@Buchenlander If I needed an above average portable shortwave receiver, I'd prefer the ICF-SW77 while for FM, I'd choose the ATS-909X. I bought the Sangean mainly for FM DXing during the E-skip season, but sometimes I always use it for SW DXing. It is decently compact (nice for DXpeditions!) and copes quite well with longwire antennas of up to 30 m, but its original filters are a bit too wide for really difficult SW/MW DXing. A modification might improve its selectivity though.
I have the old model...even though mine is branded under Roberts radio,and the model no is a r 861....very interested on your comparison between the two radios as I quite fancy buying the ats-909...is it really worth me forking out a load more money for the new one...and plus I do listen a lot as well to the amateur radio bands...would I notice any difference between the two radios...all the best and I hope you have a fantastic Christmas....cheers!!!! Mike.
@mikejk27 Hi, thanks for your interest! Reception wise, ATS-909 and 909X are VERY similar except on FM where the 909X is considerably better (more sensitive and selective). The main advantages of the 909X are better ergonomics (a.o. a better tuning knob), better construction quality, a superior display backlight and crisper sound. SSB audio is also slightly better. Finally, it depends on you if you want to spend money on a slightly improved model. Have a great Christmas!Cheers Matthias
I am considering buying this model, comments of problems are making me think again. I also believe that when I pay my money, I should get a product in full working order.
BUYER BEWARE ! The ATS-909X is clearly a product with many functional deficiencies and should be avoided at all costs.My unit failed to respond to the pressing of many different buttons causing great inconvenience & delay to get to a desired frequency--this is especially troublesome for someone in the DXing hobby.I sent the unit to the repair facility (with an $8 check !) only to get a replacement that was still not completely functional ! In this case,the "9" button has to be pressed many times
@dxace1 The ATS-909X is rather identical to the old 909 concerning SW performance/sensitivity. For weak signal DXing (especially below 10 MHz), an external antenna is required if you run the set from batteries. On FM, the 909X is more selective and the RDS is slightly quicker. The 909X sounds better, has better ergonomics, a much better display backlight and a superior build quality. It feels considerably more rugged. The built-in battery charger is a useful feature lacking on the old 909.
I would like to ask how well the daytime signal of Radio France on 162 kHz LW or BBC R4 on 198 kHz is received at your location? Does the LW band get "images" of MW stations not assigned to this band? I ask because LW on some portables are not well designed and I wonder if the 909x is any better.
@gtgene The signals on 162 and 198 kHz are fair (SIO 353). Speech is 100% intelligible. I just tested it at 0845 UTC. My location is near Hannover, Germany. There is a rather strong "ghost" signal on 189 kHz caused by a local MW station on 828 kHz (NDR Hannover, 20 kW, 13 km away) which is not there on the old ATS-909. Sensitivity wise, both sets are inferior to the Sony SW7600GR.
@senderjaeger Thanks so much for your reply. The 7600GR has been discounted from 199 to 131 USD,and yet I am surprised it is better in that respect to the 909x I have ordered for 260. Still I think I will like it.
@gtgene I'm sure you'll like the 909X. It's very well built and sounds great, especially on FM, and its ergonomics are hard to beat. Reception on the AM ranges is OK for the average listener and can be boosted considerably with an external antenna if you have DX ambitions.
Regarding the SW7600GR: Excellent performance on LW/MW/SW with the built-in antenna has always been Sony's strength. The 7600GR is no exception in this respect.
@senderjaeger I got my 909x yesterday. The FM band as you mentioned is great. Medium and Shortwave is also good for casual listening. I do have a problem with some of the buttons not responding to a single press,or activating another function. I may have a poor model,but since I got it from overseas for the 76-108 FM band (not available in the US),it's something I can deal with as opposed to shipping it back.
@gtgene The issue with buttons occosionally not responding to the first press seems to be a general problem. It's the same on my 909X. But it isn't as severe as it would bother me, and the return period has expired anyway. If it deteriorates, there's still the 24 month warranty.
