Wall wart for Sangean ATS 909X

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nevesjerry

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Hello,
I have the Sangean ATS 909x radio, white model and the Wall wart that came with unit causes horrible RFI. Its the Antoble model LD-0331. Imput 100-240 volts. Output- DC 9 V. 2A. Can someone in the group recommend a noise free unit?
thanks,
Jerry
 

devicelab

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devicelab

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nevesjerry

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Thanks for advice on getting the Jameco power supply. Appreciate it very much. I wonder why the Sangean ATS 909X receiver does not indicate on its power supply input on the side if the center pin is either negative or positive as most transistor radios?
jerry
 

GB46

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Hello,
I have the Sangean ATS 909x radio, white model and the Wall wart that came with unit causes horrible RFI. Its the Antoble model LD-0331. Imput 100-240 volts. Output- DC 9 V. 2A. Can someone in the group recommend a noise free unit?
I'm surprised that your adapter puts out DC. I have the ATS 909x black model, and the adapter puts out 9 Volts AC. This is also indicated in the manual, which states:

"If an external adapter is used it must be capable of providing 9.0V AC, 700mA with center connector negative."

Of course, it seems odd that a polarity is stipulated for an AC input. The conversion to DC is done inside the radio by a full-wave bridge rectifier circuit. Some major changes must have been made between the white version and the release of the black one..

At any rate, the adapter that came with mine doesn't cause any RFI, which may be why Sangean chose to use AC..
 

devicelab

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Doh! Good call GB46, I screwed that up. I read that too but it didn't compute.

Jerry he's right -- you'll need AC-AC adapter: GPU480901000WAOO: Jameco Reliapro : 9 VAC 1A AC to AC Wall Adapter Transformer 2.1mm Plug Level VI : Power Supplies & Wall Adapters

But he's also right in that since it's a true AC adapter there may be something in your immediate room that might be putting out RFI thru the house mains. Touch lamps or dimmer controls are classic examples of devices that cause mains noise which just gets radiated thru house wiring.
 

GB46

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Doh! Good call GB46, I screwed that up. I read that too but it didn't compute.

Jerry he's right -- you'll need AC-AC adapter: GPU480901000WAOO: Jameco Reliapro : 9 VAC 1A AC to AC Wall Adapter Transformer 2.1mm Plug Level VI : Power Supplies & Wall Adapters

But he's also right in that since it's a true AC adapter there may be something in your immediate room that might be putting out RFI thru the house mains. Touch lamps or dimmer controls are classic examples of devices that cause mains noise which just gets radiated thru house wiring.
Yes, the house wiring carries all kinds of electronic garbage and spills it all over the house. Another source of noise I once encountered was from a digital music keyboard. Whenever it was being played, even at the other end of the house, the shortwave bands were filled with various kinds of buzzing noises, and they were actually following the rhythm of the music, even though the notes themselves could not be heard..

Now I'm wondering why the OP's radio came with a DC supply, since Sangean includes the proper one right in the box. Then again, maybe the radio was purchased from a third party. I did read an article that claimed the radio could still be run off a DC supply of up to 12 volts, which seems excessive and unnecessary, but maybe Sangean thought of that when they called for a negative center conductor for the connector. By the way, on my radio, "DC input" is actually specified by a label next to the power input, along with the polarity of the connector. This is likely to confuse the end user.

My R75, on the other hand, was designed for 12v DC, but shipped with a noisy switching adapter (shame on Icom). Luckily I accidentally shorted the thing out, rendering it useless, so I replaced it with a clean linear supply.
 

devicelab

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Hmm Jerry may need to post a picture. Ironically I just purchased a 909x and returned it recently. I had a similar white adapter but I didn't pay attention -- I presumed it was AC-DC. Universal Radio says the included adapter is also 9V AC. Perhaps they did finally change it to a DC supply.
 

GB46

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Hmm Jerry may need to post a picture. Ironically I just purchased a 909x and returned it recently. I had a similar white adapter but I didn't pay attention -- I presumed it was AC-DC. Universal Radio says the included adapter is also 9V AC. Perhaps they did finally change it to a DC supply.
To add to the confusion, a separate sheet was included with my printed manual advising that the U.S. Dept. of Energy was now requiring all external power supplies to be the switching type, ostensibly to conserve power. That might account for Sangean having changed their adapters, although in my case the notice accompanied a radio that does not use the switching type (thank goodness). What seems at first to clear this up is that the radio pictured on the manual's front cover is a white one, whereas I have the black model. Maybe I was given the wrong manual, but it still specifies an AC to AC adapter.

In the notice, Sangean admits that the switching adapter will cause RFI, and they recommend keeping the radio at least 1 foot from the adapter. Actually, 1 foot would still be too close. The notice goes on to suggest that if the switching adapter isn't the type supplied with the radio and the user wants to purchase one separately, he should refer to the last page of the manual for the specifications. That page in my manual says 9v AC. :confused:

Kudos to Sangean for helping to make this a lot less clear. :LOL:
 

MisterLongwire

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Working it off batteries would produce less RFI than if used with a walwart. And yes, it is 9vAC. I had the same kinda problem as well with my R75 until I bought a plug from some electronics store and bought myself a powersupply
 

GB46

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I had the same kinda problem as well with my R75 until I bought a plug from some electronics store and bought myself a powersupply
I couldn't find the correct size plug at the only electronics store in our town. They didn't sell small parts; you had to buy an adapter with an interchangeable selection of plugs. Instead, I used the power cord from the original adapter. The cord had no indication of polarity, so I figured out by trial and error which was which and wound a piece of twist tie around the positive lead as a reminder.
 

mbott

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My R75, on the other hand, was designed for 12v DC, but shipped with a noisy switching adapter (shame on Icom). Luckily I accidentally shorted the thing out, rendering it useless, so I replaced it with a clean linear supply.

No accident, I'm sure. It was your subconscious mind at work preventing you from experiencing the hell of that psu.

--
Mike
 

GB46

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No accident, I'm sure. It was your subconscious mind at work preventing you from experiencing the hell of that psu.
Could be, Mike, although my subconscious didn't intervene when I made the stupid mistake of using our motorhome's built-in AC to DC converter to power the radio from a cigar lighter type socket on the cabin wall. The supply was as unfiltered and unregulated as a DC supply could get. Pulsating DC was probably what it delivered.

I was new to RVs at that time, and the vehicle was an older model. Newer RVs have better power supplies. Also, what I didn't know was that the power to the cabin was temporarily interrupted when the vehicle's engine was started; there was a voltage surge that could have cost me the radio. Instead, it blew an internal fuse, which was easy to replace.
 

a417

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FWIW I haven't seen a center negative in a long time...
I said the same thing last week when I had to repurpose another power supply for a Brother label printer that is tip-negative. I actually put a warning label on the power supply to remind me in the future that I rewired it.
 

GB46

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Ah-ha! There's an answer to the above mystery changes in the power supply...

The article does clear up the mystery of the firmware versions. I bought my 909x in 2018, but wondered how long it had been on the shelf at radioworld.ca before I ordered it. I have P01, so now I know that this is a more recent release of the radio than the one from 2014 described in the article. My power supply matches the newer one, as well.

What still remains a mystery (to me at least) is why the power jack is labeled with "DC IN" with the polarity specified, when the adapter's output is 9v AC, as called for in the manual, as well.

As for the 909x2, I'm not holding my breath waiting for it, because I'm happy with the 909x the way it is. It's giving me excellent service, and I don't need any additional bells and whistles.
 
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