sangean ats-909 vs sony icf-7600gr

[alphabetagaga]

i've heard pretty good things about both of these. i have the chance of buying either a sangean for £100 or a sony for £115. both are brand new. my main use will be mw/fm broadcasts but getting into sw is something that appeals to me.

of the 2 models, what would others go for?

 

[SCPD]

I would go for the Sony due to my experience with it. It's a solid, well-constructed SW portable. The Sony includes a simple wire clip-on, roll-out antenna that will extend the whip about 30ft -- which can make a difference.

If you can get up on top of a hill, an open field or a coast line -- you'll likely get much better reception.

Since you're just getting into SW radio, I would warn you not to make any quick judgements about SW based upon your receiving experiences with the portable and its whip antenna.

The SW experience will be far different with a quality SW receiver and wire antenna.

I've seen people literally throw their portables into the trash after hearing what they can get with non-portable configurations. Portables do have their place though.

 

[alphabetagaga]

yes build quality is important to me. even though the sangean is more expensive in general terms, it looks (and i may be wrong) and feels quite 'plasticy'. saying that audio quality is also important to me and i read this is where the sony suffers. so i have to ask myself

do i want something with superior build quality and a lesser audio experience or do i want the cheaper sangean build but better audio.

size and portability is also high on the agenda. sony is slightly smaller i think?

 

[SCPD]

The Sony is about an inch smaller and half-inch thinner than the 909. I don't know about 'better audio' -- I think that term is very subjective. You won't get "great audio" from a small portable speaker.

I've used the $25 Sony headphones with the 7600GR and it sounds great.

In the end, they're probably both the same, so I think you're picking nits here.

 

[wizardb]

Interesting--your comment about a non-portable radio. What type of antenna would you need for a desk top type non-portable radio. I currently use a Grundig G5 portable and while happy with it, southwest Tennessee is not an ideal reception area. Been thinking about looking at used radios but the antenna situation may be a problem.
Received a comment about trying to hijack this thread===not my intention. Disregard this reply==will take it to the antenna forum when I'm ready to move ahead.

 

[SCPD]

Interesting--your comment about a non-portable radio. What type of antenna would you need for a desk top type non-portable radio. I currently use a Grundig G5 portable and while happy with it, southwest Tennessee is not an ideal reception area. Been thinking about looking at used radios but the antenna situation may be a problem.

Wizard, we should hijack this thread as that is a whole other topic. There are many types to consider based upon the available land, structures, trees -- and of course, what it is you're trying to listen to...

Check out the antenna forum... lots of ideas there.

 

[ka3jjz]

To bring this back to topic, here are a few links culled from our wiki for reviews/comments on these 2 portables. There are also some links here about some mods for the ATS909 that RadioLabs does, and they sound quite interesting


SONY ICF-SW7600GR - ICF-2010 - ICF-2001D - CRF-1 N9EWO

Sangean ATS909\Radio Shack DX 398 Product Reviews

Sony World Band Receiver ICF-SW7600GR Product Reviews

Modifications

http://radiointel.net/accessories-mods-tips/radiolabs-sangean-super-ats-909-modification/

ATS-909 Modification and Alignment

best regards..Mike

 

[SCPD]

haha i did mean to say we should not hijack the thread...