@senderjaeger Sorry for the late reply. My seller had a 7 day return-exchange policy,so I sent it back. I am surprised Sangean would release a product with this problem. I hope to have better luck on the next one. I'll let you know. Thanks for telling me I'm not the only one.
@gtgene Good luck with your new 909X. Let's hope it won't have that issue. As I wrote, for me it isn't really an issue as I know several radios that respond much worse to pressing buttons.
@East180thStreetYard I did get a replacement. The problem comes up but not as bad as the last one. For what Sangean charges for this unit,they must have gotten the lowest bidder. Rumors point to automatic soldering producing iffy connections...but I should let a tech answer that.
@senderjaeger A "general problem" is still a problem regardless.When I purchase a product,I expect to get all of my money's worth & a unit that is 100 % in working order,NOT 99.0001 %,but 100 % period.I have other Sangean receivers such as the previous ATS-909,an ATS-818ACS,a CCRadio Plus & the CCRadio2--all in perfect working condition.Now there's something clearly wrong with the quality-control at Sangean and they'd better step it up ! They're obviously aren't testing their products properly.
@East180thStreetYard Generally, I agree with you. Obviously there were some quality control problems on the first production series of the 909X and I sincerely hope that Sangean has fixed them in the meantime. They've got a reputation to loose. If the 909X was my only radio, I certainly would have returned it, keeping in mind that they ask a premium price for it. But as the issue on my sample is really minor, I relinquished the effort of returning it because it isn't worth the waste of time.
@senderjaeger Speaking of paying a premium price,my unit cost 260 US dollars from Universal Radio--not exactly pocket change.I also could've paid $250 from C Crane,but didn't realize it at the time I made the purchase,especially given the fact I've purchased other products from C Crane.I will place your video in my favorites so other people can see your receiver.Off subject,are you familiar with the band Kraftwerk ? I discovered "Musique-Non-Stop" in 1986 & they've been my favorites ever since.
@East180thStreetYard You got it even cheaper. I payed the equivalent of US$ 285 in May and at € 60 discount from the "manufacturer suggested price" it was a bargain. As I wrote, the button issue is by far not as severe on my unit as it is on others and I can live with it. I bought it mainly for FM DX during the E-skip season and otherwise I use it as a kitchen radio.
Concerning Kraftwerk: Yes, I know them, they're one of Germany's most internationally renowned bands and I like their music, too.
@senderjaeger I'm assuming you purchased it straight from Sangean.Maybe you can contact a US dealer & see what you can work out for future radios.Aside from the functionality issue,this is a really greatly designed radio--what a shame that it doesn't always respond to commands.I also purchased my 1st unit in May so perhaps mine was manufactured around the same time as yours;what's it's serial number ? I've done some very casual FM DX this summer with no results.
Thanks for the prompt reply ! Of course, one can improve SW performance by running the radio from DC and using an external antenna, but there are circumstances you can't do that, depending on where you are. It's a pity to get average/fair results with such a long whip, especially if considering the Tecsun (25 euros) wins hands down on SW.
To improve MW reception : do one have to use the SW connector ? I haven't tested it yet...
RDS showing PI code would have been great, but I ask too much !
@aunumero73 I agree. One may expect from a portable SW radio that it performs adequatly on the built-in whip and batteries so that you have optimal reception while you're on the go. From this point of view the 909X is rather a desktop model.
@aunumero73 To improve MW reception you can either connect an external antenna to the antenna jack also used for SW or, if you have a loop antenna, you can put it close to the radio without connecting (inductive coupling). A longwire should be considerably longer than the supplied ANT-60 antenna which is way too short to improve MW signals.
Hi Matthias ! I just received my 909X and I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with the SW performance using the (long) telescopic whip. My tiny TECSUN PL-310 is much more sensitive (using its short telescopic antenna) whatever the SW frequency is !!
Cuba on 5025 was weak this morning with the Sangean, loud and clear with the Tecsun... (costs 25 euros !).
On FM, sensitivity is great, but selectivity is better on the Tecsun once more...
