Sangean ATS 909X2

eagle2046

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Eugene, Oregon
Just ordered this from Amazon at $350. Does anyone have any comments on this portable shortwave receiver ?
 

cherubim

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
505
Reaction score
100
Location
Sydney, Australia
There is a thread on this forum about the newest Sangean shortwave receiver - do a search for it.

I have one of these receivers and it's a good overall performer for shortwave broadcast and utility listening. The main downside here is the lower SSB (upper & lower) audio and single SSB filter. For MW, FM broadcast and VHF airband listening It excels and even has a true squelch to help with noise quietening. LW reception is not as good but your mileage will vary.

Like all previous ATS-909 receivers, the front end is quite solid so the receiver can handle much larger antennas that would overload most portables. The RF-Gain also helps here to vary sensitivity and combined with the mid-range AGC and sharp filters the end result is audio that is nice and crisp to listen to - especially on SSB. None of that distorted DSP audio is present with this receiver on SW SSB & AM as Sangean has taken a different route with its DSP chipset implementation.

I think it's a worthwhile purchase over a similar Tecsun shortwave DSP portable like the PL-880. It's not hyper-sensitive like the Tecsuns and this is a good thing.
 

Boombox

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
1,538
Reaction score
535
Nearly every user's review on SW forums and subreddits I've read about the 909X2 are very positive. Sangean make a good product.

I have the 909X2's first precursor, the 909 (DX-398). It's still a great receiver, and very useful for SWLing, MWDXing, and DXing the HF ham bands. The main difference Sangean used when updating the 909 to the 909X and 909X2 was to add a DSP chip for filtration and a little extra amplification to the already robust SW circuitry. The 909X2 also, naturally, has a lot more features -- more filters available, and DSP. Chances are high you will get years of enjoyment out of your radio.
 

RufusDawes

Member
Joined
May 8, 2025
Messages
46
Reaction score
51
I did the same about 6 months ago, ordered on amazon... tested it our for about a week, it never felt good in my hands, was not overwhelmed with the performance, sent it back preferring the Eton Eline Executive instead.
 

W8WCA

Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Messages
724
Reaction score
488
Location
/usa/oh/cmh EM89kx
 

ditto1958

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2024
Messages
440
Reaction score
466
I don’t have one and have never used one. I have seen and read a lot of reviews. Most people seem to mostly love it. Still, if a person is thinking of buying one, it looks to me that some of the radios that cost around $100 will deliver most of the performance and features of the Sangean at a fraction of the price.
 
Top