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What DX Radio is best that is currently manufactured for AM, FM?
K
kenglish
Guest
The Ten-Tec RX-340 is pretty good for AM, LW and shortwave DX'ing, but it's $4250 
.
I've done well with the old Denon TU-680 NAB "NAB Super Tuner". And, I almost forgot I had it until now,....I have been very impressed with the sensitivity of an old Sony AM-Stereo pocket radio I bought at Radio Shack.
I wonder how IT would work with a passive loop antenna?
.I've done well with the old Denon TU-680 NAB "NAB Super Tuner". And, I almost forgot I had it until now,....I have been very impressed with the sensitivity of an old Sony AM-Stereo pocket radio I bought at Radio Shack.
I wonder how IT would work with a passive loop antenna?
A
AustinTX
Guest
Haven't done much AM lately but when I do I use my old Radio Shack TRF radio with homemade loop and for FM use a Philips FM tuner with amplified rabbit ears. Have picked up stations up to 1440 miles on the Philips.
C
cd637299
Guest
While maybe not the best, a good one in terms of "bang for the buck" IMO is the $70 or less Kaito 1102. Has SW (with SSB as well), FM in 10 kHz steps (really), with AM & SW in 1 kHz steps....also FM goes down to 70 MHz*.
I was told, although I haven't given it a serious try, that the AM in the Kaito rivals the Superadios. I prefer the big woofer in those Supes.
If you are away from the city, you can use its EXT ANT jack to connect coax (using an adapter of course) for FM, and it comes with about 25' of wire for SW.
It fits in a baggy pants pocket as well.
[ *In San Salvador, El Salvador, is the secretive Radio Selectos, www.radioselectos.com , at---not a typo---72.9 MHz. I bagged it in 2008 on the Kaito as described above. it runs 1.5 kW. ]
cd
I was told, although I haven't given it a serious try, that the AM in the Kaito rivals the Superadios. I prefer the big woofer in those Supes.
If you are away from the city, you can use its EXT ANT jack to connect coax (using an adapter of course) for FM, and it comes with about 25' of wire for SW.
It fits in a baggy pants pocket as well.
[ *In San Salvador, El Salvador, is the secretive Radio Selectos, www.radioselectos.com , at---not a typo---72.9 MHz. I bagged it in 2008 on the Kaito as described above. it runs 1.5 kW. ]
cd
The new Tecsun PL-310 arrived yesterday & except to the lack of bass from a radio the size of a 1960's 10 transistor AM radio, it's been a delight. So far I've heard the 19 watt translator from Martinsville,IN at 28 miles on the whip antenna and 92.5 from WBKR Owensboro,KY at 135 miles, even though I'm 12 miles from grandfathered flamethrower WTTS 92.3...there is zero slop from WTTS onto WBKR. Haven't fully digested the AM yet, but WMT Cedar Rapids was sounding good on it 30 minutes after local sunrise. For those of us who are engineer types, the S meter is calibrated in dbu...and the numbers it reads are not far off from the predicted coverage maps of stations received. It's not an FIM-71, but it does allow you to compare signals & at least tell who's got the better signal at a given point. I drove it around the 1 mile out block from a local translator that I thought had a deep null in one direction...it agreed. At 1 mile in the best direction, it showed 60dbu inside the car. In the suspected null direction, it showed upper 30's. For the money, this is a dandy little radio.
For FM, definitely the XDR-F1HD. I had a Yamaha T-80 with filter mods previously, and the $50 (what I got it for: $100 - $50 "HD Radio" mail-in rebate), and the XDR-F1HD simply blew it away. Not only did it have RDS and HD Radio, it also utilized its DSP on FM Radio - technology which didn't exist or would be prohibitively expensive at the time of the T-80 and other revered FM tuners' manufacture. I've also gotten good AM DX with it (KOA-HD and WHAS-HD from Duluth), but be aware that it only tunes in 10 kHz increments. It also does not have built-in speakers nor a built-in amplifier, so you'll need to connect it to a receiver or amplified speakers (such as most computer speaker sets).
