Herculodge

The Grundig Satellit 750: "Old Wine in a New Bottle"?

For those of you fretting over the possible cancellation of theGrundig Satellit 750, perhaps you will be assuaged by Ed's take:

"This 750 just looks like old wine (the 800) in a new bottle. There are plenty of Satellit 800's around, suggest getting one of them instead."

To feed my radio appetite, I decided to bid on a Panasonic RF-2800 and Panasonic RF-1080. I'll let you know how they perform, if I get one or both of them

For those of you fretting over the possible cancellation of theGrundig Satellit 750, perhaps you will be assuaged by Ed's take:

"This 750 just looks like old wine (the 800) in a new bottle. There are plenty of Satellit 800's around, suggest getting one of them instead."

To feed my radio appetite, I decided to bid on a Panasonic RF-2800 and Panasonic RF-1080. I'll let you know how they perform, if I get one or both of them

Is the Wrist Watch an Obsolete Timepiece in an Age of Ubiquitous Time?

Responding to my hyper-masculine, rhapsodic praise of theNautica Ocean 50 Chronograph, Ed writes:

"I think wrist watches had their day. Now they are quaint and superfluous. No one under 25 wears one. Every cellphone tells the time, which is now the younger set's default time-piece, as well as your PC, radio, toaster, TV, car, etc etc etc. Who needs a chunky klunky thing around their wrist anymore?"

 My take is that the watch is superfluous as a timepiece indeed. But it is a sartorial add-on. One can dress down in jeans and a t-shirt and give their look "pop" with a striking watch. When it comes to fashion style takes precedence over function. 

Responding to my hyper-masculine, rhapsodic praise of theNautica Ocean 50 Chronograph, Ed writes:

"I think wrist watches had their day. Now they are quaint and superfluous. No one under 25 wears one. Every cellphone tells the time, which is now the younger set's default time-piece, as well as your PC, radio, toaster, TV, car, etc etc etc. Who needs a chunky klunky thing around their wrist anymore?"

 My take is that the watch is superfluous as a timepiece indeed. But it is a sartorial add-on. One can dress down in jeans and a t-shirt and give their look "pop" with a striking watch. When it comes to fashion style takes precedence over function. 

The Sangean PR-D5 Is a Strange Beast and an AM Champion

Described by one reader as a white purse and generally scoffed at for its "pretty" appearance, the Sangean PR-D5 is a strange radio, hard to like for some reasons and impossible to let go of for another. 

In the latter case, its 8-inch internal ferrite AM antenna is the biggest in the business and its shows. The PR-D5 is my only radio that completely suppressed birdy noise on 710 ESPN radio. Not even my beloved Sony ICF-5900 and Panasonic RF-888 can do that. 

Some don't like the PR-D5's lack of an RF filter grain and complain of getting AM overload since they live next to an AM transmitter tower. I don't have the problem but be warned.

Now the negatives: It's the antithesis of the rugged military radios I love, like the aforementioned 5900 and 888. And those little speakers, described by one reader as "two little tea cups," don't generate a lot of sound.

Okay, Sangean, make a new version of the PR-D5, boombox style. Stick some 5-inch speakers on it and I'll pre-order 3 of them.

Described by one reader as a white purse and generally scoffed at for its "pretty" appearance, the Sangean PR-D5 is a strange radio, hard to like for some reasons and impossible to let go of for another. 

In the latter case, its 8-inch internal ferrite AM antenna is the biggest in the business and its shows. The PR-D5 is my only radio that completely suppressed birdy noise on 710 ESPN radio. Not even my beloved Sony ICF-5900 and Panasonic RF-888 can do that. 

Some don't like the PR-D5's lack of an RF filter grain and complain of getting AM overload since they live next to an AM transmitter tower. I don't have the problem but be warned.

Now the negatives: It's the antithesis of the rugged military radios I love, like the aforementioned 5900 and 888. And those little speakers, described by one reader as "two little tea cups," don't generate a lot of sound.

Okay, Sangean, make a new version of the PR-D5, boombox style. Stick some 5-inch speakers on it and I'll pre-order 3 of them.

Can't Decide Between Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo and the Duo? Then Consider This

For about $85, you can get the Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo, which is the best clock radio I've tested for pure performance on speaker sound and tuner sensitivity on AM and FM. 

