Sangean ATS-909X2 First Impressions & Bandwidth Info

[W8WCA]

Sangean ATS-909X2 First Impressions

Amazon has this for $289.01 right now.

Some notes on Bandwidth: (see attached photo)

I could not find this information anywhere, but it is on the box lip.
AM Bandwidths: 6.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.5 & 1.0
SW Bandwidths (For AM mode ONLY) 4.0, 3.0, 2.5, 1.8, 1.0

SADLY: There is only one bandwidth for SSB; my SWAG is 1.8 or 2.5 need more listening time to be sure)

The Tuning knob has clicks/detents (I do NOT like that but I can get used to it)

As others have found: The Audio level in SSB is a good bit lower than it is in AM.

I think the I.F. Filters must have much better skirts (Shape factor) than those on the PL-880.

I listen to UTE's a lot and use ECSS tuning a lot, especially on a Receiver that does not have sync.

Frequency seems spot on.

It 'seems' a little less sensitive than my PL-880 BUT it will hear anything the PL-880 does at least as well and sometimes better.

It is easier to listen to than the PL-880 at least for me, it has a better sound not as much noise.

Note: I use the Whip antenna on portables.

With the audio drop in SSB and only one bandwidth on SSB (What the heck was Sangean thinking here)?
and I am not sure how this will go over with me.

It is a Beautiful Radio and a real pleasure to hold and use!

More to follow . . . I just rec'd it late yesterday and Conditions were the pits last night!

 

[GB46]

Sangean ATS-909X2 First Impressions

Amazon has this for $289.01 right now.

Some notes on Bandwidth: (see attached photo)

I could not find this information anywhere, but it is on the box lip.
AM Bandwidths: 6.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.5 & 1.0
SW Bandwidths (For AM mode ONLY) 4.0, 3.0, 2.5, 1.8, 1.0

SADLY: There is only one bandwidth for SSB; my SWAG is 1.8 or 2.5 need more listening time to be sure)

The Tuning knob has clicks/detents (I do NOT like that but I can get used to it)

As others have found: The Audio level in SSB is a good bit lower than it is in AM.

I think the I.F. Filters must have much better skirts (Shape factor) than those on the PL-880.

I listen to UTE's a lot and use ECSS tuning a lot, especially on a Receiver that does not have sync.

Frequency seems spot on.

It 'seems' a little less sensitive than my PL-880 BUT it will hear anything the PL-880 does at least as well and sometimes better.

It is easier to listen to than the PL-880 at least for me, it has a better sound not as much noise.

Note: I use the Whip antenna on portables.

With the audio drop in SSB and only one bandwidth on SSB (What the heck was Sangean thinking here)?
and I am not sure how this will go over with me.

It is a Beautiful Radio and a real pleasure to hold and use!

More to follow . . . I just rec'd it late yesterday and Conditions were the pits last night!

As a user of the original ATS-909X, new AM bandwidths beyond the two already in place would not be useful to me. The existing narrow filter helps bring the signal up over the background noise, but it does make the audio a bit muddy, so I wouldn't want them any narrower than. I don't listen to MW, and don't encounter many adjacent signals on SWBC, but narrower bandwidths on SSB would certainly be helpful.

As for the sensitivity, I don't have the new version, so I can't draw any comparisons, but my 909X with just the whip antenna hears everything my tabletop receiver (Icom R75) hears with about 23 ft. of wire as its antenna. That's the reel-in antenna that came with the 909X; it doesn't help much on the Sangean.

Those detents shouldn't present a problem once you get used to them, although some improvements in the fine tuning would be a plus. For example, smaller than the existing 40 Hz. steps in SSB, as well as seeing the actual fine-tuned frequency on the display, not just the rounded-off one.

I'm hoping you'll let us know what other changes you find in the new version.

 

[W8WCA]

The display is: 5025.X and the fine tuning only shows up as the 100 Hz display/digit.

(That may be the same as the 909X)?

IIRC the tuning steps are now steps are 10 & 20 Hz now for SSB

 

[GB46]

The display is: 5025.X and the fine tuning only shows up as the 100 Hz display/digit.

(That may be the same as the 909X)?

