Gerry you really should try the PL880 (or the newest Tecsun portable when it comes out.) Back in April/May I was testing them side by side and while the 909X was decent at SW reception -- it wasn't nearly as sensitive as the PL880. From SW BC to SSB stations it was pretty drastic. I suspect the 909X2 will be to release a portable that's worthy of Sangean's "last" SW product.
I have no problem with sensitivity, because the signals on the Sangean aren't much weaker with just the whip than on my Icom R75 with a long wire. The problem here is mostly my urban location, which is in a valley, with mountains and RFI sources in all directions. There's also no way for me to get the radio far enough away from the building. My only outside access is the balcony, which is partly enclosed, and the outer wall of that is only about 3 feet from my apartment. so even an external antenna would essentially still be inside the building. When I brought the Sangean along on a vacation trip last year, I listened to it outside in a park, and signals were very strong, with little to no background noise. The same stations were hard to hear inside the hotel or back home.
Since I'm stuck at my present location for the long term, buying another new receiver, regardless of price or sensitivity, would be a waste of money. That's why I've ruled out the next Sangean model.
When propagation is good and brings in signals strong enough to override the noise, listening to the 909x is a pleasure, but otherwise I find myself spending more time monitoring local VHF and UHF services on my scanner.
www.sangeanshop.eu