The Solo is eclipsed in speaker sound, however, by its bigger brother, the $115 Duo, which not only features stereo speakers but a remote control. There's also a Duo with an iPod cradle for $140.

 

I have both the Solo and the Duo and will argue that as a bedside radio you should get the Solo and avoid the Duo. Also for your computer office you should get the Duo and avoid the Solo. Here's why:

For your bedroom, you're not going to need your speaker sound to be any louder than the very full and effulgent Solo. Second, the Solo leaves a tiny footprint on your side table. Last but not least, you can rotate the Solo (especially in its vertical position) to maximize AM reception. This rotation is not practical with the bigger, heavier Duo.

In fact, rotating the Duo is so impractical, that I complement it by using it next to a high-AM performer, a vintage Panasonic RF-888, in my computer office. The remote allows me to use the Duo a good 5 feet from my computer to avoid interference.

To conclude, your decision to get a Solo or a Duo should be based on what part of your house you're going to use it. 

Manly Watch Sighting for Under $190: The TW Steel Men's Canteen

Looking similar to some $4,000 U-Boat models, the TW Steel Canteen is selling today on Amazon for $189.97. Its bezel width is a hefty 52 millimeters. Don't go lower than 50 mm for any of your watches. This is a manly watch at an excellent price. 

Review of the Tecsun PL-450

I've seen this Tecsun PL-450 on eBay for the last year or so and didn't know much about it. Now we have Stetisawa to thank for this thorough review:

I have owned a Tecsun PL-450 for several months now. It’s my bedtime (clock) radio. I go to sleep to it most nights and wake up to it most days. So you might say I have an intimate relationship with it.

It’s a class bigger than the Eton E100/Tecsun PL-200. I would say its main competitor, size and function wise, is the Degen/Kaito DE1102/KA1102 (it was a toss up for me, which one to buy). It’s just a few mms smaller in dimensions than the DE1102. It replaced the Tecsun PL-350, and (so I understand) shares many design features with its big brother, the Tecsun PL-600 (which replaced the PL-550). By the way, the PL-450 does not have SSB (the DE1102 does).

I notice the DE1102 manages to fit a 66mm speaker in its cabinet. The PL-450 has a 57mm speaker. This is significant as far as sound quality goes, as with speakers this small, any increase in size usually means a noticeably fuller sound.

There is a Local/Norm/DX antenna gain switch for the whip antenna (has no effect in AM). You’ll want that on DX for shortwave (full coverage, in 1 or 5khz steps). Even local FM stations seem to get a boost from switching to Norm or DX. You can then switch back to local in case of overload.

I mainly use the PL-450, in preset mode, for two or three AM talk stations and a couple of FM classical music stations; all local. So I don’t make great demands on the radio. Reception on both bands seems fine to me. I never hear any alien station images drifting in and out. I listen through the speaker, never through headphones. That’s just my preference. It does provide stereo FM through phones, but on my radio, you can’t switch FM through headphones to mono. The switch is there for it, but it just doesn’t work. That’s bad, as you may often want to switch to mono to eliminate noise. 

On one AM station I sometimes have to swivel the case a bit to eliminate chirping. On FM, I have to extend the aerial at least several inches to begin to get clear reception (as noted, adjusting the gain switch also has a considerable effect on FM).

The PL-450 has a narrow/wide bandwidth option for AM and shortwave. It is quite effective on shortwave (which I rarely use), where it’s useful to scan in wide mode, then switch to narrow to lock in on a station. It does seem to reduce static/noise considerably. But on AM, it’s a joke. On narrow setting, as you’d expect, you have to tune to the exact frequency of the station you’re after for it to lock in, but the sound quality is then so horribly muffled (ie. the frequency range is so compressed), that it’s simply unlistenable. In wide mode, audio improves hugely – it’s perfectly normal - but you then have to always tune to 4 or 5khz above the station’s frequency to lock in properly. Thus, radio station 612, is properly tuned at 617. This is, however, consistent for all stations, so once you get used to the quirk, you automatically tune to 5khz above any given station’s frequency, then apply pre-sets, etc. Needless to say, when listening to AM, I only ever have the bandwidth option on Wide. If I remember right, the ferrite bar is 4 inches, possibly a little longer.