For 170 euros, I would rate it 10/20. 18/20 for the PL-310
@aunumero73 Hi and thanks for your comment. I made the same observations and share your opinion. However, SW performance increases if you run the set from DC and even further if you connect it to an external antenna (as you can see in my tropical band videos). It would have been nice though if Sangean had improved the SW performance on the whip compared to the old ATS-909. As it seems, the AM circuitry has regrettably remained the same...
What about weak stations ? see the tune is not after the comma 100Hz, or 10Hz .Compare this receiver with the Sony 2001D sensitivity of the Sony 2001D is 1 uV so very good ( on MW ).And what about the syncro ? Think ,Im not sure this is a real DX machine 73, Put you video on Facebook
@antennebuis Hi, thanks for your comment. You can't really compare the Sangean with the Sony 2001D because the latter plays in a higher class. The ICF-2001D is much more sensitive with the built-in antennas while the ATS-909X needs an external antenna for weak signal DXing, especially when it's operated from batteries. It has no synchronous detector. On the other hand, the Sangean is by far superior to the Sony on FM.
@MrRasRiddims Hi, the "49 METER" tag shown on the display is the alphanumeric label of one of the memory pages (they are pre-programmed at the factory but can easily be erased by the user). The actual meter band is displayed with small characters next to the frequency digits.
Great Video Matthias...the the 909x looks like a very good portable...i notice it seems to lock on to RDS pretty quick wonder what its like with weaker signals the older 909 I used had to have a pretty big signal before it locked on...I look forward to more of your videos with the 909x...cheers Mark
@MARKGM20877 Hi Mark, thanks... Yes indeed, RDS appears quite quickly on strong local and not-so-strong semi-local stations, it's certainly (slightly) better than the old ATS-909 in this respect. But it still needs a certain signal level to detect RDS. On weaker signals, the RDS logo won't even blink. I'm curious how the 909X will perform during the upcoming Sporadic-E season. Cheers Matthias
@tvdxrools Thanks... I'm looking forward to taking it to the fields, hunting for DX. :-) The bandwidth on FM is chosen automatically by the DSP, so no manual change is possible. Tuning steps on MW can be switched between 1 kHz and 9 kHz (or 10 kHz if selected in the battery compartment) as well as 40 Hz for SSB.
@MrRasRiddims Yes, it's a very nice radio indeed. The speaker sounds excellent for a radio of this compact size. I think though that the 750 sounds far better, simply because it is much, much larger.
Bravo ! Can you use EXT antenna on MW mode on this new radio? I know it is possible on old ATS-909. And I'd like to see its USB reception. I'm looking forward to the videos to come.
@pesnyaozemle Thanks! Yes, it is possible to use an external antenna on MW. I will test that soon. SSB reception is quite the same as on the old ATS-909. I think I will upload a video of that, too. Generally, the ATS-909X seems to be quite identical to its predecessor as far as LW, MW and SW reception is concerned. FM seems to be better though thanks to the DSP. Construction quality and the display backlight are MUCH better than on the ATS-909.
What would you choose between a Sony ICF-SW77 and a Sangean ATS-909X?
Buchenlander 2 weeks ago
@Buchenlander If I needed an above average portable shortwave receiver, I'd prefer the ICF-SW77 while for FM, I'd choose the ATS-909X. I bought the Sangean mainly for FM DXing during the E-skip season, but sometimes I always use it for SW DXing. It is decently compact (nice for DXpeditions!) and copes quite well with longwire antennas of up to 30 m, but its original filters are a bit too wide for really difficult SW/MW DXing. A modification might improve its selectivity though.
senderjaeger 2 weeks ago
I have the old model...even though mine is branded under Roberts radio,and the model no is a r 861....very interested on your comparison between the two radios as I quite fancy buying the ats-909...is it really worth me forking out a load more money for the new one...and plus I do listen a lot as well to the amateur radio bands...would I notice any difference between the two radios...all the best and I hope you have a fantastic Christmas....cheers!!!! Mike.
