Sangean ATS-909X First Impressions

First impressions of my new Sangean ATS-909X portable shortwave receiver.

I recently bought it at Amazon Germany for roughly € 190.

The ATS-909X is the successor to the very popular ATS-909 which has been on the market since 1996.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• sangean
• ats-909x
• portable
• shortwave
• radio
• receiver
• review
• kurzwelle
• weltempfänger
• unboxing
• test
• fm
• mw
• sw
• lw
• dx
• dxing
• scanning
• tuning
• receptor
• onda
• corta
• recepteur
• ondes
• courtes

[Buchenlander]

What would you choose between a Sony ICF-SW77 and a Sangean ATS-909X?

[senderjaeger]

@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.

[mikejk27]

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.

[senderjaeger]

@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

[ve9eearo]

A great review of this Sangean. Thanks/Danke so much. Bob in Canada, VE9EE

[senderjaeger]

@ve9eearo Thanks for watching and your comment!

[yorkshire1able]

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.

[gtgene]

@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.

[East180thStreetYard]

@gtgene Don't worry about that--you are far from the only one.

[East180thStreetYard]

@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.