The audio quality from the original speaker was very poor. It struggled with highs and lows. Cymbals or bass elements seemed to “crumble to pieces." I swapped the speaker with a same sized one from an old Panasonic RF-P50, adhering it with blu-tak (sticky tak), which not only minimised cabinet vibration, but may also have maximized air displacement through the speaker (because of the airtight seal), thus creating a somewhat fuller sound (I may be fooling myself here). Anyway, the sound is now as good as you could hope for from a 57mm speaker. But that hardly counts as a recommendation for the standard issue radio. There is a Bass/Treble tone switch, which is also now far more effective with the new speaker. 

The original speaker now sounds not too bad in the Panasonic (with similar blu-tak fitting). So it may have been a combination of dud speaker and poor fitting (creating vibration), unless you contend that 57mm speakers need weeks of “breaking in”. Speakers this size are usually stuck on the cabinet with a bit of nasty gel glue and maybe a couple of tiny plastic clamps.

The case is sturdy and feels comfortable in the hand. In fact, there’s a good quality feel to all the buttons, knobs and switches. As you can see from the photos, it’s a handsome (pretty?) looking thing, in a traditional kind of way. Ergonomics are good.

Button layout is sensible (which is not that common these days), and the buttons have a pleasant spring-click mechanism with just the right force required, I think. The tuning knob travels with a satisfying oily smoothness. I like using it in preset mode to swing between stations. The LCD display is excellent, with very uniform and not-too-bright amber lighting (screen only, no buttons are illuminated). Light is auto-activated for a few seconds by the buttons and the tuning knob, or you can turn the light on permanently. But there’s no way of turning the light off completely, which is annoying, and a waste of battery life (there’s no daylight detecting switch like some Degens).

I use 3 2300mah AA batteries, which last me about last two weeks or 30 hours, which is not bad at all. But that’s on low volume levels, appropriate for bed. Subtract several hours battery life if usually playing at normal room volume levels. Recharge function works well and is quite quick too, at just over 7 hours for 2300mah batteries (it auto detects and stops charging when fully charged). There’s the usual Tecsun/Eton menu for setting these kind of firmware functions (ie. reading of manual required).

Important for a good bedtime radio is the simplicity of the sleep function. Sleep kicks in automatically when you turn it on. You can then set it to switch off at the time desired, and it’ll remember that time from then on. If you want it to stay on permanently, you hold down the On button for a few seconds.

I understand some Degens have a maddening sleep function that requires several button presses every time you turn the radio on, if you want a different switch off time than the 99 min default.
On the whole, I’m very happy with the PL-450, but that’s after changing the speaker, and accepting its quirks.

KFI 640 AM Should Get Improved Reception with New 50 K-Watt Antenna

Ed has given Los Angeles radio listeners the heads-up on KFI 640 AM:

You may notice improved reception of KFI  640-- starting at 5:10 they switched to a new 50 K-watt antenna. Their old one was hit by an airplane sometime ago and has been using a lower powered makeshift one until now.

Should I Get the Sangean Sonido or the Sangean PR-D5?

Dear Herculodge,

I’ve read and appreciated a ton of the articles on your site including your recommendation to take the PR-D5 over the Sonido.  But, I’ve got a bit of a different situation than most.  I’ve got a junky Wal-Mart radio at my camp in northern 

Vermont

.  Listening to the ballgames on AM always has the sound fading in and out.  That would seem to indicate I should go with the PR-D5, right?  But, I also have no power up there and the 250 hours for the Sonida versus the 70 for the PR-D5 would be noticeable.  So, my question is what’s the real difference between the 6.25 inch ferrite antenna on the Sonida versus the 8 inch one on the PR-D5?  If I wouldn’t notice much in actual use, I’m leaning towards the Sonido.

Dear Reader,

You're in a dilemma. I don't have the Sonido, but I can tell you this: The Sangean WR-2 gets far inferior AM compared to my PR-D5. Now what if the WR-2 has the same antenna as the Sonido? That seems like a possibility. I suppose you could buy both and return the PR-D5 if the Sonido works adequately on AM. 

But if any readers know what kind of AM antenna is in the Sonido, please let us know. 

eBay Radio Sighting--the Grundig Top Boy 500

Thanks to Angelo for the heads-up on the Grundig Top Boy 500, which comes highly recommended. Only an hour left of bidding and it's still under $48.

