our control room speakers, which for better or worse, I’m quite familiar with. It is connected to a 6 element Yagi which also shares duty with our EAS receiver which gets NWS from Shreveport, LA which is about 60 miles away. The antenna is pointed toward Shreveport, but it does an OK job of receiving our two other EAS monitoring stations as well as most local stations on the Inovonics modulation monitor.
The Sangean tuner is simple to figure out, with large and easy to comprehend buttons. It feels a little flimsy, but what do you expect? It is made I China, and looks like it. At least, there are no wall warts. It even has a small wireless remote control.
As for performance, it’s a bit disappointing. It is a good radio, but it does not seem like an outstanding radio. For “outstanding” performance, I think you’ll still need something like a Fanfare FT-1. Of course the Fanfare tuners cost a lot more, so that probably isn’t a fair comparison. It is a definite step up from a GE Super Radio, which is still one of the best buys in radio, if mono is OK for your application.
With the included loop antenna, I am unable to receive any AM stations inside our building. That isn’t a big surprise. The building is metal, and there really aren’t any powerful AM’s in the area. I can get a couple with my Super Radio, but they really aren’t listenable. It would probably be OK with an outdoor long-wire antenna.
The real disappointment to me is the lack of HD reception on FM. There are only two stations that I was expecting to get. One is KDAQ in Shreveport, (60+ miles) which is an NPR station. It come in OK on a car radio but isn’t all that easy to get on most indoor radios without an outside antenna. I can only get analog reception from it on the HDT-1, no HD. It is a bit noisy in analog, even connected to the outside antenna. The other station is KLJT, which is in the Tyler-Longview market. The receiver has no problem with the analog signal. It sounds fine, but there is no HD. Maybe they have it switched off? I guess I can call them Monday and ask.
The tuner does show RDS, which is a nice feature. The display is large and easy to read. I’ve always wanted to know if our RDS is actually working, without having to get in my car. I’m guessing that checking RDS is how I’ll be using the tuner for the foreseeable future.
One other note, it is not suitable as an off air monitor, even for an analog station. At least, it would not be good as far as talent is concerned. The tuner has a very noticeable delay, in the range of about ½ second. It’s enough to suck your ears out through your nose, and make even the most hardened professional develop a speech impediment.
If none of these problems are a concern, then I say buy this tuner. I give it one thumb up. It’s not bad, but I think the public will demand better if this turkey is going to fly.
The last time I was there, they had three HD radios on display. That had been reduced to just two this time, but they had moved them to a slightly more visible location. On display were the Sangean table radio, and the BA Receptor. The BA was still deaf as a post, receiving only a couple of stations inside the building. The Sangean table radio worked, but the whip antenna was not extended. After messing with the antenna for a minute, it came to life, and actually worked reasonably well.
Unfortunately, neither of these radios was what I’d come in to purchase. With the help of a clueless but friendly clerk, we went on a search for the tuner version. It was eventually discovered on the bottom shelf in the home satellite radio receiver section. Unfortunately there were none in a box, just the incomplete display version. The clerk consulted their computer, which said they had 6 in stock. She spent the next 15 minutes finding the elusive radios. Total elapsed time, not counting actually paying for the radio was about 30-40 minutes. I nearly gave up.
I now have the radio at our studios, where I put it in the control room temporarily in place of our Inovonics modulation monitor. This allowed me to feed our control room speakers, which for better or worse, I’m quite familiar with. It is connected to a 6 element Yagi which also shares duty with our EAS receiver which gets NWS from Shreveport, LA which is about 60 miles away. The antenna is pointed toward Shreveport, but it does an OK job of receiving our two other EAS monitoring stations as well as most local stations on the Inovonics modulation monitor.
The Sangean tuner is simple to figure out, with large and easy to comprehend buttons. It feels a little flimsy, but what do you expect? It is made I China, and looks like it. At least, there are no wall warts. It even has a small wireless remote control.
As for performance, it’s a bit disappointing. It is a good radio, but it does not seem like an outstanding radio. For “outstanding” performance, I think you’ll still need something like a Fanfare FT-1. Of course the Fanfare tuners cost a lot more, so that probably isn’t a fair comparison. It is a definite step up from a GE Super Radio, which is still one of the best buys in radio, if mono is OK for your application.
With the included loop antenna, I am unable to receive any AM stations inside our building. That isn’t a big surprise. The building is metal, and there really aren’t any powerful AM’s in the area. I can get a couple with my Super Radio, but they really aren’t listenable. It would probably be OK with an outdoor long-wire antenna.
The real disappointment to me is the lack of HD reception on FM. There are only two stations that I was expecting to get. One is KDAQ in Shreveport, (60+ miles) which is an NPR station. It come in OK on a car radio but isn’t all that easy to get on most indoor radios without an outside antenna. I can only get analog reception from it on the HDT-1, no HD. It is a bit noisy in analog, even connected to the outside antenna. The other station is KLJT, which is in the Tyler-Longview market. The receiver has no problem with the analog signal. It sounds fine, but there is no HD. Maybe they have it switched off? I guess I can call them Monday and ask.
The tuner does show RDS, which is a nice feature. The display is large and easy to read. I’ve always wanted to know if our RDS is actually working, without having to get in my car. I’m guessing that checking RDS is how I’ll be using the tuner for the foreseeable future.
One other note, it is not suitable as an off air monitor, even for an analog station. At least, it would not be good as far as talent is concerned. The tuner has a very noticeable delay, in the range of about ½ second. It’s enough to suck your ears out through your nose, and make even the most hardened professional develop a speech impediment.
If none of these problems are a concern, then I say buy this tuner. I give it one thumb up. It’s not bad, but I think the public will demand better if this turkey is going to fly.