mikejk27 2 months ago
@mikejk27 Hi, thanks for your interest! Reception wise, ATS-909 and 909X are VERY similar except on FM where the 909X is considerably better (more sensitive and selective). The main advantages of the 909X are better ergonomics (a.o. a better tuning knob), better construction quality, a superior display backlight and crisper sound. SSB audio is also slightly better. Finally, it depends on you if you want to spend money on a slightly improved model. Have a great Christmas!Cheers Matthias
senderjaeger 2 months ago
I am considering buying this model, comments of problems are making me think again. I also believe that when I pay my money, I should get a product in full working order.
yorkshire1able 3 months ago
A great review of this Sangean. Thanks/Danke so much. Bob in Canada, VE9EE
ve9eearo 5 months ago
@ve9eearo Thanks for watching and your comment!
senderjaeger 5 months ago
BUYER BEWARE ! The ATS-909X is clearly a product with many functional deficiencies and should be avoided at all costs.My unit failed to respond to the pressing of many different buttons causing great inconvenience & delay to get to a desired frequency--this is especially troublesome for someone in the DXing hobby.I sent the unit to the repair facility (with an $8 check !) only to get a replacement that was still not completely functional ! In this case,the "9" button has to be pressed many times
East180thStreetYard 6 months ago
Wondering about your views on the 909X since your first videos -- comparison with old 909 or 909 Super version in sensitivity...
dxace1 8 months ago
@dxace1 The ATS-909X is rather identical to the old 909 concerning SW performance/sensitivity. For weak signal DXing (especially below 10 MHz), an external antenna is required if you run the set from batteries. On FM, the 909X is more selective and the RDS is slightly quicker. The 909X sounds better, has better ergonomics, a much better display backlight and a superior build quality. It feels considerably more rugged. The built-in battery charger is a useful feature lacking on the old 909.
senderjaeger 8 months ago
I would like to ask how well the daytime signal of Radio France on 162 kHz LW or BBC R4 on 198 kHz is received at your location? Does the LW band get "images" of MW stations not assigned to this band? I ask because LW on some portables are not well designed and I wonder if the 909x is any better.
gtgene 9 months ago
@gtgene The signals on 162 and 198 kHz are fair (SIO 353). Speech is 100% intelligible. I just tested it at 0845 UTC. My location is near Hannover, Germany. There is a rather strong "ghost" signal on 189 kHz caused by a local MW station on 828 kHz (NDR Hannover, 20 kW, 13 km away) which is not there on the old ATS-909. Sensitivity wise, both sets are inferior to the Sony SW7600GR.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
@senderjaeger Thanks so much for your reply. The 7600GR has been discounted from 199 to 131 USD,and yet I am surprised it is better in that respect to the 909x I have ordered for 260. Still I think I will like it.
gtgene 9 months ago
@gtgene I'm sure you'll like the 909X. It's very well built and sounds great, especially on FM, and its ergonomics are hard to beat. Reception on the AM ranges is OK for the average listener and can be boosted considerably with an external antenna if you have DX ambitions.
Regarding the SW7600GR: Excellent performance on LW/MW/SW with the built-in antenna has always been Sony's strength. The 7600GR is no exception in this respect.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
@senderjaeger I got my 909x yesterday. The FM band as you mentioned is great. Medium and Shortwave is also good for casual listening. I do have a problem with some of the buttons not responding to a single press,or activating another function. I may have a poor model,but since I got it from overseas for the 76-108 FM band (not available in the US),it's something I can deal with as opposed to shipping it back.
gtgene 8 months ago
@gtgene The issue with buttons occosionally not responding to the first press seems to be a general problem. It's the same on my 909X. But it isn't as severe as it would bother me, and the return period has expired anyway. If it deteriorates, there's still the 24 month warranty.
senderjaeger 8 months ago
@senderjaeger Sorry for the late reply. My seller had a 7 day return-exchange policy,so I sent it back. I am surprised Sangean would release a product with this problem. I hope to have better luck on the next one. I'll let you know. Thanks for telling me I'm not the only one.
Gene
gtgene 8 months ago
@gtgene Good luck with your new 909X. Let's hope it won't have that issue. As I wrote, for me it isn't really an issue as I know several radios that respond much worse to pressing buttons.
senderjaeger 8 months ago
@gtgene Don't worry about that--you are far from the only one.