IIRC the tuning steps are now steps are 10 & 20 Hz now for SSB

Thanks! Then there's been some improvement. That frequency on my radio shows 5025 with no decimal point at all. Decimals are only displayed in FM mode, where it's very important. On SSB the fine tuning is fixed at 40 Hz. I'm still able to get the voice pitch to sound natural, however. If I had perfect pitch it might sound a bit different. It presents no problem on digital signals; they all decode quite easily. When accurate frequencies become an absolute necessity I use the R75, which can tune as fine as 1 Hz.

 

[W8WCA]

Not sure if it is any indicator: When I scroll through the BW's in AM mode (On Shortwave), the Icon for the 1.0 Khz FIlter stays the same size/look when I switch to SSB

But 1.0 Khz is mighty narrow for a only IF filter

 

[GB46]

Not sure if it is any indicator: When I scroll through the BW's in AM mode (On Shortwave), the Icon for the 1.0 Khz FIlter stays the same size/look when I switch to SSB

But 1.0 Khz is mighty narrow for a only IF filter

It sure is, especially in AM mode. In the R75 I have both of the narrow filters for AM set to 2.4 kHz, which is as narrow as they go, since I haven't installed any optional filters. 2.4 kHz can be helpful on weak AM signals, but the audio becomes hard to listen to, so 1 kHz would be out of the question.

I can't imagine why switching to SSB on your radio leaves the AM 1 kHz filter active. Can you actually hear a difference? I just tried the same thing on my radio, which has no bandwidth indicator. Toggling the filter switch between wide and narrow doesn't change anything when USB is selected. Once I'm back in AM mode I can hear a distinct difference.

 

[W8WCA]

After listening a bit tonight - I would say more like 3.0 or 2.5 (The Bandwidth Icon just looks like the AM 1.0 is all)

You cannot change the SSB Filter. (That is in the manual too, just one SSB FIlter)

No idea why Sangean would do that!

For only one Filter on SSB it is a good choice but still nota good way to do it!

 

[GB46]

After listening a bit tonight - I would say more like 3.0 or 2.5 (The Bandwidth Icon just looks like the AM 1.0 is all)

You cannot change the SSB Filter. (That is in the manual too, just one SSB FIlter)

No idea why Sangean would do that!

For only one Filter on SSB it is a good choice but still nota good way to do it!

It could certainly stand more flexibility. The R75 has separate filter settings for each of two IFs, which can also be set separately for each mode and combined. For example, the standard USB filter can be set at 6 kHz for the 455k IF and 2.4 kHz for the 9 mHz IF. For my narrow bandwidth setting I use 2.4 kHz for both IFs. For wide USB I use 15 kHz for the 9 mHz IF. Different combinations can be set for LSB, CW, etc., so it took me quite a while to arrive at the best combinations for each mode.

It looks like there have been a few improvements over the original 909X, but not enough to entice me to buy the X2. I'm satisfied with the equipment I've got -- but very dissatisfied with current propagation conditions, of course.

 

[W8WCA]

I'm satisfied with the equipment I've got -- but very dissatisfied with current propagation conditions, of course.

You got that right !

Yea I liked the Filter setup on R75's (I had one with optional IF filters too) - that and dual passband IIRC.

By far the best portable I ever has was the Eton E1 they even had Passband tuning but I do not want one that big now!

 

[GB46]

You got that right !

Yea I liked the Filter setup on R75's (I had one with optional IF filters too) - that and dual passband IIRC.

Is that the same as the R75's Twin Passband Tuning (PBT)? I'm very much behind in learning all those acronyms and abbreviations. Anyway, I make extensive use of the Twin PBT. It's very helpful in clearing away some of that local noise on weak signals. In fact, I even use it as a tone control on some signals.

By far the best portable I ever has was the Eton E1 they even had Passband tuning but I do not want one that big now!

The Hammarlund SP-600 was the largest and heaviest radio I ever owned. The R75 beats it by a mile, of course, but I still miss the old Hammarlund.