R
Radio-X
Guest
Best that is currently manufactured has to be the Sony XDR-F1HD. Worth the $100 new, about the dimensions of a thick paperback. On the plus side, FM sounds stellar and is probably one of the least affected by interference or bleeding. The supplied dipole is very good for people who can't install an outdoor model.
The bad part is that you will need either an amp+speakers or some computer speakers to plug into this like most decent receivers today. Also, you can never turn the backlight off, or the clock, unless you unplug it every time. People say it sounds very tinny in AM mode, but I have not really noticed anything when its hooked up to my speakers and subwoofer.
Otherwise, my vote goes to Magnum-Dynalab. I had a FT-101 and later a FT-101A. Both are extremely good and I have seen it used in FM translators as the rebroadcaster. The closest thing to those still being built by M-D is their MD-100T. Even a 20 year-old model will fetch $150-up and they all look like military surplus equipment...but jeez what a helluva tuner!
Radio-X
The bad part is that you will need either an amp+speakers or some computer speakers to plug into this like most decent receivers today. Also, you can never turn the backlight off, or the clock, unless you unplug it every time. People say it sounds very tinny in AM mode, but I have not really noticed anything when its hooked up to my speakers and subwoofer.
Otherwise, my vote goes to Magnum-Dynalab. I had a FT-101 and later a FT-101A. Both are extremely good and I have seen it used in FM translators as the rebroadcaster. The closest thing to those still being built by M-D is their MD-100T. Even a 20 year-old model will fetch $150-up and they all look like military surplus equipment...but jeez what a helluva tuner!
Radio-X
Keep us posted here or elsewhere on the PL-310.BobOnTheJob said:
Now I know it isn't that expensive, but I have way more receivers than a human needs, so I'm reluctant to buy it.
A good review of it's AM abilities will no doubt push me to buy one. Of course, you would be contributing to my wasteful spending, but no need to take that into consideration.
I've been watching this thread and have to wonder......why the hang-up on "currently manufactured"?
There's a whole world of really great radios for AM dxing, but none newly manufactured...so it makes a big difference AM vs FM.
For AM, NOTHING I've seen is in consideration. They all have hopeless drawbacks. PLL decoding smashes them all into mush.
The refusal of manufacturers to put in a proper tuned RF amplifier circuit before the mixer finalizes the handicap.
If you want to DX AM, get a car radio from 1968 or so. Oh, and the audio will be so much better than the forced
4 khz AM audio brickwalled on new radios.
Oh, if you seek one of these out try to find out if it has a 262.5 khz IF amplifier section....so much more selective and useful for AM
than the typical 455 khz IF frequency. This makes tuning sharper and sets AM stations apart better than a 455 khz IF.
It eliminates the problems in receiving a signal on 910 khz due to images, and puts heterodyne intermod squeals 5 khz "off signal" instead of
"on signal" as happens with a 455 khz IF radio.
There's a whole world of really great radios for AM dxing, but none newly manufactured...so it makes a big difference AM vs FM.
For AM, NOTHING I've seen is in consideration. They all have hopeless drawbacks. PLL decoding smashes them all into mush.
The refusal of manufacturers to put in a proper tuned RF amplifier circuit before the mixer finalizes the handicap.
If you want to DX AM, get a car radio from 1968 or so. Oh, and the audio will be so much better than the forced
4 khz AM audio brickwalled on new radios.
Oh, if you seek one of these out try to find out if it has a 262.5 khz IF amplifier section....so much more selective and useful for AM
than the typical 455 khz IF frequency. This makes tuning sharper and sets AM stations apart better than a 455 khz IF.
It eliminates the problems in receiving a signal on 910 khz due to images, and puts heterodyne intermod squeals 5 khz "off signal" instead of
"on signal" as happens with a 455 khz IF radio.
C
cd637299
Guest
I own the Sony XDR-F1HD as well.