East180thStreetYard 6 months ago
@East180thStreetYard I did get a replacement. The problem comes up but not as bad as the last one. For what Sangean charges for this unit,they must have gotten the lowest bidder. Rumors point to automatic soldering producing iffy connections...but I should let a tech answer that.
gtgene 6 months ago
@senderjaeger A "general problem" is still a problem regardless.When I purchase a product,I expect to get all of my money's worth & a unit that is 100 % in working order,NOT 99.0001 %,but 100 % period.I have other Sangean receivers such as the previous ATS-909,an ATS-818ACS,a CCRadio Plus & the CCRadio2--all in perfect working condition.Now there's something clearly wrong with the quality-control at Sangean and they'd better step it up ! They're obviously aren't testing their products properly.
East180thStreetYard 6 months ago
@East180thStreetYard Generally, I agree with you. Obviously there were some quality control problems on the first production series of the 909X and I sincerely hope that Sangean has fixed them in the meantime. They've got a reputation to loose. If the 909X was my only radio, I certainly would have returned it, keeping in mind that they ask a premium price for it. But as the issue on my sample is really minor, I relinquished the effort of returning it because it isn't worth the waste of time.
senderjaeger 6 months ago
@senderjaeger Speaking of paying a premium price,my unit cost 260 US dollars from Universal Radio--not exactly pocket change.I also could've paid $250 from C Crane,but didn't realize it at the time I made the purchase,especially given the fact I've purchased other products from C Crane.I will place your video in my favorites so other people can see your receiver.Off subject,are you familiar with the band Kraftwerk ? I discovered "Musique-Non-Stop" in 1986 & they've been my favorites ever since.
East180thStreetYard 6 months ago
@East180thStreetYard You got it even cheaper. I payed the equivalent of US$ 285 in May and at € 60 discount from the "manufacturer suggested price" it was a bargain. As I wrote, the button issue is by far not as severe on my unit as it is on others and I can live with it. I bought it mainly for FM DX during the E-skip season and otherwise I use it as a kitchen radio.
Concerning Kraftwerk: Yes, I know them, they're one of Germany's most internationally renowned bands and I like their music, too.
senderjaeger 6 months ago
@senderjaeger I'm assuming you purchased it straight from Sangean.Maybe you can contact a US dealer & see what you can work out for future radios.Aside from the functionality issue,this is a really greatly designed radio--what a shame that it doesn't always respond to commands.I also purchased my 1st unit in May so perhaps mine was manufactured around the same time as yours;what's it's serial number ? I've done some very casual FM DX this summer with no results.
East180thStreetYard 6 months ago
Thanks for the prompt reply ! Of course, one can improve SW performance by running the radio from DC and using an external antenna, but there are circumstances you can't do that, depending on where you are. It's a pity to get average/fair results with such a long whip, especially if considering the Tecsun (25 euros) wins hands down on SW.
To improve MW reception : do one have to use the SW connector ? I haven't tested it yet...
RDS showing PI code would have been great, but I ask too much !
aunumero73 9 months ago
@aunumero73 I agree. One may expect from a portable SW radio that it performs adequatly on the built-in whip and batteries so that you have optimal reception while you're on the go. From this point of view the 909X is rather a desktop model.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
@aunumero73 To improve MW reception you can either connect an external antenna to the antenna jack also used for SW or, if you have a loop antenna, you can put it close to the radio without connecting (inductive coupling). A longwire should be considerably longer than the supplied ANT-60 antenna which is way too short to improve MW signals.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
Hi Matthias ! I just received my 909X and I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with the SW performance using the (long) telescopic whip. My tiny TECSUN PL-310 is much more sensitive (using its short telescopic antenna) whatever the SW frequency is !!
Cuba on 5025 was weak this morning with the Sangean, loud and clear with the Tecsun... (costs 25 euros !).
On FM, sensitivity is great, but selectivity is better on the Tecsun once more...
