Just wondering if this radio would be any good for DXing? https://www.ryda.com.au/sangean-ats909x-portable-radio-receiver
At that price you think it would be.
This is the other stock if there might be something better: https://www.ryda.com.au/digital-dab-radios/portable-digital-radios#!/limit=48&order=price
This review is very glowing of the Sangean
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/9659
Itās not cheap, but having RDS on a true DX radio would be very handy.
Agreedā¦ a few other factors are:
Are they Circular or Linear, Not all stations are Circular
Some Stations donāt run their licenced power
Local Noise Floor
Perhaps TCOM owner Paul Thompson can consult to the station for this?
The ATS-909X is indeed a good receiver, but Iād only recommend it if youāre into SW DX and SSB mode. If only AM/FM is required, the Sangean PR-D15 is a much better buy and can be obtained for ~$100 USD on Amazon.***
I recently acquired the PR-D15; it is superior to the Tecsun PL-390 on AM when used with a PK loop antenna, whilst the FM performance is basically identical. The main advantage of the PR-D15 is audio quality; bass, treble, and loudness are all adjustable, and the unit provides a nice warm sound overall.
*** dxnerd does not obtain any benefit, financial or otherwise, from the promotional references contained in this post.
Probably, Iām in regular contact with Paul, we often share ideas & work together to make systems we both use better if we can, he consults for the station on other things.
Weāre also looking at TJH Systems in Adelaide for this & doing the tower work.
We have to come to an agreement with Telstra, to be able to use their site & tower at Mt Elliot first.
Bit of conditions coming in from the south from QLD.
Getting 106.3 triple M coffs at 3dbuv ā¦ weak and noisey
hearing a station on 96.7ā¦ cant identifyā¦ has a special on chuck berry on at the momentā¦ any ideas?
Also hearing 88.9 ABC classic ā¦ Iāll assume thats from lightning ridge NSW
Currently hearing 2 stations on 96.7 - one is PNN Toowoomba* the other is ABCFM Mt Dowe. The BBC relay on PNN may have had a Chuck Berry special?
Toowoomba based on also receiving Hit FM Dalby on 97.5
Lots of enhancement to the south and inland today with Coffs ABC v strong and Mt Dowe / Narrabri ABCs plus MAX on 91.3, Sky 95.9 and GGG on 97.5.
I think I was able to get some reception of Newcastle & Coffs Harbour commercial FM stations in Harington on Tuesday - suspected tropo although I didnāt really have enough time to listen to those for more than a few moments.
Also, what stations would I have received on 91.5, 94.7 and 99.5? If it helps, 94.7 was rather clear mono while 91.5 and 99.5 were very weak. Obviously the other/local FM stations received were those from Forster, Taree and Port Macquarie of various (ABC, commercial and community) flavours.
Best guess: 94.7 PNN Taree; 91.5 and 99.5 would be Coffs JJJ and RN
At the Chatswood apartment hotel that Iām staying at right now, I have a clear LOS to all three main TX towers at Artarmon, Willoughby and Gore Hill (Sydney), being 23 floors upā¦
I am just 700 metres from the Artarmon site. I was suspecting that I might set a new PB for signal strength on my Teccy (with a dipole pair of rabbit ears plugged into it). My current PB is 71db, set in West Dubbo on Star FM (now Hit).
Not to be.
Best I could manage was 63db on 92.9 Classic FM.
There seems to be too much overload.
Or maybe I am just too close, or both.
With the dipoles horizontal, which is what I do at home in Newcastle when listening to these same Sydney stations, there is too much wash, and it is hard to get a clean signal on ANYTHING much at all.
But with both dipoles vertical, the results are much better, which is how I got 63db on 92.9.
But even then, the only suburban community station I can get is the local 99.3 2NSB, but then only at a max of about 30db.
Wollongong signals are still all mono, with the exception of JJJ, which isnāt next to high power TX at the nearby 3 sites.
Had 3FOX 101.9 come in faintly in Marybrough (VIC) today.
Interestingly, I am getting better results on FM with my FM/DAB Sangean DRP-67. It seems to handle overload much better.
I was able to get a few more of the suburban community stations, such as 2RDJ and 2NBC pretty clearly, and also C91.3ā¦ Also, all Wollongong stations are in stereo, but not clean enough for RDS on i98 or WAVEā¦ And still Power FM at all.
That, right there, is why I donāt live on the North Shoreā¦among other reasons ;).
I havenāt had occasion to frequent my silver-tailed cousins lately, for the direct route to tropical climes goes through Ryde and Pymble instead. For comparisonsā sake, I might brave the hideous traffic and test my stock (Holden Astra) car radio in Artarmon.
A couple of DX videos from Youtube:
KBLA from Cooma
Newstalk ZB Oamaru from Cooma
6WA Wagin from Cooma
DX videos ex;
Cooma:
2WEB Bourke
A tour through the MW X Band
909 CNR6 China next to local 2XL
Tallowa Dam via Kangaroo Valley:
3NE via afternoon skywave
FM bandscan (nothing much to receive here!)
This might be the last Tropo of the season,
Inland tropo occurring here in Stanhope Gardens, with Eagle Fm booming in with RDS. Also getting ABC News from Canberra on 103.9, Triple J on 101.5, and Classic Fm on 102.3 all under the splatter of the locals. 2xx community on 98.3 also received faintly.
There is also enhancement of 98.7 Classic Fm from Middle Brother allowing it to come in stereo.
Noticed similar in Brissy this morning with enhanced Mt Dowe and Coffs Harbour signals.
Tropo in the cool season isnāt all that uncommon, but itās usually restricted to inland paths. Last winter I had Swan Hill and Bendigo booming in one afternoon in August (I think). In May especially, itās common for high- pressure systems to sit over eastern Australia, resulting in days (even weeks) of warm sunny conditions.
Yes I had something on 88.3 this morning here near Newcastle, it was a female talking in English, no music or anything. It wasnāt Radio National (cross checked with my local RN) wasnāt WS, donāt think it was Classic FM either.