Maybe the reason for asking about currently-manufactured is because someone is looking to purchase a unit, and it will have a warranty and a no-haggle price. eBay can command a hunk o' money for used items....the classic McIntosh MR-78 is no slouch on price.
I own the Superadio II which also commands a bit on eBay, but I have no plans to part with it!
cd
Maybe the reason for asking about currently-manufactured is because someone is looking to purchase a unit, and it will have a warranty and a no-haggle price. eBay can command a hunk o' money for used items....the classic McIntosh MR-78 is no slouch on price.
I own the Superadio II which also commands a bit on eBay, but I have no plans to part with it!
cd
cd637299 said:
That's one good reason.
Another is that you can't be sure of the condition of that used radio you're bidding on ebay. "Needs some work" could mean anything and if you're not all that handy at working with no-longer-manufactured parts, it could be money wasted. At least you have an idea of what you're getting with a new radio and can generally send it back if not satisfied.
I have the PL-310 and it's very good to excellent on AM. Basically, better than anything else of it's size and cost. And, with FM, it's practically unbeatable. Sure, the Sony may outperform it at times. But to do so, you need to mate the Sony to a proper antenna (not hard, admittedly) and then you're stationary. The PL-310 does that well barefoot and is easily carried wherever you'd like to take it.
Comparing the two is a bit like comparing apples and pineapples.
My Sangean PR-D5 has just arrived today.
Although I've yet to compare its MW DX capabilities against my DX-440, I'm very happy with the fact that it pulls in the semi-local classical station (WJNY 90.9) nice and clean, without being slopped on by the more local SRC on 90.7. It's the only radio in the house which can do that... ;D.
~BG
Although I've yet to compare its MW DX capabilities against my DX-440, I'm very happy with the fact that it pulls in the semi-local classical station (WJNY 90.9) nice and clean, without being slopped on by the more local SRC on 90.7. It's the only radio in the house which can do that... ;D.
~BG
I've been SO impressed with my Sangean PR-D5 ever since I got it.
You can just tell how solid the thing is built, right?
The AM reception has been fantastic and I'm only now discovering the FM reception sensitivity since we're getting into the tropo season.
It's a shame we're getting out of the prime AM reception season so you might not be able to see how good it is until the fall unless you are doing daytime DXing.
And remember, it has a 200 mm ferrite antenna just like the GE Super Radio that's most known for DXing.
You can just tell how solid the thing is built, right?
The AM reception has been fantastic and I'm only now discovering the FM reception sensitivity since we're getting into the tropo season.
It's a shame we're getting out of the prime AM reception season so you might not be able to see how good it is until the fall unless you are doing daytime DXing.
And remember, it has a 200 mm ferrite antenna just like the GE Super Radio that's most known for DXing.
I'm gonna go WAY outside the box and nominate the Bose Wave. Would not pay the price today for a new one (currently manufactured) but the one I bought 15 or so years ago has served me well. I've gotten KSL and KOA from the west coast of Florida many times and KFI from the IN-OH line on the only night I was there! WBZ whad a good signal every nite I was out in IA. I stayed in Roanoke Rapids NC last Fri nite and DX'd WOAI out of San Antonio, WOI out of Des Moines, and 1670 Madison WI and that just a quick scan. But one needs to move the radio around a lot to lock into a weaker, very distant signal.
For what I've described as a "semi crappy" in the past, the old radio has served me well.
BEWARE: the FM tuner only locks onto strong stereo stations, It does a great job of picking up long distance FM albeit in mono.
For what I've described as a "semi crappy" in the past, the old radio has served me well.
BEWARE: the FM tuner only locks onto strong stereo stations, It does a great job of picking up long distance FM albeit in mono.
gar fla said:
The AM band certainly lit up on it last night. Flipping into the 9kHz mode, I tried a couple of the usual TA DX favourites. I wasn't getting much het, but again I didn't compare those same frequencies with the DX-440, so I don't know how good the conditions actually were. The season is closing out, but it would be nice to snag some comparable catches!
