Audio Recorder Sangean DAR-101

[w2zs]

I recently purchased from Amazon a Sangean DAR-101 Digital Audio recorder and a 32GB SD Card for a little over $100.

I'm very please, connected to Uniden BC895XLT via the line out of the scanner. (the recorder also has a built in mic and connections for external mic). The recorder has what Hams call VOX and Sangean calls VAR for Voice activated recorder. With the recorder set to a record quality of 64kbps the 32GB SD card will hold over 1,000 hours of audio! Even without VAR turned on that's enough to recoded for over 40 days! With VAR pausing the record function when there is no audio, I would not be surprised if you could get 2 months worth of recording, depending on now much radio traffic you are trying to capture. Too many other feature to list, if your looking for a recorder this would be a good pick.

 

[parnass]

I recently purchased from Amazon a Sangean DAR-101 Digital Audio recorder and a 32GB SD Card for a little over $100.
.

A friend recommended the DAR-101, too.

How good/bad is the audio quality? How long does the VOX take to stop recording after the last audio?

I'm interested in a VOX recorder with better audio quality than the $49 Radio Shack desktop digital recorder I described in this thread: http://forums.radioreference.com/general-scanning-discussion/268687-new-radio-shack-desktop-digital-recorder.html. The Radio Shack VOX stops recording within about 2 seconds, which is quite good, but the overall audio quality is only fair at best.

Thanks.

 

[w2zs]

Recorder

The recorder has 3 levels of record quality I am using the lowest 64kbps and can't tell the difference between live and recorder. It also has 128kbps and 192kbps quality levels both overkill for scanner audio.

Recording runs for 10 seconds after the signal drops. It's also very fast to start the recording when a signal starts, don't miss the first syllable.

The line input has 3 levels of sensitivity, at least with my scanner it needs the high setting.

Also does timed recording, for example record between 2 times, or for 1/2, 1, 2 or 4 hours

Recordings are saved as mp3's.

 

[w2zs]

Audio quality

The speaker seems about the same as you find in a typical scanner. You can always download the recording from the SD card to your computer for playback via better speakers. Consider using the free program Audacity to enhance recording quality. The unit also has a USB input

 

[parnass]

Thanks for the information.

 

[SCPD]

I too considered a Sangean digital recorder (in fact one of my friends has one) .. the only concern I have is that 10 seconds of "dead air" that you get when using the VAR setting on the DAR101 unit.

I personally use a Olympus digital recorder (the same type as you see the media using on tv) .. and find that it works excellent at recording off my scanners. It does not have that problem with the dead air .. so that suits me just fine.

 

[w2zs]

Well there will not always be 10 seconds of dead air, if there are a lot of transmissions going back and forth 10 seconds would only be in longer breaks. I have an Olympus DS-60 and it works pretty well, but it is battery powered and batteries always seem to go dead at he time you want them most!
With the DAR-101 you just plug it into the wall for up to weeks of recording AND it has battery back-up too!

 

[Halfpint]

So far *my* only `quibble' with the DAR-101 is that instead of a `normal?' DC wallwart it comes with an AC (Specifically 9VAC) wall wart and, at least in my short time of use, it *eats* batteries. (Now the latter `quibble' just might be that I, or one of our several cats, may have accidentally turned it on whilst it was stored away in it's soft case for a couple days whilst I was assembling a wiring harness to hook it up to a pair of scanners to see how it would work while recording different scanners using it's stereo capability.)

After a short `try out' test just using one scanner on the CO DTRS system for several hours without the `harness' I am quite pleased at both the quality of recording and, at least so far, not bothered by the response of the VAR/VOX function. I suspect that once I get it recording 2 scanners, BTW using the external speaker output rather than a headphone jack, the VAR/VOX function won't be any major problem. (For those wondering about the advisability of using an external speaker output I'm going to be letting the actual speaker audio go straight through while the signal to the recorder will be padded down to some akin to an `average' line level signal. I'm doing this so that if I an not right where the scanners are located I'll have a record of what has happened yet anyone, like SWMBO or one or both of our children, who is actually where they can usually hear the scanners will still be able to do so. [It's one of the `problems' one learns to deal with when one's `hours' are somewhat like those of a `Vampire'. {WAN GRIN!}])

As for the 1,000+ or so hours of recording with a 32G SD... {VB GRIN!} Heck, I *was* only going to get/use either a 4G or 8G SD but, the first thing I was able to quickly grab without a lot of rummaging about or running into town was a `spare' 32G from my DSLR case. I figure that after I've `played with' the DAR-101 I'll get it some SD `cards' of it's own in several sizes to fit whether I'm trying to record *DAYS* worth, a *DAY'S*, or other increments of time or subject matter. {GRIN} If it turns out that I've discovered other uses besides recording radios I might eventually pick up another DAR-101 and already having a `collection' of already formated/ready to go `cards' will be handy. (BTW, whilest this purchase was pretty much scanner `justified' with all the other features/abilities I'm already also working upon ways to also hook it, or another 1 or 2 more, up to things like my IC-R75s and IC-PCR1000s.)