For 170 euros, I would rate it 10/20. 18/20 for the PL-310
aunumero73 9 months ago
@aunumero73 Hi and thanks for your comment. I made the same observations and share your opinion. However, SW performance increases if you run the set from DC and even further if you connect it to an external antenna (as you can see in my tropical band videos). It would have been nice though if Sangean had improved the SW performance on the whip compared to the old ATS-909. As it seems, the AM circuitry has regrettably remained the same...
senderjaeger 9 months ago
What about weak stations ? see the tune is not after the comma 100Hz, or 10Hz .Compare this receiver with the Sony 2001D sensitivity of the Sony 2001D is 1 uV so very good ( on MW ).And what about the syncro ? Think ,Im not sure this is a real DX machine 73, Put you video on Facebook
antennebuis 9 months ago
@antennebuis Hi, thanks for your comment. You can't really compare the Sangean with the Sony 2001D because the latter plays in a higher class. The ICF-2001D is much more sensitive with the built-in antennas while the ATS-909X needs an external antenna for weak signal DXing, especially when it's operated from batteries. It has no synchronous detector. On the other hand, the Sangean is by far superior to the Sony on FM.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
@senderjaeger Thanks for your positive reply .Im looking forward
73,
antennebuis 9 months ago
When you first turn it on, and you're checking out the 19mb, why does the display also read 49mb?
MrRasRiddims 9 months ago
@MrRasRiddims Hi, the "49 METER" tag shown on the display is the alphanumeric label of one of the memory pages (they are pre-programmed at the factory but can easily be erased by the user). The actual meter band is displayed with small characters next to the frequency digits.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
Nice! Thanks for the great review.
dxmatze 9 months ago
@dxmatze Thanks for watching and feedback!
senderjaeger 9 months ago
Great Video Matthias...the the 909x looks like a very good portable...i notice it seems to lock on to RDS pretty quick wonder what its like with weaker signals the older 909 I used had to have a pretty big signal before it locked on...I look forward to more of your videos with the 909x...cheers Mark
MARKGM20877 9 months ago
@MARKGM20877 Hi Mark, thanks... Yes indeed, RDS appears quite quickly on strong local and not-so-strong semi-local stations, it's certainly (slightly) better than the old ATS-909 in this respect. But it still needs a certain signal level to detect RDS. On weaker signals, the RDS logo won't even blink. I'm curious how the 909X will perform during the upcoming Sporadic-E season. Cheers Matthias
senderjaeger 9 months ago
great demo and look forward to hearing it out in the country ... can you change filters on b2 and the tuning step on mw ... look forward to more
tvdxrools 9 months ago
@tvdxrools Thanks... I'm looking forward to taking it to the fields, hunting for DX. :-) The bandwidth on FM is chosen automatically by the DSP, so no manual change is possible. Tuning steps on MW can be switched between 1 kHz and 9 kHz (or 10 kHz if selected in the battery compartment) as well as 40 Hz for SSB.
Stay tuned...
senderjaeger 9 months ago
wow very nice model
jsjassem 9 months ago
@jsjassem Yes, it's really nice. Thanks for your comment.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
It seems like a very nice radio. How would you say the speaker compares to the one in the 750?
MrRasRiddims 9 months ago
@MrRasRiddims Yes, it's a very nice radio indeed. The speaker sounds excellent for a radio of this compact size. I think though that the 750 sounds far better, simply because it is much, much larger.
senderjaeger 9 months ago
Bravo ! Can you use EXT antenna on MW mode on this new radio? I know it is possible on old ATS-909. And I'd like to see its USB reception. I'm looking forward to the videos to come.
pesnyaozemle 9 months ago
@pesnyaozemle Thanks! Yes, it is possible to use an external antenna on MW. I will test that soon. SSB reception is quite the same as on the old ATS-909. I think I will upload a video of that, too. Generally, the ATS-909X seems to be quite identical to its predecessor as far as LW, MW and SW reception is concerned. FM seems to be better though thanks to the DSP. Construction quality and the display backlight are MUCH better than on the ATS-909.
senderjaeger 9 months ago