 

[W8WCA]

OK, so I tried the AC Adapter, it increases Volume and Signal Strength - but it added some hum
So . . . I put 2 more Clamp on Ferrite Cores looping the cable through

Hum is almost gone now

Even SSB Level is up now

 

[GB46]

OK, so I tried the AC Adapter, it increases Volume and Signal Strength - but it added some hum
So . . . I put 2 more Clamp on Ferrite Cores looping the cable through

Hum is almost gone now

Even SSB Level is up now

That difference in volume and signal strength is something I've always noticed with the 909X, even with just the whip used in both instances. In fact, if the battery level has been getting a bit low as shown on the indicator, it decreases still more when switching from FM to SW. So the SW circuitry must be a higher drain on the battery.

Sometimes it seems that the power cord from the AC adapter is acting like an external antenna, too, judging by the big difference in signal strength. The adapter for mine is not one of those switching AC to DC converters; it outputs 9 volts AC, with the conversion done inside the radio. At any rate, the most that the batteries can provide is 6 volts, or 4.8 with conventional rechargeables, so maybe the radio is actually underpowered when on batteries, which might account for those differences in performance.

I haven't noticed much hum, except for a trace of it on super strong SWBC signals, of which there are precious few these days, but the same stations produce hum on my R75, too.

Of course, I'm no expert; these ideas are only based on my observations over the past couple of years since I bought the radio.

Actually, I haven't been using the 909X as a portable, except outside on the balcony during the summer. It has become my alternate tabletop receiver, and I really enjoy it.

 

[GB46]

One thing I've noticed with the 909X is that the signal strength meter is kind of sluggish; it doesn't quite keep up with fading, or in the case of SSB, the voice peaks. Has this changed with the X2? Also, S-units are not used on the meter in the original version, where it's only marked 1 to 10. Not a big problem, as I mainly use my ears to judge the strength or the signal to noise ratio, anyway.

 

[W8WCA]

It is also just 1 to 10 for Signal Strength.

I will check to see if it is 'sluggish' tonight

 

[GB46]

In a review I read much earlier prior to the X2's official release, it was supposed to display the strength in S-units. Guess that was wrong.

If you encounter any problems with the tuning dial skipping over frequencies from time to time, or even jumping backwards, I had that in the very beginning, and solved it by spraying some contact cleaner down the tuner shaft by aiming at the separation between the step button and the rest of the dial. That was originally suggested by Boombox on this forum. The tuner's decoder is not optoelectronic; it has a brush arrangement similar to a potentiometer, and can get oxidized or gather dust.

BTW, I see now that it has actually been close to 3 years since I bought my 909X, not just 2 like I had thought. How time flies when you're having fun!

 

[W8WCA]

I do not really notice much if any lag in signal strength, will check forces while more and let you know
See attached probably the same signal strength display

 

[GB46]

Not too much has changed in the radio's appearance, except for the missing circular Fast-Slow tuning indicator to the right of the frequency, probably to make room for that decimal value. The screen itself is more colorful; on mine the row of memory numbers at the bottom, as well as the signal strength meter, both have a gray background, while on yours the background is greenish blue.

Once thing I did notice was the use of some gray labels against a gray background on the front panel. This seems to be a trend nowadays. The labels on mine are all in white on a black background. I have the same problem with an alarm clock that's black plastic, and the labels on all the buttons are embossed into the plastic, with no white paint to make them visible. Every time I go to adjust the time, etc., I have to fumble around trying to find the right buttons, or hold the clock at an angle against a source of bright light so that the labels show up.

Actually, many websites seem to follow that same trend towards poor contrast: they use light gray fonts, which makes them hard to read, especially with my aging eyes. I've had to add an extension to my browser to blacken them.

At any rate, it's nice to see that Sangean retained the original form factor; it's quite attractive. I've seen some other portables that may be better performers, but they're quite ugly by comparison.

 

[W8WCA]

I found it does have some more Signal info:

Can display Signal Strength in Db
Or Display S/N Ratio in Db

Those display in the line that has Memory Info (DW in the Above photo)

 

[GB46]

Interesting! I guess the info would have to be displayed there, as there wouldn't be enough room for it where the meter is.

 

[W8WCA]

It is not in the book but it also has a mixed display where it shows both but no Label