And ya, the selectivity/sensitivity on FM appears to be rather nice. I live in a bit of a 'black hole' for FM, so to be able to get nice clean signals on some of my favourite FM signals (such as WJNY 90.9 and CJLL 97.9) have been a challenge. The D5 seems to be very good in this area, although I've got to get out of 'the hole' to sample its FM DX capabilities. In my car, I get regular FM visitors ranging from St. Catharines ON (97.7 CHTZ) to Burlington VT (WVPS 107.9), but in the house, it's another story... :-\
And the big bonus, is that my wife likes the way it looks. Although it's a Sangean, it's probably no longer made in her homeland, but somewhere across the straits...not that you can find its origin of manufacture anywhere on the packaging or radio.
~BG
Is Philmore a good brand??
I saw PM-X15 on ebay for $10..is it a good radio
I saw PM-X15 on ebay for $10..is it a good radio
C
cd637299
Guest
I've never heard of Philmore! Because of that, I say "no", it isn't good....
cd
cd
Since I am "audioguy", you might not be surprised to hear that I like DX radios that also have a great audio section. I'm still pretty fond of my GE Superadio, despite its abysmal tuning dial. It really does have nice sound, plus it is amazingly sensitive on AM and it runs forever on a set of 6 alkaline D cells. All good!
I like the Sanyo WR-11 for sound quality and FM sensitivity and selectivity. Not up there with the new DSP radios, but it does very well picking up the ultra-weak signal from classical WNIU, sandwiched in between a bunch of strong locals. About as well, in fact, as my Technics ST-9030, and it draws a lot less power. I've had this radio for almost a year and it's on for hours at a time. Never drifts and runs cool. I use it with a 13L Antenna Specialists yagi on a 10 foot rooftop tower.
I also like the Pioneer F-90. Best SNR ever measured in FM stereo (close to 90 dB). Take that, so-called "HD" radio!
I am looking for a small high-performance portable. Based on the good reviews here I might give the Tecsun PL-310 a try. But, it seems to have disappeared from Amazon, so I might have to wait for one to turn up.
I read the stunning reviews of the Sony HD tuner, but I don't like radios that run hot enough to fry eggs on (unless they have vacuum tubes inside). Plus, the idea that it would forget all of your presets when you unplug it... what's with that? I would not bother to mod it to fix the problem. It should not have been designed that way.
The Sangean PR-D5 that some of you raved about got somewhat mixed reviews on Amazon. Perhaps some of them are defective? I was not especially fond of the physical appearance, and there was also a complaint about battery life. Somebody who owns one please reassure me and maybe I'll bite...
I like the Sanyo WR-11 for sound quality and FM sensitivity and selectivity. Not up there with the new DSP radios, but it does very well picking up the ultra-weak signal from classical WNIU, sandwiched in between a bunch of strong locals. About as well, in fact, as my Technics ST-9030, and it draws a lot less power. I've had this radio for almost a year and it's on for hours at a time. Never drifts and runs cool. I use it with a 13L Antenna Specialists yagi on a 10 foot rooftop tower.
I also like the Pioneer F-90. Best SNR ever measured in FM stereo (close to 90 dB). Take that, so-called "HD" radio!
I am looking for a small high-performance portable. Based on the good reviews here I might give the Tecsun PL-310 a try. But, it seems to have disappeared from Amazon, so I might have to wait for one to turn up.
I read the stunning reviews of the Sony HD tuner, but I don't like radios that run hot enough to fry eggs on (unless they have vacuum tubes inside). Plus, the idea that it would forget all of your presets when you unplug it... what's with that? I would not bother to mod it to fix the problem. It should not have been designed that way.
The Sangean PR-D5 that some of you raved about got somewhat mixed reviews on Amazon. Perhaps some of them are defective? I was not especially fond of the physical appearance, and there was also a complaint about battery life. Somebody who owns one please reassure me and maybe I'll bite...
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