Review of the Sangean ATS-505

Thanks to Angelo for writing a review of the Sangean ATS 505:

I was motivated to finally submit this review when I read that Amazon dropped the price on the Sangean ATS 505 to under $80.00, including shipping.  Alas, one small problem:  I was mistaken.  It's the Sangean 404 that is selling for that price.  The 505 is still up near $120.00.  But since I snapped the photo and promised the review, here it is.

The retail price on the ATS 505 is $179.00.  It's not a $179.00 radio.  It's not a $120.00 radio.  It's not worth $100.00 either.  In fact, truth be told, at $80.00, it would be a very nice deal, but still, even at that drastic a reduction, this wouldn't exactly be a steal.  I bought mine "barely used" on E-Bay for under $50.00, so I'm thrilled with it.

Here's the skinny:  It's probably the lowest priced receiver available with shortwave side band.  It's from a manufacturer who makes some very nice radios.  It holds its own in most but not all areas.  That about sums it up. 

A few more details---about the radio---and for perspective, about me:  I'm a vintage radio guy.  By vintage, I don't mean antique tube radios.  I'm talking about those fantastic solid state portable radios from the mid-1960s through about 1980.  You know the ones:  Heavy steel and high quality plastic or vinyl construction.  Chorme plated knobs and trim.  Leather or leatherette casing.  Weighing as much as a baby elephant.  THOSE are radios.  THIS is a "nice sound device that picks up radio transmissions."   The distinction is that the radios I love often used Zenith Trans-Oceanics as a benchmark and tried to mimmick the look, feel and performance of that great old radio.  By contrast, the Sangean ATS 505 and to be fair, MOST of the newer radios like it---some costing much more---seem to benchmark a 1975 Texas Instruments calculator as a pattern. 

Is this unacceptable?  No.  Times change.  Tastes change.  Products change.  In some ways, today's automobiles don't hold a candle to those made in the 1960's.  But in other ways, they're infinitely better.  The problem with this radio is that it's different than my vintage sets, but I can't find one thing it does better.  About the only advantage, if you can call it that, is that it's smaller.  It's handy as a bedside companion and travels well.  I've taken it to the beach and I have been using it lately for late night listening to sleep by.  And it does have presets---an advantage to be sure, but I usually like scanning more than hitting presets.

 

There are some nice features.  The aforementioned SSB comes to mind.  It's useful and it works.  Shortwave reception compares favorably with other new radios I've tried, especially in its price range.  AM reception is quite good.  It's no match for my Panasonic 888 or

Sony 5800, but it pulls in the stations and has presets.  It holds steady on those AM signals too.  On FM, the sound is crystal clear and again, reception is good.  I use headphones (inexpensive AIWA headphones to be specific).  Using that headset, this radio provides rich, clear sound.  No background noise.  On FM talk radio, the voices sound as though they're originating in the same room you're sitting in.  

Now, the external speaker is a different story.  I read one review that stated the ATS 505's speaker is no better than a 1960's pocket/transistor radio.  That simply is not the case.  It's a harsh exagerration to make a point.  But there is a shred of truth in the remark.  The speaker should be better---or at least the sound should be richer and fuller, whether accomplished through a better speaker or some other means.  This simply doesn't cut it on a $120.00 radio and to suggest a retail of $179.00 is laughable. 

But to bring my own review full circle:  For what I paid, I'm elated with this radio.  I'd probably buy it again for the same price and might be willing to spend around $80.00 on a new one.  It's "good enough" if not a category leader.  But I will end by saying I like what Sangean is doing.  The cabinet and controls on my radio are plastic---but a nice looking metallic color (and I don't find it to feel cheap, as some have reported.).  The radio was packaged with an AC adapter, external antenna and very nice vinyl case.  In other words, Sangean offers the ATS 505 as a very presentable radio, and they close the deal by throwing in a batch of extra accessories that others make you pay more for.  I notice that Sangean does this with some of their other models---and the real point is that Sangean is keeping the radio hobby alive and well by making a strong effort to provide excellence. 

As a radio lover---even a vintage radio lover---I recognize the importance of key manufacturers continuing to develop new and interesting radios to bring to market.  This is the only thing that will keep radios relavant---and it supports the enthusiast aspect of the hobby, which means it also supports collecting new radios and restoring old ones.  I like my ATS 505, but more importantly, I love Sangean for their mission to sell good radios.